Description: Poolside fun takes a backseat to poolside battle as Taiyo's own Mimiru and Hinata fight to determine who will sink and who will swim in the Neo League Tourney! (Winner: Hinata)
Inside the Taiyo Dome in the dead of winter, a crowd gathers. The powerful overhead lights snap on in quick succession, flooding the arena like the noon sun. Students from Taiyo, and other schools as well, gather in the stands just as if it were a sporting event, but today is something rather special. In addition to the throngs of students, camera crews set up all around the stands, vying for the perfect multi-angle coverage of what it about to happen. A Neo League 2005 battle, featuring two of Taiyo High's own students!
Hinata walks slowly onto the indoor grassy field, thumbs tucked into the shoulder straps of her backpack and casting glances around to the crowd and the sidelines, and to the cameras as well. "Do... do they really have to film this?" she asks, loosening a hand to scratch at her cheek with a slight blush. The blush turns a shade paler when she sees her own face, twenty feet high on the Jumbotron screen on the far side of the stadium, then nervously smiling and raising two fingers in a V-sign. Much to her surprise, this ellicits an actual *cheer* from the crowd.
"The Neo League," she says to herself. "This is the big time." Still, she can't fight the butterflies in her stomach.
Mimiru has arrived.
This happens to be the perfect spot ever for an actual match! With all of the crowd around to cheer them up, it reproduces the feeling Mimiru has in her big basketball games. This is exactly the same, except that it's not going to be a team against another, but she'll be on her own against another fighter. What's the difference anyway? One way or the other she'll give it her best! And the crowd around will merely push her to her limits through their cheers and their various exclamations. There are no favorite fighter here, only two girls who both have the crowd's support. They're here for a show after all, and Mimiru and Hinata will obviously give them something great.
Bouncing up into the field back and forth, Mimiru's lips curl into a wide grin as she notices who her opponent is going to be -- "Hinata!" Mimiru shouts, "Heh, girl! Didn't expect you to be by opponent here!" Mimiru says as she rushes over to the other girl. Mimiru, herself, doesn't seem all that bothered by the big crowd. She's been used to it through her various competition. She does notice Hinata's blush though and she grins, "Heheh, are you nervous? Don't worry about everyone out there, just forget about them, we'll have a lot of fun, you'll see, like in our basketball game." Mimiru says.
Mimiru waves her hand and she says, "Before we begin, I gotta show you my super fighting partner, 'cause I never fight alone and stuff!" Mimiru says. She grins and adds as she tries to guide Hinata over, "I really didn't know you were a big fighter and all, that's really great!" Mimiru says. She grins and then waves her hand over to Max, "See, this is my partner in crime, I fight with Max but... Don't worry, he's just giving me a hand every now and then, so just keep an eye out for Max..."
"Mimiru?!" Hinata says with obvious surprise. Why didn't the letter she got about the arrangement for this fight bother to tell her who she would even be fighting? Ooooh, that must be part of the tournament rules, or maybe Hinata was just too hyped up to read the letter properly. Heaven knows she didn't get a wink of sleep last night! But, for some reason, seeing a familiar face seems to make things... easier. Hinata's shoulders lower from a tense hunch, an almost *relieved* smile on her face. "I didn't expect to see you either! I'll try not to let them bother me," the smile fades a notch. "... the cameras." A heavy swallow. She kicks at the turf idly before drawing a deep steadying breath.
"Hi Max!" Hinata bubbles with a wave. Hopefully she'll still feel positively inclined to Mimiru's 'partner' after the fight is over. The Sunshine Girl dusts her hands off on her skirt, throws a few experimental punches, and nods to Mimiru. "Give me your best, okay!" The clunky tennis shoes of the Wakaba girl bounce back and forth lightly, ready to get things underway.
