Match of the Millennium

Description: Where else would we find the Gorin competitor than in the gym? Tsuki the Spider, as she's becoming known after her bouncy castle debut, faces off against the onmyouji Kuroki Inei! Which one will fortune favour?

[INEI]
It's homefield advantage - no one. Perhaps an intentional decision from the NFG staff to have these two meet in a more neutral location. As it is, the gymnasium stands are filled with a riot of various school uniform colors, broken off into sections, though no doubt the home school has the most, with the competitor's schools not far behind, out to show support for their champions as it were. A buzz of conversation already fills the gymnasium from the stands, and a line has formed at concessions, taking advantage of the last few minutes before the fight is set to start.

Inei sits off to one end of the area marked off for the bout's arena. One sneakered foot is planted on the wooden floor, his knee up with his one arm slung across it. In his fingers he twirls a bamboo colored omikuji. His uniform jacket is unbuttoned, exposing the black shirt underneath, the one empty sleeve left to hang loose at his side.

His eyes are closed, but he tilts his head occasionally as various sounds catch his attention as he waits on his opponent, or the starting buzzer, or whatever signal he is waiting for to break his lackadaisical air. Annoyingly, his nickname is also making the rounds, and a couple signs in the Justice section have "Go Spooky-kun!" written on them, and the only visible sign of annoyance he gives is a slight twitch of his silver eyebrows when that particular moniker reaches his ears. He's trying to ignore it, but its not making it go away.

[TSUKIKO]
If nothing else, the decision to hold the match between Tsukiko and Inei in the Taiyo gymnasium at least ensures that it can keep the attention of the Gorin crowd, who have showed up in numbers to support the gymnast that has been chosen to represent the student body of the Olympics-aspiring high school. It was a somewhat controversial decision - Shirakawa Tsukiko is hardly the most impressive physical specimen that attends the elite athletic academy, standing two inches short of five feet tall as she does. There's some uncertainty, and some jealousy - most of all amongst her fellow members of the Gorin gymnastics squad.

"I can't believe they picked Tsuki-chan to represent Gorin," Kana comments from where the team sit in a group on the bleachers, all wearing matching track suits. "I'm the captain, after all!"

"Yes, but you don't have magical spider powers," Mei, the youngest member of the squad, comments quietly as she doodles in a notebook.

"You mean /weird/ spider powers," Kana shoots back.

"Yeah. Spider powers don't mean she's the best!" Reika, a power tumbler from the team, remarks. "I'd be a way better fighter than her!"

"Threads are delicate things. Tug too hard, and they snap," Nene, a balance beam specialist, cryptically claims while writing in her own journal.

But from one corner, at least, comes unreserved support.

"Come on, Tsuki-chan! You can do it!" Tanaka Sora yells.

It's that voice that reaches Tsukiko as she steps up to the fighting area in her black kung fu uniform. She turns to give a small wave to her teammates, her otherwise stoic face cracking a brief half-smile before she returns her brown eyes to her opponent. She can't help but stare a little at the other youth. Her mind is busily chewing over the implications of Inei's missing arm for her fighting practice, based as it is on the meridians and flows of chi.

Almost abruptly, she realises that she is faced with a person, not merely a problem to solve.

"Greetings, Kuroki-san!" she says with reserved warmth as she steps up opposite him, bowing slightly at the waist. Her hair is tied back in a looping set of braids, though a long sheaf of strands dangle across one side of her face. "You are onmyoji, are you not? I am eager to see how your arts work firsthand. I hope that you are feeling well."

Her eyes flit to the one side, drawn again - but she quickly moves them back to Inei's face, brightening her smile.

[INEI]
One of Inei's eyes cracks open, blue gaze fixing on Tsukiko as he stops twirling the omikuji. He sighs softly, and gets to his feet, seemingly unhampered by the missing arm. Though he's had his whole life to get used to that particular issue. Obviously not that much of an issue for him if he was chosen as a representative of his school. He tucks the fortune telling stick away in his pocket before he returns the bow.

"Shirakawa-san." Not a question, simply a return of formality.

