Description: Two delicate flowers, locked in mortal combat! (Winner: Alma)
Ahh, Paris, city of romance. Theoretically. What with recent inner turmoil and the onset of winter, inner-city Paris is looking perhaps grimmer than usual, but with the onset of winter holidays the city itself has calmed down a little. Perhaps it is only the eye of the storm, but the Parisians are gratefully relaxing during these peaceful moments, and many are out today to look for some quiet entertainment. They might, perhaps, go to the Louvre. Or, failing that, they might stop to watch the fight taking place *outside* the Louvre...
Alma Towazu, hands slipped into the pockets of his red corderoys, gazes up at the huge glass pyramid that designates the location of the underground museum with parted lips and an awed -- if mild as ever -- expression. He says nothing, and ignores the Neo League staff who continue to designate boundaries and set up cameras. Slowly, his gaze passes to the ancient buildings that surround the highly modern edifice, then passes to the huge fountains that mark every corner of the giant plaza. This city may be dirtier and more chaotic than any other Alma has visited, but truly, within that chaos are forged great places of harmony and beauty -- and this must be one of them.
The tall youth, slowly shifting out of his reverie, leans down to pat a passing stray dog, and glances up to meet the gaze of a few staring French teenage girls. Mmn, French girls. He wonders if-- careful, Alma, you just got out of a reverie, there's no need to slip right back into one. He just smiles winningly and turns his gaze to the wide empty space now made available to him and his opponent.
He's definitely going to be spending the rest of the day here.
Paris. Not a place Hotaru thought she'd -ever- go to... much less fight at... or the Louvre. She knows what it is, from school, but... just to see it. Wow. She's running a bit late, her flight having been delayed by weather, but she's finally here--how funny, she thinks, distractedly, as she steps out of the cab, Itokatsu faithfully riding her shoulder--that she's flown all this way just to fight someone she sees at least once a week. But there's no doubt that this is quite the place to fight. Hotaru calls out to Alma, cheerfully, as she approaches her designated starting mark, shouting greetings; she takes her mark, bowing to the tall youth, then slapping her cheeks a couple times, psyching herself up.
Itokatsu hops off her shoulder, padding over to Alma; he sniffs the boy, chirrs, then walks back over to Hotaru, taking up a spot on the sideline where he can cheer for his mistress. Hotaru is waiting, patiently, not sure when the fight's due to begin...
Mimiru has arrived.
Alma's winning smile returns full force at the approach of his opponent. "Hotaru," he calls, and then glances down, lips parting slightly, as the ferret approaches him. He grins, eyes sparkling, and gives Ikokatsu a little two-fingered salute before the creature scampers off, and Alma turns his full attention back to Hotaru. "Looks like it's time for our rematch," he says, low tones cheerful enough and eyes still sparkling warmly. "Do you want to see the Louvre with me after we're finished here? And I'm really excited to see what kind of shopping and cafes they--"
"Fighters! Get ready!"
"--good luck to you," he finishes, grin relaxing into a simple smile as Alma's stance shifts slightly, exhaling quietly and taking in the ambient chi of Paris. It's... quite an experience, doing that; his eyebrows actually raise for a moment as he struggles to both maintain his sense of self and release his boundaries, but in the end, he succeeds, and his eyes brighten with a new sort of power. "Please," he murmurs, voice somehow carrying as his eyes gleam white-pink, "do your best."
"And... FIGHT!"
Alma just smoothly shifts his hands into a guard position, circling them, and he exhales fiercely once again as his aura manifests around him. He's really enjoying this feeling -- whatever else one might say about it, this is an incredible city. He feels his fighting spirit surge, so many facets of his personality resonating with this place. He'll be better off dealing with this now rather than later... so he leaves it to Hotaru to make the first move, as his Psycho Power causes eddies of wind to ripple his clothes and lightly muss his dashingly unkempt blonde hair.
COMBATSYS: Alma has started a fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Alma gathers his will.
