Match of the Millennium

Description: The vivacious blind stripper Djamila faces off against the impressionably young Ichika in a battle that parent's groups have called "unsuitable for broadcast" and "completely without merit". See who emerges victorious in this classic clash of pole and katana. Is that really a classic? Uh...

[DJAMILA]
She is there, in front of the entrance. The taxi driver helped her there. Now she is on my own. To be fair. She doesn't need any help, but for now, She is willing to appear more vulnerable than she is.

She has her staff with her, which looks more like a pole than a staff. She is using it like a cane in this case. Feeling things around her as she walks forward. She makes her way inside the mall, hearing the people around her. She hears louder people and heads in that direction. She ends up in front of the white marquee.

She takes a deep breath and then makes her way inside, somewhat not hitting anyone in the process. Her agility is shown in the process. She makes her way to the platform, hearing and feeling the excitement in the air. Good thing previous matches got the crowd pumped. Staff from the tournament sees her. "Oh, Miss Fadel. This way please." He takes her to the platform, holding her arm. She doesn't complain. She simply follows him on the platform. "I don't know why they would allow someone blind in the tournament." She takes a deep breath and ends up laughing. "I will be fine." That person explains they will introduce her opponent first, and then her. Djamila figures they don't think she has much of a chance to win. She would do her best to prove them wrong. Even if her opponent is amazing. She fully expect Ichika to be. But was Ichika expecting the same of her. "It's all good thank you." She tells him, and he leaves.

I now wait for her opponent to be there and introduced and herself too. For the match to start. She is eager yet nervous.

[ICHIKA]
Ichika is much less calm than her opponent. Perhaps ironically, given her apparent reputation as an 'ice queen', the girl is in fact a turbulent storm of emotions. This will be her first professional fight. Her first fight in front of an audience at all, in fact. And apparently it is likely she is going to have fans. In fact, as the 'home town girl', there's more than a few people here to cheer her on. Not least of which is her father. The weedy 40-something salaryman is still wearing his dress shirt and suit, though he's taken off his tie and is instead wearing it as a makeshift bandana as he loudly cheers on his daughter, even though the fight has yet to begin.

This... this is all a lot, isn't it? Much more than she had anticipated it would be. Her heart is beating so hard she is suprised it hasn't cracked through her chest. And yet. She focuses on the breathing exercises her instructors at the school had told her would be useful for keeping her focus. She kneels, her sword across her knees, and she tries not to feel the weight of the Justice High uniform across her shoulders. This isn't merely about her skills, after all. She bears with her the hopes of her student body. Failure... failure would be crushing.

When Djamila approaches, Ichika opens her eyes and lets out a long, slow breath. With it, she tries to banish her anxiety. It at least helps her keep her voice steady as she rises, and slides her sword neatly into place at her hip.

"Fadel-san." She says, "It is good to meet you at last. Before we begin, I would like to say that I have the greatest of respect for you. I am glad that whichever of us goes forward in this round of the competition, it will be someone deserving and who will not bring shame upon the competition. I will not hold back. And I trust that you also will do me the courtesy of showing me all that you have."

She bows, then. Though she doesn't know if Djamila can even sense the motion, she offers the same respect she would to any other competitor ... at least, any other competitor worthy of respect.

[DJAMILA]
Djamila is pretty quiet, even if her heart is beating quite fast because of different emotions too. She simply waits.

Djamila is pretty quiet, even if her heart is beating quite fast because of different emotions too. She simply waits.

However, when Ichika comes to talk to her, she can't help but form a smile. "Your words fill me with pride and respect." She walks toward Ichika, and some people wonder what she is going to do. She slams her staff in the ground, upright. She then extends her free hand toward her opponent. "Whoever wins tonight will have to earn it because we will give our all. Please fight like you never have Ichika. I want nothing less and nothing more." Once hands have been shaken or refused, she goes back to her spot for the introductions.

