Description: Dhalsim, Kula, Megumi, and Sakura showdown at the Dream Amusement Park! (Winner: Kula)
Tonight will likely be the most action that the poor amusement park has seen in a while. Families are loathe to expose their little ones to the chill air and frostbite that comes from turning triple loops at forty-eight miles an hour, plumetting down fifty-foot drops and rising up in tight corkscrew twists. Some people think the ice on the rails will cause the cars to fly off, as silly as that sounds. So, while the big rides are closed down for the season, the walkways are still scored with barkers and games, the food vendors are hawking whatever hot consumables that sell best during the bridge between late fall and early winter. Most of the trees decorating the park have lost their foliage, but the sky is still a clear blue, with only the occasional cloud passing lazily overhead.
Directly in the front center of the park, one attraction is being turned back on early. The carousel, large and ornate with bright brass bars stretching from floor to ceiling and a multitude of festive-looking animals stuck to the lower halves of them, has been worked on all day. Heaters have been brought in to keep the area warm, and the floors have been swept clean of any dew, just for safety's sake. Barricades are set up in a circle around the thing, ten feet out from the edges, leaving a wide berth for tonight's participants to fight in. Cameras are set up at set intervals, and people, most donned in coats, a few in shorts and sandals even, are already gathered.
One of the fighters seems rather grateful for the space heaters. A thin man of Indian descent, clad mostly in a thin orangish sheet wrapped around his body, is standing with his back toward one of them. It's a luxury that he shouldn't really afford himself, but being warm will keep one limber, keep from having to warm up one's muscles from the start. His bald head is left exposed to the winds, and he looks like he's been there for some time, unmoving and patient. He is, eventually, called by name via the announcer, and the cameras turn to show Dhalsim, who, unsurprisingly, doesn't greet or answer the announcement, nor does he really have time to, as the other fighters are called down the list.
Megumi is one of those participants, and she shows up right on time. Usually, Megumi spends more time mingling with the crowd, trying to get them hyped up for this. But as she's called out as one of this match's participants, Megumi jumps over the barricade, and walks up to the carousel. She looks rather...focused right now. Not at all casual.
And, next on that list is Sakura Kasugano. Striding towards the carousel from the direction of the midway, her attire today is a bit different than usual. For one, she's got a dark blue beret, with some random military-like insignia upon it. For another, her dark blue uniform seems a bit more regimental than her typical school uniforms, with gold trim lining the edges. Her pleated skirt and dark blue handguards and shoes are par for the course though -- as is the long white headband, which just looks =odd= in comparison with the beret. Well, whatever, right? It doesn't seem like the cold's bothering her much. ... From a distance, anyway: it's hard to see her teeth chattering until the camera zooms in close. Slipping underneath the barricade, she flashes a tight grin and a small, hurried wave back at her opponents for this evening. Maybe her =movements= will show that she's cold, eh?
Another Saturday, another fight. It's become a regular schedule for a lot of fighters, to the point where they just don't give it a second thought. It's as regular as getting up, eating three square meals, and (for some), going to school. Of course, both SNFs and school are both still new to Kula Diamond; but the comparison still works, even in that instance. In fact, the girl is becoming more used to fighting on Saturdays than she is school. She doesn't have to get up as early, she doesn't have homework, and there's no detention or cafeteria food to deal with. Sure, she regularly comes out of the fight in somewhat less-than-peak health, but she heals quickly (and assumes everybody else does the same).
Kula, not surprisingly, doesn't really seem to mind the cold. Sure, she's dressed in her usual leathers, but she already's tapped into her chi a bit, her hair blue with the occasional snowflake or ice bit flaking off. She's sitting on a barricade, mouth full of both fried dough and cotton candy, thankful that the food vendors were still open. And then her name's called, and she looks up, cheeks puffed out with food and powdered sugar on her mouth. It's not her best picture on camera, but she quickly puts down her food so it'll be safe, wipes her mouth off on her sleeve, and then skates forward to the carsouel, waving to the others she can see.
In slow, fluid, unhurried motions, Dhalsim begins to unfurl the sheet from about his body, folding over and over across one arm until it resembles a manageable square of fabric. This is set aside near the crowd; hopefully, nobody will try to steal it for some sort of dirty souvenir, but if they did, well... It's not such a problem. It's poor karma for the thief, certainly, but it's not as if he was attached to one of his only posessions. His right hand lifts up and runs his rough palm over his bare scalp from brow to the foramen magnum, then drops limply to his side with a wobbling of his overly simply bracelet. Pale white eyes scan the rest of the participants, only one of which he's heard of before, and that's because Sakura seems to involve herself in just about everything, it seems...or perhaps she's just easier to pick out with her distinct personality.