He gives a one-shouldered shrug at the question about his health. "As well as ever." His voice is cool. Not unfriendly per say, but definitely detached. Though that might simply be his normal personality given how he looks to his classmates cheering him on, looking only slightly vexed at the attention.

"At least it's not a bouncy castle." He mutters, whatever that means. He runs his hand through his hair, pushing back a few locks of silver that fell over his face before he shifts into stance, his feet gliding less than an inch above the ground as he spreads his stance, his arm coming up in front of him, palm open and facing him, at least appearing to be a practitioner of some form of Wudang Kung Fu himself.

COMBATSYS: Inei has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Inei             0/-------/-------|

[TSUKIKO]
Tsukiko takes a moment to draw her gaze across the space that has been designated for battle. It seems that, rather than creating a perfectly empty arena, some of the gym equipment has been left in place, including balance beams, rings, even bins of dodgeballs, hockey sticks, and bars. It all seems suspiciously like it might provide one of the fighters an advantage - particularly one with gymnastic inclinations.

Looking at it all, though, Tsukiko quirks her lips downward at the edges disdainfully. "Taiyo are not very tidy, are they?" she remarks. "It seems that they have not cleaned up after their... gymnastic ball hockey practice??"

A voice rings out over the speaker system.

zz Fighters, take your positions! zz

"It seems we are about to begin," Tsukiko says as she takes up position opposite Inei, one hand extended forward with fingers splayed, the other near her waist. Her body rocks in slow, circular motions; her expression is calm, alert, focused. "Good luck."

zz Begin! zz

The gym bell sounds, and Tsukiko's hands shift in sweeping whorls, weaving threads of chi from the very air. They gather as she guides them, rapidly forming into an orb of essence between her palms. Once she's gathered sufficient quantities - a matter of about a second or two - she suddenly thrusts her palms forward, launching the orb toward Inei's legs! The orb swells and stretches as it flies, becoming like a net of adhesive chi that could cause Inei to become pinned to the ground if he's not careful!

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Inei             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0          Tsukiko

COMBATSYS: Inei blocks Tsukiko's Orb Weaver.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Inei             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1          Tsukiko

[INEI]
%Fancy footwork is on display as Inei seems to glide off to the side, shifting his foot as he does so so the chi ball instead deflects off of it than hit him full on. A faint glow surrounds his foot on impact and a moment after, a blue black light that fades quickly. Chi is the best way to deflect chi, after all.

"At least it's not a bouncy castle." Is his coolly echoed words from earlier in response to the mess around the battlefield. He seems to ignore it though, shifting between the gymnasium detritus like a stream flowing between banks.

When he closes in, his empty sleeve lifts like a phantom limb is suddenly filling it, which is exactly what is happening. From the cuff, a skeletal looking hand made of blue chi with a black shimmer around it stretches out, boney thumb across the palm as the phantom hand slams out with a palm strike to Tsukiko's center.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko blocks Inei's Maleficent Harm.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Inei             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
"Oh, yes. Sorry," Tsukiko says as she brings her hands up in an arc, palms open, guiding the phantom limb from its course as she spins her body to redirect the attack away from her center. She quickly retracts her hands from the hostile chi as the contact proves painful despite her knowledge of elemental manipulation. "I was distracted - and, in fact, I rather enjoyed the bouncy castle," she admits, sucking air through her teeth as she shakes her palms out.

"I see! Impressive," she comments, an eyebrow rising in appreciation. "Your spiritual energy must be very strong."

She twists forward. Rather than approaching from the side without a physical arm, she moves toward the outside of his other arm, deeming the spirit limb to be the more dangerous threat from what she's seen so far. Her own left hand arcs up and back down as she maneuvers, strands of silken chi traced in the air by her fingers to follow in their path. If he doesn't avoid them, they'll wrap around his forearm, tethering it as she spins around again before thrusting her palm toward the shenmen pressure point in his wrist. The impact would not be especially forceful or painful, but the strike, if successful, would leave the limb feeling weakened, the attack striking more soundly against his essence and sense of well-being than his physical body.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko successfully hits Inei with Sealing the Spirit Gate.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Inei             0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1          Tsukiko

[INEI]
Inei tsks as his phantom limb is deflected, but simply tries to move out of the way of the retaliatory hit, which he doesn't quite manage to do in time. Though as he backs up a few steps, his normally good arm feeling a bit stiff he frowns down at it.

