SNF 2005.06 - Vanessa vs Sakura vs Rolento

Description: This week's SNF pits Vanessa, Rolento, and Sakura in an unusual location -- atop an airplane moving down a runway. It's a very close fight that leaves Rolento on a helicopter, Sakura in a state of near undress, and Vanessa in a much much worse state of undress... (Winner: Sakura)



Interesting placement, this.
While Vanessa read the roster and was expecting someone entirely different, she finds herself directed to the airport-- which, in and of itself, is a bit odd. What makes it even -more- odd is where the officials point her to, her footsteps taking her hastily towards the so-called ringside in order to... come face to face with the wing of a plane. Blinking a couple times, her eyebrows raising considerably, the redhead keeps either of her hands in her pockets for the time being, her expression more than vaguely incredulous. Given some of the cameras set up, she knows better than to ask whether or not this is legitimate.
Moving up the ladder that's offered to the combatents, she still has no earthly idea who she's up against in this specific case. Getting onto the wing itself, she casts a glance at the crowd in order to decipher who it is that's coming out of the woodwork. She's been informed as to -some- of the stipulations, so she's hardly clueless-- she'll just have to keep more level footing than usual.
Thank god she decided not to drink too much before showing up here.
Rolling her shoulders, she doesn't offer up any random commentary-- no need, no desire.
At least this'll be good practice.

There doesn't appear to be any sign of the commando at the onset; Whether Sakura is up there or not, Rolento most assuredly isn't. However, there can be heard the distinct whirring of a helicopter approaching at rapid speed; A tan Russian-model troop carrier, complete with side-mounted machineguns and spotlights. However, the weaponry is unmanned; And there can be seen the beret-topped commando, leaning out while holding a zipline. Just as they eclipse over the plane he launches out, descending in a flash of motion before pulling the rope taught. Slowing down not quite enough, he backflips and cuts the line to land in a heavy crouch that thuds the metal of the plane. The zipline rapidly retracts, and the helicopter raises up to hover overhead; Just enough to be insanely annoying, but not an actual distraction.
He then backs up towards the rear tail of the airplane, not seeming to be having any difficulty with the sleek surface -- or any fear of tumbling off. His baton is yanked out and twirled a couple times before he holds it at the ready, shifting his white eyes to both Vanessa and Sakura. "This is an interesting confrontation! The assets will assist me greatly! I will hold nothing back!"
He doesn't seem to be singling out Vanessa in the slightest. If she wishes for there to be bad blood and hard feelings, it'll start from her corner. Not Rolento's. For him, that was only business.

Heh. Cameras on vans and such, yeah. How about that? Sakura finds herself a bit confused herself... but then she chalks it all up to Geese just being a wild-an-crazeh guy and all that, once she's led out to the ladder by the wing. No announcers here -- thank god -- since the roar of the jet turbines would be much too loud for anything like that. And really -- what instructions do the fighters need other than 'knock the stuffing out of the other two fighters?' It's not rocket science, here.
Climbing up shortly after Vanessa, she gives a cheerful wave to the redhead. Maybe it won't be the one-on-one the boxer was expecting, but hey. "Guess we're up, huh?" she shouts over the roar of the engines -- idling such as they are.
At least... she's climbing up right before that helicopter swings into view, depositing Rolento -- whose approach Sakura only regards with a wild-eyed stare. "... assets? What's -your- damage, pal? You're not gonna try and steal my scarf or nothin, are ya?" Shrugging mildly, she pads back and forth along the center of the fuselage, eyeing her feet to make sure she can keep her balance and such. "... Huh. Good luck to both of you, I guess!" concludes the schoolgirl, who then re-checks the fit on her padded handguards.

COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sakura           0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Vanessa has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura


COMBATSYS: Rolento has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-------|


Vanessa's expression falters noticably at seeing Rolento show his face, the somewhat cheerful facade she manages for Sakura mere moments beforehand all but obliterated. Sure, there's bad blood-- it's hard to see it any other way from her vantage point, no matter how hardened he is to what he's done. And while she practically radiates irritation, she's not letting it show outwardly.
Amazingly, she's not letting it effect whatever performance she has in mind, either.
"You don't wanna know what his damage is, sweetheart," the redheaded boxer asides to Sakura before rushing in at Rolento, determined to land a solid hit right off the bat. She could withhold it and go for checking his defenses, but she knows how well that worked in her favor -last- time. For now? It's all about the quick lash of her fists, one after the other-- attempting to catch him with the usual splay of amber energy that trails behind. Left hook, uppercut. No variation. How boring!

COMBATSYS: Rolento blocks Vanessa's Forbidden Eagle.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/------=|


The baton raises; Both fists impact only the wood, causing it to vibrate. The chi slashes past, but seems to more upset Rolento's beret then anything else. He winced at the pain, yet that's doubtfully what Vanessa's full intent was in this particular meeting. "Hasty." is grunted out, almost dismissively. "Your desire to recklessly inflict damage is not going to work. You put everything you had into that punch; Now, not only did you fail..." Rolento snaps out his hand, trying to grasp the girl by the wrist and then flip her over his shoulder into the ground with a rather savage amount of force. It would definitely hurt, and be all the more mocking given that he didn't appear to try all that much. His attention is mostly on Sakura, expecting to be whacked by both. "You are Ryu's disciple. I have been wanting to assess your ability." Continuing not to take Vanessa as the threat she should be, it would seem.

"Well, you're gonna have to wait a minute, it looks like!" shouts Sakura over the aircraft engines. Rolento's commentary is... a little confusing. She's heard something like it before, but isn't quite sure where. But really -- Sakura's more content to bide her time at the moment, watching Rolento and Vanessa exchange blows with a keen eye. Not to say she's not ready for an attack or anything -- but with her hands clenched into light fists, bobbing lightly on her toes as her skirt and headband flicker around from the wind whipped up, she just watches for now, with a gentle smile on her face.

COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/------=|


COMBATSYS: Vanessa blocks Rolento's Medium Throw.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/------=|


Changing her position mid-throw, Vanessa doesn't exactly get -away- from the blow... rather, she -coushins- it somewhat with a little Fancy Manuevering, but she's -clinging- to Rolento's arm the entire way down. The thud takes only a little wind out of her lungs, but the pain is enough to make her... well... It might come as something of a surprise that she doesn't so much as bother to let go of him. Instead, she regains her footing as quickly as possible, still holding onto the throwing limb with as much strength as she can muster.
That done...
The quick pivot of her body is meant to send Rolento immediately into motion, should he fail to yank away from it or properly deflect. If it -succeeds-, Sakura will find herself faced with a Rolento-sized projectile, though the momentum isn't nearly what it could be.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Rolento with Quick Throw.
Glancing Blow

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-----==|


%Well, Vanessa is clinging to Rolento's arm. This is somewhat new, but not exactly that troubling. He spreads his stance, and by the time the boxer is back on her feet it's apparent that Rolento is fully prepared for what is coming next. Rather then be some random projectile, Rolento is now a personally aimed projectile; His arm is a bit sore, but now Sakura has to deal with the incoming form of Rolento wielding a menacing baton. "Go!" is snarled, and he attempts to strike Sakura in a downwards blow, right to the wind of the airplane before landing in a crouch. Looks like Vanessa unwittingly executed quite the team attack on the poor girl.

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Rolento's Mekong Delta.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-----==|


One advantage to the wait-and-see approach is that it leaves one open to attacks that might otherwise come as a surprise. Sakura really didn't expect a military man who keeps talking about assets and abilities and such to come flying at her with a big stick -- but she's -ready- for it, dropping to one knee and raising her forearm to deflect the blow. She also pivots slightly to the side, lessening the blow just a smidge. "... Go?" Sakura asks, still tightly coiled up from the strike -- but as soon as Rolento's baton passes, Sakura springs right up into the air. "Why don't =you= go?!" she calls out, swinging both her fists down to clock Rolento in the back of his neck. And if she gets her way -- the impact from such a blow would send her somersaulting towards Vanessa for more of the same. "HYAAAAA!"