The man's chest swells slightly with a deep breath through his nose while the corners of his lips pull down. Three kids, it seems, and himself. The thought of young ones taking up a lifestyle such as this is disheartening, and his lids droop nearly closed while he sighs his lungs dry. "I wish the best of luck to each of you," he says, lifting his hands up with the palms extended, one toward Sakura, the other toward Megumi, and with Kula in between. The frown disappears from his face, and the empaths involved should note a gradual lessening to a distinct /lack/ of emotion from his psyche.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim has started a fight here.
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Dhalsim 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kula has joined the fight here.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Dhalsim
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim focuses on his next action.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Dhalsim
COMBATSYS: Megumi has joined the fight here.
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Dhalsim 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megumi
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Kula 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megumi
"Thanks, but...I'm not looking for luck," Megumi responds to Dhalsim as he begins to...do something. She can tell something's up, anyway. Should be a sign to get the fight started. "I'm looking to get better and better." Then Megumi is rushing at Dhalsim and trying to grab him by an arm and shoulder. If she gets that, she'll try to spin and sling him sideways into one of the 'horses' on this arena.
Hugging herself from the chill, Sakura walks over with the other participants. Kula... clearly isn't bothered by the cold as much as she and Dhalsim seem to be -- perhaps they can notice Sakura's envious stares. "Y... well, good luck just the same, Megumi!" she emphasizes, glancing back to Kula, and then finally Dhalsim. "And to Kula and Mr. Dhalsim, too!" Drawing in a deep breath, she realizes this might be a good time to shake the chill off. As Megumi rushes in to strike, Sakura unfolds her arms, clenching her fists tightly and stepping into a more traditional fighting stance. There's a lot of variables here, and Sakura has to get a handle on them.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megumi
Ew, almost naked skinny bald guy. Nobody told Kula she'd be having to fight someone who fought almost naked. Ick, ick, ick. Thankfully, the center of the carousel keeps him out of sight for now. She glances to Sakura and Megumi, and quickly remembers how Sakura beat her in the medal tournament, and takes a deep breath, telling herself she'll do better this time. "Good luck, everyone." And then the fight begins.
Kula's first instinct tells her to charge at Sakura, but training kicks in. When an opponent shows a weakness, you exploit it. And Megumi has done just that, by turning her back onto the ice-wielding girl. Kula immediately skates after her, giving one glance back to make sure Sakura isn't appearing with a hadouken to strike her from behind. She goes at such a pace to let Megumi attempt to throw Dhalsim, and then she jumps and extends out a foot to catch the other girl in the back.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim blocks Megumi's Medium Throw.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Megumi
If Dhalsim had anything to say about Megumi's proclamation, he doesn't show any hint of it. His head turns slightly toward her as she moves in, his chest swelling slightly with a preparatory breath. He attempts to pull back a bit, saving his arm's mobility, but his shoulder is grabbed, The throw attempt is stopped with a steadfast effort; his body lurching back merely pulls at the grip on his shoulder nearly to the point of dislocation. It helps when he lifts that arm, however, the joints of his thin arms quite defined as he attempts to grab the girl by the back of her neck, just enough to hold her there, as he raises his other hand in a loose fist. Kula still has a fine opening if he connects, thusly smashing Megumi soundly over the head in a short series of concussive shots.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Megumi with Light Kick.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Megumi
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim successfully hits Megumi with Yoga Smash.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Megumi
Behind? Megumi's aware of it, and swings an arm behind her to try and knock the kick away. This fails as Kula's foot goes just above her guard, and she's sent staggering into Dhalsim's grasp, struck several times. By the time Megumi manages to regain composure and get out of Dhalsim's assault, she's taken several fairly nasty shots to the skull, staggering...and looking angry. With a yell, Megumi's right hand clenches into a fist, one wrapped in bright red energy as she launches herself head-first and fist-first at Dhalsim, body twirling through the air as she goes.
Aaaaand Kula would be correct in assuming that there might be a Hadouken coming at her back through all this. Really, is it any mystery, though? The three others are all perfectly clustered together, so it'd be =quite= possible for Sakura to try slamming an attack into all three at once... but Kula just happens to be nearest. Curling her hands by her side, Sakura gives a chattering-teeth grin back to the opponents momentarily ignoring her. Petals of blue energy sprout from her palms, whirling about into a bright blue orb, which Kasugano is more than happy to shove forward at the blue-haired girl -- though it's inflated in size to about, oh, the size of Kula herself by the time it gets to her. "H-HADOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Kula fails to reflect Large Hadouken from Sakura with Counter Shell.
