Description: Sydney, Australia! Two fighting females duke it out for a surprising finish -- who cares who wins?! (Draw Match)
Sydney, Australia. Home of the Sydney Opera House, and backdrop for a whole lot of movies. That is, of course, because the city -loves- spending money to attract tourists.
Which would be why two of the most high-profile female fighters are gathered here today. It's springtime in Australia, balmy air being quite the change from the chill of Southtown, so this fight's being held in a wide grassy field, not far from the Opera House itself. Bleachers are set up at a fair distance from the area designated for the fight; cameras line the field at regular intervals so as not to miss any of the high speed action.
And Sakura Kasugano is =early=. Dressed in her brightest blue-and-white sailor uniform, with red handguards, the schoolgirl strides out to the center of the grassy field, waving to the assembled masses with a cheerful smile. She's the challenger, after all, in this Neo League fight, and this is a battle she's been looking forward to for a while!
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
Well, it was never likely to be too long before this match occurred again. Chun-Li may be a busy woman, preoccupied with her quest for vengeance and - most recently - with micro-managing the activities of Charlie's Vigilantes, but she'll never back out on a promise to one of her favourite individuals. A title the plucky schoolgirl has earned over time, not least thanks to her close relationship with a certain warrior... regardless, the feeling here is mutual. Recent frustration can be worked off in an amiable manner; something that the Tai Chi mistress relishes the very prospect of.
Enough in fact, that she is already in place when Sakura makes her entrance, the expected cheeriness tweaking a smile from Chun-Li's lips. Traditional costume, too, though for her part the world's strongest woman is garbed in a simple black t-shirt and army cargoes, a set of dogtags hanging about her neck. As much as she wishes to be in time for the prodigy's challenge, other duties could also not be kept waiting - this is one Chinese fighter hot from the skies, rearing to go despite a morning of bustling activity.
"Has Ryu spoken to you about being prompt?" The question is chimed along with a teasing wink as the woman steps forward a few paces, raising her arms to press hands together at the chest and offer Sakura a low bow in welcome - both as friend and martial artist. On straightening there is a small smile on her lips, but Chun-Li does nothing more than wait, settling into her stance and regulating her breathing as she silently offers Miss Kasugano the privilege of striking first...
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has joined the fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
"Yep!" chirps young Kasugano in reply. She =does= run late often, but only because she has a tendency to let the schedule slip her mind. But not now, as Sakura's been eagerly anticipating this battle. Parallelling Chun-Li, Sakura clasps her hands and returns the bow -- though it's much harder for the giddy fangirl to keep from grinning. They've fought on camera before... but that was as opponents in a four-way team battle, not one-on-one. This is a new first for the two, and Sakura's practically bubbling over with enthusiasm!
Straightening, Sakura pivots to her right, raising her fists in the traditional guard of her idol and master, Ryu.
She nods quietly, as the referee walks onto the field. Some words are passed, but Sakura hardly ever pays attention: she's only interested in the last word. "FIGHT!"
And just like that, Kasugano darts towards Chun-Li, fists pumping by her sides for the few instants before she vaults into a rapid leaping kick -- low to the ground, aimed at Chun-li's stomach! "HYAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Sakura's Light Kick.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
In many ways, Chun-Li and Sakura are very much alike - in others? Not so. It's the announcer who sees little heed from the older woman, while anything the schoolgirl offers would be heeded and taken in with a singular focus... her readiness mattering far above any official announcement, beyond anything an outside force might have to put forth. The battle /is/ what matters, but there are several sides to that; few fighters would agree on which approach to assume, though oddly enough.. it tends to be the more unruly who share the approach of the often-stoic Chinese warrior.
Regardless, battle's joined by both sides. Sakura's flying kick is met with a flicker of winds and a streak of dark grey as Chun-Li launches herself into a low evasion, dropping to a half-crouch and then flowing underneath the extended limb. Instead of rising on the opposite side, she curls herself further forward, arms going out to press palms firmly to the floor... and then with a graceful spin of her body she comes in at the landing Sakura with a handstand - one that flows into a forward somersault, an extension of a leg to either side forming the basis for the integrated attack.
