Neo League 126 - #137: Shenwoo vs Sakura

Description: Fighting by scenic Southtown River, Shenwoo and Sakura have their very own clash of the titans! But what could the result be?! (Winner: Sakura)



Southtown, 4 pm: the sun's on the final stretch of its circuit through the sky. As good a time as any for a fight in the middle of the smelliest place in town! Luckily, the winds are blowing -away- from the bank of the Southtown River where this particular Neo League fight is taking place, and not -toward- it. A fairly spacious sized 'ring' has been marked off with tension-barriers -- really, two and a half of the sides are blocked by the river, so it's not like traditional ropes would save a fighter from a sticky, icky doom in the sludgy water.
Oddly enough... the combatants are nowhere to be found, even though there's a sizable crowd gathered. The smart folks are upwind, or watching from a foot-bridge... a half-dozen of less fortunate individuals are milling about across the river. Where =are= the challengers?
Oh, there's one of them now -- Sakura Kasugano comes jogging under the footbridge, a faint smile on her face. She almost looks like someone else though -- she's got her distinctive uniform on, but it's paired with a red baseball cap. ... And her ever-present white headband. Wincing a bit at the smell, she stops just outside the tensabarrier, looking around...

This would not be the first time Shenwoo has fought by the river; actually, he was once called out here by the infamous Rugal Bernstein - though Shenwoo had honestly no idea who he was, so he can't be /that/ infamous - for a bit of a spar. But still, it's not like he's really looking forward to fighting by the 'water' again. Not even in winter! So anyway, where's the brawler from Shanghai at? He's just arriving, really, and apparently couldn't resist the urge to make something of a dramatic entrance, from the crowd. In fact, the first anybody notices the berserker is when he puts his hand on the railing of the footbridge that Sakura jogged out from under moments before, and then leaps over the railing and down to the bank, behind his opponent. "Heh, so it's you, huh?" Shen says, apparently not noticing the smell as he walks towards the ring, grinning wolfishly as per usual. Well, at least he knows this is going to be interesting!

Well... there's a shocker. Twisting around to face Shenwoo with a grin, shadowed by the low sun, Sakura waves her hand in greeting. "Looks like it!" Turning to slip into the ring, she fiddles about with her handguards and paces to the center, talking to Shenwoo over one shoulder. "Looks like this'll be the first time we're fighting for an audience or somethin', huh? Maybe I'll be able to actually knock you out this time, y'know?" Lacing her fingertips together, she stretches both arms over her head. "I mean, we always had good fights =before=, so I got plenty to look forward to, right?" She lashes her finger out to Shenwoo, the light hitting her back in juuuuust the right fashion for a dramatic backlighting effect! *Shiiing!* "Don't disappoint me, Shenwoo!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.

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Sakura           0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Shenwoo has joined the fight here.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura


Likewise stepping over the barrier to enter the ring, Shenwoo is already quite ready to throw down! ...But then again, when isn't he? He could probably punch people in his sleep. Though then he'd have to deal with a copyright infringement lawsuit from one Kelvin Anderson. The tall young man slips into his casual boxing stance, leading with his right fist as per usual, tilting his head a bit at Sakura's, well, dramatic display. "Hey, I wouldn't think of it," he calls back, in response to the comment about 'disappointing' her. He's here to have fun, after all! And once the League official signals the start of the fight? Shen does what he does best, and launches right off the mark towards Sakura, throwing his left fist forward in a rushing punch. "GRAAAAAAAH!!" Hi, Sakura!