*RRRRRRRUMBLE*
"Wha-!" That's not a sound the ground should be making, should it? The grassy playing fields inside the dome suddenly... split, opening in the center and alternately rising or falling away to bring forth a different piece of sporting terrain, very nearly under both fighters' feet. Something rises up from underground, several tall ladder-like structures jutting high into the air, and something blue and wobbly just underneath them. "The heck?! An indoor pool?!" It rises, leaving Mimiru and Hinata fighting effectively just a few feet away from a full Olympic size swimming pool.
COMBATSYS: Hinata has started a fight here.
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Hinata 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mimiru has joined the fight here.
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Mimiru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hinata
Tail waggling about a bit, Max barks a few times at Hinata as she manages a wave in his direction. Mimiru turns around on her heels and she folds her arms behind her back, giving Hinata a wide smile, "That's the only thing I can do! Give my best!" Her lips curl into a wide grin and she gives Hinata a thumbs up, "You'll see, it'll be fun! I'm sure of it! Oh yes! Beside, you've got the chance to fight the suuuuuper captin of the suuuuper AWESOME team AWESOME!" Mimiru states beaming a bit and almost striking a pose, "Ah!"
Then finally, it seems that the signal's given for the fight to being. Or at the very least, the big disturbance that's caused by the shift in the field might reflect that. Mimiru is just as surprised as Hinata happens to be as the grassy field turns into a giant pool. Mimiru blinks a few times and she lifts a hand up to scratch the back of her head, "... Yeah, indoor pool..." She says, staring at it for sometime.
Lips curling into a wide grin, Mimiru chuckles and she says, "What's the matter? Scared of water? Ahah, I bet I'll get you in the water more times then you will during our fight! At least, even if I'm beaten, I'll get the moral victory!" Mimiru says as she attempts to go for a quick pounce-tackle to try and push Hinata off in the pool.
COMBATSYS: Hinata fails to interrupt Quick Throw from Mimiru with Shoulder Throw.
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Mimiru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Hinata
"Scared of water? No way, let's see how YOU like it!" Hinata retorts. In theory, it would have been a perfect action-hero type thing to say... if she had managed to pull it off. At the last second before Mimiru's impact, Hinata turns and tries to grab the other girl to use the forward momentum to launch *her* into the pool. But the best laid plans, yadda yadda...
"What the-" Hinata sputters, finding her grip a few inches off, and Mimiru suddenly way too close for comfort. With a loud bump, Hinata skips forward to keep her balance, pinwheeling her arms on the very edge of the pool and...
*SPLASH*
There is laughter from the crowd, and several cameramen on the opposite side of the pool kneel down to try for a fantastic underwater shot. Hinata flails madly, not expecting to find herself suddenly in the deep end. With a loud splashing doggy paddle, she makes her way to the edge, hauls herself out, and drips stupidly with her uniform plasterd down wetly and her hair in her eyes. "That's COLD!"
Splash.
Mimiru's lips curl into a wide grin and she tilts her head backward and simply laughs, "Ahah! Looks like you got the first dips." Mimiru grins and stares at Hinata as she paddles closer to the edge, "No grudge, eh?" She says. The girl straightens herself up a bit and she chuckles, "Heheh, come on, you know what they say, there's no dirty shot in love." She winks to Hinata and says. "Well! It's 1 to 0 for me!"
Mimiru gets herself ready and her lips curl into a wide grin, "Come on, I'm giving you a few secs to recover, don't worry about me, Hinata, I used to be a life guard after all, so I can swim perfectly!" Mimiru says with a few nods of her head. "Come on, Hinata, wanna settle the score?" She asks.
COMBATSYS: Mimiru focuses on her next action.
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Mimiru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Hinata
Embarassment reddens Hinata's cheeks, her nose scrunching in annoyance. "I don't mind a swim, but only if I'm ready for it!" She wrings out the edge of her skirt, decides that it's not quite enough, and just starts shaking herself off like a dog. Her hair gets slicked straight back to keep it out of her eyes.