"SEN'EN SHUU!" Kiai'ing with a quick, clear cry, the Strongest Woman in the World aims her boot-clad foot to make a long vertical contact with the torso of her barely-recovered opponent. A reasonably lightweight strike, but suitable enough; it even allows her to land looking up at Ryu's protege with a ready smile and a nod of recognition. Just from early impressions alone there seems no degradation in her skill.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Sakura with Sen'en Shuu.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Chun-Li
What's 'lightweight' to Chun-Li is a devastating blow to Sakura -- especially as she's just dropped to the ground and was whirling about to face her. Her wrists raise sharply, but the Tai Chi practitioner's foot whips directly between them, heel crashing squarely into sternum to slam the schoolgirl hard against the grassy floor, feet and arms alike splayed out to her sides from the impact.
Stunned from the blow, Sakura nonetheless grits her teeth, kipping back to her feet and scampering a few feet back from Chun-Li. Her breathing ragged from just that single strike, Sakura's determination is indisputable... And for once, silent, as she clenches her fists tightly in defense, coffee-colored eyes intensely focused on Chun-Li's every move. Armed with a reminder of the woman's speed, Sakura's determined not to let another mistake slip.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Chun-Li
Sakura's retreat is welcome even as Chun-Li offers that scarcely detectable gesture of respect, as she uses the lull in combat to bring herself back to her feet without haste - drawing one leg back below her at a time, and when she stands in a crouch rising gracefully back into her familiar stance. Breathing in slowly, the Tai Chi mistress takes a moment to send her gaze roving across each nuance of Sakura's stance, measuring her level of defence and possibility of mounting a counter offensive - not quite as she would an enemy in the true sense, but with a similar level of judgement.
Then, wordless, she starts forward at a speedy pace, one foot crossing the other as she approaches the schoolgirl sidelong - moving deceptively at the last second as she seems about to circle the girl, dropping to a low stance and then rushing in with something resembling a shoulder charge. "HYAA-!" At the last instant her cry is cut off, and Chun-Li reaches out with her opposite arm to get a grip upon her opponent's sailor top. With this grapple done, she swivels at the waist and moves her extended limb in a circular motion...
"YAH!" Releasing Sakura to impact with the floor, the execution is complete; a simple variation on an otherwise traditional Tai Chi toss. It should buy the woman enough room to raise her guard once again, shifting back to her full height and turning to face the downed prodigy.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Quick Throw from Chun-Li with Shou'ou Ken EX.
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
Or so was the plan, anyway. It's true that Chun-Li's diversion was a bit sneaky, and that the elder woman was able to fake Sakura out with that last-second shift of direction. It's also true that Chun-Li is able to grasp a hold of Sakura's grass-stained sailor fuku as a result.
However distracted Sakura may have been, though, the true flow of chi was not interrupted by the sudden feint -- rather a slight change of course. Sakura's master had taught her not to be distracted so easily, and her enhanced focus was a nod to that -- such that when Chun-Li moved to grapple, the young student leapt into the throw -- a martial ballet, so to speak. And when Chun-Li hurls her to the side, Sakura uses the momentum to her advantage -- whipping her feet around and digging her heels in. With one split second to reverse the momentum, Kasugano slams her heel into the ground and sharply reverses direction. Indeed, without Chun-Li's attack, she wouldn't be able to bend her knee and instantly recoil with a diagonal uppercut. Though from the lightning speed of the maneuver, she's foregone her usual name for such a leaping uppercut, instead favoring a more bellowing cry of: "SHOOOOOORYUUUKEN!"
Clever. Were she less preoccupied with taking an unexpected and rather heavy blow to the torso and jaw, Chun-Li might find time to compliment Sakura on the reversal of a potentially painful landing - but instead the girl is rewarded only with a grunt of pain, and the sight of a toppling Tai Chi mistress, the force of the strike sending her into an arc only to come back to earth head-first. However, through the burst of pain there still beats the focus of a true warrior, and the woman's momentum is hastily turned to her advantage... both hands slamming out upward for sharp contact with the grass, palms deft in their pressure to launch Chun-Li into a handspring back to her feet.
