Description: Meeting for a rematch in the Neo League, Sakura and Frei compare notes about their progress the old fashioned way: by beating the hell out of each other. Frei has a nice run of initial luck, but in the end, Sakura pulls out a narrow win. (Winner: Sakura)
You know the water you'd see on Captain Planet all the time? Brownish stuff with occasional junk floating by, tin cans, whatever? Then they'd all summon up the Cap and he'd be all spinny around and somehow this would suck the pollution out or something? Yeah. That pretty much describes the Southtown drainage river perfectly. Only there's no Wheeler, no Linka -- indeed, nary a Ma-ti -- to point their rings heavenward, shout "BY THE POWER OF TIME-WARNER-TURNER!", and call up some blue-skinned do-gooder to de-sludgify that morass.
The question this raises is: why is Frei fishing in it?
For indeed, that is what Southtown's Monk of the Year 2005 (he even got a tiara and sash) is doing, sitting on a pedestrian bridge with his sandals beside him, legs pushed through the spaces between guardrail bars and a line on a simple, primitive wooden pole dipped into the water below. He's even humming, though in deference to his character he's humming Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger". You see, Mr. Tsukitomi-Renard had a league fight date today, but as it was in Southtown he was early enough to get in some fishing first. Once his opponent arrives, that'll be something different.
Frei blinks as he feels a tug on the line, eyes widening. Why? Because he's probably about to pull up Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish. However, once the monk retrieves his line all he gets is... nothing. Apparently something down there took the bait and left the hook. Well, if there'd been a hook.
With a sigh, he reaches into the styrofoam cup beside him, withdraws another gummi worm (lime), and ties it on the end of the line before plunking it back in the water.
The camera crew is a bit confused. That's the guy they're taping, right? That guy up there on the bridge? Yeah. There's plenty of 'wtf' flying around on the Masters Network airspace about the circumstances surrounding this fight. Thankfully, most of the onlookers have the common sense to keep high vantage points away from the river itself, until the actual fight begins.
Sakura Kasugano... well, she's a bit disappointed to be dragged back to Southtown for a Neo League fight. She'd rather enjoyed the world-spanning hijinks -- plenty to keep her mind off stuff. Stuff? What kind of stuff? The kind that involves her bringing her usual Taiyo uniform to the fight =minus= the long white headband, obviously. She's wearing a smile as she walks up, though it's rather vapid and clueless one, used to wave to her adoring fanbase -- the ones with clothespins over their noses.
Though, as steps up onto the bridge, she sees Frei sitting there. And rests one hand on her hip, tapping her foot lightly. "... Hey, if you've 'gone fishin' for the day you should at least have given an hour's notice." A smirk grows, but she's still got a bit on her mind.
It's a testament to Frei's unflappable nature that he doesn't whirl around in shock when he hears a voice address him and he can't see it. It could be that his finely-attuned sense for chi means he's never surprised. Or it could be that he hears voices all the time and is only surprised to find that they AREN'T all in his head. Either way, the monk doesn't turn around immediately. "Well, you know how it is. When you're in the enlightenment business every moment of every day is a power lunch. I just can't spare the time off."
Finding a spot to hold the pole upright and not have it launched immediately into the (sort-of-a) river by the current, Frei dusts off his hands, picks up the styrofoam coap, and then stands up and turns around, blinking in surprise. "Oh, hey, it's you. Neat, I was hoping to get a chance to fight you again!" He reaches into the cup and withdraws a gummi worm (orange/cherry mix for those keeping score) and pops it in his mouth, offering Sakura the cup. "Bait?"
Blinking with uncertainty as Frei goes about answering her, Sakura scratches the side of her cheek. She'd faced his quirky nature before, but not -televised- before. Maybe he just doesn't care? ... And that's probably a hint that she should be similarly unhindered. The possibility is dismissed with a shrug.
"Y...yeah!" she nods. "Well, now's your chance," she follows up, still a bit distracted by whatever thought's going through her head. Though, once the cup is offered, she laughs gently, "Sure." And reaches out to take a grape-flavored gummi worm from the cup. At least, she hopes it's grape-flavored. "Thanks!"