COMBATSYS: Rolento endures Sakura's Sakura Otoshi.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/---====|


COMBATSYS: Vanessa endures Sakura's Sakura Otoshi.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Vanessa          0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/---====|


As Sakura plows through Rolento, Vanessa sees... no real opportunity to do much of anything. She could try smacking Sakura straight out of the attack, but in the split second she's allowed to make her decision... nothing comes of it. She just... well... takes it, actually. While she manages to stay on her feet through the assault, she is pushed back a good couple feet by the slim power that's put behind it, her body more than able to soak up the worst of the attack itself. However, this puts her in a more than optimal position.
When Sakura come out of the attack, she'll merrily find herself slammed into by a swift series of punches, each and every one of them meant to jostle her head back and forth between the redhead's fists. If it -lands-, the finale'll be nothing more than Ye Olde Uppercut, which threatens to send her straight off the wing. Almost, but not quite. Huffing a little, the boxer backs out of the attacks, raising either of her fists as she says, "Should've just gone to the bar tonight," in a rueful tone.

There's no real reaction to Sakura striking Rolento in the head; He merely shrugs down, reaching up to his harness and twisting in the effort. As she sails through the air towards the redheaded boxer, he lets sail one of his green-clad charges. If they want to take advantage of clumping, he'll do it to a more severe degree. The second that the two impact each other, the grenade bounces beneath before detonating in an enormous flash of scarlet fire -- Shrapnel goes flitting in all directions, and there's a considerable scorchmark in the airplane. Rolento himself leaps to the edge of the wing, crouching down almost precariously close. He's not in the mood for any more juggling, himself; That's enough for his taste, really. "Enough of these inane games! I am here to win!"

COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Sakura with Grenadier.
- Power hit! -

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Vanessa          0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0           Sakura
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/=======|


COMBATSYS: Sakura endures Vanessa's Machine Gun Puncher.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vanessa          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1           Sakura
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/=======|


Well... there's something to be said for trying to pummel the heck outta someone. It's a veritable flurry of flying feet and fists as Sakura crashes into Vanessa, feet splayed out to the side to assist her attack in landing -- and just about the -same- time as Vanessa's punching fury slams into her head. The schoolgirl's head ratchets back and forth, but really... it's all good, because she's nice and close to Vanessa at this point!
That, and the Ansatsuken prodigy is able to put the momentum from Vanessa's last strike to good use, dropping low and 'rolling' with the punch to send her spinning around in a rapid circle, her body starting to glow a bright blue. Why is this, now? Simple -- she's aiming to spin herself around in a hurricane of her own, repeatedly revolving her foot around into the boxer's shins.
Mind, Sakura won't get to actually slam into Vanessa's -shins-, as a result of that grenade detonating beneath her. It'll explode underneath the schoolgirl, sending her skirt flying upwards in a show nine out of ten mothers would rate PG-13 for senseless violence and fanservice. But it also has the added bonus of giving Sakura more things to strike at. *WHAM WHAM WHAM*
Oh yeah. and in the confusion, the plane started moving too. Not that Sakura's going to notice the plane moving, as she's not touching it, but the others might! Woo hoo! Better than a hayride in the countryside!

COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Vanessa with Grenadier.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vanessa          0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/------=/=======|


COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Vanessa with Haru Ichiban.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vanessa          1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/------=/=======|


Alright, so, picture this.
First, there's a zOMG EXPLOSION that erupts between both Vanessa and Sakura, and on -top- of that... the blast throws her off so badly that the redhead is immediately subject to the attack that Sakura puts upon her, which... all told, hurts like you wouldn't believe, but it's mostly just adding to the harsh burn of fire and shrapnel and... all those other outrageously fun things. Oh yeah. AND THE MOTHERFSKING PLANE IS MOVING. Skidding to the very edge of the wing itself, she has to think for all of a couple seconds as to what the hell just happened.
Raising back to her feet slowly, she shakes her head, trying to regain proper visual accuity in the here and now. Given the fact that there's movement underneath her feet, she's leery of making an immediate assault by way of retaliation. Instead, she holds her ground, allowing her footing to hold as well as it possibly can.
This ... isn't looking all that good for her.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa focuses on her next action.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vanessa          1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0           Sakura
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/------=/=======|


The shifting of the airplane is sensed long before the momentum begins, and Rolento is quite content to merely remain upon the wing a safe distance away. Assessing their health, it's a fair assumption that they will both attempt to bring him down to size. No matter; If he can lure them both close, they might find a surprise they did not expect. Yanking out a knife from within his vest, he then unleashes it towards Sakura in an attempt to hit her in the rear. It might be comical, but it would actually slow down just as much as a strike to the thigh or calf; If not more. Vanessa's far enough away to not immediately be a concern -- if she can charge across an entire plane, contoured wing, and punch him without falling off, /then/ he will respect. Until then, he'll deal with the tomboy!

COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Sakura with Stinger.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Vanessa          1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/----===/=======|


OW, OW OW, OW. Sakura doesn't even see the attack coming, since she's still, uh, disoriented from her little tornado trick to Vanessa. Consequently, she's not really ready for a knife to come whistling towards her. For what it's worth, it shreds a nice tear through the schoolgirl's skirt before embedding itself in Sakura herself...
Moving right along, Sakura screams like heck, hence the "OW, OW OW, OWWW!" from before, causing her to jump up with a start. Mind, she's a bit ticked off right now -- but really, isn't this supposed to be frustrating? Turning back to glare at Rolento for a moment, Sakura clutches her hands by her side and retaliates nearly instantly, hurling off a wobbly, half-formed fireball right back at him, just before skittering backwards from Vanessa. "HADOOOOUKEN!"
The Taiyo student has a (possibly mistaken) feeling the redhead will understand the slight to her pride.

Of course, the moment Sakura's turned around, regardless of whether or not Vanessa finds herself wholly unable to keep stable footing, the redhead is quick to dart in towards the Anatsuken wannabe, looking like she's damn well ready to smack her in the back of the head-- but that's not exactly what happens. In the midst of all the 'confusion,' as well as the movements of the plane, her motions take her back in towards Rolento. All told, she's in a lose-lose situation, here. So, really, going after -him- first while SAkura's busied herself with an attack of her own seems to be her best bet.
While she doesn't want to exert her speed, she's going to -have- to to cover the ground -and- remain stable throughout-- as well as present him with an inability to get around the attack. It's nothing special by a long shot-- just a sudden uppercut aimed straight for his jaw, a light grunt coming from her as her muscles complain noticably at the exertion.
....Yup. o/'

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Rolento with Dash Puncher.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/--=====/=======|


COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Sakura's Medium Hadouken.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/--=====/=======|


Well, this is a somewhat annoying circumstance to Rolento. He manages to duck the hadouken, but Vanessa still seems to want to completely disobey all laws of physics with her damnable rush across a moving plane, slanted and slick wing, and then punch him in the chin. He reels backwards, but still snaps his fingers. What? The hell did he snap his fingers for?
The helicopter descends rapidly, hovering over the moving plane. A Shank Squad member with goggles slides downwards from a zipline, holding a giant hook with an insane grin on his face.
And then Rolento yanks hard. A wire, obscured against the plane, whisks to life. But it passes Vanessa... And whisks right towards Sakura, in an attempt to ensnare her around the neck. "Ready?" Looks like he's ignoring the proximity at least...

COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Sakura with Take No Prisoner.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1           Sakura
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-----==|


And then Rolento leaps high into the air; The airplane's velocity is ignored, and he then slots his part of the wire into the hook. Descending, he then /yanks/ down as hard as he can. Sakura is whisked into the air, as the Shank Squad member giggles madly. "GO!" He holds it thusly, strangling quite nicely. And then the helicopter flies straight upwards; Sakura impacts the hook, there'd be a gargantuan pressure threatening to pop her head off, and then the wire snaps and she'd be allowed to fall towards the airplane.
Ouch.

Sakura gets strung up like a pinata! So much for trying to do something against Rolento... there's nothing more she can do when she's strung up by the neck.
Oh wait, there is =one= thing she can do. Even when she's behind hauled up, choked to the point she can barely breathe, she can still gather forth energy in her palms, and shoot it on towards Rolento.
You'll forgive her if she can't findthe voice for it at the moment, though.

COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached second wind!

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-----==|


All in all... there -is- reason for Vanessa to go tromping after Sakura, but she -knows- how that attack feels. As is evidenced by the fact that she noticably jumps the moment that the wire goes down, and winces when it's clear that -she's- not the intended target. However... she takes the moment Rolento's busy fending off Sakura's own attack to go up against him, trying like hell to drag him into the move that's got enough concussive energy to take him down a few pegs.
At least, she can hope.
It's essentially the same thing she levelled against the Anatsuken wannabe-- the left-right-left-right-up-up-- err, just left-and-right punches against either side of the man's head, using whatever momentum she can against him. It's -difficult- with the plane moving quicker underfoot, but by god, she's trying.

COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Rolento with Shinkuu Hadouken.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Vanessa          1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Rolento blocks Vanessa's Machine Gun Puncher.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[                       \\\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-======|


Ow.
Just... ow.
Rolento didn't expect Sakura to really even survive, let alone be capable of unleashing that manner of assault. Rolento is struck dead on by the explosion; It's everything he has just to not fall off the rapidly moving plane and be crushed beneath the wheels, clinging desperately to the side of the wing. When Vanessa whisks towards him, it's almost a blessing. Ducking under the punches, whisking over his back in a rapid-fire motion, he yanks himself up to a stand by the front of her shirt before plowing past. "Out of my way!" is snarled, before he twirls his baton and then leaps into the air. Descending down with a snarl, he whisks out his baton with every ounce of force he can manage, attempting to smack Sakura in the head and make her feel the burn of real wool.

COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Rolento's Mekong Delta.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[                        \\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-======|


After the Shank Squadder's wire snaps, Sakura mercifully falls back to the fuselage of the aircraft. Mind, it's also moving at a pretty fair clip by this point, the wind whipping Sakura's hair, uniform top, and shredded skirt about like crazy. It's a feat, considering her reddened windpipe, but Sakura somehow manages to take advantage of the wind -- in this case, spreading her arms and letting it whip her towards the aft of the plane. Sneakers screeching as she decies she's had enough, she figures it's time for to slow down and regather her defenses -- and with Rolento being so far down, she can only hope to take him out with her next strike! Hands clutching by her sides, she gathers up another one of her (sensei's) trademark attacks -- diluted only slightly by the up-wind journey to Rolento! "HADOOOOOUKEN!"

While the other two are merrily beating the crap out of one another, Vanessa's more than happy to sit back and observe them both, waiting for a proper opportunity. Frowning somewhat as she watches them, she's careful to pay attention to any openings in their defenses, either of her fists raised as she struggles all the more to maintain her footing. No reason to go dashing out when they're doing a fine downing one another. Taking a couple steps back, she's making it a point to keep some distance, though it won't save her from the myriad of things that tend to get chucked at her in the first place. Wheefun!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa focuses on her next action.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[                        \\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-======|


COMBATSYS: Rolento parries Sakura's Medium Hadouken!

