Description: Arriving in Southtown, Luise decides to throw herself into the fighting world immediately. At an exhibition match at Howard Arena, she fights one of the locals, who shows Luise that Southtown means business.
The world of Southtown is something considerably different than the place Luise calls home... or at least her former home, the quiet forests of southern Bavaria. In Germany she was surrounded by quiet villages and the restful old world charm of Europe. Now in Southtown she is adrift in a sea of faces, neon, cars, and urban life. Of course, it's not without reason. Luise has a purpose here...
In truth, however, she isn't bothered by the hustle and bustle of Japan's biggest city. The pulse of everyday life runs through the streets of Southtown, vibrant and ever-changing, and that pulse energizes Luise, gives her a sense of connection to the people around her. Deciding that the first thing she must do was to introduce herself to the street fighting world of Southtown, the young German woman asked locals until she could finally find Howard Arena and ask for an opportunity for one of the many exhibition matches that the place hosts to cover everyday costs.
It is thusly that we find Luise now, sitting in a chair and drinking coffee from a steaming to-go cup, wincing somewhat at the heat as she takes the first sip. It was up to the arena promoters to find her a suitable opponent, which they promised to deliver soon. Now all she needs to do is wait.
Sakura Kasugano is far from bothered by her hometown -- she'd rather live here -- in the center of the fighting universe -- than anywhere else in the world!
But she may not be a 'suitable opponent' per se, as the young King of Fighters champion has been buckling down on her studies the past few months, under her parents' standing orders. She's all but vanished from the fight scene, so an outsider might be forgiven for not recognizing the Southtown schoolgirl's name. Once the announcer calls out the new and unfamiliar name of Luise, the crowd responds with a healthy amount of enthusiasm, as fans are always eager to see a fresh face. But the crowd goes wild at the previously-unannounced surprise of Sakura Kasugano returning to the ring for this special exhibition! Perfectly in sync with the announcer's cry, a pyrotechnic explosion erupts from the far gate, with the schoolgirl's arms folded, her skirt flapping about dramatically in the smoke that remains.
"Sorry to keep you folks waiting!" she cries out, the tomboy's voice amplified manifold by the PA system, a broooooad smirk upon her face as she turns towards her competitor.
But then her eyes widen a bit. This =is= a new face, Kasugano realizes. She's never fought anyone quite like Luise before!
"W...wow..." stammers Sakura, taking a few halting steps forward, reaching out to Luise to offer assistance. "Are you gonna be okay to fight? I mean, you look kinda... uh... " Gulp. "Pale."
Sakura's not exactly the most tactful fighter on the circuit.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Hm... the opposition has arrived.
Luise looks up from her cup of big name franchise coffee to see Sakura looking down at her out of the ring, offering a hand. Raising one dark eyebrow, the German chuckls as she slowly stands up, placing the cup at the edge of the ring near her carryall bag and declining the offer. "Not everyone is given to outdoor play," she says, her voice carrying no accent or trace of her heritage whatsoever... unnervingly good, in fact. She speaks like a native.
Placing both hands on the side of the ring, Luise effortlessly hoists herself up and over the side, glancing at Sakura as she does so. "I assure you, I'm in perfect shape. My name is Luise Meyrink. It's a pleasure to meet you..." And here, a quick but noticeable pause, before she continues, "...Sakura. I hope for this to be a fun test of your skills."
Sweeping into her corner of the arena, there is a subtle change in Luise as she prepares for battle, shaking her arms down to her sides and then... floating, just a tad, off the floor of the ring. Barely an inch, but the faint sparks of blue light that dance about her as she does so bespeak someone with extraordinary ability. "Please, begin when you are ready." Her smile is gentle, almost inappropriately so for the battle that is about to commence.
COMBATSYS: Luise has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luise 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Luise sure is smiling a lot. Coupled with what Sakura clearly considers to be a sickly pallor, the schoolgirl is more than a little unnerved. If her master were around, he'd no doubt remind her that looks can be deceiving -- an assurance echoed by Meyrink's own words. But the hot-blooded Taiyo student has been itching for a good fight, and that gentle affirmation is all she needs to convince the rational part of her brain (small though it may be) that it's time to begin.
Worry melts into a bright smile, as the schoolgirl pitches forward with an upraised fist. "Alright, then! But don't expect me to go easy on you!" On that note, the tomboy breaks into a rapid sprint for Luise, the announcer stuttering in surprise, "F-FIGHT!" It's a good thing Sakura can't be disqualified for jumping the gun, here!
When she gets close enough, Kasugano will tilt forward and rocket a leaping punch right into Luise's guard. She's not kidding -- she's =not= going easy! "HYAAAAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Luise dodges Sakura's Fierce Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Luise 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's master may indeed have been right; Luise's frail appearance belies a combat awareness that's second to none. As Sakura speeds toward her the woman taps her foot to the ground, almost like a musician setting a tempo, and then as the Taiyo schoolgirl gets within striking range she spins to the left, elbows extended, almost like a ballerina doing a turn.
