Strolheim - [R2] Team Chun-Li vs Team Kyo

Description: The second round of the Strolheim Teacher-Student tournament pits Chun-Li and Rock against Kyo and Shermie for a startlingly close finish. (Winners: Chun-Li and Rock)



A Vigilante leader tumbled by the focused precision of his partner...

The World Warrior fallen to the Kusanagi scion of flame...

Round two begins. And it begins, with the cheering of the crowds as a triumphant Chun-Li strides out onto the avenue leading to the stage platform. She looks a great deal more settled than her first appearance, an optimistic smile upon her lips rather than the dissatisfied frown she had been wearing. Backstage she's been positively lively, wishing her student and teammate the best of luck and quickly discussing with him exactly how they should approach this. The match today should be nothing short of a mountainous challenge, even for the strongest woman in the world. Ryu's defeat reminds her of this only too well as she mounts the stage and continues on to its central portion, whirling to face the crowd in a sudden spurt of movement and rearing up on one powerful leg to toss three blurred kicks into the air.

"YA! YA! HYAAAH!"

Chun-Li's cries rip over the gathered throng. She's in good spirit today, that much is clear, and she lowers her leg only to offer - in addition - the more customary bow, spreading her legs beneath her and lowering her head in respectful greeting, her braceleted forearms crossed over her chest. An entrance that can only encourage the admiration openly on display in some sections of the audience, surely? But this won't help her prevail. Only her courage and concentration can do that, along with an equal showing from the prodigal son of Howard following her into the exhibition yard. Straightening up, the Chinese woman spins about again and this time makes her way to one side of the stage, standing at ease and looking over with a smile for the arrival of the aforementioned student... and their two opponents for today.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has started a fight here on the left meter side.

Kyo watches Chun-Li's display out of the corner of his eyes, an unimpressed look on his face, "Pft... she should save that stuff for the fight..." he says while stiffling a yawn. The young Kusanagi looks ambivelant even in the face of another major battle, and he's especially grumpy today since he's assessed that his chances in this fight are slim; while he was able to defeat the man some people consider to be the best fighter in the world, and another, albeit much weaker fighter, nearly single-handedly, this fight has an added wrinkle. Rock is no pushover like Ryu's partner, and considering Kyo's teammate's performance in the first round, he's doubtful she'll do much better against Geese's son. "Man, this is really troublesome..." he grumbles before pivoting to look over at Shermie, "I'll take care of this guy... try not to get beat up too much, ok?"

COMBATSYS: Kyo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

"So, teach... hope we can keep the streak alive." A streak of one win, sure. But it sounds better, for Rock's purposes. Approaching the arena just behind and to the right of Chun-Li, Rock Howard isn't putting himself through the same pre-fight paces or posturing that his teacher and Kusanagi seemed so fond of. Nope -- Rock is simply in the arena, one wrist in the air as Rock tugs his riding gloves nice and tightly. "Anyways. I, uh..." Long, long, pause. "... SHE'S our opponent?!" Note Shermie. Note a sudden redness on Rock's face as he grunts, crossing his arms. "You've got to be kidding me."

COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

At first, he wasn't quite sure why he was going to show up. I mean, sure, the idea of watching a bunch of people beat the tar out of eachother was all well and good, but it wasn't /him/ doing the beating, and that didn't quite sit right with Ryuji Yamazaki. But he came, regardless, because... well, there wasn't much else for him to do. It was a quiet night, and everyone worth beatin' up was already over here, or hidin' someplace. He arrived decked out in his finest; including a rather posh white fur coat draped across his shoulders, sunglasses on; everything. It was close to the door that a faint tingle started to spark to life in the back of the head, which drew a chuckle from the back of his throat. "One of them is here, huh? Well, now I know who t'cross my fingers on getting beaten like a naughty puppy."

Many diverse warriors are gathered here for this fight, drawn from far and wide by the tournament. One man stands a bit removed from the closest concentration of other spectators, not overly notable save for his hard to mistake presence and notable battles, here and abroad. Ryu's posture is calm, his demeanor quite a bit less exuberant than some of the gathered spectators, dark eyes fixed on the dais where the battle is about to begin. The World Warrior still shows signs of his narrow defeat at the hands of Kusanagi, bruises that have only begun to fade from his face, though he's wearing a (comparatively) fresh gi, the edges of that plain white fighting garment still vaguely tattered, accentuated only by the bright red headband that flutters languidly behind the young champion. It's a rare event for him to be out and simply /watching/ someone else's fight, but he seems content enough to be here, a subtle smile softening his rough-hewn features ever so slightly as he shifts lightly on his feet, his stance casual, at-ease.

Chun-Li is in store for no surprises. She saw enough of Kyo and Shermie's performance to know exactly what they face, and has extreme confidence in her student's ability to win his side of the fight... though of course, the issue is just how much Kusanagi interference he'll be facing. As always, the only effective way to discover what lies ahead is to follow the path and find out...

As Rock speaks his piece on the subject of Shermie, the Tai Chi mistress glances at him with a raised eyebrow and then an openly amused smile once she catches that telltale redness. "Oh? Should I be jealous?" Sure, she's teasing.. he can take it, and what is there to worry about? Provided the brief embarassment doesn't infringe upon his performance. But she knows the Wolf's protégé is better than that - considerably better. With a quick shake of her head she lets the amusement fade and looks across the stage toward Kyo, offering final words of encouragement to Rock as she turns, "Just do your best, and I'll do the same."

"Kyo Kusanagi." Her voice lifts now, expression serious though touched with a good-natured air that will be dropped once the battle is joined. "I've waited a long time for this opportunity. May the best fighters prevail." The woman's head lowers once more with the rising of her arms, offering the same gesture of respect she offered the audience. When done, she lowers her arms and twists to face the flames' scion side-on. Her right arm wraps close to her stomach and the other lifts before her, her legs spreading to accustomed positions before she finds a rhythm in which to shift comfortably. Deep brown eyes narrow slightly, her focus coming with practiced ease. But she'll not move yet...