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Sakura 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Megumi
Not paying attention? Kula? Not quite, Sakura. The girl fully knows she's coming up behind her, if just from the fact that she hasn't appeared on the other side of Dhalsim. The girl's kick lands, which makes her happy, and she immediately spins around and creates a small barrier of ice to catch the hadouken so she can fling it back at Sa- ku- ...ra.... that ball of flame is somewhat bigger than she remembers. Kula's engulfed by the fireball, and comes stumbling out of it with steam rising from her body. The girl stumbles down to one knee as she wipes tiny pieces of instinctive ice off of her face, and turns her neck to hear a satisfying 'pop' sound come from it. She stands up again, and faces Sakura, still smiling.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim blocks Megumi's Spiral Knuckle.
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Sakura 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Megumi
Dhalsim's fingers curl and uncurl a couple of times, as his hands are just really not used to colliding with something like someone's skull. The digits stop suddenly, extended; feeling something so small shows a distinct lack of focus, and the yogi silently chides himself for it. His thoughts are interrupted by a bright flash of blue and takes a single step aside as Kula eats the hadouken's full force. His eyes widen slightly, looking upon the child, but..she seems fine. Happy, even. As such, he supposes it's best not to worry. What deserves more immediate attention is Megumi's yell of effort, after all.
The swell of energy covering Megumi's fist is a curious thing. This city seems to breed people with such powers, doesn't it? His hands rise, one large palm stopping her hand as the other pushes against her head, both elbows bending fluidly to quell and halt her progress altogether. The tinge of energy is felt, distantly, but the Indian's expression doesn't change in the slightest. Instead, his hand turns at the wrist at quite the odd angle, seeming to turn sideways on his arm, for whomever is paying that much attention. The toes on his left foot spread slightly as he steadies himself, then brings his right knee up with such force as to cause his necklace to form a single swirl of skulls around his neck before settling properly against his sternum. His attack is aimed for Megumi's stomach; simply knock her out, that's apparently his plan, instead of causing serious harm.
COMBATSYS: Megumi counters Strong Kick from Dhalsim with Flood Reversal.
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Sakura 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Megumi
Megumi's assault is met with something rather mundane in comparison, a knee strike. She lands on one hand, uses that to flip upright, and is ready as Dhalsim's knee comes in. She swings one arm underneath Dhalsim's leg, wrapping around it to stop the attack while the other arm goes for his neck. Lifting the snared limb upward and pressing forward on the neck, she drives him to the ground, then begins to back away a few steps...
Sakura's grin grows as her Hadouken slams into Kula. It grows a bit wider as Kula seems to be relatively okay afterward. "Hee," notes Sakura, her gaze flickering over to Megumi and Dhalsim for a moment. Seems =they're= still having fun, right?
Okay, then. Sakura by this point has decided to charge in on Kula, closing to melee range! She starts off with a dashing one-two punch, before whipping around to deliver a harder Senpuu Kyaku spinkick to crash against the Anti-K''s guard. "Hyyyaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Sakura's Fierce Punch.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Megumi
Kula wasn't willing to be a fireball target any longer. ...well, she was, as long as Sakura had the decency to miss, that is. The girl's hair refreezes over, causing some in the audience to whisper to the younger viewers 'see what happens if you don't bundle up?' Nevermind the fact that Kula's breath apparently isn't raising any steam, unlike the others. THe girl brings her arms up again, and her feet slide back taking her with them as the blows land against ice-protected arms. Once the big kick hits, Kula's immediately moving, clenching her fist and swinging it at Sakura's...shoulder? Yup. She's trying to just *paf* the girl on the shoulder as she moves around, as if it's the big setup to some fancy attack. Hopefully, Sakura won't notice the temperature dropping of the moisture from the air condensing around her as ice spreads from Kula's hand. If it hits, Sakura's really going to regret not dressing warmer.
Dhalsim's leg is easy to catch, and feel horribly limber in Megumi's grasp. Indeed, his entire body is horribly light, and it shoudl be no effort at all to lift and slam him bodily to the ground, causing a short clattering from the plastic figures set around. The shaking ride must have jarred some imagination into one of the workers here, because as Dhalsim hits the ground, the right is jarred into motion; lights fire up and corny music starts to play, loudly, as the large wheel turns ever so slowly. The horses, cranes, et cetera begin to bob up and down, and just might make it harder to keep a steady line on distanced fighters.
As for the yogi, his feet rise with his legs, arms staying flat on the ground. His legs bend forward in a way as to make some of the crowd queasy, as if his knees were double-jointed. His body becomes a circle as his feet plant flat on the ground by his head, then the rest of him follows suit, sort of peeling himself off and snapping into a standing position. His feet are still slightly apart, but as his skeleton realigns itself properly, his hands clap together, fingers together and pointing upward. Mystical energies begin to swell within him, invisible to the naked eye, but very real to those attuned to it.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim gathers his will.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Megumi
Megumi has little interest in a long range fight however. With Dhalsim backing away from her, she waits a few moments, expecting an attack at first...but when one doesn't come, Megumi gets moving. It's a little odd to run against the movement of the carousel, and she has to make little adjustmens so as not to wreck into parts of the ride, but she's making her way towards Dhalsim and leaping at him, legs-first. The idea is to try and wrap her thighs around his head, then flip backwards to take him down onto the metal of the carousel 'arena.'