He looks to Tsukiko as if to say, "Really?" though he doesn't verbalize it. Instead he sticks one of the skeletal fingers of his phantom limb into his shoulder, the energy crafted digit sinking into him, then he gives it a slight twist.

He rolls his shoulder and flexes the fingers at the end of his fleshy arm with a shake of his head. Apparently, directing internal chi flows is not something he is unfamiliar with.

Then he's on the move again, dancing in close to Tsukiko, phantom limb raised before him. But it's not with that he lashes out with. Instead he goes into a spin as he comes in close, chi flowing off his feet as he aim a sweeping kick at Tsukiko's lower legs, intending to either keep her on her toes, or swipe her balance out from under her.

COMBATSYS: Inei successfully hits Tsukiko with Medium Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Inei             0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
Stepping back out of her attack, Tsukiko's eyes lock on Inei's phantom hand as it presses into his shoulder, widening with fascination. There seems to be very little remorse, if any, for targeting the arm. "Very impressive. Perhaps we could exchange techniques after this match?" she suggests. "After all, we will not be facing each other again until --"

He's on the offensive already, so Tsukiko cuts herself short. The phantom limb comes at her; it seems exactly what she would expect. It's only when his leg extends and the chi gathers around his foot that she realises that she's been deliberately misled. She tries to leap over the kick, but too late - she ends up having her legs taken out from under her, gracelessly falling onto her front, chin bouncing off the thin mats covering the gym floor.

"-- the end," Tsukiko grumbles before rolling sideways and popping up to her feet before executing a backward hand spring to create some distance. She snaps her arms out to her sides, sending streams of essence from her fingertips to bind onto two balance beams on either side of her before swinging them together to bind a narrow makeshift web between them. Adjusting her aim, she fires two more clusters of chi webbing onto a high bar overhead and uses them to hoist herself onto the webbing, leaving the strands to dangle as she releases them.

"So, why is it that they call you Spooky-kun?" she asks curiously as she balances, knees bent, on the strands of essence.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko focuses on her next action.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Inei             0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1          Tsukiko

[INEI]
Inei doesn't waste time celebrating his hit, nor does he show much in the way of remorse when Tsukiko's chin hits the floor. No more than he did when his arm went limp. Fortune is fickle and when you celebrate it sometimes it likes to turn on you. Sometimes it will anyway.

Oddly, her question does pull an expression out of the Justice High student. A slight arching of one of his brows. He lifts his skeletal phantom limb and wiggles the fingers in the air. Despite being made of energy it even seems to click-clack like bone. For most, that would be an answer.

He takes it a step further.

One of his phantom fingers seems to hook the air, everything below it distorting as if looking through transparent folded cloth. Then he yanks downwards, tearing open a void from which a hooded phantom claws its way out, just its head and an arm, twisted and mangled. The hood hiding most of the visage other than a toothy maw in shadow, and two glints of ice blue light where the eyes should be.

The phantom's movements are quick and jerky, inhuman, then it rips free and blasts across the arena, filling the gymnasium with a howling wail as the being of pure energy zips towards Tsukiko.

Inei casually unhooks his finger and allows the void to snap shut. The Justice students seem to be expecting this and the group of Spooky-kun fans actually cheer the maneuver.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko dodges Inei's Soul Evocation.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Inei             0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
Ask a spooky question, and you get a spooky answer.

Tsukiko does not appear to be very easily frightened. Perhaps that's why she would pose such an obvious query. However, when Inei appears to rend his claws through the very veil of reality, her eyes go wide with naked horror.

"M-maybe we shouldn't share techniques after all," she quavers hesitantly.