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Shenwoo's Gekiken.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Sakura


Well... okay. Maybe that wasn't the -best- way to start a fight... especially considering how =fast= Shenwoo can get in and get a lunging punch in. And it wasn't even his devilish right hand, was it? At least Sakura's able to do something about it, twisting sharply to the side and taking the punch on her shoulder and forearm. "Kyaaah!" she shouts in a belated attempt to fire herself up -- of course, it's shouted in the midst of sliding backwards from the blow, -almost- to the point of ramming against the surrounding barrier! Of course, that's when she decides to hit the ground in a roll to regain her own control. Leaping back to her feet, she shouts, "Man, I almost forgot how -hard- you hit!" shaking out her numbed right arm. It's shaken, but not useless -- for it's only a moment before she's curling it up again, a brilliant bloom of blue-white chi erupting from her hands. "Just don't think I won't punch back though!" Slamming her hands forward, Kasugano unleashes the concussive blast towards Shenwoo with a loud cry: "HADOOOOUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Shenwoo with Medium Hadouken.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Sakura


Uh oh, not another one of those damn Hadoukens! Shenwoo tries to get out of the way of the chi blast, but it doesn't pan out how he was hoping, and instead he gets quite solidly hit. "Heheh," the tall, lean fighter chuckles, but while the blast slows him dow, it doesn't /stop/ him. Instead, Shenwoo keeps right on Sakura, wisps of her chi still clinging to him, as he reaches out to try and grab her by the wrist and give her arm a sharp, wrenching twist. "That stuff hurts!!" And so will this, if things pan out!

COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Quick Throw from Shenwoo with Shou'ou Ken.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0           Sakura


Sakura's known for three things. One -- fanservice, albeit of the unintentional type. Two -- Hadoukens, of which Shenwoo is made aware of fairly painfully so far, in this and previous fights. The third is a bit rarer, though only slightly less potent: her self-styled take on the Shoryuken rising uppercut. For while Shenwoo seems to be aiming for Sakura's leading wrist -- the left one, by necessity of her upper right arm still being somewhat numb and hurting -- the young schoolgirl is a bit more amped up than that.
In a way, she actually seems to -let- herself be grabbed. Shenwoo might find it hard to wrench -too- hard, though, as the Ansatsuken Angel is practically running -into- the man, slamming a fist up at the underside of his jaw with a cry of "SHOOOO'OOU KEN!" Never mind the slightly blurred afterimages trailing behind her. This might hurt!

Hey... Gutsy! Shenwoo can certainly appreciate that. So he gets Shou'ou Kenned, which knocks him around pretty good, but the tall man starts... Laughing, as he gets to his feet. "Ha ha ha haha! That was a good one!" he says, shaking his head. Yes, he can always count on Sakura to provide an interesting fight, and that's what matters, really. And even as he gets to his feet, and Sakura is presumably landing on hers after the kick, the berserker spins right around on one heel and tries to smash his foot right into her face, with likely enough force to knock her back pretty hard. "RAAAH!!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Fusen Kyaku from Shenwoo with Large Hadouken EX.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

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Shenwoo          1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1           Sakura


Sakura's skirt flares out as she falls back to the earth, but a bright grin remains on her face. Considering her past performance in the Neo League fights, she still finds it hard to believe her performance so far -- but just as she lands, she realizes it's -much- too early to be cocky! There's a foot coming straight for her face! "Oh cra--"
But she doesn't even get to finish that thought before her muscles seem to be acting on their own accord! Spar one-on-one with Ryu enough times and the muscle memory's bound to kick in, after all. As such, when the kick comes rocketing in, Sakura's hands are already out to one side, a mote of light formed between them. By the time Shenwoo's kick actually -connects-, though, the ball of light has grown to nearly half Sakura's size -- and it's blocking the path of the God of Battle, engulfing both of the fighters whole!
It might have seemed a bit suicidal, but the bulk of the lopsided concussion blast was still aimed towards Shenwoo -- and the kick -did slam into Sakura's chin, her baseball cap flying off as she staggers backward. Rubbing her chin, she's just about to charge back in and keep hounding Shenwoo... till she comes to a realization. Patting the left side of her head, she realizes with chagrin that the hat's flown away... and turns ghost white. "Oh crap..." Holding her hand to the side of her head, she runs back and grabs the hat, pulling it back on! What the heck?
"Whew..." she comments, turning back to Shenwoo with a slightly embarassed smile. "Sorry 'bout that!" Maybe the cameras didn't notice the patch of thinned hair. Damn ninjas.

