Description: Or: Karin Sucks, Part 2. Running into each other at Seijyun, Shinobu and Karin rumble (haha) on the school grounds. Eventually, Shinobu proves she is superior, with emphasis on the word 'eventually'. On the upside, Karin doubled her lifetime dodge record in a single fight.
Settled in one of the trees is Shinobu, swinging her legs. The leaves have begun to fall, and a couple more drift down with her fidgeting as she sings something quietly. About the best thing that can be said about it is that she does show some talent - she sings in several keys... in one verse. In her lap is a small bag, and she stops, fishing around in it. Mearnwhile, a number of students go about their evenings, giving Shinobu the occasional puzzled look. It's not that she doesn't have friends; but more that, right now, they've got better places to be.
And then, the wind picks up, and Shinobu suddenly pinwheels as the bag flies out of her lap. As it tumbles towards the ground, she hooks her legs around the branch, swinging down to catch the bag. Hanging upside-down, she lets out a breath of relief, but then looks puzzled as to where to go from there...
And lo, the mighty huntress stalked the elusive Tree-Swinging Shinobu, with nothing but a pith helmet and an elephant rifle to protect her. Alright, not really. Instead of playing Marlon Perkins, Karin Kanzuki has instead been meeting with the administration of Seijyun High, who were most interested in why the blonde rich girl wasn't in class at the start of fall term. With all of her diplomatic skill, Karin informed them she was helping save the world with the news footage to back it up, and while she's at it, just you remember who is a major contributor to Seijyun every year come tax-deductible donation time.
Flush with victory (of a sort) she is making her way out of the building and toward the courtyard, giving little 'I know you, and it's important I recognize you because your father owns a steel plant, but I'd like to eat your liver raw' waves to other rich girls as she wanders past. And just as she's turning back to watch where she's going from just such a wave, she stops just short of walking into Shinobu's, uh, face. Upside down though it may be. "...hello."
Shinobu stares back silently, holding her bag her in hands. Then, she lets go, landing on her head with all the grace and balance of fine slapstick. She stands up, rubbing her head, and she then leans back and forth, as if examining Karin thoughtfully. She taps her lip, leaning back, and then slams her fist into a hand. "Ohhhh. You're that delinquent!", she says suddenly, as if finally figuring it out. Whatever 'it' may be! "Hello!"
There are two very distinct and, indeed, somewhat polar expressions that are vying for dominance of Karin's face at that moment: incredulous, arrogant amusement at Shinobu's failed George of the Jungle act, and something that can only be akin to Murderous Hadou on a Bad Hair Day at being called a 'delinquent'. Thankfully, the two sort of cancel each other out into a kind of low-grade, consumer class annoyance. The heiress raises an eyebrow at Shinobu, in the international symbol for demanding explanation. "You DID just hit your head," she says neutrally. "So I might forgive you for calling me a delinquent."
Shinobu looks innocently confused, and says, "But the teacher called your name every day, and you weren't there." She holds the brown paper bag close to her chest. "That means you were being deliquent.", she says matter-of-factly. For better or worse, she doesn't seem to take the "fact" too seriously, instead just plainly explaining. "Man, I admire that...", she says with mild reverence.
Miss Kanzuki stares at Shinobu unblinkingly for a moment, and then has a sudden flash of recognition, placing a hand to her temple and closing her eyes briefly. "...now I remember. You're that girl -- whose name I never got -- I met a few months ago." And who did this very thing back then. "The headache is already starting," she mumbles to herself, before giving Shinobu an impassive look. "I had a legitimate excuse," she explains carefully. "And thus was merely absent, not delinquent. Which isn't something to be proud or wistful about, I hasten to add."
Looking crestfallen, Shinobu sighs. "Really? Is that all?", she says as she slumps a little, and then rubs a shoulder self-consciously. "And I was gonna offer to lend you a Gedo jacket I took so you'd look cooler while you were deliquent. Or absent." Shaking her head, she adds, "Oh well... it's a really cool jacket. It comes down to here." Ducking a little, she holds her hand down at knee length.
Interestingly enough, that catches Karin's eye, and she tilts her head ever so slightly at Shinobu. Karin herself just spent a few weeks fighting alongside none other than Daigo Kazama and his pet Stray Dog whatsisface. She's learned more than a little about the, er, proclivities of Gedo students. Never mind that a blind foreigner with a bad ear would know to steer clear of Gedo. "...how, exactly, did you get a jacket from those Gedo thugs?" she asks, with only trace amounts of suspicion, before suddenly waving her hands in front of her dismissively. "Wait, let me get another question out of the way: what is your NAME?"