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Kula's Ice Coffin.
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Megumi
Brr! Sakura really =should= have put pants or something on with this chill snapping over her. She definitely notices, in other words, though it's unlikely anyone but Kula can see the goosebumps on her arms as she throws them up to fend off the attack at her shoulder. Stepping back to mitigate the blow, Kasugano flashes her chattering teeth back at Kula. "A-at l-least there's a h-heater here!" she cries, as a giant block of ice crystallizes right =around= her arms, effectively trapping them for the moment. "... C-c-crap!" she curses, screwing her eyes shut for the moment.
... And then inspiration hits! Sakura notices the block of ice runs all the way to the ground, and in a burst of determination, she runs forward with the ice block still attached to her arms, clearly aiming to use it as a cowcatcher to run right into Kula. "SEI-YAAAAAAAAH!"
[OOC] Kula says, "...it must be my lack of country living, what the deuce is a cowcatcher?"
[OOC] Sakura says, "It's that... thing that ges on the front of a train."
[OOC] Sakura says, "Catches cows, before they get run under the wheels and leading to a horrible derailment killing everyone aboard."
[OOC] Kula says, "Oh, that thing!"
[OOC] Sakura says, "[___]_[___]_[___]_[_]-,\ <cow>"
[OOC] Kula says, "...you realize, of course, because of that line alone, I'm leaving this conversation in the log."
[OOC] Sakura says, "Cool."
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Kula with Random Weapon.
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Megumi
Kula never predicted that. She's never had anybody /catch/ her ice coffin before. The blue haired girl can only blink as the huge crystal of ice forms, and it takes her a second to catch her breath. This flaw, of course, is what allows Sakura to plow the ice back in to Kula, knocking the girl back against the carousel. She reaches out and snags a bar as the carousel starts up, and then blinks when it starts to pull her along. Hey, an advantage! Kula lifts her feet up, and pushes back to climb onto the spinning amusement ride. She immediately crouches down and takes some deep breaths, hoping that in the time it takes Sakura to get free from the ice, and the other two staying busy, she'll be able to come up with a plan.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes a breather.
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Megumi
COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Dhalsim with Strong Throw.
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Megumi
Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down. As the ride's going, Dhalsim's limber body sways a bit, but generally seems to have an easy time staying upright. However, Megumi's attack is, to him, something quite unexpected. Still new to the more unique fighting methods, he can handle a straight punch, a grapple, that sort of thing. To simply leap up and constrict his head in such a shameful fashion, however? That's something new. The man is literally mortified as the girl's thighs clamp around him, and again, it's quite easy to pull him soundly off of his feet and onto the unforgiving floor of the ferris wheel. It's a good thing indeed that it's made of metal, as instead of smashing through it, the Indiana's head simply leaves a dent with a hollow, resounding gong that can be heard throughout the audience. What was that about Weebles, now?
Momentarily stunned by the hit, the man's body just..falls limp. His back falls, and his rear ends up landing on his feet, making for a painful-looking display with his bony knees bent a bit too far. His arms drop similarly, one to his side, the other laying across him. That..that hurt. It jarred his brain, and that's just what he relies on to separate his mind from such worldly things as pain. He seems to have gotten back on track, however, as his left arm reaches out, extending far beyond what it should as it stretches to grip high on one of the vertical brass bars. One of his legs follows suit, plopping on the backside of the horse attached to that bar, and the rest of his body is pulled as the limbs constrict to their original form. All the while, his chest swells deeply, ribs visibly shifting and separating as his lungs fill before, with a long, harsh push of air, Agni's flame sparks to life just before his lips. Apparently using his breath as fuel, a gout of mystical flame shoots downward toward not only Megumi, but the floor itself, heating it at the very least, and charring the immaculate paint job of some poor carousel figurines.
COMBATSYS: Megumi blocks Dhalsim's Yoga Stream EX.
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Megumi
Megumi hops back up after that takedown. "You move...strangely," she observes. But odd movements become the least of her problems as Dhalsim breathes flame; she's too late to get away from it unscathed, but she does bring her arms up to let them take the worst of it, just in time. And not long after, she makes a lunging back-step to clear out from the rest of the fire. "...And that's new, too." Time to try something else. With Kula being plowed into by Sakura's ice-charge, Megumi rushes over there to join in. She tries to get close to Kula and outright tackle her, hoping to use that as an opening to lie down nearby and apply an ankle-lock to Kula.