As the spirit flies toward her at speed, she leaps upward, catching hold of the strands of chi that she left dangling from the ceiling before, then throws her legs forward to propel herself into a forward swing, barely avoiding the spirit as it sails howling past her. She twists around as she reaches the end of her arc, entwining the threads she's hanging from into a single cord to adjust her inertia so that she can drop straight down on the other side of Inei, almost back to back if she can manage it. Rather than turning around, though, she'd bend over deeply, jabbing her hands in between her own legs to target the backs of Inei's knees with her fore and middle fingers. If she can connect, she'd draw threads of chi painfully siphoned from his own energy out, then cross them with each other, forming something like a cat's cradle of spidery essence between his legs - essentially a variation of the 'tie their shoelaces together' trick. She'd complete the maneuver by straightening back up and attempting to nudge him off-balance with her back.

COMBATSYS: Inei blocks Tsukiko's Ghost Needle.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Inei             0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1          Tsukiko

[INEI]
Inei shrugs as Tsukiko revokes her previous offer to exchange techniques. As his summoned shikigami screams its way across the arena he's only half paying attention, instead he pulls the fortune stick from his pocket, gives it a slight twirl in his hand, then snaps it between his fingers.

There's a faint but subtle flow of chi around him as he does so. Nor has he moved from where he stood as Tsukiko lands behind him, almost as if he's not even bothering to pay attention to the fight at the moment.

Until she makes her move, at which point he begins to spin out of the way, reaching down with chi lining his extended fingers to slice through the threads of chi being pulled out of him before they can be tied up. It's not a pleasant maneuver on his end, causing his chi to snap back, but its better than what would happen.

He continues his spin lashing out with his still open palm, to strike at Tsukiko's hopefully still exposed backside.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko fails to counter Medium Punch from Inei with Trapdoor Spider Elusion.
- Power fail! -

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Inei             0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>--\1          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
The maneuver was intended to be executed quickly, with an element of surprise; the attempt to entangle through esoteric means ideally leaving Inei to, at worst, attempt to capitalise on her positioning only to lose his footing. Unfortunately for her, Inei's command of chi and situational awareness mean that he's able to free himself from her trap with less investment than her own effort - and that means that, before she can straighten up, his palm comes lashing out, and --

*SMACK*

Tsukiko's attempt to compensate for the evolving situation by leaping back into the air is interrupted by Inei's chi-laced palm slamming into her bottom as she's mid-coil for the springing attempt. She's the one who loses her footing, eyes going wide as she falls down onto the mat on her palms and front. When she rolls over, hands moving to her backside defensively, her cheeks are flushed. "Rude!" she declares, rubbing her rear end as she rises to her feet with less aplomb than her previous displays of gymnastic grace.

"See? She's literally getting her butt whooped by a guy with only one real hand to do it with!" the gymnastics captain derides the Gorin representative from the bench.

"Hey, if he's good enough for Justice to pick him, he's probably really good with that hand," Sora retorts.

All of the girls on the gymnasts' bench exchange looks, other than Mei, who unfortunately continues doodling.

[INEI]
"If you don't want to get hit there, don't point it at me." Inei says levelly, not looking all that bothered by being called rude. In fact for the first time in the match he looks amused, a crooked smirk forming on his lips, one corner of his mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly. It's a blink and you miss it moment.

The Gorin high gymnastics team though, that banter seems to irritate him. He lifts up his phantom limb and points a boney finger their way. Then he slowly turns his face in that direction and raises that finger up over his lips. "Shush." He says softly, his eyes becoming black pits for a moment. Is he coming to his opponent's defense or just annoyed by the banter? It's a little hard to tell.

But once Tsukiko has resumed her footing, he's rushing in her direction. He glides across the arena, his arms out to the side, then once the distance is closed he goes into a spinning dance, striking out seemingly at random, alternating finger jabs between his phantom hand and his real one.

Though what may seem random to most, is obvious to Tsukiko, each of those finger jabs is aimed at a chi point. It's not the delicates threads the gymnast uses, but those jabs if they land will still cause the body and chi flows to go haywire.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko blocks Inei's Sphere Strike.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Inei             1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>--\1          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
"Ooh. Careful, Kana, or you might be next!" Reika comments from the bench. Most of the gymnastics team start giggling, including the captain.