"Eh? I'm Shinobu.", she says in a 'didn't you know?' tone of bewilderment. She then turns away, and then says, "Well, I grabbed ahold of a sleeve-", she says, making the motion. "And then I hit him in the stomach." She throws out a punch, as if blowing her invisible opponent right out of the sleeve. "And then I spun him around.", she continues, turning as she 'yanks', and then thrusts out with her shoulder. "And knocked him out of it." Her hands go to her sides, and she thrusts her arms out as if sliding into the jacket. "I thought they'd get stronger while I was gone, but most of them are still really weak.", she says irritatedly, looking down. "Geez."
Not a familiar name. Not really a familiar face, except for that one nightmare where there's ten of her, see, and they're all sitting at typewriters trying to reproduce.... anyhow. "Aha. Well, you already seem to know who I am, so we'll skip that part." Not that she said her name or anything, but in her book not knowing who Karin Kanzuki is might as well be criminal. "So you're a former Gedo student? And a fighter. Not that those two in combination surprise me overmuch," she adds, with a wry smile. "We seem to get a lot of that here, what with that Kazama girl." Well-connected little minx, isn't she? "But I know most of the fighters around here. Why haven't I heard of you?"
Shinobu folds her hands behind her head, the bag hanging from her interlocked fingers. "Kazama... girl? Daigo's a boy.", she 'corrects'... in her way. Furrowing her brow, she thinks on Karin's almost rhetorical question. "Um... you don't watch teevee?", she offers. Not that she pays much attention to other fighters, typically. "I even won kay-oh-eff, well, okay, I didn't, but I'm gonna next year." She beams, as if already holding the trophy. Or whatever it is she's imagining the winner gets.
TV? TV is for peasants, chica. "Ah, the King of Fighters..." Karin responds with a sort of detached air. "Regretfully I was training at the time," she explains, brushing a stray blonde curl over one shoulder. "I did catch a few of the matches, but I was specifically rooti..." A pause. "Watching an acquaintance who was fighting. She went to the finals, I believe..." Karin puts a finger to her cheek in thought. "Sakura Kasugano. You may know of her. She... is my rival." Thunderclap.
"Your rival?", Shinobu says, looking surprised. "I fought her a little while ago... she's pretty strong!", she exclaims. She drops her hands to her sides. "I'm not sure what's up with her and that old guy, though. It's kind of weird." She rubs her neck, closing her eyes. "I mean, he's a tough old geezer, but I dunno about hanging around him, you know?"
Old guy? Does Sakura have a sugar daddy? Besides Karin, anyway. The blonde puts up her finger to say something and immediately puts it back down again, rubbing her temples and forcing herself to think in Shinobu terms. Absent = delinquent. Lost in the first few rounds = winner. Old guy = above age 22. Ding! "If you mean the fighter in the white gi, Ryu," she says, the light dawning, "he's her master... and a very strong fighter, as is Sakura. I myself have recently begun training under him, although my time in America has kept us from sharing a lesson for some time."
"Geez, I challenged him, I know who he is... someday, he's going to call me rival!" Apparently, Shinobu's ambition knows no bounds. Scratch that, actually - she had to give up on the idea of laser eyes, but she still holds out a little hope. But blinks, finally realizing, "Ohhhh. You're a fighter?" She folds her arms. "Man, he sure is popular... I don't get it." After all, to Ryu, 'style' means how you fight - and that's about it.
Lo and behold, Shinobu's efforts have earned... A CHUCKLE. Yes, in any other human being she may be guffaw worthy, but to a restrained personality (such as it is) like Karin's even a chuckle is pretty generous. Be thankful! "Haha... you certainly do keep your eyes on the stars. It's a quality I appreciate in people." A pause. "As for Ryu... I'm not studying to emulate him like Sakura is," she explains, though she doesn't sound like she's trying to insult Sakura by phrasing it that way. "But he is a very strong fighter who knows things I do not... so by learning from him, I hope to become a better fighter." Another pause for a moment here, and then the blonde looks around for a moment before looking back at Shinobu. "I'd be interested to see how it is you fight... if you're up for a match, that is."