Ah! Her backpack! Hinata quickly snaps it off her shoulders and turns it upside down, pouring out at least a liter of water onto the tile around the edge of the pool. "My homework! My candy bar! ... MY CELLPHONE!" Horror is not enough to sum up the look on her face. With a pained grimace, she pivots on the spot, whipping the waterlogged bag around like a hammer throw, and finally releases it with a grunt and a powerful spinning arc toward Mimiru.
COMBATSYS: Hinata successfully hits Mimiru with Thrown Object.
- Power hit! -
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Mimiru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Hinata
"Heheh... Sorry about that..." Mimiru says, lifting her hand up and idly scratching the back of her head. She hums softly and merely waits for Hinata to come her way but... No, she doesn't. Instead she throws off her bag at her. Mimiru's eyes widen, not quite ready or expecting Hinata to go for something like that and so she just stands there as the bag hits her right in the chest.
Mimiru staggers back a few steps, getting by the edge of the pool, "Heh! No fair!" Mimiru shouts as she flails her arms about a bit and tries not to actually fall back but alas, she fails to actually keep her balance. And splash. Down in the water she finds herself. The girl emerges from underwater and she shakes her head a little, "Bleh, that wasn't nice..." Mimiru says, sticking her tongue out and paddling about in the pool, "Come on Max! Do something!" Mimiru shouts.
And if Hinata isn't careful, before she even knows it, she gets the back luck of getting pounced by a rather large dog.
COMBATSYS: Hinata blocks Mimiru's Max Rush.
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Mimiru 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Hinata
The spinning around and whatnot makes Hinata's wet hair fall in front of her eyes again. This wouldn't be a problem if she were *dry*, because the headband is enough to keep it all back. But now... Hinata has decided something very important and relevant to her life. She does not like being thrown into a pool while wearing her normal school clothes.
"Big doggy!" Hinata shouts in surprise just as Max comes rushing toward her in a leaping pounce. So what if most martial arts are designed to work against *human* opponents? Hinata is an equal opportunity fighter! Bracing herself for impact, she leans backwards, puts her hands out to hold Max's chest and puts a foot into his stomach to gently lift him up and over her. Mimiru's her opponent here, not the dog, so there's no reason to try to hurt it. Him. Whatever. After a rolling save, she stands up, points decisively toward Max with a raised finger and says firmly, "STAY!"
Okay, so Mimiru's in the pool, Hinata's already wet, and most of all, Hinata's strategy involves getting up close and personal. So... what the hell. Setting herself, Hinata takes a running leap, pushing just off the edge of the pool, and aims a downward punch at the more enthusiastic swimmer.
COMBATSYS: Hinata successfully hits Mimiru with Strong Punch.
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Mimiru 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Hinata
While Max could probably just leap off in the water or keep on attempting to pounce Hinata, he seems to be actually nice enough to just whimper and stares at her for a while as she refuses to be tackled in the pool. Max just stands there and sits down, more or less obeying to Hinata it would seem.
Mimiru grimaces a little and she growls, "Bah! So much for being man's best friend!" Mimiru says as she sticks her tongue out, "I'll just have to do it the good old way, by myself." Mimiru says as she swims over the edge. Alas though, she fails to notice Hinata's leaping off and elbow dropping her in the pool. In fact, she didn't expect her to do something quite that daring so when Hinata lands on top of her, Mimiru is actually forced down in the pool. She's caught off guard so she's been caught in between two breaths but still.
Mimiru squirms about a little and she merely attempts to get back up by pushing herself up to the surface and forcing Hinata to sink down. To do so she tries to grab the other girl and climb on her back and then use her hands to sink her down in the water using her weight and hopefully get her breath in the process as well.
COMBATSYS: Hinata blocks Mimiru's Strong Throw.