Well... that worked much better than expected! Except for Sakura's still being stuck in a block of ice and all. And with her being =freezing= and all. Her skin's starting to turn blue!
Actually, after a moment, it seems her whole -body's- starting to turn blue. Very bright blue -- as a torrent of wind erupts around her, kicking up her skirt and headband. It's... more of a lukewarm wind, thankfully -- her shaking now is focused to her ice-encased arms. Which she shakes a bit more vigorously, finally working around to split the rest of the ice and break herself free!
"GNNH!" Bashing the rest of the fragmented ice off her arms, Sakura hops onto the carousel, her aura slowly fading in her wake. "Hey, yeah... you =are= pretty flexible..." she comments to Dhalsim with a grin, closing to strike -- but not yet doing so! Hmm!
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Megumi
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Megumi's Strong Throw.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Megumi
Kula takes a few deep breaths on the carousel, and then blinks when Megumi charges forward. The girl scampers back, and then acks as her leg gets grabbed. Fortunately, her leg is slippery thanks to the ice. She has to bend it a funny way to get free, but finally she pulls herself up to stand next to a wooden horse with a large grin on its face. It's actually rather scary, this up-close to it. Kula grimaces, and then plants a hand on the horse's head, and her other hand on the posterior of the horse in front of it, pushing herself up so her arms are straight. Once Megumi gets back up, she swings her feet back, then forward, and kicks them out at her to try to knock her off the carousel. The block of ice that forms around her feet when she swings backward might help, as it's her only way of getting genuine /oomph/ behind the blow.
It's a good thing that Sakura didn't just charge right in, as Dhalsim needs the time to recover from exhaling so fully. The flame recedes before dying outright, and once again, his chest expands, only this time it's to keep his lungs from collapsing. Megumi's made of sturdier stock than he first gave her credit for; she weathered the gout of flame admirably. Now, it seems, she's either tired of facing the yogi, or, given her remark, possibly unsettled by how he moves. In any case, it's a small relief to be able to compose himself.
Like any good fighter should, the swell of chi behind him is enough to draw his attention. With Kula and Megumi busy with each other, it would be wise for him to be mindful of the fourth fighter. His left leg droops in front of the horse he's standing on, and from her Sakura's perspective, she can see his foot curling around the bottom of it, linking the ankle around the pipe coming from the horse's midsection. Immediately, he simply..falls backward, his body curling fluidly down as his arms extend, both hands slapping down on the ground in a sort of awkward handstand and facing the self-taught Ansatsuken girl, steadied by the leg stretched over the side of his mooring. The necklace of skulls has slipped behind his head so that the cord remains about his neck, and he's already breathing in deeply. If she was attentive, she should expect another tall line of fire, flaring out as it extends toward her.
COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Kula's Strong Kick.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Megumi
Megumi makes a quick, low backflip over a horse as Kula tries to do a very odd 'mule kick' to her. She's near the edge of the carousel, but hasn't gone off it. And when she sees Sakura gathering energy up, Megumi dashes off that way. She has a fist held up, red energy wrapped around it as she charges Sakura...and when close enough to hopefully strike, Megumi thrusts a straight punch out at Sakura. Should it connect, the energy will burst outward onto Sakura, doing far more harm than her actual hand would have.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Dhalsim's Yoga Flame.
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Sakura 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Megumi
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Crimson Blast from Megumi with Shou'ou Ken.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Sakura 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
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Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Megumi
Sakura stares back at Dhalsim as she finds her bearings on the moving carousel. What the heck? He's... stretching and sliding around. "W...what is this, some fitness video?" she quips, eyes wide as she watches the approach.
Sakura meets the flames by crouching down low, shielding herself with a forearm. It actually feels kinda nice, as it's a contrary effect to being partially encased in ice before. So it's just like Icy Hot! Literally!
Of course, the crouch also puts her in a prime position to uncoil right underneath Megumi with a really fast uppercut. Too bad it doesn't =work= though, as the energy blast beats her to the punch (no pun intended T_T), its numbing energy being a bit overwhelming to the schoolgirl and blasting her back into a horse. "Nngh..." she laments while falling forward, slapping some sensation back into her poor arms. "... it never gets any easier..." she admits with a grinning chuckle.
Kula is quite content to be left alone on the carousel. In fact, if it was any other time, she might even enjoy it. The girl never has been on a carousel before...too bad that her first experience on one involves flame damage and people getting beat up. She lands with a thump on the carousel, a bit disappointed her kick didn't work, but happy nobody's trying to punch her in the head right now. A few jumps makes the ice shatter, and Kula takes a few steps in the direction Megumi went...before realizing she's going /against/ the flow of the carousel. So, Kula instead reaches the edge and crouches down, getting ready for when the carousel brings her around to the three fighters, and closes her eyes. Small flurries of snow start to form around her hands, and the temperature around her dips a bit more as Kula waits for them to come into sight.