Tilting her head, Shinou says, "Oh, like I"m doing with Shingo-sensei!" She looks a little thoughtful - believe it or not. "He really took you as his student?", she says doubtfully. "... Huh." She holds up a fist. "If you want, but I'm pretty strong!" Then, the bag his held up. "And I have a secret weapon, too." Narrowing her eyes, she looks a bit more serious and intent, and then gently shakes the bag, and something rustles inside.
There's about a five second delay after the words 'Shingo-sensei' where Shinobu could in fact win the entire match by breathing hard in Karin's direction. It doesn't last long, however, as the blonde suddenly collapses into paroxysms of laughter. "Shingo-SENSEI!" she sort-of-howls, laughing so hard she tears up. "Oh, my. Oh, my my my..." And then she recovers, standing up straight and falling into a fighting stance, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know that must have sounded... Shingo-*sensei*... insulting. I didn't mean it to be." And then she's all business, though smiling. "Alright. I believe you might be strong, so let's see what you've got!" The secret weapon might even work on account of Karin laughing too hard to tell.
COMBATSYS: Karin has started a fight here.
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Karin 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Karin focuses on her next action.
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Karin 0/-------/-------|
Shinobu opens the bag, pulling out... a fortune cookie. Eating it and spitting out the fortune. She blinks, and closes her hand around it. "Right!", she says, holding up the bag. "Now I can predict your moves!" She tosses it aside, and smiles toothily and widely, as if genuinely convinced that's she's ready for everything now. As her arm swings wide, though, she opens her hand... and a blue bubble flows forth, forming in her hand. In one smooth motion, she flings it overhand towards Karin. Though it looks relatively harmless, it'll detonate in a wide wave when it hits!... wherever it lands.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu has joined the fight here.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Karin
COMBATSYS: Shinobu successfully hits Karin with Petite Pop.
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Shinobu 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Karin
Now that is a good trick, and while the fortune cookie might not, in fact, be to blame, it certainly might have had some sort of placebo effect or something. The truth of the matter is that the projectile being 1.) unpredictable and 2.) deceptive works very much in Shinobu's favor; Karin's attempt to dodge isn't up to snuff and the leeward side of the wave (I just like the word 'leeward') snags her on the side. However, it's not enough to keep the blonde down. "Now that's an interesting technique. It suits you!" And without any further preamble she makes an almost boxing-like ducking step forward, aiming a snap kick at Shinobu's gut in retribution as she stands! It's just sehr Soul Calibur.
COMBATSYS: Karin successfully hits Shinobu with Light Kick.
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Shinobu 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Shinobu gets nailed in the gut, and slides back, wincing. She smiles, and takes out another cookie. "Ah-ha!", she says as she breaks it open, consuming it in a flash. The knowledge revealed gives her an edge! Or... more likely, it's her psuedo-Zen fighting mind at work, trying to extrapolate Karin's style from that one move. She's not /that/ good, mind - but she's a lot brainier deep down than this crazy stunt might make her seem!
COMBATSYS: Shinobu focuses on her next action.
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Shinobu 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Well... Karin's not a master analyst, but she's a fairly good judge of style. And Shinobu is just... beyond her completely. "Fortune cookies..." she mutters as she spins away from her own kick and back into stance. "Alright, that Justice High girl attacks with religious tracts, I suppose fortune cookies are allowable." Apparently training with Sakura and Shingo has made Karin soft. "But you're wide open!" Alright, she had to get one Shingo dig in. The blonde plants her left foot and tries for another kicking strike, scything her right and then her left foot upward in a double slightly hopping kick intended to bring Shinobu off her feet. "Mujin Kyaku!"
COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Karin's Mujin Kyaku.
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Shinobu 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Karin
Wincing as she raises her arms, guarding against the attack, Shinobu holds her ground. "Man, that dumb line? Don't ask like you know everything - it's annoying!" She lets Karin's foot get on it way back down before she tries to snag one of Karin's arms with her free hand, and yank her forward. It's a swift, harsh motion, as she moves back with the kinetic energy of the impact.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu successfully hits Karin with Spin Crasher.
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Shinobu 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Karin
Shinobu yanks the arm back, and then suddenly she's vaulting toward over it, bringing her legs up at Karin with an inverted spin kick aimed at her head. It's almost a drop kick, but she manages to spin down onto her feet safely.