Popping that poor defenseless gummi worm into her mouth, she takes two steps back, balling her fists. "So... we doin' this here..." she asks, indicating the bridge itself as she bobs lightly into her defensive stance. "... or on the shore?" The rest of the gummi worm is still hanging out of her mouth by this point, but it gets drawn in bite by bite. So =very= mature of her.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Frei has joined the fight here.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
"Here." Frei's answer is instant and insistent. However, he has the proper decorum to be embarassed about that and cough afterwards, then grin as he sets down the cup of gummi worms and gets into stance a little ways back from Sakura. "I mean, that sounded like a rhetorical question anyway, but can we throw in a rule about not chucking people over the side? I know how to swim, but I suspect the river's lost a lot of buoyancy over the years..."
Taking a deep breath, the monk glances at Sakura for a moment. Something's missing here... but what? Shrugging it off, he tightens his own headband and flexes his fingers a little. "Alright. Round two! I've learned a few things since the last time we did this, though," he says with a smile. "Lemme show you!" Making sure Sakura's all set before he does so, Frei rushes in, then launches himself skyward and drives an axe kick down at Sakura's shoulders in midair, a crescent of fire erupting in the path of the kick. "Watah!"
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Sakura with Kouen no Tsurugi.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's made up for the lack of preparation in her -last- fight, suitably getting herself prepared before this one. So she's quick on her feet, and ready to move out of the way as Frei announces his intention, closing in for an axe kick!
... Wait, what, it's on fire? Maybe Sakura's just forgotten, but she didn't remember -that-. Pretty lights! She raises her arms to defend, but it's too little too late: Kasugano withers under the flames and gets dropped to one knee from the blow. Harsh'd!
"Ugh, geez... you're right!" she exclaims! When she stands, though, it's with a high whirling roundhouse, aimed at knocking Frei away to a safer distance. She counterbalances herself with a wide-flung arm to the side: "HYAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Sakura's Medium Kick.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Rebounding off his own attack, the monk is ready to spin around and grin sheepishly from the compliment. Just in time to find Sakura launching a kick at him. Blinking in surprise at the quick recovery, he throws an arm out to the side, deflecting the kick with his forearm but wincing in pain regardless. It was a messy block, and it shows. "Oof!" At least it gives him a chance to take a step back and breathe for a second. "Well, I have to. This town's full of strong fighters. Plus it's just... something I want to do, you know?"
However, the fight's just getting started and Frei wants to keep momentum, so he doesn't waste too much time on conversation. Instead, he drives back into the fray </pun>, running... past her? Well, sort of; the plan is to grab her arm as he dashes by, then drop the ground in a slide, pulling her after him and then springing up and around to plant both feet in her tummy before bouncing away to safety! Well, that's the *plan*, anyway. Good thing Frei's pretty light.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Frei's Medium Throw.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura doesn't expect to be tugged about by the arm, when she's still in the midst of retracting her kick from the skirt-flipping roundhouse... but nevertheless, that's what happens! It's only after the girl spins about to shadow Frei that she's able to jerk her arm free -- thus saving herself from a fall to the ground. "Almost!"
Though... Sakura mulls over Frei's words for a moment, as she bobs back and away from Frei, giving him room to recover. "Yeah, I guess this is what I wanna do too!" Fighting's the thing she knows how to do best, after all! And with Frei suitably positioned, Sakura charges in, clearly aiming to run =up= him, plant her feet on his chest, and springboard back from him, knocking him to the ground. Her plan's that obvious? Maybe, but... Yes, yes it is. "Yut-ttaa!"
COMBATSYS: Frei dodges Sakura's Sailor Shoot.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Sakura
The monk seems pretty pleased that Sakura agrees with him. After all, most people are happy when others agree with them, but Sakura herself was looking a little listless when this fight started, and Frei is actually kinda happy she snapped out of it, or at least kindasorta did. So happy, in fact, that he's barely paying attention when Sakura just sorta... runs at him. "Well, that's gooWAH!" Eyes widening, he hurls himself to the side just as Sakura runs at him, putting himself out of the way but forcing him to throw out his hands to catch the guardrail and keep from tumbling over it. "...that coulda been bad."