COMBATSYS: Kula focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Megumi
Ah, Dhalsim's flames must be getting slow, or, thinking correctly, simply not strong enough. He obviously needs more self-discipline, if the great Agni's gift is weathered as easily as it had been. That's something for another time, something to do during sleepless nights and idle days. From his unique perspective, the fighting looks a bit odd: two people on the ceiling, rushing about, trading blows. It's a bit hard to keep up with, honestly. It's time to remove himself from his anchor, as convenient as it is. It just makes him too vulnerable.
The foot looped around the pipe uncoils and the leg returns to its normal shape, now draped over the saddle of the plastic beast. It doesn't rest, however; it continues forward, bending into a perfect curve to set down in front of his face, leaving his body nearly folded in half. The other leg pulls away from the horse as well, only this one snaps out forcefully, stretching like rubber, though the foot itself is hard enough, and heading over a grounded carriage, straight for the back of Megumi's head.
COMBATSYS: Megumi fails to counter Medium Kick from Dhalsim with Flood Reversal.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Megumi
Megumi pauses for a moment as she launches Sakura away. "You're probably not talking about the same thing I am Sakura, but...you're right, you know. About it not getting easier." She takes the time to look around...Kula's apparently vanished; that's suspicious. Dhalsim's...what the? Stretchy foot to the head. Megumi recovers from her shock in time to try and catch the foot. She does not recover from her surprise to do so effectively, however. She's struck, head arcing back as she tumbles over, stunned...and starting to get back up, slowly, but clearly frustrated as she slaps a palm against the carousel surface.
Well, it seems like Sakura's been left alone long enough to catch her breath, and for that, she's very grateful! Nodding in reply to Megumi -- because really, how can one disagree? -- the schoolgirl darts into action again. While Dhalsim is being slow and deliberate, Sakura's taken off in a sprint towards Dhalsim's new roosting spot. And once she gets close, she takes flight, skirt fluttering as she rockets towards Dhalsim with an aerial punch, clearly intending to bash her knuckles into the mystic's skull. "YAAAA!"
The problem with Kula crouching at the edge, waiting for the carousel to bring her around to the others is rather simple. Turns out they're /on/ the carousel. The sounds of blows landing snap Kula out of her glare at the barrier and she realizes, embarassedly, that she's not really catching up with the other fighters at all, apparently. Her cheeks flare red as a very /simple/ bit of science managed to elude her there, and she smacks her palm against her face, mentally chastising herself. And then she's taking off, running /with/ the spin this time to catch up to the others, where she sees Sakura going for a wonderful jump-punch to Dhalsim. Well, then! Kula can follow this up by grabbing two poles and pulling herself forward to slide and gain a small speed boost, two sets of 'claws' (no sharp tips, of course, more like giant paws) appear on her hands. She aims her feet at where she expects Sakura's to land, and then brings her hands up to impact with what she hopes will be Sakura's falling body.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim dodges Sakura's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Megumi
No sooner does his foot land with a nearly-comical *pap* against Megumi's head that it starts retracting. In the time that it takes to return to normal, however, Sakura is on the move, and he can feel, more than see, some manifestation of chi occuring behind him. All in all, he gets the notion that he's not exactly in a good position, here. He briefly weighs his options: he could simply slide away, bend out of harm's reach, and risk being hit by Kula..he can take the hit, but how smart is that? With Sakura coming in, he doesn't have that much time to consider, either. So, he does the simple thing. He vanishes.
Seriously. His body turns a pale blue and blinks out of existance, leaving only the poor plastic horse to take the blow instead. Only a moment later, that same process he disappeared with occurs again, in reverse this time. He appears high overhead, very near the ceiling of the carousel. He drops faster than gravity should allow, though, and his body quickly contorts into a sort of spiral shape, with his feet jutting outward and toes pointing down..and he's falling toward Megumi, while Sakura and Kula enjoy themselves.
COMBATSYS: Megumi blocks Dhalsim's Drill.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Megumi
Megumi manages to get up as Dhalsim's twirling towards her. On a better day she might have evaded, but she's too stunned after that head-kick, and the best she can immediately manage is throwing her arms up to hopefully push Dhalsim away with. She mostly does, though it still hurts. Then she hurries off to take cover behind a horse, strange as that may be...breathing in, breathing out. Tense, but trying to gather herself back up.
COMBATSYS: Megumi focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Megumi
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Kula's Claw Bites.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kula 1/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Megumi
*KA-THUNNNNNNG* goes the plastic horse as Sakura's dashing punch slams into it. It's flexible plastic, and it's hollow, so it pops back out -- luckily, Sakura pulled her hand back before hurting herself =too= bad.
