Description: A relatively normal match between Sakura and Megumi at the beach, though a loss of momentum is never quite fully recovered from in this bout... (Winner: Megumi)
A late-morning match. Plenty of sun, plenty of spectators gathered around the sands. A few enterprising vendors selling water in light of these factors. Chances are more people are excited about the main event (hence its designation), but this should still get some people interested. Megumi took a cab down here, and seems to be in half her normal routine, half a different one.
The different part is that she's shunned her normal wear in favor of what could generally be considered her 'alternate outfit'; the all-red one. It's fitting for a location like this. As she emerges from the taxi and heads out to the part of the sand where she's supposed to fight though, she does stop to swap brief words with some of the spectators, and like her last match, she's brought one of her red wristbands along; it's pulled off her arm and given to a young girl in the audience, and then Megumi steps into the fighting area. No stretch-out routines, nothing special like that. She's just waiting for this to get underway.
Sakura is overdressed by comparison. Though the two had seen each other just a few hours prior, never once did Kasugano get the idea that Megumi would be taking such a radical departure from her usual standard of dress. The Ansatsuken prodigy, for her part, had selected one of her usual school uniforms, in keeping with the established trend of her fighting career.
That, and she also arrives four minutes late. Checking in with the officials for some last-minute discussion, Sakura soon dashes out to the area marked aside for combat. And upon seeing Megumi... "... what the heck?" Sakura's cheeks color a bright red. Less showy than a swimsuit, but somewhat... different. "... What's the deal, is this laundry day, Megumi?" The disbelief is quite obvious on the fighting fangirl's face.
Though, she realizes she can probably fight better with her shoes off. So she stops just outside the ring to take care of that, watching for Megumi's reaction.
Vanessa has arrived.
Vanessa heads north to the harbor.
Vanessa arrives at the harbor from the beach.
COMBATSYS: Megumi has started a fight here.
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Megumi 0/-------/-------|
Sakura throws up her fist as she rises to her feet. "Yeah! Let's do this!" No sense in letting Megumi be the -only- one to work the crowd. She pads into the marked off area, wiggling her toes in the sand... pleased that there's a -small- change to the fighting environment here at Sound Beach. "I'm sure there's a story behind it!" she chirps, clenching her fists lightly, bobbing to her usual rhythm as she looks across at Megumi. There's still a few scratches from the previous nights' activities, but not tooooo many. "You ready, then?"
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
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Megumi 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
"Yeah, there's a story behind it. Long one. And..." Ready? Megumi answers that in about three ways. First, a wrist-flick off to the side. Second, "Ready." A one-word confirmation. And then Megumi's sprinting in at Sakura, trying to get in close and seize an arm, then do a forward flip over Sakura, and bend the arm up, then back, and down as she descends; a fancy takedown.
COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Sakura with Flood Reversal.
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Megumi 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
The answer was 'Ready', but Sakura apparently -wasn't-. She'd tried to pull her arm away from that grab, but that's not the right answer here -- for it seemed to make Megumi's flip all the easier. Kinda like ballet, only with the -intention- of one of the partners taking a dive. A plume of sand erupts from Sakura's impact, but she's quick to grit her teeth, pulling her hands back to her side. "Oh, jeez... this's familiar -- in a good way!" The Ansatsuken prodigy is far from disappointed in the long run, her smile bright as she shoves her hands forward, a meter-wide comet of cerulean flame urged onwards towards Megumi: "HADOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Sakura's Medium Hadouken.
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Megumi 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Megumi lands on her feet from the takedown, and twirls aside from Sakura's chi-blast. Not much banter on her part right now, she seems to be taking this seriously. Not angry, just very focused. As she evades, Megumi redirects her spin into a dive, flinging her body horizontally at Sakura's chest. It's another takedown effort, one that if it succeeds, Megumi plans to lean back, grab an arm, and apply an arm-bar technique to that limb.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Storm Hold from Megumi with Shou'ou Ken.
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Megumi 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Well... that wasn't -as- expected. Sakura's used to her pink-haired friend flinging herself bodily at her and all... but the horizontal vector's a bit difficult to defend against. When she sees it, the Ansatsuken student starts backpedaling, a hint of anxiety creeping into her grin as she attempts to figure out how to react. Knowing it's going to be hard to hit Megumi any other way though, Sakura pivots slightly to the side -- and when Megumi slams into her sideways, she'll find Sakura's fist ramming into her ribcage as a result. "SHOOO'OOOU KEN!"
Of course, Sakura's -still- gonna get knocked over from the transferred momentum, landing in another sand-plume... "Guh..."
Megumi gets pretty well uppercutted skyward, only managing to get in a hurried, slap-together throw to send Sakura down as she goes. Megumi'll hit the ground after Sakura does, and rolls backwards immediately to get up. Energy over condition, it seems -- the pain catches up to her almost right after that, and Megumi spends some time clearing her head as well as thinking...how to approach this?