One good turn deserves another though, right? And now that Frei has some gauge, this won't be a mispose! Deciding to strike while the iron is hot, he dashes at Sakura is a fashion very similar to the one she just tried, looking to kick off her torso and spiral through the air, hopefully deterring pursuit with a nice blue-purple bolt of electricity from the sky. Risky and a little haphazard, but just as Sakura's was, pretty darn effective if it works!
[OOC] Sakura says, "Frei Tsukitomi-Renard: Breaking down the fourth wall since 2005. C_C/"
[OOC] Frei >_</
[OOC] Frei says, "You know you love it. <3"
[OOC] Sakura hees, yeah. :)
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Tenrai Enbu from Frei with Shou'ou Ken.
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Frei 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Sakura
There's not really anything Frei can do about the =root= cause of Sakura's greivance today, but he can help distract her from it -- which is why Sakura's smiling now, of course. Even if it's only a faint one.
But... hey, kicking off of girl's chests is =not= a good thing! Narrowing her eyes at the repeated gesture, she voices an initial complaint: "Hey, that's my--" But rather than just -talk- about it, she takes action! She launches forward, meeting Frei with an uppercut.
That was the =plan=, but Frei's plans take priority, stuffing Sakura's run cold and planting Tsukitomi-Renard's freet right on top of her. It's a good thing Frei's still relatively lightweight! The electrical bolt is what stuffs her though, forcing the girl to stagger backwards from the slight sizzling. "O...ow... " she laments, shaking her numbed limbs out. And then her face. That kinda hurt. "Oof. Nice one..."
Getting back up and turning around, Frei rubs the back of his neck in embarassment. Yeah... he'd only used that move on men so far, and he realized about midway through Sakura's attempted counterattack that maaaaaaaaybe the torso is a little high to aim on girls. He's an opportunist, but he's not mean. Besides, one fighter already tried to smack him in the crotch with a *huge guitar*, so he's not unsympathetic either. "Uh, thanks. It's still in revision, though, you know, so..." He has the decency to blush. "Uh, sorry."
However, the distance between Frei and Sakura is actually pretty advantageous for the monk, since he blew a lot of energy on that initial assault. So, he stays back and gathers his strength, the wind resonating with his chi and whipping his clothes about as he grins at Sakura. "I'm betting you've been improving too since the last time we fought, so I gotta go all out!"
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
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Frei 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's not =terribly= upset about that. It happens, after all! "Eh, fair enough!" Can't get in a fight and then argue that your opponent's hurting you too much after all.
It's been a few months since they last fought, so Frei still speaks a true statement... even if Sakura's personal development has hit a roadbump over the past few weeks. Considering the circumstances, Kasugano just nods in reply, a distant grin sliding across her face. But... she's not too eager to race to close the distance between him and her... but that's not to say she'll refrain from attack.
Quite the opposite, as a plume of blue flame erupts from her hands, as she curls them behind her. "Kindasorta, yeah!" she chirps out, confidence building at about the same rate as her bright blue orb of energy is growing. She takes two steps forward and unleashes the blaze of energy, letting out a loud shout as she ushers a four-foot-wide concussive blast across the vast expanse: "HADOOOOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Frei just-defends Sakura's Large Hadouken!
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Frei 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Sakura
And there it is: the chi technique that actually piqued Frei's interest in Sakura to begin with. While the monk wasn't exactly looking forward to getting HIT by it -- her Hadouken put a dent in him last time he won't soon forget -- he was hoping to SEE it a second time. It's like... chi pokemon. Gotta see 'em all. It's probably fortuitous for Frei, too, that he was already gathering his chi, because he's going to need all of it and then some to deal with that attack. Biting his lip, Frei decides to take a chance and goes all out: thrusting his palms forward, he all but puts them *inside* the Hadouken, pushing outward with chi counterforce. The result is a VERY pretty lightshow as Sakura's powerful energy rages against Frei's aura, blue flame spilling off in all directions.