COMBATSYS: Djamila has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Djamila          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Ichika has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ichika           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
Ichika takes the offered hand and shakes it. It isn't her custom, but she does her best to show willing in spite of the discomfort with it. "I appreciate what you mean, Fadel-san." She says, as the pole-wielding warrior walks away from her, but she allows a hint of a smile to creep into her voice and onto her lips. "But I promise. I will fight as though I have fought precisely as many times as I have in the past. My first display was far less impressive than what I will attempt to show you today."

It's a little tease - but it does help to break the ice, as she settles into a slight crouch and grasps the hilt of her sword. The younger fighter is clearly not taking Djamila lightly. In truth, she has been wondering how she is going to approach this fight for a long while now. The information she had is limited; she hasn't been able to see any examples of Djamila's technique. She just knows her choice of weapon, and the pole has several advantages over her own, shorter blade. If she is going to make it through this she is sure that it is going to take more than just luck, she is going to have to find her own path to victory!

[DJAMILA]
What Ichika tells her as Djamila goes back makes her laugh softly. If she realizes she made her uncomfortable, she doesn't show it.

Introductions come and go. It feels so weird to be introduced, however. It makes it so real. She's here, ready to make it big, just like her opponent. They will try to exploit each other's weaknesses and use their strength. Well. Whatever happens, it's time to have some fun.

She skips toward her opponent, light on her feet. It's not the same woman who got some help to walk to the platform. Once close enough. She slams her staff to the ground, and it stays upright. The feel of chi at the base of it can be felt. She then jumps on her "pole" upside down. She hangs there with her legs and reaches for Ichika's own legs to pull on them and make her fall in quite smooth movements. Although some more qualified people than her would be able to see some faults in her movements.

Whether she succeeds or not, she flips back onto her feet and grabs hold of her staff with her hand.

COMBATSYS: Ichika blocks Djamila's Inside Leg Hang.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Ichika           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
Ichika gives the slightest of nods as she sees Djamila come in for her. This is, indeed, a very different woman to the one that she had seemed to be. Ichika is not skilled enough to sense the use of chi - at least, not right away - but she is swift enough to bring her leg up as Djamila tries to grab it, and twists. The counterforce blunts the worst of the attempt to wrench her off balance, and the girl dances away a couple of paces. At no point has her hand left the hilt of her katana. There's just the slightest bead of sweat on her forehead as she considers. This pole positioning...

She had thought it foolish and unpleasant when others in the interviews had raised Djamila's past as though it were something to be ashamed of. It wasn't a skill that she ever intended to develop herself, but the applications in combat were as plain as day, and she could see them even now. She had to be very careful in how she made her approach; Djamila's incredible balance made the basic forms that she had practiced to attack a standing opponent seem almost useless!

"How to strike the base of the tree when it is suspended in the air..."

The schoolgirl's lips press together into a thin line, and then suddenly she is moving. Leaping into the air, the sword is drawn in a single smooth motion. The arc of her leap takes her overhead, and she attempt to slash the sword down across the woman's shoulders.

"... perhaps instead you strike the leaves!"

COMBATSYS: Djamila blocks Ichika's Artful Slash EX.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
Djamila is not surprised her first move did not do much. Ichika has probably trained more intensely than she has. Even if her style is different, Ichika would be able to adapt. It's alright, that was the point of going in the fighting scene.

Djamila doesn't move much. Until Ichika strikes toward her shoulder. At the last moment, not entirely on purpose as she is simply a bit slow to answer, she brings her staff up, block the sword strike, not without feeling a pressure in her shoulder, however. "You have to remember the leaves can feel the slightest breeze and flow with it." It's not like she's a master of this or anything she answers Ichika with what comes to her mind.

She now moves to a different position before slamming her staff back down. The chi still present with at the base as she does. She then jumps at the higher position she can be on the "pole" and makes herself spin her way down on it, her legs extended, until she reaches the ground. The goal to hit Ichika with her legs, but as a performance, it's probably interesting to see. As a fighting move, if it doesn't hit probably not as interesting. Once she is back on the ground, she steps up from her up from her split, holding her staff still.