Sakura blinks, stunned. "What the heck?" Someone just =disappeared= in front of her! But before the reality of Dhalsim's teleportation can set in, she's falling right into Kula's lashed-out claws! Well... fortunately she's still got =some= wits about her, and curls her beleaguered arms and legs about her in defense. She's still launched upwards as a result, but it's under her own terms now!
And Sakura's terms just happen to involve a near miss with a carousel pole. Snagging it with her right hand, Sakura whirls around it, sending a kick whirling right back at Kula. Never mind the dark blue blur of fanservice picked up by the cameras. "Round and round she gooooes!" cries the schoolgirl, obviously having some fun with this venue!
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Sakura's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kula 1/------=/=======|=======\=====--\1 Megumi
When the blow doesn't land as Kula planned, she's quick to roll over and push herself back up to a standing position. This, of course, means Sakura's foot is coming towards her backside, which Kula takes with a simple act of bracing herself and pressing a hand against a horse. A small grunt comes from her, and then she's twisting around, reaching out to grab Sakura by the shoulders and pull her forward. Fortunately, Kula's leaning back to the point she falls over backward, and does her best to pull Sakura and flip her both overhead and off of the carousel so she can have some breathing room.
Mmn. Dhalsim had expected more. He tends to rely on keeping people guessing as to what he's going to do, what with all of his odd movements, but.. Megumi was ready. That, in a way, is worth some relief. He would feel horrible beating up young people that couldn't defend themselves. Now's not the time to allow himself comfort, however. Whatever small twitches his lips had started toward a smile fade again, and he resumes his previous focus. Calm, steady, with constant pressure.. That's the only concept he centers his mind on. Still, he's glad that he's being allowed so much time; a four-person brawl could get messy very quickly.
Dhalsim soon lands, his feet touching the metal flat, as to keep his balance. Even moving slowly, it's easy to topple over if one's not careful. In fact, so mindful of balance is he that he drops to one knee, his left hand pressing against the cool metal, accompanied with the jingle of his bracelet falling to tap the floor as well. His right hand, however, pulls back and thrusts out again, stretching once more, aiming below the level of the horse in an attempt to pound Megumi's exposed legs, where the horse is separated from the ground.
COMBATSYS: Megumi counters Fierce Punch from Dhalsim with Crimson Blast.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 1/------=/=======|=======\======-\1 Megumi
Megumi is apparently pretty quick to adapt to Dhalsim's stretchy limbs. When he kicks at her leg, she crouches down to snatch his wrist, and slides underneath the horse, still holding Dhalsim's arm. Then she brings up a fist, energy-wrapped, and smashes it into the long appendage. The energy explodes out much as it did against Sakura, and Megumi is left to breathe slowly after that, starting to feel rather drained if her demeanor is any indication.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Sakura with Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\======-\1 Megumi
Overhead and off the carousel? ... Well, yeah, that ought to be pretty easy for Kula to do, considering Sakura's basically committed to kicking her, and thus can't really =stop= herself. Whoops. "Gyaa!" shouts Sakura as her arms windmill to either side in a futile attempt to regain control before flying off the carousel.
She lands in a roll, though rolling against the pavement smarts a bit. At least she's not =cold=, though!
Still. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! Taking off, Sakura races the opposite direction of the carousel's travel. She's not =on= the carousel any more, but it'll take a while for her to catch up to the others... and that'll give her plenty of time to figure out what she =needs= to do!
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\======-\1 Megumi
Finally. Breathing room. Kula pushes up again and hops up to land on one of the horses, moving across the tops of them as she steps away from bright flashes of light and stretchy limbs. Squatting down, she takes a few more deep breaths, and cups one of her hands. Ice forms in it, a small layer, and Kula tosses it into her mouth, something to refresh her as she keeps the fight up. It's not much, just a bit of water, but that and being out of the line of fire for a moment makes things better.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes a breather.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 1/-----==/=======|=======\======-\1 Megumi
Ah, now THAT smarts. When Dhalsim's hand is caught, the length of his arm tries to constrict, to pull his hand back, but Megumi's got a firm grip. Keeping his arm stretched like that actually does hurt, more so when the rush of power accompanying the catch assaults his body, and to a greater extent, his mind and focus. It takes a great effort to not cry out, but his jaw does slack enough to drop open and his brows furrow with closing eyes. Finally, with a firm yank and a popping of his elbow, he wrests his hand free, letting it snap back and hang loosely at his side, gingerly rubbing the elbow with his free hand.