"Huh..." Snapping up a hasty guard, she takes in a quick breath before alighting her attention fully back onto Sakura, no smile offered though another light nod of the head does accompany the respect in her eyes. However, this /is/ a recorded fight - let the records not state that either of them has tarried overlong - and so she's back into a blur of motion an instant later, dashing forward and then dropping to a crouch. The position she needs to launch a brutal kick familiar to the schoolgirl.
"HeeYAH!" Lashing out both feet, the Strongest Woman in the World supports herself with only a single hand as she performs a technique passed down from one of fighting's undisputedly greatest. The Assassin Kick, hard and nasty should the opponent succumb to its ways.
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Chun-Li's Strong Kick.
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
Using the brief delay of Chun-Li's fall to catch her breath, Sakura pulls a retreat, hands clasped to her chest. That kick still smarts, after all! But more than that, the fighting fangirl is more surprised that her own attack landed... sure, they've =fought= before, but her renewed focus seems to be paying off in spades. A smile of renewed confidence flits across Sakura's face as Chun-Li regains her bearings.
But the respite does not last long, it seems, before Chun-Li dashes close to unleash the dreaded Assassin Kick. Warily hopping backward, missing the kick by mere inches, Sakura digs both her heels in this time -- before leaping forward in a spinning kick. Her leg whirls around like a helicopter rotor, to the tune of "SHUNPUUU KYAKU!" -- the intent is to land anywhere up to three times, but considering Chun-li's crouch, only the last is -likely-... but that won't stop Kasugano from trying!
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Sakura's Shunpuu Kyaku.
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
Only the last was ever going to be likely, but this is actually the one denied the most - as Chun-Li flows to her feet after feeling her nightmarish kick strike only air. She knows something will be instantly forthcoming from the schoolgirl, and is welcomed with that cry and those three spinning sneaker-strikes, snapping up her right arm to almost casually deflect the first without even a spark of pain. The second makes full contact, though the Chinese beauty rolls with the pain to spin around with the foot itself, hopping into the air to completely avoid the third rotation and then...
"SYAH!" Running in direct opposition to the last of Sakura's kicks, Chun-Li snaps out her left leg, unloading at the knee the instant her right foot makes fresh contact with the floor. The intent behind the quickly delivered blow? To catch her plucky opponent in the side of the head with a firm delivery. There's very little chance for the younger female to escape... if she manages it, there may well be ice cream.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Medium Kick from Chun-Li with Small Hadouken.
- Power hit! -
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Sakura 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
Sakura =is= still spinning... but she's also quite securely attuned with the flow of chi she'd made a point to pay attention to earlier. Landing quickly on her feet, she senses an impending attack from above, and jacknifes her leg to avoid it -- bracing the maneuver just in case with her left forearm as she twists. Lucky her -- she barely manages to pull it off, her limb buffeted from the solid strike.
But in the midst of her spin, Kasugano was also wise to tap another eddy of that flow of chi -- one stirred up by her spring breeze kick. (It =is= spring here, after all, right...) Her right hand is right there to sweep the current into a swirling blue mass -- one which she palms forward and right at Chun-Li, fairly confident that it'll strike due to the foot she's still got snagged on her left hand. "HADOOOOOUKEN!" Grinning, she knows nothing of ice cream, but 'yippee' all the same!
Sakura has levelled up!
Sakura has gained Ice Cream!
Not that such jesting thoughts erupt through the mind of the Strongest Woman in the World as she once more finds herself apparently too slow for Ryu's pupil, and this time she is less quick to recover - staggering back from both her gripped foot and the swirl of chi. Positively harmless in comparison to the attacks she is more familiar with dealing with, the attack all the same gives her pause for thought... pause whose end is marked by a flare of energy from the older female.
"Ki-" Drawing her hands back to her hip even as she continues back from Sakura with two quick paces, Chun-Li catches her breath in mid-attack, harnessing her power with a twist from her fingers. The blue-white spark already crackling in her palms is lit with a gold flare that narrows to a pinpoint, throbbing violently amidst its more mundane kin as the aura around Sakura's opponent intensifies at a sudden and alarming rate. The World Warrior has taught the prodigious girl well; her chi burns in the same manner as his, if not with quite the same weight. But her opponent has learned a thing or two herself.