COMBATSYS: Djamila successfully hits Ichika with Chopper Spin EX.
Glancing Blow

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
The very instant that Ichika hits the ground she is already leaping into the air again. It isn't that she knows exactly what Djamila's style is - but every instinct she has tells her that staying close to the pole is a losing strategy. With every replanting of the weapon, Djamila is staking out her claim on the area of the arena that is her own. Ichika gets that much, and it proves to be an accurate assessment. The display might not be a traditional fighting style, but the swinging legs still manage to catch her as she takes into the sky, and for a moment her eyes sweep over the crowd.

Yes, her father is still there, cheering away and watching Djamila's display with a *notable* amount of interest, even as the woman assaults his daughter. Why had she suspected it would be anything else?

She takes another deep breath, and tries to regain her focus. Okay. There is not yet a need to panic. She just needs to set the tempo of this battle. "Perhaps the leaves can keep up with a breeze." She murmurs, as much to herself as to her opponent, "But can even the most supple tree stand against a tornado?"

Again, she comes forwards. This time, however, she is much more direct. Her blade leads the way, slashing in for Djamila's midsection - but this is, in fact, a feint. Instead, with the pole planted as it is, she sets into one of the katas she has been practicing.

The blade strikes this way and that, cutting as though she were hewing at a training dummy with all its projected points of 'attack'. And in a move which might strike some as *unnecessarily* brutal, after the initial series of shallow slashes, she follows up with a striking elbow aimed directly at Djamila's ankle, taking advantage of the added height of the woman to try and attack her point of connection to the pole - though this time, Ichika isn't retreating or backing off, she's taking the risk of staying within range, trusting to her practice to keep her where she needs to be...

COMBATSYS: Djamila dodges Ichika's Innovation Drive.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
She felt herself touching Ichika with her move, but no big damage, but it was something.

No one is specifically there for Djamila. At least no family. There is a stripper friend who came for her, though Djamila didn't notice her yet.

"Djamila is not calm. She's embracing this fight and the feeling of joy of this fight. It almost looks like she has no care in the world, although inside she's anything but. Nervous, excited and many more. What if she loses? What if she wins?

When Ichika speaks of the leaves again, Djamila can't help but speak in a light tone. "The tree will withstand the tornado, or not. The leaves will go with the tornado. Once the tornado is tired, the leaves will fall in different areas, and at least one leaf will be a sign of a new tree. Thank you, tornado and leaves, to teach us patience".

Her staff is still upright when Ichika does her feint. Whether Djamila does not feel that one or simply realizes it is a feint is unknown, but she is unmoving until a real strike comes, then Djamila is again spinning on her pole, in a graceful move, her ankle safe, this time. The pole strong.

As she is still spinning the pole suddenly is no longer anchored to the mat, and she swings it toward Ichika's left side. The momentum makes her land somewhere else than where she began at.

COMBATSYS: Ichika blocks Djamila's Evasive Strike.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
The pole connects solidly with Ichika's sword, and the young woman gives a slow nod as she considers the words, and the approach she has taken thus far. Djamila isn't wrong. Right from the beginning, Ichika has been struggling to find a way to deal with the pole. It is a barrier that she hadn't fully anticipated. A potent means of attack and defense. No matter what she has thrown at it, the 'tree' that Djamila represents has weathered the storm and stood strong. She has successfully adapted to every attack and it is only by her own careful preparations that Ichika has been able to stave off the worst of the return blows - but even these piecemeal, partial hits are adding up. If she doesn't change her strategy, she will blow out long before she succeeds in breaking Djamila's roots.

Now that she is here, Ichika is surprised to find how easily the crowd's cheering and exuberance decays into irrelevance in her mind. The fight is the only thing that matters. Who wins, who loses. There is a purity to it. One which she can appreciate. The girl doesn't try to follow as the dancer puts distance between them. Instead, she turns to face Djamila more fully.

She raises her blade. She plants her feet. The weapon is angled carefully, her expression is set. Serious. Perhaps even... intent.

"The initial clash is over." She decrees, and there's... an imperiousness in her voice that wasn't there before. A certainty. Her nerves have definitely fled; all that anxiety simply isn't in the girl any more.