What's left at the end is a shocked-looking monk, surprised but unbowed, staring at his hands. "...whoa." It actually takes him a minute to register what just happened, and he shakes his head vigorously, as if he'd been smacked in the face. Working purely on instinct, he cuts a hand through the air in a downward crescent, a scythe of purple energy lashing out at Sakura with considerable speed. "Moon shadow!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Frei's Tsukikage.
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Frei 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Okay, Sakura didn't expect =that= much. ... Of course, she hasn't exactly been firing on all six cylinders for a while, so perhaps that should be expected. "Huh." she comments, as her Hadouken splashes around Frei's aura like water on a newly-waxed automobile. Impressed? ... Kinda, yeah, and she gives a faint smile in appreciation. "Cool."
But when Frei comes close with his downward crescent, Sakura's already on the move again. Hopping backwards, she raises one hand high, taking the arc of energy on her padded handguard instead.
"Keep it up!" she insists cheerfully, continuing to withdraw -- and once she gets a moment, she leaps into a high backflip, twisting about in midair, and landing securely along the railing of the bridge. "You're giving me a real workout here, Frei!" An authentic smile is passed to the young man as Sakura curls her fists up tight, a bright blue wind stirring her skirt and fluttering her hair into motion around her. "Haaaaaaa!" Clearly... that last Hadouken is only a herald of things to come!
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Frei 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Sakura brushing off his attack is one thing, but the resulting acrobatics are certainly another. Frei can't help but grin at the Taiyo schoolgirl's antics, and also at her vigor. She's got energy to burn, something the monk finds himself a little envious of now and then. Of course, he's no slouch in the wire fu department himself, and with a nod he cartwheels backwards, then up onto the railing monkey-style, on the opposite side of the bridge from Sakura. "Workout, huh... well, if you insist!"
Deciding he rather likes being at a fair distance from Sakura, Frei gathers bluish chi of his own in each hand, tinged with white and sending crystals of frost into the air around the monk. "Be careful how you dodge, though!" he cautions, hurling two cups of chilly chi at the charging cheerful cherie. "You end up in the river, I ain't diving in to save you without a hazmat suit!"
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Sakura with Hyoushou Rengeki.
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Frei 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
Words to live by, folks. Luckily, Sakura's already anticipating something like that. Part of her strategy, even! Just that... well, she didn't expect it to be quite so =cold=: when she throws her hands up to block the strike, letting the winds she's called up aid her... well, her hands wig out from the sudden chill, effectively leading to her whole arm getting covered in frost. Wigging out, Kasugano makes a dive for the bridge, rolling into a brief tumble to get the crystals shaken off. "Ugh, geez..." she laments.
"Fine! But don't expect =me= to come fish =you= out either!" she shouts back, at least delivering a cheery response. But rather than go for something gutsy, she instead tries for the simple -- a high kick, made only slightly more distracting by her skirt flaring out like a peacock's tail. "HYAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Frei endures Sakura's Light Kick.
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Frei 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Oh, that's bad. Because he wasn't really thinking to knock Sakura off the bridge, but if that kick lands on poor Frei, it's right into the drink he's going to go. And to be honest, if you have to choose between heading into the Southtown River and getting kicked in the face by a pretty girl? Really, the pretty girl is going to win out every time. Thus, when Sakura goes for the boot to the head, Frei brings the head to the boot by practically DIVING at her.
For a brief moment, Sakura is actually holding Frei up in midair by the force of her kick, her foot planted squarely in his gut. However, he's grinning as he hangs there. "If it's you or the river, I pick you," he singsongs, bringing both hands to bear and exploding the space between himself and Sakura with gold-red yang chi in a big spherical burst. If it works, it'll give him a chance to roll off to the side and recover. If it doesn't... he's at Sakura's tender mercies.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Frei's Hizashi.
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Frei 1/---====/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Well, it works, but Sakura's tender mercies are... okay, full stop, start over.
She'd managed to kick Frei, but due to his rather precarious positioning, her immediate reaction was to pull her upper torso back and shield herself with her arms. It tends to be a 'good' thing, considering the reddish-gold blast crashing into her -- it woulda =sucked= for that to scar the so-called pretty girl's face, yes? Yes.