...well, damn. That hurt, and the blow sends Karin stumbling forward quite a few steps, but the blonde manages to keep from falling down, spinning to a stop and then around to face Shinobu with a slightly puzzled (and vaguely annoyed expression). "Either you've got an interestingly selective case of multiple personality disorder..." she mururs, "or I'd almost say Shingo's particularly clueless brand of ego is starting to wear on you." Or maybe Karin's projecting. Either way, she starts grinning again soon enough. "You're an interesting fighter, but I'm not done yet!" And then she's leaping forward, lashing out with a pair of quick palm strikes. She seems about to make a third, but then suddenly shifts her momentum, dashing off to the side and sliding across the ground, aiming a gliding kick at Shinbou's ankles.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu fails to interrupt Guren Ken from Karin with Quick Throw.
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Shinobu 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Karin
Wham, wham... Shinobu's hit, and she's ready to grab that third one... before getting knocked off her feet enirely as the kick comes out rather than another punch. She tumbles to the ground, losing her bag... but grabs one of the spilled cookies on her way back to her feet. She quickly consuming it, chewing with vigor as she tries to get ready for the next assault!
Emboldened by her reclamation of momentum, Karin springs to her feet a short distance away from Shinobu, getting ready to aim another attack at her fellow Seijyun student... and finding her eating a cookie with reckless abandon. And while Karin's no doctor, she does know that any shock to the system while chewing can typically result in nasty things like choking, which tends to lead to things like DYING, and the blonde is no CPR expert. Thus, instead of attacking she hangs back and tries to get a feel for what Shinobu's going to do next... which might be futile, all things considered. How's she gonna get the message out if she just popped the cookie without thinking about it?
COMBATSYS: Karin focuses on her next action.
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Shinobu 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Karin
Thankfully, Shinobu's no Kensou - she swallows properly. She narrows her eyes. "Now the good fortune is inside me!" Covering up or another crazy scheme? Hard to say. She forms another bubble... but then takes it both hands, and it expands a couple of notches to the size of a melon. Another toothy grin, and she hops back, winging it underhand towards Karin. Though she isn't going to say so, it seems Karin has a lot of the same strengths - and weaknesses - that Kensou does. So, hopefully, the same tactics will work! Serve!
Cue, of course, an appropriately larger detonation!
COMBATSYS: Karin slows Petite Pop from Shinobu with Thrown Object.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Karin
It's that freakin' bubble again. Narrowing her eyes, Karin tries to think quick -- one of her specialties as a fighter, mind -- and thinks back to previous fights. All's fair in love and war, right? Kneeling slightly, the blonde seems to grab the ground at random... and judging from the look on her face she's as surprised as anyone to find that she latches onto a crab apple. Wasting no time to aim, the blonde simply locks on as best she can to the incoming sphere and chucks the apple. Unfortunately... Shinobu's chi > apple, and the best it does is knock the projectile off-balance, making the resulting wave burst a little less damaging to poor Karin when it comes close. Grinning, the blonde falls back into stance and eyes Shinobu. "If you're afraid to come in close, we can call it a day now, if you'd like." Taunting! Maybe she's studied Saikyo?
Leaning back, Shinobu wrinkles her nose. "Aaaaa... I'm not gonna fall for that!" She then raises her arms, and punches to the left with a loud, before pumping her arm to the right with another boisterous kiai! She then straightens, and raises an open as she puts one arm behind her back. She then gestures with her fingers, in a 'c'mere' gesture.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu gathers her will.
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Shinobu 1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0 Karin
With a 'hmph', Karin shrugs, rolling her neck a little bit. "You're trying to get me to walk into danger," she observes calmly. "Or you're bluffing. Either or, the only way to know is to cut right through it..." the blonde snaps, rushing forward to make a grab for Shinobu's shirt, then take a step forward and simply fall on top of her in an elbow-first takedown. "Whatever you've got, I'm not going to lose!"
COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Karin's Yashiro Kuzushi.
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Shinobu 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Karin
Though she's pulled forward, Shinobu's hands come forward, shoving Karin's firm grip away hard. Making a fist with her left hand, she says, "/You're/ wide open!", and then suddenly throws out a blurred series of left-handed punches! Though indiscriminate, she makes up for it by throwing out a plethora of strikes too fast to see... individually, anyway. "Yayayayayayaya...!", she cries out repeatedly, apparently hoping the short range will make up for the lack of finesse.