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Mimiru 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Hinata
And thus begins the mad scramble to keep one's head above water and get out of the pool as well. The crowd is actually grumbling at this point. What's the point of a fight if they keep fighting underwater where they can barely see anything? And worst of all, neither of the girls seems to be wearing a very thin white t-shirt, as apparently they should under these circumstances.
Hinata gasps, bubbles streaming from her mouth as she dunks Mimiru and herself under the surface with the impact of her flying attack. She kicks frantically and flails her arms to get back up to the precious, precious air as quickly as possible, giving a very poor target for grappling. What with the insane kicking and all. Mimiru manages to grab a hank of Hinata's hair and pull, but it just plain old hurts more than it's actually debilitating.
Both girls scramble to get to the surface, and Hinata to the safe, drier ground, but in a grapple like this it's just not going to happen. Pushing herself off Mimiru, Hinata's right leg breaks the surface, hangs in the air for a split second and comes crashing back down toward the top of Mimiru's head with a powerful splash and a hiss. Rising from the point of impact.. is that steam? So apparently you can conjure chi underwater.
COMBATSYS: Mimiru fails to counter Enbukyaku from Hinata with Max Interference.
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Mimiru 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hinata
Hinata's heavy foot crashes down on Mimiru's head, then raises up and does the same thing again. "LET! GO! OF! ME!" Each explosion of language accompanied by a powerful downwards kick to the head.
The crowd can't see any kind of action... And even if the two girls were wearing white shirts, it's not like they've got a lot to show anyway. Beside, considering the distance, it would hardly make much of a difference. Even if the crowd isn't happy, it doesn't prevent the two fighters from having their underwater fight!
Have no fear Mimiru, though, because even in the worst of time, Max is there to save the day! The dog barks and it actually leaps off in the water in an attempt to distract Hinata but... Well unfortunately, it seems like the dog didn't get enough distance to actually get on both of the girls so... Well, Max's help isn't really there. The dog has just joined the two girls in the pool it seems.
Hinata gets what she wants though. With those hard heavy kick, Mimiru is literally sent down into the pool and down far enough to actually prevent her from getting a hold of Hinata. And considering now that she needs to breathe, well her priority one is to get back to the surface, despite the dizziness that comes from getting hit a few times over the head.
COMBATSYS: Hinata focuses on her next action.
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Mimiru 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hinata
With desperate energy, Hinata frees herself from Mimiru and doggy paddles to the side of the pool, ironically doggy paddling right past the actual doggy. "Hey Max," she says almost conversationally.
With a powerful splash, the Sunshine Girl leaps from the pool and onto terra firma once more. She pumps her fists in the air, mostly out of relief, but also because she's just so happy to not be in the water anymore. The crowd apparently slightly misunderstand this enthusiasm, and start to cheer as she 'mugs for the cameras'. "Wha-.. I mean, yeah! YEAH!" Hinata shouts, flexing her muscles and beaming broadly. They like her! It's also so inspiring, why was she ever afraid of cameras to begin with? The cheering, the flashing lights of journalist's cameras. Talk about a rush to put you in the right state of mind! Hinata just soaks it all up, wheeling back toward the pool with her fists raised. "This is no time for playing around in the pool! We've got a fight to finish!"
Looks like Hinata's getting all the attention while Mimiru's drowning. The girl finally manages to get back out of the water and she takes a deep breath. The girl pants loudly and she shakes her head a bit, attempting to get some air and just recover a little. She's a bit dazed and Mimiru just glances around a little, finding herself just right by her dog's side. the crowd's cheering and considering how Mimiru has no idea what's going on, it obviously must not be for her. Ah well, such is life. She glances over to Max as she paddles around and the dog just stays by her side, "Ah... Don't worry Max, you've done what you could." Mimiru says as she lifts her hand up and gives a few pats over the dog's head.
Heaving a soft sigh, Mimiru swims over toward the edge of the pool and she gets herself back up. She doesn't quite do anything right away though, she prefers to help her dog out of the pool instead, considering how he got in there, it'd be hard for him to get out on his own.