This battle, is for the student to open.

Shermie could be said to be watching right along with Kyo, but, she's really more likely just facing that way. It doesn't necassarily mean her eyes are open at all, or, y'know, that she has them. Of course, she could probably go into this fight blind and achieve the same results as she got last time... horrible ones. The French girl of sheepdog hair lolls her head from side to side before nodding it at Kyo, and then she just clasps her hands behind her back and starts to step past him, out onto the stage, to head over and offer Rock a seductive smile. Oh, she'd wink if you could see it, but Rock is at least spared from that bit of teasing here. "Hello again, Rock. I think you should know... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that Saturday.. But! Don't worry about it too much right now. We'll talk later. I'll leave you to Kyo for now. Don't hurt him too much, okay?" She gives the blonde a perky little wave, and then starts to skip her way over to Chun-Li. "Fancy seeing another sexy pair of legs at an event like this! Before you show me just how strong yours are... have a closer look at mine, ne?" The strange woman then leaps up into the air at an angle, heading right for Chun-Li's head, and attempts to wrap her legs around her head for one of her more trademark grapples, giggling the whole way and trying to tack a hand onto the Chinese's woman's head to steady herself.

COMBATSYS: Shermie has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

COMBATSYS: Shermie successfully hits Chun-Li with Clutch.

Chun-Li is hardly focusing upon the other woman, intent on Kyo and what she considers to be an overdue matchup. Not to mention... now something of a grudge match, albeit a very mild one. It's a moment before Shermie's words get through to the Tai Chi mistress, but when they do she glances toward the rapidly incoming bandmember with a slight widening of the eyes. An instant to move, and she fails.. dropping down low and making to hop sidelong when those legs descend over her head. It's.. eerily similar to a similar manuever she's felt before. The effect of the serious memory is numbed though by both focus and a realisation that Rock would feel more than just pain here, and even as she crashes to the floor she's throwing out a slight grin.

The instant the pressure is off, the world's strongest woman is scrambling to her feet with as much grace as she can muster, pausing to look toward Shermie with a nod. "I'll take that as a compliment. Good move!" Not that she's sticking around for more, and with a slightly apologetic flicker in her eyes she turns away and drops into a dash toward the second of the two opponents. It's time to feel the burn. Her sneakered feet tear up the floor in little time, but soon she's assisted on her path as she hurls up her right leg. "Come on, Kyo! YA! YA! YA! YA!"

Heading toward Kusanagi in a half-blur, Chun-Li throws out kick after kick, a machine-gun flurry designed to smash the irate young man out of harm's way of her student. This is their fight - she won't make a definite move against the other woman unless she has no other choice.

COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Chun-Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0              Kyo
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Rock             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shermie


Kyo has started to stalk towards Rock when Chun-Li decides that she's going to fight him no matter what! Kyo whirls to face the "World's Strongest Woman," having spotted her half-blurred form out of the corner of his eyes, gloved hands come up to defend himself; they have a hard time keeping up with the speed of Chun-Li's lightning kicks, but manage to be just fast enough to redirect most of the blows. "Go play with my teammate, I'll get to you soon enough!" he taunts. Shunting the last of the kicks to his side, Kyo drives up his bloodline's flames in his right hand, which he closes into a fist just before trying to slam it into Chun-Li's stomach.

"Hey, teach!" Rock is, at least at the outset of combat... left without much to do. No one's attacking him, so he's actually left with a moment to relax. But he assumes a fighting stance all the same, after a moment of sputtering uselessly at Shermie (edited from pose for purposes of preserving Rock's pride), eyes locking on Kyo as he offers his own challenge. "I hate to break up your Destined Battle, but I think it's better if I handle Kusanagi, here! And I think that's what he wants, too. So... Bring it on, matchbook!" Rock is surprisingly forceful as he refers to his teacher; even though it doesn't seem like a wise thing, to go up against the King of Fighters champ toe to toe. "If I get in over my head, teach, I'll give you a yell."

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0              Kyo
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Rock             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shermie


Shermie unclenches her legs from around the woman's head perhaps a little sooner than some of the fans would like, and then Chun-Li is off and running for Kyo while the French girl is busy hopping off and standing herself back up properly. "Good move, but no compliment for *my* legs before you go dashing off? Hmph." She leans down and touches two fingers to the ground as she lines herself up and gets ready to run after the other woman, looking almost like a marathon runner waiting for the starting signal. A very... sexy , bent over, female, marathon runner...

COMBATSYS: Shermie focuses on her next action.

COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Chun-Li with Aragami.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0              Kyo
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Rock             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shermie


The world's strongest woman might have known she couldn't catch the Kusanagi heir so easily, and with each deflected strike comes little more than an increase in her resolve. She can feel the shockwaves running from her feet into the man's arms, if nothing else, and takes some comfort in that - if need be, once she's figured out his attack patterns she'll be able to wear him down, chip away at those hastily erected defences and make something a little more concrete in her favour. The fight's only just begun. But...

Apparently it will take some time to suss the patterns of her opponent, as on lowering her leg she's soon met with a fist glowing with those not-quite-chi flames, and caught by the blow in her midsection before she can dart away. Feeling the hot sting, she grits her teeth and hops back, whipping herself into a defensive stance with a careful glare fixing itself upon Kyo. However, her resolve is forced to sink as Rock's words register. So her student wants a shot, the feeling is mutual... perhaps, this isn't the time for their duel. That can wait for another eventuality, without distraction of the competition or the less skilful warriors. So be it. "I'm sorry I was so rude." She tosses back to Shermie, at the same time sending a curt nod toward the wolf cub. "Perhaps I can make up for my faux pas..."