Holy fudge! Shenwoo gets blasted back, landing on his back some distance away after doing some rather uncomfortable rolling, and boy howdy, was that not how Shenwoo had seen all that going. "Nice," he says, still rather complimentary despite the one-sided nature of this fight so far. It's pretty impessive! "But I'm not done yet," he says with a laugh, still grinning wolfishly as he watches Sakura, perhaps a bit more wary now!

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo focuses on his next action.

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Shenwoo          1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1           Sakura


Shenwoo, standing back and watching? Sakura scratches the side of her head. The... -other- side. Sakura finds this a bit unusual, since she's used to Shenwoo just hauling off and smashing stuff. Maybe some of her friendly jibes about training have set in? Or maybe she's just stalling for time to get her hat situated back into position. "Well, I'd be pretty disappointed if you were!" she notes with a faint smirk.
And then she laces her fingers together again, cracking her knuckles backwards as she extends her palms toward Shenwoo.
"Think you'll be up to finishing me off, then?" she asks, drawing her elbows back, then locking them at her sides. A breeze kicks up, stirring her skirt and headband into motion. A miniature cyclone, a pocket of fresh air. "'Cuz I still got plenty more!" chirps Sakura, cheerfully!

COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.

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Shenwoo          1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1           Sakura


Well, there's more to Shenwoo than just attacking constantly without any thought to it... He didn't get as far as he did by not having any brains at all. "Only one way to find out, huh?" he says, in response to Sakura's question about whether or not he's up to finishing her off, letting out a slow breath before he starts running forward, and then he /lunges/ forward, his figure blurring slightly as he tears towards Sakura with a frightening amount of speed, his hair and shirt trailing behind him as he throws his beringed left fist forward again! And then there's that shockwave of energy that centers on his fist, enveloping the tall, lean fighter as he rockets towards his opponent. "SHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits Sakura with Zetsu Gekiken.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1           Sakura


Grinning sharply as Shenwoo launches back into battle, Sakura's mood improves considerably! Waiting around for something to happen's the worst part... actually -acting- and -reacting- is the fun part, after all!
And... it looks like Sakura's got plenty to act on here! She certainly isn't gonna be able to -stop- the human freight train from plowing towards her, but darn if she ain't gonna try anyway! "I'm ready for you, Shenwoo!" she calls out, the tempest swirling around her attaining a brilliant blue hue in anticipation of Shenwoo's impending attack. His fist slams into it, and for a moment, it looks like the storm will keep him at bay, Sakura's jaw muscles taut as she holds her hands before her defensively. For her, time becomes an eternity as the wills struggle -- if she could hold him off just a little longer...!
For the rest of the world, it was hardly the passing of an instant, with Shenwoo barely slowed down at all. His fist lands squarely in the schoolgirl's sternum, sending her flying backward, her legs finding themselves snared in the flexible tensabarrier, as she flips back and around. *fwip-fwip!* But when she lands, face-first, it's within the barrier! Not that ring-outs count or anything, here...
"Gnnh..." complains Sakura, pushing back to her feet. "Okay, okay, you miiiiight just pull it off, then!" she admits, springing back to her feet and dusting off the front of her uniform shirt. "If you're lucky!" But she doesn't just -stand- there... she runs off to the side, hoping to give the quick berserker a moving target! "And if you can catch me!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1           Sakura


See, there, now that's more like it. Shenwoo's wolfish grin remains in place, and the tall man shrugs his shoulders. "Luck is something you make youeself!" the berserker declares, letting Sakura dash around for a moment... And then he shows off his surprising speed once again. For a moment, the self-styled 'God of Battle' seems to be in two places at once, a fading afterimage staying in place as he moves to intercept the running Sakura, thrusting his right leg out in a straight-legged kick, trying to drive his heel somehwere uncomfortable. "RAAAH!!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Light Kick from Shenwoo with Shou'ou Ken.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1           Sakura