No doubt to cheers from the spectators, the fight keeping its dramatic and breathtaking flow, she thrusts her upper body forward over one extending leg, throwing her all into a response to Sakura's focused chi. "KOUKEN!" Whoosh. The projectile rushes in with all the speed expected, and all that surprising punch.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Chun-Li's Kikou Ken.
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Sakura 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Chun-Li
Well... Sakura's blue ball chi may be relatively harmless to Chun-Li, but the reverse is certainly -not- true. The schoolgirl's still pleased to have landed a solid hit, though, just the same. Her headband snaps into straight lines from the schoolgirl's sudden withdrawal in wake of that gathering chi, her hands swept before her in anticipation. Sakura presses her luck by standing to defend it, though, unravelling the spiralled flame with a solid ram of her shoulder and forearm. While it may =hurt=... Sakura =is= used to dealing with her master's Hadoukens as well... even though that resembled a move from Shingo's playbook more than the Ansatsuken style.
But rather than chance another attack, the Taiyo schoolgirl instead steps backwards once more, raising her hands back into their ready positions. Once more, she familiarizes herself with the ebb and flow of chi, starting with the barely-visible motes of light once swirled into Chun-Li's Kikouken. But even with her serious eyes, there's no mistaking the razor-thin grin on the girl's face.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Sakura 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Chun-Li
There is no such hesitation from Chun-Li, no pause to gather herself before launching back into the fray of battle - regardless of the nature of this bout, while in others she may spend longer composing herself and worry more upon her tactics, she approaches this as much a way of further testing Ryu's pupil. Not holding back, simply.. denying herself the luxury of tactical forethought, so with a cry on her lips she surges in after her own attack.
Noting the Kikouken's dismissal by the schoolgirl, there's no hiding the impressed nature of the woman as she continues on into the waiting Sakura's guard, swerving around at the last moment and then beginning her assault with a spinning roundhouse kick.. her foot lifting off the floor with the gathered momentum. Attempting to catch the eye of her opponent before she does anything else, the attack itself is clearly a pushing of her abilities, designed to see just how well Sakura continues to cope with the full force at her sometime-teacher's disposal...
Should the kick connect, there'll be a further lesson.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Strong Kick from Chun-Li with Shou'ou Ken.
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Sakura 1/--=====/=======|=======\===----\1 Chun-Li
Sakura =does= aim for the stars, even if she falls quite a bit short every now and again. Chun-Li's lack of hesitation doesn't go unnoticed to the fighting fangirl, though... she raises an eyebrow briefly in consideration. What =is= the Strongest Woman In The World plotting, anyway? She's clearly -not- holding back, there's no question of that, but if the woman wants to push Sakura beyond her rational limits, she'll get results.
Most notably, Sakura paces backward, raising her guard in anticipation of the roundhouse. As it swings around, Sakura drops into a low crouch, once more raising her arms over her head. The roundhouse =does= manage to clobber the girl something fierce, the coiled-up schoolgirl's feet carving a six-inch-wide trench in the ground. However, that doesn't seem to critically deter Kasugano, who shakes the kick away while rising, takes two quick steps forward, and plunges a leaping uppercut right into the Tai Chi warrior maiden! "SHOOOO'OU KEN!"
Well, it works. Pushing Sakura has always been the obvious thing to do, and every time Chun-Li attempts to do so? She gets fresh and surprisingly effective results from the schoolgirl. Whether or not it improves anything for the younger fighter is up to her to decide, though with the sheer number of battles she fights it seems at best unlikely, but it does give the woman a certain sense of pride to watch as she's thwarted by the girl at so many turns... a strangely maternal feeling given the complete lack of blood relation between them, perhaps more the sensation a loving older sister might experience on seeing her sibling draw that much closer to her.
Either way, anything currently felt /is/ clouded by pain as another uppercut rips into her body. Repetitive? Perhaps, but so is the style Sakura has based herself on in almost all its exponents. Only Gen and his pupil can claim much distance from their Ansatsuken roots, and it is at its heart a very straightforward style. It works. Flung back by the working of this particular blow, the world's strongest woman has all the same prepared herself, and that impressive figure is curving in the air the instant she has breathing space, both hands extending...