Spinning with her weight sunk onto one heel, Chun-Li is already bending at the waist to launch her next assault, legs preparing to kick out to either side once she has herself in that famed aerial handstand. One hand goes to the floor to aid her willowlike transition, and then the other comes down to similarly aid in launching her, legs whipping out in a brutal series of potential strikes as she flies toward the dashing Frenchwoman. "SPINNING BIRD KICK!"

Kyo makes contact with Chun-Li, but chooses not to pursue her, instead he turns towards Rock, "I guess I have to finish you off a little more quickly since she interrupted me!" The flames from the Aragami technique still remain in his right fist, that is until he cuts a swath through the air with that hand, releasing the flames in several bursts that careen towards rock.

COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Kyo's Yami Barai.

Grabbing his collar with both hands, Rock cracks a wide grin as Kyo's flame rushes towards him. "Alright... here we go." The incoming attack? Rock runs straight towards it, hopping lightly over it to completely avoid the blazing flame. It's a bit of a nip at Rock's heels, but... no harm is done to the fighter himself. "I'm going to blow this one right open, Kusanagi -- let's see if you're all that you're cracked up to be!" A flash of white and red, Rock cocks back one fist aimed right for the senior fighter's jaw... and then just disappears. Well, not quite disappears. A blur of telltale movement around Kyo's right all the way to his back reveals Rock's real attempt: Rolling forward and propelling himself upwards in mid-air with one single vertical, inverted kick: "Rising TACKLE!"

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Shermie with Spinning Bird Kick.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0              Kyo
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rock             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0          Shermie


Even behind that veil of hair, one can see Shermie's eyebrow raise when Chun-Li offers her apology along with the action that follows it. "No, no, it's fine! I'm over it! Really!" She laughs almost nervously this time, and tries to slide herself under the rotating windmill of legs that flies above, but she's just not fast enough. Maybe she needs a little more time to lean back like that. Her back had to be compensating for kind of a lot of weight there, so that she didn't end up just falling flat on her rear, so she likely didn't have any more speed avaiable to her there unless she just wanted to fall flat on her back and hurt herself. This of course is nothing compared to the pain she feels because she didn't do exactly that, but, c'est la vie. The woman in pink is caught under the chin by Chun's foot, and then the other foot, again and again, until it's finally over, and then she pushes herself back up to work her jaw from left to right, almost like it's been unhinged. "..." But then she reaches into her pocket for something and thrusts it at one of Chun-Li's thighs! ...is that her cell phone? Hey, it's sparking up like a stungun!

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Shermie's Random Weapon.

It's an admirable technique to fall to, appreciated with roars from the more enthusiastic fans in the audience. The Spinning Bird Kick has failed on occasion... but when it strikes? It needs no explanation. Chun-Li's recovery is on just as much fine form as the attack itself, her legs each curling down from the air on the final spin to tuck in underneath her in tandem with the equally willowy manuever she uses to curl down to earth. She's in a crouch when that tazer comes in, and it seems due to slam home for its painful consequence until the Tai Chi mistress' eyes flash. Her left hand whips out to intercept Shermie's at the wrist, gripping for the moment it takes for Chun-Li to tumble into a roll away to the opposite side, releasing as soon as it becomes necessary for her motion.

"You'd do better to use those legs again. There's little sense in trying such tricks against me!" Snapping the last with a hint of annoyance, the Chinese woman remains in her crouch a few feet away, bringing her hands to her hip while she speaks. A snappy half-second after she's done, Shermie might care to notice the bright flare of golden light that erupts from between her opponent's two palms. Curled around an imaginary ball until now, when she thrusts them forward her fingertips glow blue and release a sheath of energy through which that gold core travels as its unleashed at bullet speed towards the Frenchwoman. "KOUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Kyo with Rising Tackle.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0              Kyo
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rock             0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0          Shermie


Kyo's eyes narrow as Rock vanishes from his sight, only to reappear behind him, delivering a nasty rising tackle to Kyo's back, propelling the young Kusanagi heir skywards for a bit before he manages to right himself in mid-air, assuring that he'll land on his feet. "Tch, you're pretty fast when you have all day to get ready for me... but you won't beat me with just those ripped-off techniques of yours!" He takes a huge step forwards, lowering his arm and shoulder to perform a sort of short-range shoulder charge attack.

COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Strong Punch from Kyo with Joudan Crack Counter.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0              Kyo
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rock             0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0          Shermie


"Ripped off? Heh. How many of -your- techniques did you invent, pal? At least I built my own style... hell, it's even in the name! 'Ancient arts', right?" Rock's grandstanding doesn't do him too much good, though. Kyo nails him with his shoulder, leaving Rock a little staggered by the force of the blow -- but not exactly ruined. He definitely felt it, though, as he takes a few quick steps backwards. "Heh. Not that they're useless just 'cause they're 'ancient'... Just don't try knocking me for something you do in spades."

COMBATSYS: Shermie blocks Chun-Li's Kikou Ken.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Chun-Li          1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0              Kyo
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Rock             0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1          Shermie


Shermie's arm is a little overextended, so it doesn't quite have the strength for much struggling when Chun grips her wrist and uses it to help her roll herself out of the way of the taser. "180,000 volts, wasted... now I'm not gonna be able to make any calls this whole match." she sniffles and cups her cheek with the hand not holding the phone, and then puts it away once more, down her top, before bringing that hand right back down and using the forearm of it to block the odd-looking fireball. "Oh, that was pretty. You really are a lot of fun!" And then she goes rushing at the other woman, going for what looks like... a glomp. Yeah, she's really trying to hug the other woman's head to her bust, almost fangirlishly.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Fast Throw from Shermie with Ryuusei Raku.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Chun-Li          1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0              Kyo
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rock             0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1          Shermie


...well, this is unexpected. Shermie's fast too, for all her strange choice of movement, and throughout this exchange Chun-Li has barely been able to grasp a moment to glance toward Rock. From the sounds coming across, and the speech she's been able to make out, it sounds like it's not going too badly. Not enough that she needs to intervene. Upon her feet now after hurling her trademark 'fireball', the Chinese woman prepares her countering movement as she watches the strange and beautiful-bodied Shermie make toward her with her 'glomp'. Does she dodge, move aside? On the contrary... she waits beyond even the last moment, spreading her arms slightly to either side as it preparing an embrace once the other woman's breasts are crushed against her face.