Well... Sakura -did- need to make some time, stalling to catch her breath... or perhaps just getting a better grasp of her surroundings. Who's to say? But whatever the reason, Sakura needed a break after that punch! But when Shenwoo closes in, the schoolgirl hops backwards, wary for whatever might be coming up close. Then she sees it -- the opening she's been waiting for! She rushes forward to intercept -- though, unfortunately, she'd underestimated the speed of the strike and gets -nailed- in the stomach just as she's hoping to rush forward and bean the guy in the chin. "Shoou'OWWW!" Rebounding back, flipping around twice before landing in a heap ... that's not how the Cherry Blossom Punch is supposed to go!
Picking herself back off the ground, Sakura slaps her cheeks. She ain't done yet ... but it's been said enough this fight! So instead, she steels herself, clenching her fists by her side and donning her most threatening expression. "Hnnnnnnnn!"

No, that didn't seem to work out the way Sakura was planning it to at all! The berserker gives his head a bit of a shake, still grinning as he watches Sakura get back up after that kick. Shen twists slightly, leather pants creaking as he chooses his next action... Once again lunging forward at the fighting schoolgirl, crossing the distance between the two of them in the blink of an eye... And reaching out to try and grab her by the front of her school uniform. Oh no, Shenwoo has become a masher! ...Actually, he's just grabbing her to try for a headbutt, you pervs. "GRAAAH!!"

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits Sakura with Strong Punch.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/-----==|=======\======-\1           Sakura


Still a bit woozy from that last strike, Sakura's hardly in any condition to get the heck out of the way of the grab, her arms flailing to either side as she tries to leap out of the way. It's of no use, though, as she still takes the headbutt -- hard! So hard her uniform starts pulling apart at the seams, actually... but it's still in one piece, as a further diss to the pervs. To heck with 'em all!
Staggering backwards, her eyes watering from the sheer pain even though she's too hardk0r3 to cry, Kasugano nonetheless keeps herself standing -- albeit, curled to one side. "Y-yeah! Do it again, c'mon!" But while she's making her bold call to action, she's also summoning a fiery blaze of chi at her side. And, taking one small step forward, the blue flames make one giant leap from her hands, a six-foot-wide blast rushing out to swallow Shenwoo whole. "HADOOOOOUKEN!" Secretly, she's wondering juuuust when the man's gonna be plowing through it, just for the sake of tradition...

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo blocks Sakura's Large Hadouken EX.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1           Sakura


You know, one of these days Shenwoo is going to need to figure out a better way to deal with this sort of thing. When Sakura hurls another blast of chi energy at him, it's all he can do to get his arms up and in the way of the attack, knocking aside much of the concussive force and letting his tattooed forearms bear the brunt of the energy-related burning. "Heh," he laughs, and alas, he's not ploughing through this one... But he is running straight at Sakura again, undaunted by the pain of her attack. And again, he spins on a heel, twisting to thust out his right leg again at her gut, trying to smash her with his heel and ideally take her out of the fight. "ORA!!"

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits Sakura with Tenrenshou.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1           Sakura


[OOC] Sakura says, "ow. T_T"

No one ever said Sakura went down easily. Well, except for the Dolls. And they're just bi---bad like that.
But Sakura -does- have to fall sooner or later, that much is certain. Especially when a guy hits like he's made out of brick wall -- a ... really quickly-moving brick wall. The analogy sucks, but it doesn't mean Shenwoo's heel hurts any less when it slams into Sakura's stomach, the lithe-bodied schoolgirl folding over it like a soft taco shell.
These analogies aren't getting any better, so let's just cut to the part where Sakura falls to her knees, shaking visibly as she turns a fiery, determined gaze back up at Shenwoo, and just spreads her palms wide. "Heh... you know what's coming =now,= dont'cha?"
Well, maybe he does, maybe he's thinking 'fireball'. And if so, give that man a prize! Electricity + chi + determination + sheer force of will = "Shinkuuu... HADOOOOOOUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached second wind!