To catch her in a handstand, perfectly upright. "You improve each time I see you fight, Sakura.." the comment is given in a quiet murmur, as Chun-Li pauses to let the girl land. Once she glimpses her target, all compliments are waylaid as she instead spins herself into a rotation, legs snapping out to either side and - with a fierce rush of winds billowing about her - she gives that familiar cry. "SPINNING BIRD KICK!"
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Sakura with Spinning Bird Kick.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\=====--\1 Chun-Li
Sakura nods in reply to Chun-Li's compliment with a faint smile. She can't get =too= emotional when she fights, lest she lose the hallmark of her stoic master's brand of fighting. And usually when she =does= let overconfidence get to her head, she ends up biting the big one. So... cautiously, she backs away from the Spinning Bird Kick, keeping her arms ready just in case. And as it churns away, Sakura glances to the audience, the cameras, the field... and realizes she's running out of room to back away. One brief moment of indecision, as she debates whether to jump/lover= Chun-Li or slide =under= her, proves to be her undoing -- just as Sakura finally decides to leap, her legs get caught in Chun-Li's, and she's battered about for two revolutions before she's finally churned to the side, taking the spill hard upon one shoulder.
The gasping audience is horrified... but Sakura nonetheless pushes back to her feet. Cheering? You could say that! "Heh... I try my best!" chirps Sakura, the smile remaining on her face as she dusts herself off. Grass stains =everywhere=, foo.
The respite, as before, does not last long, as Sakura gallops towards Chun-Li once again. She throws a wild left hook while dashing, but instead of connecting with it, she uses it as momentum to whip herself into a rapid kick to Chun-Li's side, hoping the tides of chi are with her as she flings one arm high, one arm low to maintain balance. "Hyyyyyaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Medium Kick from Sakura with Tenshou Kyaku EX.
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Sakura 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
Sakura's best frequently proves itself to be on a par with that of many 'better' fighters - and it's being proven to Chun-Li once again as she finds her blows turned far less advantageous in each stage of this Australian tussle. The damage toll may be greater to the younger fighter, but the cameras account far better for her abilities than they do those of the world's strongest woman... now though, proceedings go through a dramatic shift in the opposite direction, and even with the graceful recovery from her signature technique, the Tai Chi mistress seems more focused than she has for several minutes, straightening into her stance with eyes just slightly narrowed, a similarly undefined smile upon her lips. Watching, waiting and timing herself perfectly.
For a shift in momentum.
"TENSHOU KYAKU!"
Ignoring the feint, Chun-Li spins around the much harsher strike from Sakura's foot, allowing it to catch her side just enough to give the illusion of success as she turns away and drops to a crouch. The cry incomplete on her lips until she finally launches herself upward with a thrusting application of a palm to the grass, what follows is a series of strikes - the first kick catching Sakura upon the chin, carrying her heavenward with the woman's own passage. A perfect set-up for the next two kicks that come courtesy of two pivotal rotations of Chun-Li's body, her impossible grace and speed coming to fruitition upon the jaw of her young opponent.
When finally Sakura is released back to earth, it's for a drop all of twelve feet, which is weathered considerably better by the Chinese beauty, who simply cuts herself back into a flip, curling around and then dropping lightly back to the ground, landing in a tight three-point crouch to take in a deep, steadying breath. That wasn't as easy as it looked.
Kasugano's upper torso ratchets backwards with each whirling kick, knocking her ever higher into the sky. Each kick tears into her adds more to the agonizing pain... and yet through it all Sakura knows that she's done remarkably well in this fight -- something Chun-Li herself can attest to!
And it sure would suck to go down without upping the ante for this fight just one bit further! She may be tumbling hard as she lands from the aerial assault, but the schoolgirl's not down just =yet=. Kicking out of the roll, Sakura catapults herself high into the air, inadvertently giving the east camera a view that forces the on-site director to cut to the north camera instead. Family broadcasting, indeed! Just as her skirt settles back into position after her graceful leap, Sakura slumps lightly, her wounds starting to catch up with her.
Adrenaline, though, adrenaline! Her fists clench tightly as she powers through the pain, dashing rapidly towards Chun-Li. It's time to prove herself, by leaping into a spin-kick for Chun-Li's shins... and then whipping around to continue the motion, driving kick after whirling kick into the woman. Her sneakers glow a bright blue as a vortex of energy spins up around her... but will it be enough to keep the girl from passing out due to sheer exhaustion? If so... Sakura would stand, whirling around into one final, standing roundhouse, aimed at knocking the bejeezus out of Chun-Li just one more time! "HA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
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Chun-Li 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Chun-Li with Haru Ichiban.