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0           Sakura
[                        \\\\\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/=======|


Rolento doesn't appear to be affected by the enormous speed at all. He merely charges forward once more, and crouches down. Leaping up before the hadouken even leaves Sakura's fingers, a knife is hurled with pinpoint speed. The aim is right for her head; Hopefully it won't impact in that manner, of course, but he doesn't appear much inclined to avoid it. Like he stated before, he's here to win. Landing in a crouch, Rolento makes sure to interpose Sakura between himself and Vanessa; If she has to get through the tomboy to get to him, then that makes his job a little bit easier. "Nnngh!"

COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Sakura with Stinger EX.
Glancing Blow

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[                        \\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/-------/=======|


Well, Sakura =does= see the attack coming, and makes every intention to get the heck out of harm's way. The thing is, though? The effort of her own Hadouken makes her head a bit swimmy, to the point that her reactions are just a tad more delayed. That, and heck, he's going downwind -- the net result being that Sakura isn't quite able to get herself out of the way in time, and the blade whizzes into her shoulder instead. A small rivulet of blood streams from her, carried aloft by the wind -- though it's right about now that Sakura realizes Vanessa's trying to build up for something.
By itself, shouldn't be much of a problem. But coupled with Rolento, and the choking, and the mild bloodloss... well, maybe it's a good idea for Sakura to sit tight and regroup, also. So she leaps high overhead, letting the wind carry her to the back of the plane -- though she plants her feet on the vertical stabilizer itself! Practically standing sideways, she snaps a quick salute at Rolento, along with an impish smirk as if to say 'I'm outta here' -- since actually -shouting- it wouldn't do any good in the roaring wind. Hee!

COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Vanessa          1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[                        \\\\\\  <
Rolento          1/-------/=======|


Rolento's manuevering does put Sakura between the both of them, but that's just as well for Vanessa. At the immediate moment, all she cares to do is lash out with a quick attack, rushing up to the girl as the motions underfoot become less impaired. It's not as quick as it could be, and it could be equivocable to a feint, but it's something, at least. Using the fact that she seems to have gained a little more stability, there's still a decent amount of speed behind the quick swings.
It's simple, really. If it hits? Sakura gets punched once. Sakura gets punched twice. Left hook, uppercut. You'd think by now she'd mix it up a little.
[EDIT: Vanessa was distracted iRL and didn't notice that I'd moved out of the way -- thus refuting her logic in the above. Accordingly ,attack was transferred to Rolento.]

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Rolento with 1-2 Puncher.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Vanessa          1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[                           \\\  <
Rolento          1/-----==/=======|


Bothorsome indeed. Rolento is impacted by both fists, stumbling backwards with an outward grunt of pain. He attempted to deflect them with his baton to no effect; This is assuredly an annoying situation to be in, and condusive to such he crouches down. Reaching into his vest, he yanks out four heavy grenades and simply hurls them towards Vanessa. He doesn't have the room to roll, so instead he dives for the front of the plane, and clings to the nose. Why?
Because then there's an absolutely gargantuan explosion that shivers the entire plane, shattering the windows and denting the top. At least Sakura and the commando are far enough away to not be injured...

Well, then it was a seriously good thing that Sakura leapt out of the way, wasn't it? Even if she would be likely to get caught in the backdraft of the blast, as it's swept downwind.
Except ... WHOAAAAAAA the plane just opened up its airbrakes. It wasn't ever actually going to take off, y'know, but there's only so much runway! Accordingly, from the sudden shift, SAKURA GOES FLYING (rated G for all audiences).
Well, realistically, she jumped too. It just tends to be a lot harder to deal with ,as she's still technically flying upwind, with a superman-style punch aimed at knocking Rolento off the plane. "SHOU'OU KAZE!!!" she screams, soaring right at Rolento like the true warrior of justice she is!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa blocks Rolento's Mine Sweeper.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Vanessa          1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[                           \\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-------|