But it also means Sakura's hideously off-balance, and falls onto her side as consequence. "Nnf!" she laments. But she's also quick to snap out of it -- whirling her foot about to crack into Frei as she attempts to get back to her feet. "Sen'nou!" Whatever that means.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Frei with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\====---\1 Sakura
Oh, so he doesn't have to roll to the side! Frei can just drop to his feet! Hey, that's even betWHAM.
Had he gone with the original plan and headed off, there's a chance Frei could have minimized the damage there. As it is, however, he decides to stay right where he is... and instead gets hit in the head so hard he goes tumbling end over endacross the bridge, rolling to a stop just before it reaches the sidewalk on the opposite side. It takes a minute before the monk even MOVES, let alone says anything. Did Sakura just win with a shocking surprise KO?
Not exactly. "...ow," Frei manages, pulling himself to his feet. "Man, that plan sounded so great in my head, and look where it got me." He gives Sakura a sheepish smile, then falls back into stance, wobbly but not quite out just yet. "Okay! I think I'm alright. Though three of you to one of me..." HE wobbles a little, then snaps upright again. "...kinda unfair."
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
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Frei 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\====---\1 Sakura
Shaking her arms free of the numbness inherent with taking blasts like that, Sakura returns to a proper stance with a subdued smile. Subdued... because she could =feel= the burn there. Kasugano knows she's still got her work cut out for her in this battle, though... and while it might be a =good= idea to charge back at Frei, she's got a very small window within which to operate before the Tsukitomi engine comes on-line -- if the warm-up procedure is any indication.
And that means she's got to act now! Dashing in, Sakura unleashes a rapid punch to the chest, before following up with an uppercut from the off hand -- and if she's lucky, she'd chain that into a whirling kick to the side. "Hya! Hya! HYAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Frei with Medium Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1 Sakura
Okay, so maybe Frei wasn't exactly ready for Sakura's counterattack after all. He looks ready to gently interpose a hand in front of her initial blow and turn her ever-so-tenderly off to the side where she'll hit the air, which didn't just get kicked in the spleen hard enough to rocket him across the ground like a croquet ball. What ACTUALLY happens is he misjudges by a mile, diverting Sakura's punch up into his FACE and lauching himself downward into her followups, which luckily send him flying up and behind Ms. Kasugano onto the bridge. Where he lays there for a while.
Very carefully, he stands up and faces Sakura again, looking... considerably worse off than he did just a second ago. Still, he's not out just yet. "Okay, so... that didn't work out exactly like I wanted it to, but I'm ready to keep going any ti..." He wobbles backwards, as if drunk. "...okay, maybe not ANY time..."
COMBATSYS: Frei gains composure.
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Frei 1/=======/=======|=======\=====--\1 Sakura
Sakura knew that her performance in the beginning of the match was woefully substandard. Now, though, she seems mildly placated, knowing that... well, damn, that woulda hurt -anyone-, even the masters of the sport!
Still... Frei's not immediately charging back with an attack. This might be considered weakness -- but considering Sakura was in a similar position not far back, she knows it's just a pacing measure. And that... that means she's doing the right thing by keeping the pressure on! "You sure? Cuz... there's a hurricane coming through!"
And to give definition to her vague statement, Sakura presents for Frei's edification: A Whirlwind, As Told By One Chuck Taylor All-Star. That is to say, Kasugano dashes in close to the young man, whirling her foot around for a series of four complete revolutions, each a punishing blow intended to sweep him right off his feet and into the next strike. And if those were to land as planned, she'd stand and deliver a final whirling kick at medium height to send him flying even =further= down the bridge. "HA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Frei with Haru Ichiban.
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Frei 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
*SMACK* Followed by *SmackitysmackitysmackitysmackitySMACK*
That's the past few seconds of the fight as presented by Onomatapaea Theatre(tm).
Frei is ready to block, he really is... he's just not expecting the attack to come in LOW, and thus is woefully unprepared for Sakura's assault when it comes crashing into his shins, taking him along for the ride and then... well, hurricane-ing him a good one until Sakura's final kick sends him crashing against the guardrail with a loud metallic *CLANG* (one more for the fans).