However, when she stops the look on her face is one of impressed approval. "My... you're quite energetic. It makes me somewhat nostalgic for my youth." Deciding to take the advantage, Luise spins back toward Sakura in another dance-like motion, bringing her leg high and then swinging it forward in a circular kick toward Sakura's shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Light Kick from Luise with Flower Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's opening moves leave something to be desired, clearly. She tries to make an impact, and many opponents have historically been able to turn this to their advantage. Luise is no exception, as she's able to twirl to the side with such grace that Sakura ends up looking like a cavewoman, comparatively.
While Sakura's strategies by and large suck, however, her reflexes can often be surprising! The momentum from her overcommitted punch leaves her crouching with one hand on the stone arena floor, but her instincts are hard at work, alerting her to what's coming at her from behind. A whirling kick from above? Sakura's muscles respond before she can even identify the threat, springing off the ground with a spinning kick to counteract Luise's! Her quick rebound from the floor allows Kasugano's kick to whip right past Meyrink's foot, the toes of her Chuck Taylors slamming into the paler woman at roughly the same time as she feels the impact upon her shoulder.
Dropping to one knee, Sakura returns a plucky grin as she hops backwards. "You're pretty quick yourself!" she chirps!
Wincing with pain as Sakura's kick sends her stumbling (well... floating) back a foot or two, Luise continues to consider her opponent carefully. Sakura's personal energy is... radiant. One doesn't need Luise's special senses to ferret that out. And for the German, that bespeaks a certain type of personality, and thus she continues to smile despite having taken a rather nasty kick to the stomach for her troubles. "It's best to play to one's strengths, I find. I like to dance, and so I made it the basis of my style of combat."
Closing the gap with the Taiyo schoolgirl, Luise mounts her own counterattack. "Allow me to show you what I mean!" Once she gets close, Luise becomes a graceful, whirling cyclone of strikes, her blue-glowing palms out and arms extended, she makes a series of spins, hopefully driving her arms like a windmill into Sakura over and over before spinning backwards into stance once again, seeming to dance on air the entire time. Of course, Sakura's shown her talent for ruining others' plans once this fight already...
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Luise's Quartet of Oblivion.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura had saw Luise 'floating' before, but assumed it was just a trick of the eye. Magicians do that all the time, after all! But it's not until Kasugano realizes that Luise didn't just =fall over= that she gives the 'floating' thing a second thought. "... Oh. Huh..." is her intelligent response, as Luise elucidates upon the origin of her unique fighting style. "Neat," she says, her eyes are on Luise's feet.
That changes, of course, once Luise shifts from 'defense' to 'attack', closing in with her hands glowing blue. So she has powers as well? Kasugano smirks faintly, curling her arms forward and leaping back to where she can watch Luise's hands windmill from relative safety. "Wow, remind me not to square dance with you, then! That looks like it'd hurt!"
Kasugano seems to have gotten an idea, though, as her hands are glowing a bright blue of their own, as they uncurl from their defensive stance. That boyish smirk only grows larger as the schoolgirl flips her palms forward, adding, "And here's how =I= roll!"
Sakura's never been one to use urban speech patterns quite... correctly. But the ferocious blue flames erupting from her outstretched palms, rushing out to Luise, are more than capable of doing the girl's speaking for her. Though she adds, just in case, a rather loud shout: "HADOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Luise fails to reflect Medium Hadouken from Sakura with Treacherous Ballad.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
There's no concern on Luise's face as the nimble girl somersaults away from her attack; as she comes out of the spin unscathed she floats back into place, observing Sakura carefully. She expects some sort of immediate reprisal; her impression of the schoolgirl suggests that she doesn't play the waiting game, like a fencer or a boxer... she gets right in and mixes it up until it's over.
Case in point: the sizeable blast of chi headed Luise's way. Her blue-tinted lips purse for a moment, more in thought than consternation, before she brings her hands forward and, rather than blocking, appears to draw a circle in the air with both hands, blue light trailing from her fingertips. Unfortunately she underestimated the speed of Sakura's attack just a tad and the circle isn't yet complete when the Hadouken crashes into her, sending her back a 'step' or two again. Brushing her hands down her jacket, the German favors Sakura with a wry smile. "You're full of surprises, young lady."
Sakura really doesn't know what to expect from Luise. The plucky Taiyo brat's a bit rusty on combat, and plus, her opponent's just =unusual= to boot. But those are two factors that might affect Sakura's playbook if she were actually using one, instead of her current tactics of just getting in close and swinging till she hits.