The upshot to the attack that's levelled on her is the fact that Vanessa's ready for it. Skirting backwards, the sudden explosion that threatens to immerse her dampened by some mildly impressive footwork. Managing to bring up her arms to deflect any stray shrapnel, the concussive force of the blasts is avoidable enough, though it still FRIGGIN HURTS. Though, sorry guys-- no shirt-burny this time around.
Surprisingly, Vanessa is -still- unwilling to do anything. Sure, it's made obvious now that she's preparing for something, but -what- she's preparing for is up in the air. She just watches Rolento and Sakura both, a faint smirk coming over her expression. Turnabout -is- fair play... and if she plays her cards right, this won't be as difficult as she thought. Sure, she's got singemarks, a bloody lip, bruises, and whatnot... BUT...
For the time being, biding ones time is best.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa focuses on her next action.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Vanessa          1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[                           \\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Rolento parries Sakura's Medium Punch!

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Vanessa          1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura
[                           \\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/------=|


Well, Rolento appears to have no difficulty with Sakura leaping at him in an insane manner. He merely grasps the incoming hand, and twists Sakura into a stumble forward. He then does a scouter jump backwards, lands on the ground in a crouch, and rolls with a 'Nnnngh!' in an attempt to bounce off her rear and send her tumbling off the airplane. It might be a comical attack, but it should be sufficient for the matter at hand. "Stay DOWN!" Short pose.

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Rolento's Mekong Delta EX.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Vanessa          1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura
[                           \\\  <
Rolento          0/-------/-----==|


Twisted into a tumble like so, Sakura finds herself sent to the fuselage of the plane. Which is just as well, she could've used a nap just like any of the other two fighters. When it comes time for Rolento bounce off her, though, Kasugano has to raise an objection, twisting sharply to the side and meeting the bounce with her thigh instead. Since she's a Capcom character, her thighs are MIGHTY and he doesn't stand a chance.
The cameras also get a really good upskirt view when she whips around to slam her foot up into Rolento, also! Not like it really matters anyway, as her ripped shirtsleeve and skirt are only slightly more modest than the red sportswear they purport to cover. Regardless, with her fists flung out as counterbalance, Kasugano's high kick might just hit the mercenary! "YAAAAH!"

Well, in spite of what she's got planned, Vanessa only sees one clear shot. And that's in the form of Rolento.
While she dislikes the idea of Wasted Effort, it's still something she's geared up for. Frowning a little, she opts against-- and rushes towards the rogue Green Beret, once again using whatever momentum Sakura produces against him dependant on what trajectory occurs thanks to that kick.
It's the same move as the first time around-- a quick one-two combination with flashy bits of OOO AMBER LIGHTS that have a nice amount of cutting energy behind them. Whether or not it hits is anyone's guess, as it was the last time all this went down.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Rolento with Forbidden Eagle.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Vanessa          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0           Sakura
[                                <
Rolento          0/-------/---====|


COMBATSYS: Rolento endures Sakura's Medium Kick.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Vanessa          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0           Sakura
[                                <
Rolento          0/-------/-======|


Okay, this hurts. Vanessa and Sakura both picked on the hapless mercenary at once; He doesn't appreciate it in this stage of the game, especially when he went through all that effort of beating the crap out of Sakura. Had she only not utilized that damnable willpower of hers! But he seems to realize that Vanessa made herself vulnerable in the attempt; And with something of a grin towards Sakura, he swiftly snaps out his baton at the Ikari affiliate's stomach. Attempting to wedge his baton right into her navel. This will probably sting if it hits, really. "Well... This was interesting!" Regardless of hit or miss.