Well. If he could not get to her his 'normal' way, he'll have to improvise. Of course, looking back, he'll chide himself for getting caught up in the fight and even enjoying it..but that's later. This is now. Again, he breathes in deeply, chest swelling with air which is soon expelled with puffed cheeks and resurgence of fire. The stream shoots downward and hits the floor, then spreads out like a fan as the flames reach nearly knee-height, licking at everything they can, leaving black charmarks everywhere.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim successfully hits Megumi with Yoga Stream EX.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Dhalsim
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Kula 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Megumi
Megumi sees Kula now, and flicks her wrist off to the side, a thin red line of energy forming on it. It races up her arm, shoulder... ...fire. Lots of fire. Megumi notices it just too late, her legs only barely starting to jump as she's engulfed in flame, crying out as she's briefly immolated. The fires fade away quickly, but Megumi's stance is noticably wobbly at that point. The energy's still moving though, going down her leg and ending on a foot.
Sakura. Sakura is some distance away, and strangely enough, Megumi snaps a kick in her direction. The energy-line flies out, widening into a cone...as Megumi yells out as loud as she can, vaulting into the cone and driving it towards Sakura. Hit or miss, she...really shouldn't have done that; that much energy being released after Dhalsim's immolation is going to make her world turn completely dark and detailless; unconscious.
COMBATSYS: Megumi can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Dhalsim 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Sakura with Exceed Charge.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Dhalsim 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 1/-----==/=======|
In our last episode, Sakura was seen running in the reverse direction of the carousel! Now, in our shocking conclusion, Sakura gives a little hop in anticipation, before broad jumping up, up and =into= the carousel, with every intention of crashing a kick right into Kula.
Well, that didn't work very well at all, she just runs smack into a bigass cone of energy. Um. Yeah.
Well, she's heading towards Kula still, right? Yeah. Even though she's partially unconscious.
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Dhalsim
COMBATSYS: Kula endures Sakura's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 1/--=====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Dhalsim
Kula heard the scream of Megumi, and couldn't help but cringe. Seems Dhalsim has some pretty potent flames to him as well. Does /everybody/ Kula encounter have flames but her? Well, Benimaru has lightning, that's kinda like fire. But Kula's the only one she knows who uses ice. Well, looks like fire and ice are going to battle it out agai- oh, right, Sakura.
Twisting around, Kula fully takes the hit from Sakura, and then uses it to propel her up, grabbing hold of a bar here and a bar there to swing herself around towards Dhalsim. Once at him, Kula reaches out to try something she's never done before. Normally, this move entails her encasing herself in ice to stop something from coming at her. This time, she's trying it on Dhalsim. That's right, a perfect, hard ice shell over him to keep him from a) stretching, or b) shooting flames at her. It comes quickly, the temperature around Dhalsim plummeting suddenly, and Kula shows a slight bit of regret she's doing this to someone who isn't dressed right for it.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Dhalsim with Diamond Shell.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Kula 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Dhalsim
Indeed, it's cold. No, cold is an understatement. Having one's entire being trapped in ice is a startling sensation, and Dhalsim is stuck in a sor tof surprised state. His eyes are wide and subjected to the chill; more than likely, he'll be having trouble seeing for days, if indeed he even really sees at all without pupils. His back is still slightly arched from having just subjected Megumi to the flames, and..well, he's really a sight to see. He remains still, just like that, long enough that the judges are considering calling an end to the match.
But no, not yet. First, it's a sharp, loud cracking sound, and a long zig-zag line along the shell's surface. More follow, and the outer edges are visibly melting, possibly via the heaters. But then, inside the ice, the yogi moves. It's not much, just a shifting of fingers, enough to show that he's still alive. But, the cracks multiply, until with a multitude of shatters and snaps, the entire thing deteriorates, falling in large, jagged clumps all around Dhalsim's feet. He's visibly shaking, but just at the extremities, with goosebumps marking great lengths of his skin. He's already drawing in a sharp, long breath, too. If Kula was watching, she'd know what was coming. Again, he bends over, cheeks puffing to mark a long cone of fire to combat her ice, melting the face of an unfortunate carousel pony in the process. This time, the flame doesn't recede and return to him; instead, it dies out at his mouth first, then shrinks to nothing. As for the man himself, his emaciated body falls in a heap right where he stood, draped over rapidly-melting ice and quite clearly out for the time being.
COMBATSYS: Dhalsim can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Dhalsim's Yoga Flame.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 0/-------/---====|
Kula didn't intend on killing Dhalsim. If he didn't break free of the ice on his own, she was going to shatter it and pull him over to a heater to make sure he was okay. The cracks don't surprise her, but the fact he breathes in suddenly is enough of a warning for Kula to grab the pole tighter that she's hanging from, and pull herself up and kick off with her feet. She goes up into the air, bounces off a raised horse, and lands on her butt, but she's got several rising and falling horses to keep her safe. And so, it's a limping Kula that makes her way out of the carousel, waving to the audience and then making sure that the rest of the people are off as well and comfy for when the medics make their way in.
Log created by Kula, and last modified on 19:50:21 12/10/2005.