"It is time to enter the next stage. The wind was a poor choice to defeat you. Now it is time to be as steel."

COMBATSYS: Ichika focuses on her next action.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
So far, Djamila has been able to withstand Ichika pretty well, but the same is true for her opponent. So right now, it is still anyone's game. But then Ichika starts speaking with a new conviction. Djamila listens to her, and when no attacks come yet, she answers. "If you are going to enter the next stage, then I must begin anew."

She starts swinging her hips lightly as she holds her staff. A hum soon joins her hips swaying as she concentrates on her shoulder, using her natural body function to ease the little stiffness that was settling through slowly. For certain people, it may be mesmerizing. For others, they would probably wonder what the hell she is doing.

She still has her focus on Ichika, even if it's hard to tell. Especially when one can't see the eyes.

COMBATSYS: Djamila makes the om sound and wind chi flies around her for a short moment.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Ichika           0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
Ichika's conviction is definitely palpable. And when Djamila responds in kind, resetting herself for the next stage of the combat, the girl tightens her grip on the katana. She truly hasn't been in that many fights, but from the moment she picked up the blade, she understood the way to use it. It's not a complicated weapon. The nuance of it was practically endless, but the basic principles? The sword is sharp. It's edge is a slashing weapon. The tip could be used to stab in a pinch, but really the best way to use it was to maximise the surface area of blade against the opponent. The sharpness of the metal could offset her own generally lower strength; she just had to introduce it to the opponent as firmly as she could, as often as she could, to their vital points, and they would lose.

She bursts from her position, and this time it is not a fancy attempt to evade Djamila's guard or to prepare for a counterattack.

Instead, the girl's blade comes in a diagonal overhead arc, carving through the air swiftly enough to leave a momentary afterimage as she puts her all into simply cleaving *through* Djamila's guard, through her swaying form, through everything she can!

"KIYAH!"

Far from the flurry of overwhelming blows of before, this single slash is intended to end with the girl well inside the woman's guard, maintaining fierce eye contact as she crouches, ready to (hopefully) maintain her momentum.

COMBATSYS: Ichika successfully hits Djamila with Genius Loci EX.
Glancing Blow

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Ichika           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
Djamila doesn't seem to have the same problem. She doesn't overthink things most of the time, or at least she tries not. It's not like she has a perfectly still mind. It's simply she goes with the flow of things. Of course, that does not always succeed for her, but if anyone would ask her, it served her well more often than not ever since she lost her mother.

With that in mind, she keeps swaying her hips to a rhythm only she can hear into her mind. At least until the 'KIYAH' of Ichika. Then she's back on her staff. She is almost fast enough to not even get anything from this. But she feels a sharp burn on her left calf, and she knows some blood is falling out of a cut. She winces slightly but she keeps her momentum.

Feeling Ichika close, Djamila uses her spinning momentum to kick toward her back. Whether she hits or not, she lands on her feet, although it's less graceful than usual, as her left calf complains a bit from the cut.

COMBATSYS: Ichika fails to interrupt Light Kick from Djamila with Intercepting Strike.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Ichika           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
Ichika doesn't allow Djamila to get behind her; though that winds up being her undoing. As the woman turns, she continues the momentum of her strike to follow with her and raises her blade along with the movement.

The kick that the older fighter had intended to strike the girl in the back instead lands solidly on her shoulder as Ichika tries - and fails - to drive the blade forwards. Had she been successful, Djamila's foot would have taken the full force of that stab - instead, her miscalculation leads to her stumbling back a pace with a grunt, and a slight flare in her nostrils.

She's not angry with Djamila; she's frustrated at herself. She had the right idea there, she knows it. She was just too slow. She needs to do better. And she can. She just has to make sure she doesn't lose that focus!

[DJAMILA]
Her blow does hit Ichika's shoulder instead of her back, and Djamila realizes if she was fast enough to turn, she knew what was coming and could have done something to punish her. The change in her breathing for a fraction of a second confirms it. It probably doesn't mean much, but Djamila says "It's ok." Not because it may give her an advantage though she couldn't complain if it was the case.