COMBATSYS: Rolento can no longer fight.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Vanessa          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0           Sakura


COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Vanessa with Fatality Package.
- Power hit! -

[                             \  < >  /                             ]
Vanessa          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0           Sakura


"I'm taking you with me, girl. Ready?" And then Vanessa is launched into the air, before Rolento leaps up. And then slaps a grenade on her pants, in the most vulnerable area in terms of keeping them decent. Grasping her by the hair, Vanessa is then hurled towards the nose of the plane right before another explosion, meant more to make her indecent then anything else. He then slips, tumbles off the plane, and is less then an inch from being run over. The helicopter stops hovering and begins to descend, obviously intent on retrieving their fallen commander. Ouch.

Aaaaand... Sakura's left to push herself out of the way after that kick -- but luckily, the brunt of Rolento's ire is directed towards blowing the knickers right off of Vanessa. She feels bad for Vanessa as a woman, but there's a lot to be said for 'better you than me!' Really, though, she'd been strung up somethin' fierce -- and so that's why Sakura pretty much just pushes herself off of the fuselage, leaping off to the wing and preferring to remain there. Y'know, instead of in the path of Vanessa's Possibly Explosive Pants. It's there that she'll wait and see...

COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.

[                             \  < >  /                             ]
Vanessa          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0           Sakura


Oh, it stings.
But it doesn't sting nearly as badly as a grenade at point-blank range that's settled right near a highly sensitive area. Now, if she were a -guy-, this'd be a whole lot worse-- but even then, the concussive blast that out-and-out obliterates all semblance of modesty (hello, international TV cameras-- can you say CENSOR BAR?), causes a -loud- expulsion of sound from the redhead, the sudden landing on the nose of the plane doing little to help her on the Road to Recovery. As is, that hit was clean, and took her down without any problem whatsoever-- if it didn't, she'd be amazed at herself.
The resultant "FUCK!" at realizing her state of clothing, however hoarse her tone is, can be heard without issue.
However.
In spite of the fact that she's practically flashing anyone who's tuned into the fights as well as any onlookers, she uses what little energy she has left to track Sakura's movements... and let loose something of her own. Chances are, she won't be the only female left immodest in the midst of this fight, dependant on what occurs. Even if, for all intents and purposes, it looks like she's punching air.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa can no longer fight.

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


COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Vanessa's Gaia Gear.

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


And the sudden blast of wind that goes screaming towards the girl completely misses its mark. Talk about insult to injury. All but falling off of the nose of the plane and onto the ground, she's not so stunned by the attacks as to outright pass out-- and thus, her landing isn't quite as heavy as it could be. However-- the moment she hits the ground, she's doing her ABSOLUTE LEVEL BEST to hunch over in such a way that the remnants of her clothing covers -some- of her body with the help of her arms.
She just knows she's gonna get a call from her mother about this.
Mmf. Yeah. Hunching over is clearly not just for modesty. Now that the pain's really -hit- her, she can't help but feel like she's damn well ready to vomit. Holy... CRAP...

Yeah... that kinda stuff would hurt point-blank, no matter -where- it hit. The thing is... it'd probably put Vanessa at a marked disadvantage to attempt to strike Sakura while she was about to fall off the nose of the plane -- which is why Sakura has the chance to make a dive back for the -center- of the plane, hurling herself into a tumble and standing up sharply as the gust of wind blasts right past her former location. When Sakura rises to her feet, she brings the back of her hand across her nose, eyes narrowed slightly as the plane slowly rolls to a halt.
Good thing, too, since it sure would suck for Vanessa to be rolled over at this point.
Mind, by this point, Sakura's skirt is pretty tattered as well from all the wind, so the sudden jolt of the aircraft brakes is enough to sever its last thread -- but Sakura quickly catches it before it flies off completely. The wardrobe malfunction might've left the schoolgirl in her gym shorts and the majority of her school uniform top. Not nearly as bad off as Vanessa, but she's able to stand -- barely, from the looks of her ribcage heaving. And at that, she throws up one fist in victory, knowing full well it was a closer one than she would've liked.

Log created by Sakura, and last modified on 21:27:12 06/25/2005.