COMBATSYS: Karin counters Rumble Punch from Shinobu with Mujin Kyaku.
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Shinobu 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Karin
Karin's eyes widen at that technique. She's a native of Japan so she's seen that multi-layered, superfast flurry of attacks sort of technique before from people like Edmund Honda and Chun-li. The only problem with that is that she's never had to, uh, DEFEND against one before. So what does she do? In the split second before the first punch comes in, she simply lashes out at lightning speed, kicking it right out of the way and diverting the rest of the attack's flow before swiinging upward with her left foot, aiming to drive Shinobu a few steps back to give herself some breathing room. And at the end, Karin looks as surprised as anyone. "Haha... now that's tricky. This fight has been an excellent workout!" Whoa, she's being complimentary. Is it the power of Shinobu's chi?
Shinobu grits her teeth as she's knocked back, but then narrows her eyes. No more banter. Another bubble, but her hand tightens, and it pops. Getting her fun flurry somehow interrupted is getting... irritating. But she's got the ail for what cures ya. Dripping from her hand is her aquamarine, fluid chi, and she then suddenly moves forward in a rapid blur, coming down on Karin like a crashing wave. The fist goes out lightning-quick towards the Kanzuki heiress, as Shinobu throws all of her chi power into one single blow... hoping to turn the tide back into her favor with the sacrifice.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu successfully hits Karin with Final Finish.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Karin
As the attack connects, there's a ripple through the air like drops on a pond... and then her fist detonates in a conflagration of azure chi, throwing her back and away from Karin... but dealing the real punishment at the point of impact.
There's something to be said for walking right into an attack. If you actually think it'll do you any good -- and you expect to survive it -- it can be a real boon. And so Karin, using what little she's mastered so far from her own training -- attempts to focus herself and plow right on through the eye of the hurricane. That said... Karin's not using chi consciously yet, and there's also the fact that Shinobu's attack simply has weight and speed... neither of which Karin fully accounted for. The punch lands solidly, knocking the blonde right off her feet and into a tree. Ow. Still... subconsciously, it may have been Karin's attempt to summon up her own inner force that kept such a devastating blow from putting her on the ground. Grinning, she gets back up and faces Shinobu with a nod of appreciation. "You've been a most enlightening opponent," she admits. "I've enjoyed this fight quite a lot. But now..." And then she's rushing forward and throwing out an absolutely vicious palm strike at Shinobu's gut... no mere prelude like the Guren Ken, this is a blow intended to finish the opponent off in a hurry. "It's time to say goodnight!"
COMBATSYS: Shinobu dodges Karin's Hou Shou.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Karin
Shinobu blinks, and then jumps back, flipping over backwards before landing in a squatting position. She narrows her eyes, and stands up. "I told you... don't act like you know what's going to happen! Toeing a fortune cookie, she kicks it up, catching it up in one hand. "That's what these are for.", she says in a more deadpan fashion, opening it up and then charges at Karin. As she does so, she suddenly leaps up and into a fast flying kick, complete with the stereotyped "WaaaaaataaaaA!" Somebody's spent too much time with martial arts films, it seems!
COMBATSYS: Karin dodges Shinobu's Light Kick.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Karin
Fortune cookies. Feh. Light kicks. Double feh! It's going to take more than wire fu to beat Karin, as evinced by her handy sidestepping of said kick. "Fighting skill doesn't come from a fortune cookie!" she snaps, turning and pursuing Shinobu before she can recover from that flying assault, aiming a pair of quick Guren Ken palm strikes at the improv fighter before making a short hop and intending to simply bring her right fist right down on Shinobu's shoulder, hopefully making the girl crumble. "It comes from hard work and discipline!" Someone's bitter. Wataa!
COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Karin's Guren Ken.
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Shinobu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Karin
Pushing the attack aside with her forearm - painfully - Shinobu says, "Dummy! Fighting skill comes from... fighting!" She flings her arm up in the air, and it may not be obvious... but another bubble goes up, and Shinobu hops back. Empowered by gravity, it then smashes down where Shinobu was with explosive force!... as she tries to build enough time to mount a proper counter-offense.