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Alma 0/-------/---====|
It certainly is an incredible city; that said, Hotaru will have to get an eyeful of it later. She has a camera, she'll take pictures... the moment the announcer shows up, Hotaru overlays Alma's 'good luck' with her own. She'll do her best, Alma, as she always does--and when the announcer shouts 'Fight!', Hotaru takes off running. Not away from Alma, but towards him; as she gets close she throws herself forward, spinning herself like a top, her hands striking out like a whirlwind with palm-strikes and wrist-blocks, the whole affair ending with Hotaru striking out with her palms again--one towards Alma, the other away.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Alma
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Hotaru's Sou-Shou Shin.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Alma
Alma's really on the ball, thanks to his thriving fighting spirit, and when Hotaru comes at him, he elegantly parries each one of her flurry of attacks, much to the delight of the people who have begun gathering to watch. Then, at the onset of her palm strike, he does something unprecedented: he leans back, letting the palm strike pass over him, and then continues to lean back, his image blurring slightly as he slows, leaving little white-pink trails of himself--
--and then, like a spring released after being fully coiled, he snaps forward, and attacks with a barrage of punches and kicks, leaving afterimages of himself that also strike, so that sometimes he and his afterimages strike at the same time with different attacks. With him comes the scent of a city after rain.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Hotaru with Autumn Rain.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Alma
And Alma's attack is successful; Hotaru battered by a barrage of punches and kicks, not only from Alma but from the afterimages, too; if things go like this, it'll be a quick fight. Itokatsu paces back and forth, wincing in sympathy with each hit; finally the assault is over and Hotaru is still standing. Though she's not entirely sure she's happy about it. But she wouldn't want Alma to go easy on her in any way shape or form; she'll never get better if she's coddled. Hotaru plants her back foot, then pushes off, leaping towards Alma, kicking out at his head, aiming to pass by him after the attack.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Alma with Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Alma
Alma, impressively, is able to weave his way past Hotaru's defenses with his combination attack, but he's unable to prevent the girl from quickly retaliating and kicking him in the face, snapping his head back with the force of the blow -- though fortunately, his face seems alright. He looks slightly dazed for a split-second but recovers remarkably quickly, the joy of the fight surging through him indomitably.
He lunges. If Hotaru is passing by him, he might be able to one-up her with his quick recovery and hit her in the back -- so, right hand igniting, he stabs out at her, and aims to unleash a blast of his inspired passion right into her body, shaking her very core. This is also one of the nicer things about Psycho Power; on some level, it doesn't matter so much where exactly you hit your opponent.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Alma's Self Expression.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Alma
She's not a psychic--but you don't have to be to know that someone'll try to attack you when your back is turned. Hotaru moves as though she read Alma like a book, sidestepping that ignited hand. She's still back-turned to him, but without even turning she plants her leading leg, shifting her weight, reaching out to grab Alma and use her momentum to shoulder-check and bowl him over.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Hotaru's Strong Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Alma
sk, she's faster than he anticipated! But as if that -- or anything -- could faze Alma now. Expression as mild and relaxed as ever, he smoothly drops under her grab attempt as though it were the easiest thing in the world (it's not), and immediately shifts his weight into a quick and powerful sweeping kick, strong right leg aiming to take the girl down to the ground before she can scamper off anywhere else.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Alma's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Alma
Hotaru's reaction to that missed throw is a brief sound of surprise; but she's ready when Alma kicks at her; though the impact takes one leg, she kicks out to the ground with the other, bracing herself and using strength and willpower to stay up. The impact hurts, but it could've been far worse. Hotaru reaches out, trying to get Alma while he recovers; and should she be successful she'll treat him like a set of stairs, stepping up him, stomping on leg, chest, and finally kicking out at his head to power a backflip away.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Hotaru's Sha-jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Alma
It's time for more acrobatics with Alma Towazu as Hotaru takes advantage of her successful block to lunge in. Alma can't really do much in this position, so in a psychically-inspired gamble at escape, he falls back and lies prone for a moment as Hotaru's initial kicks pass over him, and then leans back and kip-ups spectacularly, attempting to grab Hotaru's legs as she rises, twist, and throw her to the ground. It's not a graceful move, but he makes it looks graceful. And he's not often a grappler, but--
--well, he's got to go with the flow of the fight!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru endures Alma's Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Alma
'Go with the flow'--that seems to be what Hotaru is doing. She doesn't resist as Alma grabs her legs, and throws her down; but her impact with the ground is brief and she's up again as though bouncing off a trampoline. Lunging for Alma's body, she goes into the whirlwind again--but doesn't stop once around. This time she goes around twice, a storm of palms and wrists aimed to chop Alma down--and then she goes up into the air, still spinning, hitting with shoulders and elbows. The final piece of this puzzle? A diving knee attack on Alma's body--prone to the ground or in the air or still on the ground--her body engulfed in blue-white chi, streaming from the leading point of her knee.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Alma with Sou-Shou Ten-Ren-Ge EX.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\=======\1 Alma
Not even psychic senses can save Alma from Hotaru's sudden and incredible rebound. He barely has time to try and steady himself before her assault begins, savaging him on the ground and then throwing him up into the air. The tall youth tries to begin to recover in midair, but apparently the girl is having none of that; the chi-enhanced knee hits him directly in the abdomen, eliciting a strangled cough from him before he goes flying back, hitting the ground stunned and disoriented.