But with that said, she also need to press her advantage. She gets her staff off the ground and swings it at a weird angle that is apparently aimed at the back of ichika's knee, but if it hits there or not (or at all)5 is another thing entirely.

COMBATSYS: Djamila successfully hits Ichika with Random Strike.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
Ichika doesn't try to back off. Instead, she continues her determined attempt to maintain the offensive. She keeps her sword up and tries to pull herself around to the side; that doesn't work, the pole cracks against the back of her knee cleanly. Still, she doesn't back down. In a battle of attrition she is absolutely confident that Djamila will win. This new offensive has yet to bear fruit, but she is equally certain that all she needs is a clean hit or two and things will turn around quite rapidly for her.

The words confuse her a little, though. "Are you apologising for your success?" She asks, her voice betraying a hint of annoyance at that. "Fadel-san. It is no sin to be mighty. This battle is far from over."

A fact that she attempts to demonstrate by reversing the grip on her blade, the very movement itself a potent attack as she brings the sword up and into position at her shoulder - the curve of the sword aiming to carve a slash across the top of the woman's thigh as she goes.

COMBATSYS: Djamila dodges Ichika's Quick Strike.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ichika           0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
Her blow hits, and well at that, she is almost surprised she had no specific plans on that strike. She is not sure why Ichika stands her ground, but they weren't trained the same. Hell, Ichika is most likely more trained than her in theory. So who is she to say anything? She shouldn't have said anything in the first place before.

As Ishika prepares another attack, this time Djamila only tries to be faster and uses her staff to pull herself away in a swift movement, before the blade slashes her tie. It seems to work, as she has no more cuts at herself. She's starting to get used to her previous cut on her calf, so she is ready for her next offense.

She runs toward her opponent for a few steps, then she uses her Staff as a pole, but not a stripping pole this time, but Olympic pole, as she launches herself at Ichika with a jump kick. Whether she hits or not, or is blocked, will change the way she lands on the ground.

COMBATSYS: Ichika interrupts Butterfly from Djamila with Price of Progress.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Ichika           0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
Ichika watches Djamila as she comes rushing in. it would be easy for her to get unnerved in this moment. A couple of solid hits from the older fighter have put her on the back foot. But she has confidence in her assessment of the situation. She can see what it is she needs to do - she just needs to chart that path to victory. And it is as Djamila vaults into the air that exactly what Ichika is doing may be more obvious to at least some individuals who are trained in fighting. Whether or not she is even fully cognisant of it herself is another question entirely.

She breathes in.

And as she does, every muscle in her body tenses. She can see the moment. She just has to will her body to seize it. To give her the power she needs to pull off something spectacular. She had decided the moment that she entered this competition that she would give it everything she has, hadn't she? She wasn't about to renege on that decision.

Djamila comes down, and Ichika goes up. The girl explodes from the ground almost from a standing start, teeth grinding together as the kick collides with her stomach. That, however, had been priced into the attack. This vector was what she needed to pin the mobile fighter down!

Her whole body corkscrews as she rises, and her blade slashes deep into her opponent. Even this would be a tremendous strain on the young woman's body; her muscles protest at her for every scrap of power she forces into the attack. But she knows that this alone is not enough. She has to dig DEEPER. This is the first clean blow she has landed. She needs to capitalise on it!

Her entire body glows blue for a brief moment and she chokes as she blurs around behind the woman. A thin trickle of blood runs from the corner of her mouth where her teeth have cut into her own tongue. But it is worth it. This sacrifice. This is what she needs to seize victory.

"For... my... tomorrow!"

And with those three words forced out of her she HAMMERS the sword into Djamila's back, driving her hard into the ground as shes rides her back to earth...

And staggers. Guh. The world is swimming. Every part of her screams at the demands she has placed on her body. But she can still stand... she can still, win!

[DJAMILA]
Djamila is unaware as she flies into the air, unaware until the first blow hits her. That first blow makes a rather nasty gash into her stomach, blood flowing freely at the moment, and she screams, unable to help it.