"I'll make a note of that," Tsukiko says more primly as she restores her composure. She sways into her Tai Chi stance as Inei comes gliding in, fingers jabbing at her form. She recognizes the threat, instinctively protecting herself by shifting her body to ensure that the blows don't land at the key points, instead brushing against her skin through her uniform with relatively little harm - though one jab does land true in her shoulder, causing her to stagger back, holding the site as her body shudders.

"Maybe we can practice together after all," she remarks in a somewhat playful tone as she fires off a pair of threads at angles, releasing them to wrap around two poles to either side of Inei. Then, she makes a swiping motion with both hands in the air - taking back control of the threads that are still attached to the equipment in the area and causing all of them to simultaneously leap at the Justice High fighter. Should he fail to avoid them, she'll continue to make weaving motions with her hands and spin her body, causing him to potentially be rapidly spun into the web until it forms a cocoon around him!

COMBATSYS: Inei reflects Silk Cocoon from Tsukiko with Desperate Horror.
- Power hit! -

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Inei             0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0          Tsukiko

[INEI]
Inei nods slightly as he takes a quick step back, his good arm behind him palm down and his phantom hand in front of him with the palm out towards Tsukiko. "We do seem to have similar styles." He admits. "Though yours is more acrobatic for obvious reasons." He says with a wiggle of his ghostly fingers.

He looks to either side of him as the threads form, frowning. But he doesn't move from his spot, instead as those threads begin to wrap around him he glows faintly.

The cocoon seals, but then starts fraying apart, the threads snapping and being pulled into something. Though as he is slowly revealed it reveals a bit of a horror show.

There's no longer just a skeletal arm. A phantom rib cage has formed around his body, and another arm overlaps his tangible one, just as boney as the other, almost like a glowing x-ray of his arm. The threads vanish into a point in front of his face. Disappearing into the open maw of a ghostly skull that has formed around his own head.

The jaw snaps shut as the last of the threads are sucked in, then the eyes flash, the consumed webbing blasting outwards from the empty sockets back at Tsukiko, coated in filaments of his own blue-black chi.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko blocks Inei's Reflected Silk Cocoon.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Inei             0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
When Tsukiko seems to succeed in encircling Inei in her silk chi, the corner of her lips curves upward in a self-satisfied half-smile. When it starts to fray, though, the smirk disappears. She starts to advance to try and capitalize on his clearly temporary encasement, but hesitates when the form of Inei starts to reveal itself. She cringes as she realises just where those threads are going - then flails in horror as the skull vomits the tainted webbing right back at her.

"Eagh!"

Her flapping arms manage to keep it from blasting her right in the face (which would have been a surefire critical hit to her social as well as physical well-being), but end up wrapped together with the thick chi strands.

"There's another one I don't want to learn how to do," Tsukiko declares as she tries to no avail to free her arms.

Scowling briefly at them, she suddenly throws herself forward, aiming to spring off of her palms to try and land on the other side of Inei. "Consider this a declaration of intent," she'll say over her shoulder as she lands with her back toward him as she briefly gathers essence in her hands before turning around to send a cord of it toward the other fighter, attempting to adhere it to his waist. If it connects, she'll spin around again, positioning her back toward him while wrenching hard - aiming to bring him crashing into her backside in revenge for his earlier 'rudeness!'

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko successfully hits Inei with Silk Moon Atemi.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Inei             0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0          Tsukiko

[INEI]
"It's only slightly more difficult than controlling the chi flow in someone else's body." Inei says as the skeleton fades back down to one arm. As if turning into a boney specter is a completely normal occurrence. "It's keeping the shikigami manifested that's difficult."

As Tsukiko shoots a thread in his direction he tries to move to the side, but his timing is off, or else he notices a bit of gym equipment at his feet a little too late to get around it. Either way, the thread sticks to him, and he's yanked across the arena to slam into Tsukiko.