Whether she enjoys or not is left to the minds of fans and doujin writers everywhere, but Chun-Li is clearly more than ready for this. Her hands come down to either side of the airborne Frenchwoman, clasping her tightly before her Chinese opponent stoops and launches herself into a short leap forward. Taking Shermie with her, she seems to stall the jump in mid-air and lean forward, applying a fair amount of pressure in hurling the pink-clad one to the stage in painful fashion. Springing back in the opposite direction, she lands on her feet and reaches up to flick a few bangs from her eyes. "Well, you're certainly unpredictable. Do you greet everyone like this?" Flashing a smile, she then glances to Rock for a quick checkup.

Rock may take a few steps backwards to get some distance between himself and Kyo, but Kusanagi is upon the son of Geese in an instant anyways, sprinting at the blonde-haired fighter at full speed. A step or two before colliding with his foe, Kyo hops into the air while simutaneously lashing out with a seemingly run-of-the-mill forward jump-kick. However, Kyo's attacking leg retracts nearly as fast as it strikes, making room for his other leg to strike in a similar fashion.

COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Rock with Nana Juu Go Shiki Kai.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Chun-Li          1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0              Kyo
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rock             1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1          Shermie


Kyo lands gracefully after landing his Shiki Kai attack with satisfying results, then takes his time to shake his finger at Rock, "It looks like there's an obvious difference in the level of my 'ancient arts' and your useless self-made style, wouldn't you say?" he mockingly asks.

Rock takes two blows, one more time -- one after the other. These hits... are just about as damaging as Kyo's previous one, in that they look like things that the young Howard definitely feels, but isn't going to be spending hospital time over. Moving backwards in a mostly failed attempt to reduce the damage while getting in closer to Kyo, Rock surges forward, a grin plastered across his features as he clenches one fist; a fist that blazes with raw purple energy. Swiping one arm over the ground, Rock seemingly mimics Kyo's Yami Barai, sending one streaming blaze of his chi back towards Kyo. "Maybe there is... but we won't know until we finish this fight, now, will we?!"

Shermie gives a little wave to everyone watching as she thinks she's got a good hold of Chun-Li with just one arm wrapped around her and holding her to her bosom as she is, and seems to be blissfully unaware she's being set up for something painful, even when some of the fight enthusiasts on the sidelines more familiar with Chun-Li than herself shout 'It's a trap!' out of concern for the fanservicey French chick, garnered at least in part from the beating she took last round. It's hard to watch a pretty girl get slapped around like that and not feel something, unless you're just heartless. The girl's lips pout out a bit into an 'o', and she just gets the look like she should have a big question mark floating over her head, and then bam, she's sprawled out on her back. "Ooof... " She's gonna need a minute. When the back of her head hit the floor there, some of the pain in her skull was reawakened from when Tony stomped on it. All the same though, she starts to arch her back suggestively to start getting herself up, and looks right over at Rock as she does...

COMBATSYS: Shermie focuses on her next action.

It appears as thought the other half of this battle is not going so well in the favour of Chun-Li and her student. But considering the nature of his opponent, the wily wolf cub is holding his own. The Chinese woman only frowns slightly as she turns her attention back to Shermie. "I'll give you a moment. I know there's fight left in you... you're really quite capable." She offers another smile to the Frenchwoman, meaning her words despite the opposing edge to her tone. This is a battle she is fighting to win, after all, and only enough time will be given - no longer than that. Kusanagi is too dangerous to allow his student to gain any advantages.

"Prepare yourself!" The words are a near-whisper as Chun-Li's eyes flash and she starts to surge forward, arms trailing out behind her while she watches Shermie getting back. Breathing a quick prayer of good luck to Rock, she quickens her pace to a short-range spring, closing the distance with wild resolve before grinding to a halt bare feet from Shermie and rocking back into a powerful roundhouse from a right leg easily toned enough to carry that power. "HAAA!" Her sneaker closes for a punishing strike to the other woman's shoulder.

COMBATSYS: Kyo dodges Rock's Reppuken.

COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Chun-Li's Medium Kick.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Chun-Li          1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0              Kyo
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Rock             0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1          Shermie


Kyo's attention is finally diverted from Rock soon as Chun-Li yells out "Prepare yourself!" It only takes a moment for him to analyze the situation, and the conclusion he comes to isn't good, "Dammit. That girl doesn't know what she's doing..." he growls. As soon as Chun breaks into her dash towards Shermie, so does Kyo, pumping his arms furiously in an attempt to get between her and his teammate to prevent a blow that would in all liklihood knock the hell out of the eyeless woman. Nothing is ever that simple though: Rock's Reppuken chases after Kyo, threatening to cut him off just before he reaches Chun-Li, so at the last second Kyo dives into a roll, the stream of Chi energy licking at his heels but not really hitting him. From the roll he springs up directly in the path of Chun-Li, appearing like a flash to block the kick with a forearm, "OTTO!"

Kyo smirks, savouring the surprise element of his manuever, then takes a step forwards, getting all up in Chun-Li's "personal space" while her leg is still retracting from the kick. From this distance Chun can really get a good look at that infamous smirk; that is, before Kyo reaches for her arm and attempts a judo-style burden throw on her.