"...I guess not," the monk replies weakly, getting to his feet. This is gettin' kinda crazy. But he's not out yet; in fact, he's looking better every second, though 'better' is sort of a relative term in this case. "I had good luck to start, but I think you being a better fighter is shining through," he says with a sheepish smile, gathering two familiar spheres of icy chi and then hurling them at Sakura, the orbs intending to merge, then pelt her with a shower of hail and hopefully keep her the hell away for five seconds. "I'm not done yet, though!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura overcomes Hyoushou Rengeki from Frei with Medium Hadouken.
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Frei 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura scratches her head, at that. Better fighter? ... Eh, =maybe!= "Flattery gets you everything, you know!" she quips, not even sure what the =real= quote was. Damn internets making her over-reliant on Google searches to correct her flawed memory.
But Sakura -remembers- what that icy chi did to her last time -- and she's in no mood to repeat the experience! Curling her hands by her side, she summons up a massive amount of her own chi, hustling it forward and unleashing it at Frei's blast. "HADOOOOUKEN!"
And her Hadouken crunches through the icy crystals, churning them aside and plowing onward toward Frei. *FWOOSH*
COMBATSYS: Frei overcomes Medium Hadouken from Sakura with Hizashi Ronde.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Breathing heavily, Frei just grins raggedly at Sakura. It is taking some serious effort for him to keep going in this fight, but he flashes back to his battle with Yuri Sakazaki... and resolves to keep going until he can't anymore. Never mind the fact that with some carefully-applied wardrobe changes and some replacement dialogue Sakura could BE Yuri Sakazaki. Regardless.
As Sakura's attack comes in, Frei puts his hands just apart over his chest, palms in and gathering an innocent looking sphere of golden chi. "I think it's 'everywhere', not 'everything', but realistically I don't see the difference," he says cheerily, before hurling the sphere at Sakura's incoming attack... and, with a sound not unlike two billiard balls colliding, the tiny sphere just knocks it right out of the way. That's what you get for compressing power down into a tiny space... but of course, when the orb reaches Sakura, the resulting explosion of colorful chi fireworks is a little diminished for the effort. "Happy fourth!"
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Sakura with Hizashi Ronde.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Happy fourth? Sakura seems a bit perplxed by that, partially from her current long-term state of mind, and partly because she was surprised by the *clack!* sound.
Then it all becomes clear, as she flubs a last-second attempt to hop out of the way. "Oh, right, =fireworks!=" she comments, rubbing her eyes as she backs away in confusion. That stuff is =bright=, even if it didn't hurt her quite as much in the long run. "Heh... yeah, you've improved a bit since last time!" It's an honest compliment!
But Sakura refrains, this time, pausing a moment to stir up the winds of change again. "But we've still got a bit further to go, yet!" she notes with a grin, as the hem of her skirt flails into motion yet again. "Haaaaaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Frei 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
Well, now it's on.
Frei gives Sakura a manic grin. After all, she's got an attitude he can resonate with, and resonate he does: getting into a defensive posture, he too summons up his inner strength, hoping to gather enough will just to stay this fight out a little longer. With both fighters in full-on DBZ mode, the kids in America are probably eating this up... of course, Frei already busted out his Kamehameha, so there's not a lot he can do now but try and look cool. "That's what I like to hear!" Frei says with a smile.
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
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Frei 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
Well, with two pillars of flaming energy streaming into the sky, it's only inevitable that the battle end with both fighters leaping at each other with a ginormously powerful punch, right?
... Well, the thought =had= crossed Sakura's mind. But instead she'd decided to recall the gathered blue energy into herself, break into a maddeningly fast run, and lurch herself forward into a leaping jump kick instead. "HRAAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Frei with Medium Kick.
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Frei 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Telegraphed, and Frei's already in a defensive posture. Should be a snap to avoid, right?
Frei doesn't even get a chance to get a "haHA!" out as he reaches out a hand to divert Sakura's kick and instead gets a boot to the head to end all boots to the head, snapping his cabeza back and sending him stumbling backward a number of steps; only some quick thinking at the very last second is able to keep him from tumbling over the edge. "..dear god that hurt," he mumbles, clutching his nose for a moment.