"Anyone ever tell you you shouldn't beat up people with missing limbs?" He says completely deadpan, as he recovers. Was that a joke? Inei makes jokes? Maybe.

Either way, he doesn't wast to much time swinging a knife hand attack at Tsukiko's shoulder.

The hand is trailing his normal blue-black chi at first, but suddenly a deep violet color crackles across his hand and up his arm.

He lets out a hiss of pain as it does so, his eyes going a bit wide as they dart towards his arm. Whatever is happening, it's clear he didn't expect it, or maybe even knows what it is. It's the most expression he's worn all match and it's a mix of confusion and pain. Even his phantom arm starts to almost lose cohesion for a moment.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko dodges Inei's Aggressive Strike.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Inei             0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
"I don't really know as much as I should about shikigami, I guess," Tsukiko speculates, releasing her threads as Inei rebounds off of her rear. She turns her upper body around before bringing her lower half into alignment with it. "Beat up?" she scoffs. "I believe that was you crashing into me, Spooky-kun. My arms were tied together at the time, see?" She manages to pull them apart now that the essence has faded.

She'd be leaning out of the way of that knife-hand chop even if it weren't suddenly infused with unfamiliar chi, but upon seeing it, sensing it, and noting the reaction on Inei's face, she quirks her own lips with concern, even as she's bent halfway backward, braids dangling behind her. "Are you well, Kuroki-san?" she asks, though her concern doesn't stop her from mounting the bar and aiming to backflip onto Inei's shoulders, attempting to wrap her legs around his neck from behind to try and suppress the flow of oxygen for him.

"Perhaps I could examine you after the match?" she offers sincerely.

Unfortunately, Kana overhears the suggestion. "Is she flirting with a Justice student? What a traitor," the captain growls. "We are so having words after this."

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko successfully hits Inei with Choke Hold.
- Power hit! -

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Inei             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0          Tsukiko

[INEI]
"It's nothing." Inei says, shaking out his hand, the violet light fading back to the more normal shade for him. He's lying, it's obvious, but he's quick to school his features back to something more passively apathetic as is standard for him.

Except, he keeps looking at his hand, as if it betrayed him in some way, enough that it distracts him from the incoming attack. Tsukiko manages to land on his shoulders, though its more of an unbalanced seat than would be normal, and Inei already has to pay special attention to keeping his balance, enough that it tips him over and he lands on his back with a loud grunt. "Pay attention." He hisses to himself.

Chi flows through him, wrapping his body and soon its not Inei beneath Tsukiko, but another hooded specter, which screams as it blasts forward once more, intending to go right through the Gorin gymnast. Once it's a good distance away, the phantom warps and reveals Inei once more from inside as the cloaked figure vanishes.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko dodges Inei's Extreme Void.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Inei             0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
Tsukiko's palms catch her own fall along with Inei. She senses the change in chi as Inei undergoes another transformation beneath her, and quickly extricates herself from the leg lock around the other teen's neck, rolling over and away. She winds up on her back, eyes starting upward and chest heaving lightly from exertion.

"I do think --"

She cuts herself short as the spectral form flies over her.

"-- Nevermind," she says, kipping up onto her feet. She immediately starts to trace her fingers through the air, weaving threads of chi a short distance in front of herself in the shape of a web to intervene against further attack from her foe and make it more difficult to strike at her.

"I hope that we do not receive any uninvited visitors," she says as she watches Inei through the network of chi threads.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko gathers her will.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Inei             0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0          Tsukiko

[INEI]
Inei doesn't spend long between attacks, he needs to keep Tsukiko on her toes and so as soon as he lands from his phantom escape he's turning on heel and rushing back in towards the Gorin student.

He eyes the webbing of chi between him and his target, perhaps expecting a trap, but he decides its perhaps a trap worth triggering. He slips in close, chi flowing around his open palm once again. And once again, the odd purple chi sparks and corrupts his own normal chi.

Oddly, it seems to pull the chi from his hand and back up his arm once more, making him hiss, but this time it's not in pain, just annoyance.

But he doesn't let the strange occurrence deter him, still lashing out with his open palm strike. Blue, black, and purple swirling together around his palm and between his digits.