Rock grins a little bit as Kyo backs off and instead moves to focus on Kyo -- as though he's not really upset that he didn't really do much in the way of harming the Kusanagi-ryuu ace. Instead, he whirls around to focus his attention on Shermie. Squinting a little bit, Rock's palm radiates chi for a few instants before he hurls another Reppuken her way. "Look, I'm really sorry about this... But I can't even let teach here down, even for a, um." Even to confront his raging shyness, that is. So, instead, he's switching tactics to focus on Shermie. Even if it's a very difficult exercise in paying attention to her feet and face instead of the entire rest of her body. Can a fighter really put up with this long-term?

COMBATSYS: Shermie interrupts Reppuken from Rock with Shermie Flash.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Chun-Li          1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0              Kyo
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Rock             1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0          Shermie


Shermie is very nearly about to rush headlong at Chun-Li and try to get by her before Kyo comes in and saves her the trouble. She skids to a stop before really even getting started, almost losing her balance, but she has the grace to somehow lean herself back onto her heels and then spring forward quite a distance, coming in all nice and close for Rock's reppuken, except just when he's ready to toss it, she's already on him. Her legs are still taken out from under her by the wave of chi, mind you, but she uses the momentum of it to send her into a flip that tags one of her hands onto the blonde boy's shoulder, and one she only holds for a split second as there's a small flash of blue chi. "It's okay Rock... just let me hold you." Her arms are around his upper body, locked just beneath his arms, and then she leans back to carry him into one of those devastating suplexes that put people right through floorboards. The sickening thud that accompanies his back being slammed into the dirt by her technique, for once, doesn't come with a giggle, which probably says something. Maybe she really does like Rock, and she doesn't think it's funny that she managed to hurt him.

COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Chun-Li with Quick Throw.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Chun-Li          1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0              Kyo
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Rock             1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0          Shermie


Hmph. Chun-Li stops dead with a smirk darting onto her lips as her foot slams into the firm bracing of Kyo, rather than the heavy impact she expected to feel with Shermie's increasingly more battered form. "Let's play, Kusanagi." She murmurs, eyes narrowing past her raised leg upon the scion of flame. Not that her confident display lasts long, as even before her foot is back to the floor she's being hauled into a quick drop by Kyo, meeting the floor without breathtaking force but with at least something to think about. She'll pay the compliment back though, and then some, batting Kyo away from her as she rolls almost instantly into a crouch and then rears up toward the Kusanagi heir in the direction of the other fighters.

"HAZAN!" Her first cry rips the air as a flood of chi runs up a snapped out left leg, the limb coming in to catch the rising Kusanagi in the chest and fling him up and backward. A burst of energy accompanies a successful landing, and after that she pivots at the hip. "TENSHOU!" The second blow comes from her right leg, identical in all but this reversal, her arms held about her for balance as she rises with her opponent, taking him almost directly above Shermie's head with this second strike. "KYAKU!!" The third is something a little different, the nimble Chinese warrior spinning in the air to flip herself over and strike with boot feet down upon Kusanagi's chest, sending him not further up as usual but instead on a direct plummet towards his teammate. She'll have time to evade, she imagines, but the effect should certainly be disorientating.

Lit up by the chi-flare of her last delivered blow, Chun-Li springs off with the momentum and launches herself in a spinning blur of a backflip away and back down to her original location, landing in a tense crouch.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Kyo with Hazan Tenshou Kyaku.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-----==|=======\===----\1              Kyo
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Rock             1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0          Shermie


Needless to say, Kyo gets owned here, getting beat around by Chun-Li's powerful legs like a ragdoll, the strikes staggering him, lifting him into the air, and then slamming him down to the ground, respectfully. He lands hard, still for a second before rolling away from Chun then kippuping to his feet, "Play with me? Hey, do you think this is a game or something?" he says quietly whilst using the back of one hand to wipe away a trail of blood streaming from his mouth. As if to demonstrate the ruthless nature of the battlefield, as soon as Kyo is done wiping away the blood he flows into a twisting motion, rotating his torso around, coiling up like a snake...

Kyo says, "THIS IS THE END OF THE ROAD!"

Kyo suddenly unwinds his body, lashing out a huge punch at... Rock?!

COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Rock with 182 Shiki.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0              Kyo
[                             \  < >  ////////////                  ]
Rock             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0          Shermie


WHAM.

That's Rock's fight. It's over, for Rock... but it may also be over for his opponents. Taking Kyo's blow right in the face while he's busy dealing with and panicking at Shermie's unique technique, the Howard boy staggers a little bit, spitting out blood as fire washes over his person. "... Alright... Kusanagi Kobojutsu has its merits. But..." Raising both arms into the air, Rock's fists burn with chi, energy seeping through the cracks between his fingers and wafting into the airs. "... I'm not through yet! This... your road ends here, too! Raging..." Rock doesn't hit the ground so much as his knees give out from under him. Crashing both fists into the arena floor, Rock's entire body explodes with chi, energy whirling his person and looking to take Kyo and Shermie, both of whom are so conveniently right up in front of him. "... STOOOOOOOOOOOORM!"

COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.

COMBATSYS: Kyo dodges Rock's Raging Storm.

COMBATSYS: Shermie dodges Rock's Raging Storm.

Shermie have still been conviently still all up in Rock's business, but it was actually out of concern more than for gloating or even thinking that it's somehow safe. After the way he busted her back in SNF when she tried to hit him, she knows better than to underestimate him and think he's totally down even after Kyo makes her wince with the impact of his flaming punch. "Oooh... Damn, Kyo. You're gonna need a massage or something to get the rest of then tension out. Look how angry you got.. " She laughs a bit, and then narrows her eyes at Rock from behind the wall of hair that is her bangs, and cartwheels herself out of harm's way like lightning, and from there dashing along the ground by pushing off with one foot, and grabbing for Chun-Li's shoulder this time. "Let's go for another ride~!"