COMBATSYS: Megumi focuses on her next action.
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Megumi 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Whew! As she'd expected, Sakura's already starting to feel the burn from this fight. Pushing herself back to her feet from that last-ditch toss, Sakura shakes her head with an amiable grin. "Keepin each other on our toes, as usual!" she chirps back -- though rather than press a charge, Kasugano squints back at Megumi. Not in the usual way -- she's taking a sliiightly different approach in this fight. "Haaaa...." Notably, her fists are clenched tightly, and a spiral of blue energy swirls around her, kicking the sand into motion -- as well as sending her skirt and headband into disarray.
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Megumi 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
"Yeah," Is Megumi's flat answer to that. She watches Sakura for a moment, then realizes what's coming probably starts in 'Shinkuu.' Best to move in now. Megumi charges, and goes for an arm. She's trying to get Sakura's right arm, and grab at its hand to twist that sideways, hoping to flip Sakura over and bend the hand and fingers downward from there.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Megumi's Aikido Techniques.
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Megumi 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Sakura
... Well... Sakura had something different in mind, but when Megumi charged forward all of a sudden, a glimmer of hesitation flashed across her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she pulls her hand sharply to the side to try and knock Megumi's grasp away. It's not completely effective, though, as Megumi -does- manage to flip the girl over her head. But the -flip- wasn't entirely effective either, considering Sakura's struggle was enough to allow her to pull away in mid-air, landing on her bare feet in the sand. And then she thrusts her glowing hands forward to try and tag Megumi with a basketball-sized orb of blue flame. "Hadouken!" Nothing too powerful -- but then again, Sakura's still a bit shaky from that landing!
COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Sakura's Small Hadouken.
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Megumi 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Megumi makes an unusual jump, hopping up and pulling her legs up toward her body to go just over the smaller Hadouken. It leaves her in pretty close proximity to Sakura, and she tries to wrap one arm around Sakura's neck, another grabbing at a wrist, before Megumi spins and makes a diving jump sideways; another take-down attempt as she tries to pull Sakura off balance and slam her back into the sand.
COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Sakura with Medium Throw.
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Megumi 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
Sakura finds herself at a loss for dealing with acrobatics like that, to say the least. Slung sideways, and then tossed into the sand, she's left with a curious thought -- how is it that all this sand is blowing around, and not one speck has gotten in her eyes yet? But she has -more- to worry about -- like kipping back to her feet. And liek trying to grab Megumi's hand before it gets =too= far away. She's attempting to perform both at the same time, though, in an inverted version of a kick-off maneuver she usually tries from above, rather than shouldering into the sand and kicking from beneath. "Yuu-tta!"
COMBATSYS: Megumi counters Sailor Shoot EX from Sakura with Flood Reversal.
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Megumi 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Sakura
Megumi gets up as Sakura does, and has her hands ready to catch the grab-attempt. Sakura won't even get as far as the kick-off part of her technique, as Megumi's yanking Sakura off balance and kneeling one knee off to the side, tossing Sakura over and past it; a conventional Aikido throw, and Megumi rises to her feet afterwards.
Sakura's fairly expediently tossed over Megumi's knee as a result, landing once more in the sand. The audience can't say they're not getting a fair share of environmental hazards with this fight, that's for sure! Kasugano's quick to push back to her feet after this, though she doesn't approach -- rather, she rubs the back of her neck and backs away from Megumi. She realizes she's been a wee bit impulsive here, and might just need to settle down a bit!
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Megumi 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Sakura
Megumi watches as Sakura stays back, apparently not willing to keep rushing in. Not ideal, but nothing to be done for it. Megumi's right hand clenches into a fist, a bright red glow surrounding it. "Spiral..." Then she's diving at Sakura headfirst, body twirling through the air, energy-surrounded fist held in front, "Knuckle!" Destination: Sakura's stomach. Hopefully.
COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Sakura with Crimson Spiral Knuckle.
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Megumi 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Sakura concedes to Megumi's wishes... though she really did try to get out of the way. Problem is, though, she'd forgotten that sand was beneath her feet, rather than something a bit firmer. As a result, Megumi's fist plows right into Sakura's stomach... much to her dismay! It's a good thing she had a light lunch!
Once more, she finds herself reacquainted with the sand. Lovely. But instead of pushing back to her full height, Sakura just rights herself, her feet spinning around her in a circle as she spins right towards Megumi, a cyclone of sand churned around her in the process. "HAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Megumi with Haru Ichiban.