"Right, you're right, let's finish this." Mimiru says with a few nods of her head as the dog is finally taken off the pool and actually shakes himself how to get the water off his back. Mimiru chuckles a bit and she grimaces, "Bleh, all drenched..." She forces herself back to her feet afterward.
And hopefully, Hinata is nice enough to wait for Mimiru to get her dog out of the pool instead of attacking her, right? Which leaves Mimiru the chance to actually attack! Lips curling into a grin, Mimiru goes for a straight assault as she tries to punch Hinata.
COMBATSYS: Mimiru successfully hits Hinata with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Mimiru 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Hinata
"Yeah!" Hinata beams, blowing a kiss toward the crowd when one cameraman waves at her to get her attention. Easily distracted? Maybe.
POW! A heavy punch catches her right in the cheek and sends Hinata spinning around like a top to land facefirst in the grass and finally find out what it actually tastes like. And this rather comfirms it. Taiyo uses natural fertilizer, not the chemical kind. She stays down for a second before rising and spitting blades of grass. "Bleh! That tastes AWFUL!"
Hinata wipes her nose with the back of her hand. "You're pretty good, Mimiru. I underestimated you. I really felt that punch." And will probably continue to feel it for a while. "I won't go easy on you, though!" With a scattering of a few loose blades of grass, Hinata whips her right foot up and then back down again to powerfully axe-kick Mimiru again. Headshots are fair game, after all.
COMBATSYS: Mimiru fails to counter Heavy Kick from Hinata with Ippon Seoi Nage.
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Mimiru 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Hinata
It might have been a slow punch but Mimiru gave it all she had into her in that punch. She half didn't expect it to land but she got quite lucky on that one. And it makes Mimiru smile a bit. She pants softly and just tries to regain her composture, "Yeah..." Mimiru frowns a bit and she says, "Well, might have been better if you didn't underestimate in the first place, you know... That half means you thought I sucked, but that I don't suck as bad as you thought I would..."
Mimiru shakes her head slowly and just tries to actually squeeze her shirt to get off some water from it. Mimiru gets ready for Hinata's incoming shot and she attempts to manipulate that kick and prevent herself from getting hit but for some person, it just seems as if Mimiru just go right into it. Whush thuds. And Mimiru gets knocked up and then she's sent down to the ground. Now it's her turn to actually eat up the grass it seems. Mimiru grimaces as she coughs a few times, "Bleh..."
"No offense intended!" Hinata beams, landing heavily as the force of her kick actually carried her into the air. She makes a face when Mimiru's head impacts the grass. "Tastes awful, doesn't it?"
But there are better times for pleasantries. The crowd is getting hyped now, and Hinata is determined not to let her current forward press to go unexploited. She presses her palms together and draws them backwards and to the side, a bright flare springing to life in between them. "HYAAA!" she cries, thrusting both palms forward and unleashing a bright yellow flash of chi before Mimiru can fully stand and recover. A signature Wakaba adaptation, the sunflower-shaped chi ball launching from her hands straight toward Mimiru, the force of her entire body behind it as she leans forward and gives an unintended flash under her skirt to the stands behind her. For some reason, at least a dozen cameras go off at that exact moment.
COMBATSYS: Hinata successfully hits Mimiru with Kikou Shoutei.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Mimiru 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1 Hinata
"Not the best meal I had in my life..." Mimiru admits as she slowly forces herself back to her feet, coughing a bit and grimacing. She barely has the time to get back up that Hinata's already ready for more! Unfortunately, despite her best effort to just do something, Mimiru just pretty much stands there and she gets hit pretty badly. That ought to be the power of the panty shot that made her unable to do anything but get hit by this chi sunflower shaped ball of chi.