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Spiral from Shermie with Koshuu Tou.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0              Kyo
                                  >  ///////                       ]
                                 |======-\-------\0          Shermie


From her crouched position a short distance off, Chun-Li is in place to see everything unfold. As she calms herself, forces back the focus of battle after the last surge of adrenaline, she watches Rock's vicious attempt at toppling both foes before falling down himself.. victim of an attack she's not sure wouldn't have dropped her like a stone, too. The Kusanagi fire is fearsome stuff - though clearly, Kyo is capable of even more than that ground-shaking punch. Sucking in a quick breath, the Chinese woman stands with a brief flicker of lament for her student before watching Shermie dash in toward her.

She'll have to do better than this - perhaps the Frenchwoman underestimates the strength of her opponent. "I'd rather not!" Chun-Li responds with rather fiercely, clearly her tempers rising as she lunges in to meet the shoulder grab, twisting once it closes upon her and spinning a blinding pirouette around to Shermie's flank. "HYAH!" Throwing herself against the woman's side, she grabs again with both hands and this time executes an even quicker slam towards the floor, throwing Shermie down before straightening and turning toward Kyo. "It's time to finish it, then?"

Kyo puts his other foot down after his attack. Kusanagi-ryu kobojutsu style 182 isn't an ancient technique, he's the first of his lineage to use it mostly because, well, he invented it. It has served him well in both the fight against Ryu and Tony, and now against Rock Howard. "Hrmpf..." He grunts derisively, and his mouth starts to open again, but before he can issue forth more smacktalk, he has to deal with Rock's last-ditch attack! "Dammit, get back!" he hisses to Shermie while throwing his body backwards. The Raging Storm doesn't really get close to Kyo, he's able to react to it quickly enough where it isn't a threat. Shermie is a different story, "Lousy... she better have not gotten suckered by th-oh." Looks like she's fine after all. He stands up and dusts off one shoulder, playing off the concern for his teammate. Indeed, while Shermie is getting slammed by Chun, Kyo is concerning himself with looking down at Rock, "You shouldn't try to compare your style with the style of a genius!"

Feeling Chun-Li's eyes resting upon him, he also turns to stare down the remaining opponent, a cocky smirk slowing forming over his lips. "If you insist!" He exclaims. *WHOOSH!* Crimson flame blooms to life around the fist held at his side.

COMBATSYS: Kyo focuses on his next action.

Shermie is all ready to wrap her legs around Chun-Li's head like before, but, yeah, the leather never creaks, and she finds herself all laid out. "Yowwww... what the hell happened?" She gets to her feet behind Ms. Legs, just as she turns to face Kyo, since of course, he does seem to be the bigger threat. When Shermie looks past the other girl and sees Kyo's flames start to flare up, she decides maybe he needs a bit of a distraction, and she's not really in good shape at the moment for any kind of grapple just yet, so out comes that cellphone once more, and she chucks it with all her might at the back of Chun's head.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Shermie's Thrown Object.

"Of course I insist, Kyo," comes Chun-Li's reply, a smile creeping across her lips as she sinks down into a fairly loose stance, hands lifting before her in a defensive positioning. "This is-huh?!" She suddenly flicks herself to one side, thrusting out her left arm to catch herself against the stage floor as Shermie's cellphone goes whistling through the air. A slightly puzzled glance goes toward the Frenchwoman, and then an amused eyebrow raises. "Now, didn't I say you'd have to do better?" It's a fairly surreal scene, the Kusanagi scion lit up in dramatic style, Chun-Li in a rather wide open position for the purpose of evading something so small and harmless... the audience probably didn't expect anything so outright strange. They came for drama, excitement and dominating techniques!

Not that they haven't had plenty of that already. And there's more to come, as the Tai Chi mistress springs off her tensed arm to land in a crouch that much closer to Kyo, surging to her feet with the same momentum and flinging forth her hands. There's no build-up, no intense focusing and a total absence of the usual golden pinpoint. She's ready to meet this challenge with everything she has - and damn the consequences until later. "KOUKEN!" Her projectile is summoned like the strike of lightning, flashing out from her pale-skinned palms and leaving her fingers' spread in a spiralling collision path for the waiting man.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Kyo with Kikou Ken.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0              Kyo
                                  >  ///////                       ]
                                 |======-\-------\0          Shermie


Projectiles again! Yes, Kyo's bane has returned to haunt him once again. He just seems to have a hard time with them for some reason or another, and his one, like many others, hits him in the chest. He winces, but holds his ground, "Guh... at least it wasn't a Hadouken this time..." he grumbles. He has to end this quickly, before Chun-Li nickel-and-dimes him to death! He looks over to Shermie for a moment, as if attempting some sort of unsaid communication, then launches into a series of attacks on the Tai Chi fighter, testing her legendary ability with a flurry of jabs, most of which will probably prove to be mostly harmless, but after a few attempts those jabs suddenly become wreathed in fire as Kyo "turns up the heat" so to speak. "Body ga..."

Shermie clenches her fists at her sides and does a little stomp, which causes her chest to bounce <sarcasm> just a bit </sarcasm>. "Aa, forgive me! You don't miss a beat, do you?" The sexy woman puts her hands on both cheeks and cradles her face as she leans it to one side cutely, seeming like she might just back off and leave Chun-Li to Kyo, but in the end she does not, running up behind the more experienced lady and coming in to try and lock her arms around her wherever she can get them, "Allow me to make up for it, no? I saved the original just for you!" Yes, it's time for another suplex attempt.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Kyo's Aragami.

COMBATSYS: Shermie successfully hits Chun-Li with Front Flash.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0              Kyo
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                 |=======\-------\0          Shermie


Caught in the middle with nowhere to run. This is where a warrior truly earns whatever accolade they may possess. The world's strongest woman carefully watches Kyo as she stops, lowering her hands after her projectile's impact, and narrowing her gaze upon his subsequent incoming assault. No, it's no Hadouken... but it serves its purpose, giving her the heartbeat she needs to spring backward from the flurry. A snapping glance over her shoulder shows Shermie coming up behind, and the woman has to make a decision - let herself in for the rear assault, and pray it's quick. Or take the latter half of the Kusanagi Kombo.