She is also unaware of where Ichika is when she hits her hard into her back and makes her slam to the ground. It gives Djamila flashbacks. Flashbacks of when a bomb hit Baghdad, her city. When her mother died. When she lost her sight. She hurts so much right now. Back then, she didn't give up. She stood back up and got to where she is today. She will not give up yet either. She still has some strength in her and some trick up her sleep.

She forces her body to stand back up by will alone. Respect to Ichika for what she just did, but it can't end like that. She screams again, and her body tenses. One might think she would use her trick to ease herself like earlier, but she does not. Instead, she brings her staff overhead, and with speed and strength, she makes wind, which grows with Chi. She then turns toward Ichika and uses both her spinning staff and the wind chi to attack. If she gets her way, she hits with both. And low and behold, the wind chi seems to heal her to a point in the process.

COMBATSYS: Ichika blocks Djamila's Teddy.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Ichika           0/-------/--=====|>>>>---\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
The fact that Djamila can even still stand after that assault is enough to make Ichika sweat. The girl is standing, but it's taking a significant amount of effort. She can hear the crowd shouting for both of them. She, the hometown hero who has managed to break through that impressive set of defenses and take the fight to this level... and Djamila, whose flamboyant style is difficult not to root for. Especially when she summons up an incredible amount of energy and comes back strong. Ichika finds herself smiling. Despite the blood trickling down her face and the pain she is in. Such things, she understands, are merely distractions. All of this is. In the end, fighting is simply like any other problem to be solved. One applies one's resources, and hopes that they are more efficient than the opponent.

"To think, I tried to best you as the wind. Foolish. No wonder this has been such a challenge."

She raises her sword as the spinning staff comes in, and she has to brace the back of it with her left hand to fend off the blow. Even so, it knocks her down to one knee. The torrent of energy is simply not something she can deflect entirely. It tears at her even as the impact shudders through her overstrained guard. She had hoped that the assault she had given would be enough to best her opponent, but no. It seems that even now Djamila is determined to take it down to the wire.

"Haaah... you know, I'd be hoping to keep this as a secret technique, but I suppose... I did promise not to hold anything back."

She manages a clumsy hop backwards, then, and renews her grasp on her sword. She has to close her eyes for a moment, focus her inner energies, let them pour into the blade. Her lips press together into a tight, thin line. And then she shouts:

"ILLUMINATION WAVE!"

And the sword comes slashing down into the ground, far from Djamila. Only the moment the blade impacts the earth, a bright blue blast of chi energy surges out from the point of impact, bursting towards her as Ichika prays the sudden introduction of a potent ranged attack may be enough to catch the blind fighter off guard.

COMBATSYS: Djamila dodges Ichika's Illumination Wave.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Ichika           0/-------/-----==|>>>>---\-------\0          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
Djamila has a lot of respect for Ichika, and truth be told, she has a lot of respect for herself as well, modesty be damned for a second. They both took hard attacks, and they are both still standing. Djamila thinks she did great. She wants to win, but she is proud of herself. She doesn't say she is proud of Ichika too. It might sound patronizing, and they both have to fight one another.

She does have to say something. "Your problem is, you want to best me, and you can't." She gives a grin. She is kidding in a way. She's not that full of herself. She just wants to be playful no matter what happens, no matter the pain.

She doesn't try to block the sword, as it flies beyond her, but she does set her staff strongly into the mat again as if she is expecting something else. If she didn't have a blindfold over her eyes to further prove she can't see anything, one might think she is not blind at all. But apparently, she is at least with her eyes."

When the surge of chi comes toward her, she literally hops onto the top of her staff and manages to keep her balance there, even if it seems painful and takes concentration. The chi goes past her, hitting something unrelated, perhaps a camera. Anyway, they are insured.

Staying on top of the staff with one leg, her stomach bleeding slows down, it does seem the previous attack, even if blocked, is healing her a little, the power of the wind chi. She doesn't attempt to attack Ichika at this time, but she does focus on her.