COMBATSYS: Karin slows Petite Pop from Shinobu with Thrown Object.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Karin
Ah, but Karin had another apple waiting for this one... unfortunately, her first mistake earlier was simply not having time to aim, and her mistake this time is not *bothering* to aim. Snatching another off the ground, the blonde wings it any which way at the incoming attack. Does it hit? Well... sort of. Again the incoming sphere is knocked aside, putting Karin at the periphery of the attack rather than right at the epicenter. She does grit her teeth, though... being worn down sucks, and she's definitely being worn down. "Fighting skill comes from fighting, eh? So why is it all you're doing is running away?"
"Running away?" Shinobu furrows her brow. "I've never run away from a fight..." She hops forward, and says, "... and here I co-waaaa!" She leans too far forward, her forehead looming up towards Karin's as she loses balance - or does she? Whatever the core reason, the effect... could be a painful one.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu successfully hits Karin with Quick Punch.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Karin
Headbutt! OW. The blow probably sends Shinobu reeling, but *definitely* sends Karin reeling. Stumbling back and then dabbing at her slightly bloody noise with one armguard-covered hand, the blonde looks at Shinobu and frowns. "Alright... that his gone on long enough. You were kind enough to show me one of your more powerful techniques... allow me to show you one of mine!" And then she's leaping right at Shinobu, her right arm making continuous scything circles intending to put the improv fighter on the proverbial mat... one way or the other. She appears to be slightly miffed, and it shows. "Kanzuki-ryuu KOU'OU KEN!"
COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Karin's Kanzuki-ryu Kou'ou Ken.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Karin
As the assault comes forth, Shinobu retaliates with a series of blocks, her hand catching Karin's each time. There's an obvious force with each strike, and Shinobu's hands are bruised and battered by the attack. She makes a soft whine, shaking out her pained hands. And then, she suddenly forms a bubble... and then spreads her hands whide, trying to catch Karin in an enormous, oversized version of her smaller spheres. It's a risky move, requiring a lot of her concentration... but if this works, then it just might finish things.
COMBATSYS: Karin dodges Shinobu's Rumble Pop.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Karin
Big bubble probably does a hell of a lot of damage. On the other hand, it's also highly noticeable; thus Karin has plenty of time to get out of the way, narrowly evading the throw technique. Sweating, bruised, and still bleeding a tiny bit from the inadvertent headbutt, the blonde doesn't say anything -- an unusual thing for the normally talkative fighter -- and instead simply struggles her way to Shinobu, making to just flat-out deck her one right in the jaw.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu fails to interrupt Quick Punch from Karin with Petite Pop.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Karin
COMBATSYS: Shinobu has reached second wind!
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Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Karin
Shrinking the sphere back down, Shinobu gets ready to fling it at point-blank... but then she just gets punched. The ball flies away, detonating off to the side, and she falls down. The fight is over.
Or, at least, that's how things work in a sensible universe. Here and now, through, Shinobu pushes herself up, struggling back to her feet in defiance of her injuries. Heck, maybe she's just to single-minded to know when she's licked. Whatever the case, she grins a little, raises her hand, and does another 'c'mere' gesture, trying to hide her pain.
...no freakin' way. Karin looks surprised that Shinobu is up -- of course, she's slightly surprised that she herself is still standing at this point -- but she's seen Sakura bust out miraculous recoveries from seemingly the brink of death, so the blonde fighter isn't surprised that Shinobu's back on her feet. Of course, wordlessly, she attempts to put the other fighter *right back down again*, changing up her tactics and snapping a kick at the improv mistress' shoulders.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu dodges Karin's Light Kick.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Karin
Shinobu weaves back a bit, out of the way, and then tries to grab the leg before it can fully retract. It's not much of a chance, but then, that never stops her. Shinobu's going to keep at it until she can't make a fist anymore...
COMBATSYS: Karin fails to counter Quick Throw from Shinobu with Yasha Gaeshi.
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Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Twisting her hands around, Shinobu tries to spin Karin's leg and throw her off balance... and possibly to the ground, doing the motion with a surprising amount of force.
It works. Why? Karin's freaking EXHAUSTED. Nothing she's tried the entire fight (give or take a success) has worked in any way whatsoever. She's just spent. And so her attempt at a counter -- hard to do with Shinobu attacking mid-way through the kick anyway -- fails utterly; the blonde falls back onto the ground a few feet away and it takes... a long, long time for her to get up into a shaky fighting stance.