(Now available from a McDonald's near you!)

Gritting her teeth, Chun-Li continues with another hop backward, virtually slamming herself into Shermie's hold. But the Frenchwoman knows her grapples, as has been noted, and it's a success! Being slammed by the snappy suplex the powerful Chinese fighter finds herself inverted to the floor, weathering the impact with all the opposing force in her body. It's not overly painful, and though disorientating she's able to bounce away from it with only minor bruising, straightening up with whiplash reflexes and instantly spinning to face Shermie. "You're good, keep practicing!"

Then a blurry potential hell is unleashed, Chun-Li's leg snapping out to catch the other woman with a quick kick before that limb blurs into a flurry of other similar blows, raining up and down as she stands perfectly balanced on one leg. Her gaze slides to Kyo, keeping a careful eye upon the Kusanagi-ryuu practicioner while her mouth phrases a punctuation to her attack. "YA! YA! YA! YA!"

"Pretty fast huh?" Kyo says as Chun-Li masterfully dodges all his attacks, though he succeeds in corralling her into Shermie's throw, even if it looks like it didn't do much to her. Now, with Chun turning her attention towards Shermie, Kyo attacks from her blindside with another set up rapid-fire punches, this time just hoping to lay a hand on her. "You can't avoid my flames forever!" He cries out, even though at the moment he's not trying to burn her.

COMBATSYS: Shermie dodges Chun-Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku.

Shermie rolls away onto her side as she succeeds with her suplex, and then pushes herself up to an upright position once more with one hand to stare Chun-Li down as she stands at the same time. "I appreciate that, thanks. And that's what I'm here for anyway, practical experience!" When that first kick comes in, she dances aside, and then when the following rain of further kicks comes, she starts to do an actual dance, leaning from side to side with each dance step and then spinning around to avoid the last one. She's... actually that crazy, yes, and her dancing is all that saved her from Chun-Li. "Woo!" And then she goes in to grab at Chun-Li's leg before she can retract it, cinching both arms down around it like she's got a battering ram there or something, before she tries to shove it back on the other girl.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Shermie's Fast Throw.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Kyo's Quick Punch.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Chun-Li          1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0              Kyo
                                  >  ///////                       ]
                                 |=======\-------\0          Shermie


Chun-Li is keeping her attention /mainly/ on Kyo. This isn't to say Shermie sees no interest at all, and out of the corner of her eye the dancing motions are spotted, a clever evasion worthy of herself in effectiveness. A smile tugs up one corner of her mouth, even as she whips her leg back from the attempted grab. Immediately once she's out of harm's way, she is pivoting on her grounded foot and lowering the other, spreading her legs and setting her feet firmly just in time to meet Kyo with a steady defensive posture, a hand going to meet either of his. Two explosive flurries of blocks meeting his two attacking streaks. She says nothing, too intent upon this, on pushing herself beyond exhaustion. To do her very best.

When Kyo tires of the deluge, she instantly reacts with a blow of her own, left leg snapping forward to throw a powerful knee strike into the stomach of the flames' scion. "HYAH!" Her right leg lifts then and for a moment everything seems to freeze, the stage exploding forth with a blaze of blue-white energy. It's not harmful, but it looks impressive, bursting from the young woman as she hurtles a kick towards Kyo's face, sliding forward to match his stumble back from her knee. "SENRETSU KYAKU!" Her cry comes as chi envelops her, flowing across her limbs as she enters a blazing fury of kicks, a standard-issue Lightning Kick closing a combination dealt from both sneakered feet, the Tai Chi mistress laying into Kusanagi with reckless abandon as she flows with him across the stage.

At the end of it all, she'll strike the pose she began this battle with, looking towards her tumbling opponent with blazing eyes and a spirit to match. Could it ever be doubted she'd give anything but her entirety?

COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Chun-Li's Senretsu Kyaku.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0              Kyo
                                  >  ///////                       ]
                                 |=======\-------\0          Shermie


Kyo is ready for her this time. The first kick of the Senretsu Kyaku is caught right in Kyo's hands, forshadowing what's to come: Kyo somehow experted shunts aside or, when he has to, straight-up blocks the Chun's lightning kicks, keeping pace with her even as she shifts into overdrive. The rapid-fire barrage certainly bruises his hands and arms, but to his credit Kyo prevents any of Chun-Li's attacks from doing any MAJOR damage. "No, that's not it..." he taunts as the final kick is being launched, "...this is how one KICKS!"

Kyo hops forward, with a straight kick, then makes like a scissor and kicks with the other leg! Two-hit combo!

Shermie finds herself clutching air for a long moment, and she looks over to watch the back and forth between Chun-Li and Kyo, still seeing neither side coming out on top just yet. She sighs and fans herself a bit as she starts to notice just how exhausted she is, but she doesn't let that stop her from trying to at least *help* end this fight. With about all the strength she thinks she's got left, she goes running up on the other female fighter once more, this time to attempt running up her back and then flipping over to slam her knee down into Chun's spine, chirping, "Dame ne!"

COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Chun-Li with Nana Juu Go Shiki Kai.

[                            \\  < >  ///////                       ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1              Kyo
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                 |=======\-------\0          Shermie


COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Shermie's Shermie Cute.

...living up to his name and reputation, the Kusanagi heir blocks that painful flurry that has dropped so many other men. Lesser, equal and arguably greater. Chun-li barely has time to smirk in some small appreciation before she's met with two kicks just far too snappy and well-timed to avoid, launched a short distance into the air by their power. Turning herself through a haze of pain, she barely manages to flip onto her feet, the usual grace one might expect from the turn lost through agony. But she's not finished yet, and landing upon the stage she senses the flicker of movement behind her. Shermie! A lunging sidestep moves her out of harm, evading the unorthodox assault and casting a sidelong glance to check for a follow-up.