Yet only a second passes before the battered would-be bishonen rolls to his feet. The audience's thunderous applause at Hotaru's performance doesn't seem to faze him -- quite the opposite. Though his expression remains mild and his smile slight, as he wipes his lips with the back of his hand and remains crouching for a moment, his eyes dance with inner light as he watches Hotaru land after her attack. "Interesting," he murmurs. "Well done, Hotaru-san..."
And then he's lunging, body suddenly and without warning igniting with white-pink flame, and with a fierce and almost joyous battle cry -- "Urrryaaahh!" -- Alma immediately lunges into another blurring series of attacks. Only this time, he's not just on fire, but he's much, much faster than before. A series of blindingly fast jabs are followed by a series of mixed snap kicks, side kicks, and fierce punches, and the combination is finished with spirit-crushing flaming uppercut that, if successful, will at the very least send the girl staggering back.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Alma's Destined Duel.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Alma
Ever seen those old kung-fu movies? It's something like that; Hotaru doesn't just get away. She stays in close with Alma, ducking, dodging, slipping attacks left and right. And bending back as Alma flings that uppercut; she lets it pass her by then flips herself through a backflip, toes coincidentally aimed to catch Alma on the chin...
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Alma
"Kkh..."
She wasn't this inspired the last time he fought her! Is this city getting to her too? Well, he certainly can't complain -- partly because of his good nature, and partly because he really doesn't have the time, as Hotaru is counterattacking already! Yet Alma, maintaining his momentum, is still able to shift out of the way of her kick and lunge in with two feinting jabs followed by a fierce punch to the girl's stomach. If he keeps up the pressure, maybe her defenses won't be able to hold up.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Alma's Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Alma
She certainly does seem to be inspired, doesn't she? Though it probably isn't the city... maybe she's just feeling warmed up. She doesn't even react to the feinting jabs much, just deflects them away with her hands, but when that fierce punch comes in, Hotaru sidesteps it again. Her response? To strike out at Alma--ducking low, twisting her body around to the right--and slapping at Alma's thigh with her -left- hand. It's a hell of a twist to make but Hotaru's good for it, for sure.
COMBATSYS: Alma interrupts Strong Punch from Hotaru with Divine Intervention EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Alma
Alma's eyes narrow, and ever so slightly, his smile widens.
He lunges *into* Hotaru's attack, cutting her strike short and partially negating the damage. Though his leg goes a bit numb, his fighting spirit overwhelms him, allowing him to ignore the pain for now as, with a flare of Psycho Power, he stabs his right hand out at his now vulnerable opponent. His eyes flash once -- and a beam of light erupts from his hand, spearing through Hotaru's head, passing through it as though it were water, and sending shell-shocking waves of mental energy through the young girl as she's blasted away several meters, giving Alma more room.
And time to settle back into his relaxed fighting stance, circling his arms once, slowly, with a quiet "Shaaaaa." The audience applauds. This fight is pretty intense.