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko blocks Inei's Fierce Punch.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Inei             0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1          Tsukiko

[TSUKIKO]
Inei breaks through the barrier of chi with relative ease, leaving one to question perhaps the purpose of it beyond briefly slowing the Justice student's onslaught. Tsukiko meets Inei's attack with her own hand, deflecting the blow aside, the exertion wearing on her as the impact visibly pains her palm. She seems strangely intent on merely surviving - until, finally, she spins around, aiming to deliver a side kick that should send Inei flying back into the web that's reformed behind him if he doesn't avoid it!

If she succeeds in trapping him so, she'll follow up by delivering a series of seven rapid-fire kicks to his remaining extraordinary meridians, potentially flooding his body with excess chi. It would be a powerful combination in its own right, but an oddity would occur: crystalline formations would seem to spread from the the points struck, and the strands of normally semi-tangible and flexible essence would crystallize into a solid lattice throughout the attack before finally shattering with the last kick!

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko successfully hits Inei with Eight Extraordinary Legs.

[                             \  < >  //////                        ]
Inei             1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0          Tsukiko

[INEI]
Inei is giving his hand another odd look, frowning as the last wisps of purple fade away. He'd going to need to see someone about that, it doesn't seem to really get in the way, its just distracting. And right now distracting is a problem.

Once Tsukiko is back on him, he tries to bring up his guard, but it's a hair too slow.

He winces slightly at the series of blows, his feet shifting as he tries to keep standing, but its clear he's likely reached his limit. Still, he had one burst of energy left in him.

He grits his teeth and chi flares out behind him breaking into four tendrils. One seems to gather up the exploded crustal chi, pulling it in and forming a third arm made of crystal. The other three collections of chi quickly follow suit, each becoming an arm. Only his original phantom limb is skeletal, the others each keep their own looks. The one of crystal, one that seems beast like with long claws, another twisted and malformed with the joints going the wrong way, and the last barely containing its shape, flickering as if formed from flames. Finally his true arm is coated in a thick layer of his chi.

Then he begins his assault, all six arms lashing out at Tsukiko in a whirling fury that's difficult to keep track of, making chi swirl around him wildly. Each of his strikes aiming for pressure points and chi points, before he finishes by simply letting the assembled chi burst out from him, even his skeletal arm vanishing in the burst.

He then falls to his knees in seiza, somehow managing to stay upright and mostly conscious, but he shakes his head, indicating he's basically done.

COMBATSYS: Inei can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Tsukiko dodges Inei's Eternal Raid.

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

[TSUKIKO]
As the final flurry of ghostly limbs and lashing chi rushes at her, Tsukiko doesn't try to block or match the overwhelming assault head-on. Instead, she spins into motion, weaving between the strikes in a blur of motion that draws gasps from the crowd. Her expression is one of total focus, her eyes tracking each strike with eerie precision. It's not strength or speed that saves her now--it's rhythm, grace, intuition. She is not fighting Inei. She is dancing with him.

And then, at the final burst of chi, she springs up into the air, twisting through it like a ribbon caught in a storm, coming down softly just outside the blast radius, crouched, arms raised in a flowing stance.

The blast fades. As Inei falls to his knees, there's a beat--then the crowd erupts. The Gorin section lets out a roar of surprise and triumph. Even Kana is on her feet, blinking in disbelief, while Sora is cheering wildly, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Tsukiko straightens, her chest heaving with exhaustion, but she bows low toward Inei, respect written across her face. "That was... truly educational," she says earnestly, brushing her long bangs out of her eyes. There's a flash of concern across her expression. "Perhaps you could come to Chinatown, when you have a chance. My parents have a pharmacy there, and -- well, I suppose I might be overstepping," she concludes, before turning to bow to her fellow students. Fortunately, Gorin students are accustomed to preparing to perspire - something Tsukiko realises she's thankful for as she notices how badly she's sweating.

Log created on 14:26:47 04/06/2025 by Tsukiko, and last modified on 07:34:32 04/20/2025.