There isn't one immediately incoming - she has another shot at Kusanagi! Again without words, she takes one leap forward to close the distance, tensing her upper body and setting her feet firmly the instant they hit the floor. Sneakers creaking protest she lunges out over one extended leg, aiming to slam her descended opponent dead in the stomach with two out-thrust palms. There's a lot of force focused there, but it's an all-or-nothing - she risks leaving herself very open from both sides.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Kyo with Sou Hakkei.

[                             \  < >  ///                           ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1              Kyo
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                 |=======\-------\0          Shermie


COMBATSYS: Kyo can no longer fight.

Kyo unleashes his final attack just as Chun-Li manages to put both her palms into his chest, a decieving attack that does more damage that Kyo would have expected. Since he's in the middle of his rotation for the attack that has yet to fail Kyo, his 182 Shiki, he doesn't exactly notice that he's out of gas until he's completed the attack. The technique itself faulters a little once he gets struck, slowing the huge haymaker punch down, and he doesn't even have enough left to add the explosion of flame at the end: it's more like a few candlelights. Kyo falls to a knee, breathing hard, "Tch.. damnit."

Shermie oversteps herself just when she thinks she's about to step up onto Chun's back, and instead goes stomping off a bit more heavily and with far less grace than she would like as the faster woman dodges aside and had time enough to deal with Kyo. "Foo!" She one of the high heels of her boots into the dirt, and then spins right around to see Kyo go down after the palms drive into his stomach. She leans forward and runs full-tilt at Chun-Li at that moment, and just *throws* herself into her before trying to grab her and pull her in for a body-to-body suplex, chest to chest, perhaps for fanservice, perhaps for Kyo, perhaps just because she's dirty, for better or for worse.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Shermie's Front Flash.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Kyo's 182 Shiki.

Chun-Li feels the strike land true and sure, and it quickens the pulse of her heart. She's in her element now, well within her zone of true strength and feeling every last muscle prepared to break past whatever strain she imposes. This is where she belongs, and she's proven that already. Now she proves it again, breaking contact to lunge backward, her arms flying out to either side and her eyes widening upon the gout of burning flame tumbling toward her from the collapsing Kusanagi. Close... very close. But the strongest woman in the world has herself covered.

This is so much the case, that on landing in a slight stumble she's already prepared for Shermie's next rush, instinctively keeping on the move and spinning around to face the incoming Orochi woman. "I look forward to seeing you again, Shermie..." She manages, ducking down and sidestepping the attempt at a grapple. "I'm sure you can improve some /too/!" The last comes as a harsh grunt, the capable Chinese martial artist dropping onto her knees and, clapping one hand to the back of the other, aiming a strengthened palm-thrust in a vicious kidney blow to the likely stumbling Shermie.

What, no kick? She's aiming to take this down without overkill, to at least preserve what strength she can. Besides.. what's to say this is over?

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Shermie with Medium Punch.

[                             \  < >                                ]
Chun-Li          0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1          Shermie


Shermie can't even stop herself by the time she sees Chun-Li sidestep her and come in low for her kidney with her palm. She is indeed stumbling, stumbling to try not to go running too far off, as well as stumbling just to keep from falling down. The woman is at her limit already, and she likely couldn't even run back without pausing to catch her breath if she did somehow pass the Chinese girl. She's sufficiently halted though, by that strike to her kidney that just makes her want to double over and curl up into a ball. "G- uck! S- some stopping power, your hand has there... I'll see you.. around.." She giggles despite herself, coughing thereafter. "But- but, parting gift, before I go. I don't care how much it hurts me to give it to you... Thought that counts... and all that." With a groan of protest, she manages not to go down, and tries to roll onto Chun's back while she's still crouched, and quickly spin herself around to take the tough woman off of her feet and back into a suplex the likes of a lumberjack dropping a heavy tree after hacking at it for hours.

COMBATSYS: Shermie can no longer fight.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Shermie's Shermie Flash.

[                             \  <
Chun-Li          0/-------/-======|


There's some credit for Shermie, in that her opponent only barely avoids the final blow. Barely.. still walking a hairline crack across the boundaries of probability and potential skill as Chun-Li rolls in the same direction as the Frenchwoman, feeling the scrape of flesh past flesh and knowing just how close she's come to being brought down subsequently. When she pushes herself upright a few feet away, gazing past sweat-soaked bangs at the fallen figures cast in tableau about the stage, she's still not sure that she isn't unconscious herself. With the leaving of all that adrenaline, the inevitable blunting of the edge she has preserved throughout this unbelievable combat, she feels... momentarily lost, searching about for any sign of reality. Eventually it's the roars of the crowd that bring her back, and she turns in a circle, the most tired smile lighting up her bruised and weary features.

She's done it. The Strongest Woman in the World has defeated Kyo Kusanagi. Scion of the Kusanagi flame, and a serious contender for her opposing title - and in no small training bout. This is a victory worthy of the greatest. So what does this realisation bring? A surge of brilliant elation, and a final blast of energy welling up seemingly from her very soul to invigorate her body. Before she's fully found reality, and pain, the beautiful Chinese woman leaps into the air, kicking her legs up behind her, not once but three times, her ribbons and strands of loose sweaty hair billowing around with the motion. "I DID IT!!"

Then... she collapses to her knees with a groan, barely able to flash a v-sign towards the audience before her vision starts to fade. Her last thought is that she lied - not her own effort this, but a combination. Without her prodigal student, she knows Kyo would have been on too great a form for her to defeat... she could never have done this alone, never have achieved so great a feat. Her last sight is that of a gi-clad man within the crowd, strangely stark against the blurred background. And this is what makes her pass out with just the hint of smile turning up her lips...

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has ended the fight here.

Log created on 19:34:52 01/12/2005 by Chun-Li, and last modified on 11:46:20 04/26/2005.