Thump, thump thump. The sound of Hotaru's body hitting the ground as she tumbles from the impact. It was unexpected, and that made it hurt all the more; but she rises. Not as eager to go rushing back in against Alma this time, she concentrates her chi into the palm of her right hand, pulling it back to her shoulder then thrusting forward in a smooth motion, tracing out a glowing line of energy; but of concern to Alma should be the way the energy is expelled, as a glowing orb of chi that is headed for his position.
COMBATSYS: Alma overcomes Hakki Shou from Hotaru with Full Confession.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Alma
Alma is ready. His Psycho Power has only been building after that attack, and now he's ready for a true release; when Hotaru launches her own attack, he immediately responds with a downward cast and a roar of effort -- "Haaaaahh!" -- unleashing a blurring trail of white energy along the ground. For a moment it seems the two projectiles are going to simply pass by one another; but then Alma, shifting on his feet and unconsciously striking what looks like a rather nonchalant pose, simply snaps the fingers of his right hand.
A huge geyser of white-pink flame erupts from the trail that has been zigzagging along the ground, and Hotaru's attack is completely dispersed, leaving a torrent of Psycho Power shooting at an angle towards her...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Alma's Full Confession.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Alma
Duck and cover! Well, cover, anyways; Hotaru throws her arms up as the geyser overtakes her position, using her chi to blunt some of the effect... not a lot of it though, as the attack still leaves her dazed. She takes a moment to try and shake it off, to regain her focus... she'd hoped to do better than this. But Alma... well, he's a good fighter, and so Hotaru shouldn't feel any regrets.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Alma
Dang -- the girl is still standing? Alma's beginning to feel the effects of fatigue, but he can't stop now; so, perhaps gambling more than he usually does, he attempts to unleash another small blast of Psycho Power, relying on his signature technique in an attempt to squeeze out just a little bit more psychic energy. Admittedly, though, he's beginning to feel his sensitivity to the environment numb, and he doesn't like it one bit.
Still, in the fight, there's no time for that. His mildly cheerful expression does not change as he thrusts low and aims a cresting wavelike gout of white-pink flame at his opponent, with a shout of: "KUUSEIHA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru fails to reflect Sacred Wave from Alma with Ko-bi Kyaku.
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Alma 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
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Alma 0/-------/----===|
Hotaru is looking tired, herself; she's expended too much energy in this fight to be in it for much longer. WIth that wave of energy coming at her, she can do little but try and use her chi to bat it back; but the injuries and pain she's got are making her slow, and she's only just completed her turnaround when the wave catches her--and slams her straight into the ground. She rebounds, once, then manages to catch her feet--and as tired as she is... she's moving slow. Very slow. But her pride won't let her go down without one last--well, nevermind. She takes a couple of steps towards Alma, her eyes still bright with fierce, fighting spirit--but her body can't anymore. So with little fanfare she falls, first to knees, then to floor. For her, the world is silent, for now; for Alma, there's cheering and the announcer, announcing the bishi-boy's win. And Itokatsu walks over to Hotaru and licks her cheek, trying to get her to wake up.
Alma wipes a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as the announcer announces his win and the impromptu audience applauds, but he takes no time to celebrate his victory, and instead moves over to kneel and Hotaru's side. He casts the ferret a glance, and then, though it requires renewed effort, he emits a few waves of gently soothing Psycho Power over the girl, not so much healing her body as coaxing her mind into wakefulness. His attacks are based in erasing an opponent's mental boundary between self and other, thus confusing and disorienting them until they lose their identity in oblivion; reversing the process, while no easy task, is possible. Or rather, the mind does it itself, picking up the pieces and reconstructing the identity; Alma is just there to convince it that it is, as it were, safe to come out again.
"Hey, Hotaru-san," he murmurs, smiling tiredly down at the young girl. "Don't pass out on me. We haven't even seen the Mona Lisa yet, mmn? Come on, I'll buy you lunch, and we can relax for a while."
COMBATSYS: Alma has ended the fight here.
Log created by Hotaru, and last modified on 04:22:33 12/13/2005.