But as Karin's up, Shinobu's already advancing on her... and then she suddenly flings out a series of rapid punches, going for quantity over quality again. "This is it!", she exclaims. "Yayayayayayayaya!" Where she finds the energy... is undoubtedly a mystery. But this is it - the last of her reserves. Beyond this, saying she's running on fumes would be generous.
COMBATSYS: Karin dodges Shinobu's Rumble Punch.
[ \\ < > ]
Shinobu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Karin
The question perhaps on Shinobu's mind, lingering in Karin's mind, and most definitely on their players' minds is: how the HELL is she doing this? Battered, bruised, beaten, and in all other ways thoroughly whupped, Karin still somehow manages to get the heck out of the way of those rapid punches. You have to give Shinobu credit for her tenacity: her reserves are apparently limitless, even if Karin's aren't. So, without the energy to do anything fancy, the blonde merely gets around to Shinobu's side and hauls off with a blow right to small of her blow with a hard-hitting fist. "This has become ridiculous," she mutters mid-attack.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Karin's Strong Punch.
[ < > ]
Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Turning her side to the blow, Shinobu stumbles back... and falls on her butt. She struggles to remain conscious - somehow - and grabs a crab. Apple, that is. And then, swinging her weight forward in her sitting position, she flings the damn apple at Karin's head. Yes, it's come to this. Food fighting.
COMBATSYS: Karin overcomes Thrown Object from Shinobu with Thrown Object.
[ < > / ]
Shinobu 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Karin
This fight *started* so well. Techniques were exchanged. Compliments and insults were hurled. Attacks were dodged, blocked, countered... and now it truly has devolved into a food fight. Crab apple incoming! Karin, not knowing what to do and quite honestly getting a little dizzy from the blood loss, kicks her right leg up, slips off her shoe (which is, coincidentally bigger than a crab apple) and chucks it back, knocking Shinobu's fruit right out of the air and continuing on. It's like a kick, only without legs.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu overcomes Thrown Object from Karin with Thrown Object.
[ < > / ]
Shinobu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Shinobu glares at the shoe coming at her. Go away, shoe! Nobody likes you! But the glare isn't enough to save her hide. Instead, she suddenly rises up with a shocking suddenness... and *punches* the shoe back at Karin with a loud kiai. Her wrist goes limp after the blow, though, and she blinks. "Ah... nice shoe.", she realizes. Shoe glue ain't gonna fix that!
COMBATSYS: Karin negates Thrown Object from Shinobu with Thrown Object.
[ < > / ]
Shinobu 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Karin
This is the song that doesn't end... the shoe is coming back to her. So what does Karin do? Other than hop on one foot, she simply snaps out a kick, catching her shoe on the end and then slipping back into it with a faint grin at Shinobu. "Why thank you," she notes with a nod. Still bruised! Still bloody! And yet neither of them is down.
Lunging forward, Shinobu says, "Don't worry about it!", cheerfully, though she teeters to the side somewhat as she comes up. But quickly, she rights herself, and then thrusts out a simple open-palm strike... well, almost more of a shove, at her current exhaustion level. But then, the first knockdown at this point... is all that's needed.
COMBATSYS: Shinobu successfully hits Karin with Quick Punch.
[ \ < > ]
Shinobu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Doesn't take much to knock Karin over (well, figuratively speaking) so even a quick palm strike is enough to finish this off. Of course, she's toughed it out this far, and perhaps knew this was coming, so while Shinobu is in nice and close to attack, Karin flexes her left hand and just drives it right for Shinobu's head in one of those double face punch things you see in anime all the time. Will it turn this fight into a DKO? Or will it prove beyond a doubt that a 5 year old could beat Karin with his eyes shut? We shall see.
COMBATSYS: Karin can no longer fight.
[ \ <
Shinobu 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Shinobu dodges Karin's Quick Punch.
[ \ <
Shinobu 0/-------/------=|
Flump. Hit or not, Karin's down and doesn't look to be getting up anytime soon.
Shinobu leans out of the way of the attack... and then just falls forward towards Karin... before just halting halfway. "Man... you were good.", she mumbles, teetering... and then falls back suddenly. Sprawling out, she stares at the sun. It's only a matter of time before she's taken before the school nurse. For now, through, the wind across her face, and the grass beneath her... will have to be enough to comfort her. She's victorious, sure. But to her, it was so close to a tie that calling it a win... well. That's up in the air.
Log created by Karin, and last modified on 08:48:08 09/16/2005.