- Power hit! -
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Chun-Li 1/----===/=======|
Chun-Li is in prime position to watch it all, quietly taking in the small hurricane of chi kicked up about Sakura's feet, and watching her final approach with a mixture of wariness and great interest. Did this hit her before? She doesn't quite recall, but regardless the Strongest Woman in the World flows to her feet with just the flicker of smile playing about her lips, arms raising to form a guard and then.. abruptly stopping, falling back to her sides. "Give me your best shot..." she murmurs, an odd recollection of similar words spoken to Ryu shortly before he attempted to all but insult her with a light blow to the shins. This time.. Sakura delivers a much greater payoff.
A soft grunt greeets the impact of the first strike, and the woman stumbles briefly as the - yes - shin kick is delivered, staggering back and dropping to a crouch in time to meet the second stage of the attack with a solidly prepared body. Or so she belives, the intent to weather the full brunt of the attack with no form of defence whatsoever - simply a knowledge of the inevitable damage to her person... but she gets so much more, and all possibility of keeping control is lost as the woman is launched back by that final thrust kick to the chest, hurtling back onto the grass where she lands hard on her rump.
"Oof..." Breathing sharply out, cheeks puffing outward with the force, the Tai Chi mistress sits dazed and bemused for a moment, staring at the girl with wide eyes and trying to discern exactly what just happened. How does Ryu's protégé keep improving like this? It's almost unbelievable, but only almost. The talent inside the schoolgirl has been well noted, and it appears the World Warrior was indeed the one to draw forth her potential. Still. Instead of passing out as she's so nearly tempted to do, Chun-Li sits and stares...
She half expects Sakura to bounce back up with a cheery grin...
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li takes no action.
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Chun-Li 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has ended the fight here.
Sakura remains standing, her foot held aloft where Chun-Li had formerly been standing... but no, Sakura doesn't remain standing there very long. She'd poured every ounce of her adrenaline into landing it, and even though her heart leaps at the fact that her kick had landed true... she keels over backwards, landing flat on the grass with her arms and legs out to either side. The battle took its toll on her, and... well, she =did= try her best! It's just that she's too exhausted to do any more, at this point.
Whump. Exhausted? Not the half of it. Though the battle itself was relatively short, attempting to keep ahead of the world's pluckiest schoolgirl was a task in itself.. never mind the effects bestowed by her surprisingly hard physical blows, and slightly less-taxing chi. Chun-Li can barely stand. Though stand she does, pushing herself first to a crouch and then up to her feet with a weary sigh. This gives way to a smile, however, as she wanders over to the fallen girl and drops back down to her knees, dogtags jingling with the motion.
"Sakura... if you'd found the energy to poke me in the stomach, that fight would have been yours," she murmurs with a notably tired tone, managing a laugh afterward, along with an astonished shake of her head. Shifting a hand down, she moves to grasp one of the fallen girl's own, squeezing it briefly in something halfway between an intimate gesture and the warrior's grip. "Keep up like this and you'll be besting Ryu in no time!" ...she's only half joking, too.
Sakura may not be unconscious, but that doesn't equate to the ability to stand up by herself. Just the same though... she =can= find the energy to smile back at Chun-Li. And once her hand is squeezed... she =does= find the energy to lean over with her free hand and make a finger-jab for the stomach of the Strongest Woman In The World, an impish grin dashing across her face. "I'm gonna make that a reality some day!" Pulled back to her feet in the process, she laughs back at her unofficial mentor and role model... leaning a bit heavily on her, but smiling just the same.
The judges... well, they're bickering and fighting over the result. Sakura was standing longer than Chun-Li was! Neither fighter's totally knocked out! What does it all =mean?= The crowd's cheering, but they don't count for anything! And... heck. It's not like Sakura or Chun-Li cares who 'won' and who 'lost', as they walk towards the city. Why should they care? It was a fun fight!
Log created by Sakura, and last modified on 20:29:52 12/17/2005.