COMBATSYS: Djamila stops moving and focuses herself.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Ichika           0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0          Djamila

[ICHIKA]
"Is that so."

As Djamila gives her rather arrogant appraisal of the situation, Ichika doesn't bother to hide the annoyance in her tone. The girl straightens and runs a hand through her hair, brushing it back and away from her eyes. She cracks her neck, and flicks the blood from her sword. Then, slowly and very deliberately, she sheathes it. One hand remains resting on the hilt as she stares down the blind fighter. Any trace of amusement has completely disappeared from her demeanor. Nor does she care for the destroyed camera or the whooping response of the crowd to Djamila's grandstanding. The exhortations from her own supporters to prove the woman wrong right away fall on deaf ears. Right now, for Ichika, there is only the fight and what she needs to accomplish to see it to fruition.

"Come, then. Show me that you surpass me so assuredly, Fadel-san."

COMBATSYS: Ichika focuses on her next action.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Ichika           0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0          Djamila

[DJAMILA]
The wind starts flowing around her a bit. It's doing something, but what. Djamila was only kidding, but it came out the wrong way. What could she do now? Always time to apologize after the match. She doesn't seem to mind the crowd cheering much. They are not part of the fight. Not like Ichika is. She will be happy if she gets to watch the match on tv at one point, but right now, the crowd is a distraction. She needs to keep the focus on her.

Suddenly she jumps and grabs her staff, slamming it down toward Ichika's head rather hard, and with speed, she shouldn't be getting at this stage of the fight with her wound. Instead of keeping her energy, she seems to give it her all right now, even if it means burning herself. Sometimes you have to defend, sometimes you just need to hit until either one of you isn't standing, right? If she hits the first time, she jumps again to hit her again a second time.

COMBATSYS: Ichika fails to interrupt Superman from Djamila with Bleeding Edge.

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

COMBATSYS: Ichika can no longer fight.

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

[ICHIKA]
Djamila comes in again, and Ichika's grip on her sword tightens. There is definitely a fury in the young woman's eyes now. It is ... doubtful, that an apology after the match is going to repair the damage done here. Where before she had been seeing this as a match between equals, Djamila went and made it personal. The girl's wounded pride demands retribution.

It's a new sensation really. Ichika has spent her entire young life labouring under the weight of expectations and just trying to do her best. It is rare that anyone tells her she *can't* do anything. And she finds that she does not like it. Not at all. She can still see the route through to victory; she simply needs to seize it.

Djamila comes in for an overhead strike very similar to the one she had successfully countered before. The girl digs deep, and she lunges upwards to meet it, drawing her blade as fast as she can -- except, she has misjudged the strength of her own muscles. As she draws the blade, her arm spasms. There's a tear. Before Djamila's blow even strikes her, Ichika's blade is falling from her grip.

"... tch."

And then the first strike slams into her skull, driving the girl into the floor.

She reaches out to try and grab her sword, determined not to let it finish like this --

The second blow seals the deal, knocking her completely unconscious.

[DJAMILA]
The attack works better than Djamila expected as the first blow goes through the defense, but she still goes with the second, and when she feels nothing from Ichika, she tries to relax she is winded up, but soon her strength leaves her for the moment, and she falls on one knee. And the impact of the blow didn't go well with the deep cut in her stomach, which decided to bleed hard again. Ichika definitely did her damage to Djamila, and Djamila is not as fresh as when she started. "Ough."
$R The crowd is cheering for both participants, awed by the potential displayed by both fighters. Too bad what Djamila told her skilled opponent sounded so bad. A rivalry in the making perhaps.

She's not sad she won, but at this second, her mind is not completely there anymore, even as someone comes to her side and helps her up to lift her arm as they announce the winner. Someone comes to check on Ichika too. They want to make sure she is ok. The first person helps Djamila out of the field presumably toward a doctor nearby.

COMBATSYS: Djamila has ended the fight here.

Log created on 12:19:07 04/09/2023 by Ichika, and last modified on 18:14:03 04/09/2023.