She just stands there and takes it like a man! Except that the only problem with this is that she lacks the most important part of taking it like a man which involves... Well, not flinching and collapsing afterward. Which is pretty much what happens, as if the force of the impact actually knocks out the air from Mimiru's lung and she just crumbles. At least she knows when to admit defeat and she doesn't try to go for more. Nope. Today's just not her day it seems, and after she got hit so hard... Mimiru just doesn't have the strength to get back on her feet and try a last time.
COMBATSYS: Mimiru takes no action.
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Hinata 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Mimiru can no longer fight.
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Hinata 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hinata has ended the fight here.
A number of loud yells and wolfwhistles echo from the stands behind Hinata, though for the moment she has no idea why. Maybe they were just impressed by her burning spirit! "Yahoo!" she cries in an extremely Dan Hibiki-like way, spinning like a ballerina on the ball of one foot and raising a fist triumphantly in the air.
She bounces energetically back and forth, waiting for Mimiru to get up while the judges accompanying the camera crews discuss amongst themselves. Eventually, one just raises a cloth flag, signalling an end to the fight after Hinata's opponent fails to get up. "I did it... I did it!" the girl cries, clapping her hands and repeating the little dance happily. The crowd roars with a cheer, and Hinata skips over to her downed friend and offers an enormous smile and hand back to her feet, then grabs Mimiru in a tight, body-crushing hug. Certainly no hard feelings here!
"You were great, Mimiru-chan!"
Nah. Mimiru doesn't want to get back up, she's hurting all over. She's trying to get her breath back but unfortunately this means that she has to concede victory. It's alright, Hinata deserved it! She fought well... Mimiru has no regret, she gave it her best. Though she's just not really all too glad with what her 'best' actually got her to.
At least sharing that cheerful feeling of victory, Mimiru's lips curl into a wide grin and she gives a thumbs up to Hinata, "Eh, whoever said you should doubt about winning here, champ?" Mimiru says. And then she gets squeezed into that rather tight hug. Mimiru giggles a bit and she squirms, "Ah! Knock it off, knock it off! I'm all frail and stuff, don't break me apart!" Mimiru says.
The Sunshine Girl beams twice as bright as the lights around the stadium. She puts an arm around Mimiru's shoulders to help her stand, then turns both of them back toward the cameras with a triumphant, fist-pumping-in-the-air victory stance! The image on the Jumbotron zooms in to both girls, text appearing at the bottom. Winner: Hinata Wakaba!
Suddenly, Hinata sneezes as the cold water and damp clothes start to catch up with her, knocking her hair down over her eyes. "C'mon!" she urges Mimiru. "Let's go dry off and go out for good hot meal! My treat!" Except she'll probably be spending her allowance for the next few months on replacing a waterlogged cellular phone. Ah, what does it matter now, though?
"Give 'em a smile, Mimiru!" Hinata beams, waving to the crowd once more before helping her friend to the locker rooms for a dry change of clothes.
"Nah, not going to steal your time in the spotlight." Mimiru says with a few nods of her head. She does smile though but she just stays more or less in the background while the crowd cheers on the winner. Mimiru glances over to Max and she idly ruffles her whining dog's head, "I'll skip for today, but you definately owe me a rematch sometime!" Mimiru says with a few nods of her head.
"And someday, you should teach me how to do does ball of energy stuff! I keep asking everyone who can do them to teach me but they're all so evasive and stuff, they just avoid the subject and then run away while I'm not looking. Bleh." Mimiru actually nods a few times to Hinata and she says, "Yeah, let's get changed for now."
Hinata whacks Mimiru on the back a few times, purely out of joy mind you. "Not a problem! Let me tell you about this great video martial arts course called Saikyo Ryu..." The two girls exit the grassy field and the crowd and cameras disperse to get ready for the next match of the Neo League Tournament.
Secretly, Hinata balls a fist and smiles. If she does well enough, show everyone what she's made of... maybe she can meet Ken Masters. Someday soon.
Log created by Hinata, and last modified on 04:53:52 12/08/2005.