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Shenwoo          0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Sakura


COMBATSYS: Shenwoo endures Sakura's Shinkuu Hadouken.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura


Okay, that's probably not a good thing, is it? Shenwoo doesn't do what anybody might expect, though, as rather than try and get out of the way, or block again, the berserker just runs forward, ploughing right through the Shinkuu Hadouken with a wild, animal roar. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!" And he's still coming, that's the frightening part; bearing right down on Sakura for a big, bad shoulder tackle, trying to knock Sakura off of her feet and then he rears his beringed left fist back again for a big, bad punch aimed right at her head. "AAAAAH!!" This might hurt!

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Shenwoo's Saikouhou-Geki.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Shenwoo          0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura


Probably not a good thing, no! Especially since the blowback from the do-or-die, all-or-nothing fireball seems to have its own effect -- propelling Sakura backwards and putting her right back on her feet! Her lungs fill with air again as she flashes a grin back to Shenwoo. "Thought'cha had me, didn'tcha?" And the truth is... he might have, if Sakura weren't bound and determined to give the man a good showing!
And that includes bracing herself for the tackle! In this particular case, Sakura meets it by hopping up, nimbly tucking herself into a ball. She practically -lets- herself be tackled in such a fashion, but by doing so, she's knocked back a lot further than Shenwoo might like -- allowing her to curl up low, ducking right -under- that rushing fist. "Hee-hee..." she croons, watching Shenwoo for just a moment, gauging his reaction.
And then suddenly she leaps into a backwards somersault, one kick arcing up towards the berserker's chin, only to be followed by the second one in short succession as she flips backwards. "Somersault Shell!" she cries out, shamelessly borrowing a move from =another= fighter's library! ... But perhaps it would've been better if she called out 'Flash Kick' instead...

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Sakura with Tenrenshou.

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Shenwoo          0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura


Having been burning the candle at both ends for pretty much this whole fight, Shenwoo breathes raggedly, and yeah, he was kinda hoping that attack would take Sakura out, especially after he stood his ground against her big ol' fireball to land it... But no such luck. And then there's that kick of Sakura's! Well, Shenwoo does /try/ to counterattack when she does it, but maybe he's just too tired... Because he doesn't manage it in time, stumbling back from the attack. "Geh... Heheh..."

Leave it to the fangirl! Sakura lands upright once more, throwing her arms to either side for balance. She's not quite as good at the backflipping kick as Charlie, but it's clearly something she might wanna practice later, right? Right. "Heh... even if I =do= fall down, I'm takin' you with me!" notes the scrappy schoolgirl... right before launching herself headlong at Shenwoo. She closes in with a hopping spinkick to the side: "Senpuu Kyaku!"

COMBATSYS: Shenwoo fails to interrupt Light Kick from Sakura with Tenrenshou.

[                          \\\\  <
Sakura           0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Shenwoo can no longer fight.

[                          \\\\  <
Sakura           0/-------/--=====|


And again, Shenwoo's attempt to interrupt Sakura's attack is quite handily forestalled... Well, whatever his feelings about luck might be, it wasn't entirely on his side this time. Shen gets kicked, staggering a bit, and then he slumps towards his knees. "Heh... Damn. Well, I gave it my all," he says with a laugh, worn right out quite aside from the damage he's sustained over the course of the fight. So it's probably not all that surprising when he falls onto his face, out like a light!

Well... it's surprising to -Sakura-, at least! She draws one arm up, bracing for what she expects to be an impact even in the midst of her kick. She's glad to see that there isn't one, and springs back in anticipation of something more... but when Shenwoo just slumps over, well, that's it, right? Cocking her head to the side for a moment, she gives the man a slight snicker in response. "That's all I ask for!" she adds with a smile, crossing her arms over her chest. The baseball cap casts a dark shadow over her eyes in the waning sunlight, but that steady breeze, ever-present, is enough to keep her skirt and headband in motion as the referee, and the camera crew, swoop in for the kill. Er, the scoop. Whatever they call it!

COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.

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Sakura           0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.

Log created by Shenwoo, and last modified on 06:20:50 01/13/2006.