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Megumi 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Megumi lands from her 'punch' by putting her hands down and cartwheeling sideways. This probably would've been enough to give her a superior position...if Sakura's attack hadn't been of the whirling variety. Kick, kick, kick. Megumi stumbles back back back, and is finally knocked down with very sore legs to show for it. Sore enough that she gets up by pushing to her feet, not some fancier method. Once up though, Megumi's back into acrobatic displays; she's cartwheeling towards Sakura, and then when fairly close, flips up...descends...and attacks low. Her flip turns into a dive, trying to slide beside one of Sakura's legs and yank it away to pull her to the ground, then apply an ankle-lock. A very elaborate attempt, all told.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Flood Reversal from Megumi with Haru Ichiban.
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Megumi 1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached second wind!
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Megumi 1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Brilliant Idea #43: Lull your opponent into a false sense of security by appearing to end an attack, when it was actually your -plan- to resume the attack as soon as they jump in! It woulda been really cool -- if it worked. But no, just as Sakura starts trying to work herself into another series of spinning, Megumi just goes and yanks her leg out. Sakura tries to make the best of it, spinning her foot around in an attempt to nail Megumi in the head and break free -- but it's quite clear that the ankle-lock is superior in this case. Not only doesn't Sakura's leg clear, but her stops with a yelp of pain -- bodies aren't meant to twist that much, after all! Flumping back down into the sand, it looks like she might have had enough -- but she's still -trying- to push back to her feet. If Megumi will let her, that is!
Megumi gets her hold, and for a minute she thinks she just about has it; she's expecting Sakura to give up to the ankle-lock. After several long moments though, Megumi realizes she's not going to manage it on this hold, and releases Sakura's leg in order to get up and spin away from her. Better to get away now than to be struck out of her hold once Sakura figured out a way.
With that accomplished, Megumi throws her arms wide apart, then high and low to create a tall, thin 'wall' of red energy. It flies out, then Megumi rushes toward it as it hovers in place...
With enough struggling and attempting to kick at Megumi, Sakura could -almost- manage something like that. So maybe it's a good strategy for Megumi to rob Sakura of that option.
Megumi's withdrawal also serves as a healthy opportunity for Sakura to push back to her feet, catching her breath. And when Megumi throws out that wall, Sakura's jaw... drops. "... did I really hit you that hard? Geez." Sakura's not exactly -smiling-, though. Clenching her fists by her sides, another little cyclone stirs up. Shinkuu Hadouken? Maybe, but don't hold your breath -- the Ansatsuken prodigy looks to be pushing herself well beyond her limits here. "Haaaaa....."
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Megumi 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Megumi with Restoration Aura.
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Megumi 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Megumi rushes through her wall, and actually seems to speed up a little afterwards. "You're hitting hard," Megumi confirms. She's not upset about that, though; it's just an answer, she expected it in this match. Megumi continues her charge, and her fist is glowing again. This time however, the glow is larger and Megumi is not diving at Sakura; she's just rushing in. Once fairly close, Megumi makes a straight punch at Sakura's midsection. Should her energy-wrapped fist connect, the red glow will blast outward to knock Sakura away. Otherwise, the energy may discharge harmlessly into the air.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Crimson Blast from Megumi with Shou'ou Ken.
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Megumi 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached third wind!
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Megumi 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Sakura
And while Megumi's looking all fresh and revitalized after that wall of restoration, Sakura's... looking pretty rough. She tries to respond in kind to Megumi's charge, rushing forward to thrust her fist back into the young woman's ribcage -- but the addition of the crimson energy seems to be a bit too much for Sakura to handle. Sakura's hand is shaken to the side by the wavefront of energy... indeed, she's practically bowled over from it all. Once more, she's knocked backwards into the sand... but this time, she's not getting up, her eyes falling shut.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has left the fight here.
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Megumi 0/-------/=======|
Megumi gets the feeling that may be it, as Sakura falls once again. She doesn't press the attack, waiting to see what happens...may be a trick, may be Sakura's out of this; Megumi doesn't want to keep hitting her if the latter is the case. After a count by an official on the sides, 'down and out' is confirmed...and then Megumi walks over and kneels beside her, trying to see if she can rouse Sakura. "C'mon..." She's in decent shape, if a little tired, as she encourages Sakura. "We should get moving. He might try to interfere now that the match is over. You alright?" As a little more incentive to get up, Megumi's using what energy she can still bring up to try and undo the worst of the knocking-about that Sakura took.
COMBATSYS: Megumi has ended the fight here.
It'll be a moment, but Sakura finally does snap back to consciousness. Drowsily, she nods in reply to Megumi. She takes a deep breath, letting the pink energy wash over her for a moment, before finally pushing back to her feet and walking off with Megumi. "Probably right, yeah." She looks down at her feet as she's helped out of the ring, only a token smile flickering across her face. Once more, she's been humbled by her friend... but at least they're walking off together, -as- friends.
Log created by Megumi, and last modified on 08:51:59 07/31/2005.