And boy, does he look... well, ready to be taken out of the oven, iced, cooled, and served with jam. Giving Sakura a ragged smile, Frei shakes out his arms. "This was fun. We'll have... ow... to do it again sometime." He grins, then slowly climbs the railing and stands on it, precariously. "Now, for the big finish!" And then he, uh... flying body splashes Sakura. Which probably would work better if he had more mass, but for a moment he is a majestic eagle, soaring the sky, limned by the sun's rays.
"TUUUUURNBUCKLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!"
Way to ruin it.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Strong Throw from Frei with Small Hadouken EX.
[ \\\ < > ////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Landing in a low crouch from her leaping kick, she looks back up to Frei. Again? "Oh, sure! Any time!" chirps the schoolgirl -- apparently this fight has done =wonders= for her self-esteem, at least in temporary fashion.
But since he seems to be climbing up on the railing, and presenting a large target to the schoolgirl, Sakura couldn't help but walk towards the light. She pulls her right hand back, a small blossom of blue energy forming there, and when Frei splashes down, Sakura slams her palm forward to meet him! "HADOU-SHOOOU!" And you thought that was only in the Versus games!
Of course, the bulk of Frei's weight is still transferred into the girl, via her palm, but the small-scale detonation of chi energy throughout his chest might give Frei some food for thought. Shaking her palm out from the strike, Sakura looks back at Frei, one eyelid shut from the toll she's sustained thus far in the battle. "Heh... we'll =definitely= have to fight again. This battle's close!"
...well, that was probably not on the list of stuff Frei had expected Sakura to do. For example, "run like hell" was up there, as was "push him off to the side", not "EXPLODE HIS FACE". Thus his green eyes widen in shock as Sakura improvises a chi attack on the fly, knocking the monk clear across the bridge and sending him sprawlilng. He's down for the count.
Or is he?
Maybe it was just Sakura's comment that energized him, but the monk struggles to his feet, grasping one arm with the other in pain, but still smiling, even if it is a little forced. He's been beaten up pretty damn bad. "More fun when... they're close, right?" he says, before pushing his hands out. Around Sakura, the winds suddenly start to pick up, and for once the schoolgirl's not the reason. It's a slow build -- she probably has plenty of time to run away -- but if she doesn't, a suddenly blast of wind knocks her skyward, and in a last ditch attempt to show her what he can do, Frei leaps up after her and then just drives her into the ground with his shoulder.
Either way, soon after he gives Sakura a thumbs up... and then topples face-first onto the bridge. Game, set, match.
COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Frei's Ame no Murakumo EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-======|
Well... while it =may= have been better for her to dodge out of the way, there's something to be said for standing her ground. She'd started off the fight slow, and Frei's managed some amazing strokes of luck... so she considers the safer route to be much better.
... She doesn't think the blast will come from =below= though. Her skirt notices before she does, and consequently, the audience gets a bright flash of blue that has absolutely zilch to do with her fireballs, for the instant before Sakura's knocked upwards into the air. The shoulder charge, though, is met with a jacknifed arm, dulling its impact and allowing her to land safely upon both feet, a fair distance from Frei's landing spot.
Sakura starts to charge forward -- but then she sees he's about to do his faceplant deal, and throws her hands up to either side. "W-whoa."
Walking up, she cocks her neck to one side, looking down at him. Of course, her fist gets pumped into the air, but that's just a victory gesture for the fans. "You alive down there?" she asks with an impish smile.
COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.
Sakura's question is met with... snoring. Looks like Frei pushed himself a little too hard. Walking over, the fight official takes Sakura's hand and raises her arm high with his. "And the winner... Panties!" The crowd's cheering goes SILENT before the announcer looks mortified, QUICKLY drops Sakura's hand, and scrambles a few feet away. "...I mean, Sakura!"
As of eight p.m. that evening, Sakura's face is =still= red.
Log created by Frei, and last modified on 16:21:56 03/28/2006.