The concussive impact of her Hadouken seems to please her, at any rate. Even if it =is= mostly just blind luck on her side, the cocky schoolgirl is smug enough to attribute it to skill instead. "Heh, I get that a lot!" she quips, scratching her nose with the back of her handguard.
Though... she =can= ask a few questions of her own. "You been fightin' long?" is one such question, directed at Luise since her stance is... well, not quite the =typical= stance for a fighter. Kasugano shuffles her feet back and forth for a moment -- folks who don't float need a moment every now and again to regain their sense of balance, see -- before closing in once again.
But it's not with a punch this time -- rather, a blindingly direct thrust kick to the abdomen, hands thrown in contrary directions for balance! "Hyaaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Luise dodges Sakura's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Luise's earlier display of evasive agility was impressive on its own; what she does to avoid Sakura's kick is nothing short of spectacular, her body almost a blue blur as she glides out of the way like a butterfly on the wind, the attack passing harmlessly through the space where she just was. It also gives Luise some much needed breathing room; dealing with Sakura's full-bore assault took more out of her than she expected and, while she's not in bad shape, it never hurts to stop and analyze the situation a little bit.
Besides, the lazy circle as she moves around the ring, studying her opponent, gives Luise some time to respond to the banter. "In public? No, not long... I am self-taught, you see, so I wanted to refine my art before I exposed it to the public eye. Fighting is a performance, after all... a different kind of performance than what people might be used to, but still..." She waves a hand to encompass the crowd with a pleasant expression. "Here we are."
COMBATSYS: Luise gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
'Self-taught.' The words ring true to the young Ansatsuken disciple who found herself with the uncanny ability to lob fireballs without much effort at all! But... the self-taught student knows she =also= had a significant amount of difficulty breaking into the professional fighting circuits... so the dismissal of out-and-out combat practice against true opponents makes her cringe, ever so slightly. Mind, Luise didn't say she =didn't fight=, but that's how Sakura interprets it. "How can you know how good you are if you don't fight out in the open?" she responds, forehead creasing slightly. Far from 'mad', young Kasugano's feathers are nonetheless a little ruffled by the comment. Coffee-colored eyes track Luise as she paces around, skirt fluttering lightly as she bobs in anticipation. "If all you've had is dress rehearsals up till now, you picked one heck of a place to start!"
And, just like before, she takes off like a shot, rushing towards her floating opponent with a punch. This attack, however, takes a different route, both hands balling together as she makes with an upwards-rising axehandle. "HYYAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Luise dodges Sakura's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
The German fighter's response to Sakura's question follows unbroken by the Taiyo schoolgirl's attack as she twirls under it, hoping to use the dodge offensively to get at Sakura's back. The young fighter is quite nimble herself, after all, and Luise's strong point is not her thunderingly powerful striking ability. Like the butterfly that decorates her clothing, she must be nimble and selective about her opportunities to strike. "I wasn't concerned with being 'good'," she says, sensitive to Sakura's change in mood and made curious by it. "Simply by meeting my own standards. Everyone has different goals."
Turning sharply, the pale blonde suddenly brings her flared-sleeved hands upward and then swings them both down toward Sakura's back, looking to shove the girl toward the ground with a nice heavy push. "I don't know that I would call my training up to now 'dress rehearsals', however."
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Luise's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura can't help but notice that another of her rushed attacks was evaded. Maybe the third time's the charm! Or maybe she should stop raging like a bull against a fighter clearly more evasive than she. Who knows?
Regardless, Kasugano's got a Pi-qua-quannish palm strike aimed towards her back, and that =really= wouldn't be fun. Reflexively, she twists to the side, dulling the impact with her elbow but still finding herself forced backward. Stumbling for balance a moment, she rushes forward again. She's listening to Luise, honest! Don't interpret her reaching for Luise's outstretched as a lack of attention, really: she may be aiming to grab Luise, and hammer-toss her off to the side, but she's still fascinated by the discourse! "Hnngh!" Really!
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Luise with Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Luise 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Apparently "Hnngh!" is the magic spell that distracts Luise enough to make Sakura's throw stick, and stick it does; the German is caught momentarily unawares and goes flying... fairly far, too, since she's not particularly heavy or anything, as Sakura can likely tell once she gets that hammer-toss maneuver going. Of course, that also works to Luise's advantage once she hits the ground; the blonde is able to quickly bring herself to her feet and back into the fray, using her nimbleness to, if not eliminate, then at least minimize the damage.
She glances at Sakura for a long moment, trying to puzzle this girl out. Something has clearly upset her internal balance, though without knowing the Taiyo schoolgirl Luise is stumped as to what. Deciding that the best way to match this is to keep fighting at Sakura's pace, she glides across the arena and makes a grab for Sakura's collar. If she can get hold, Luise seemingly effortlessly spins to Sakura's side and twirls her through the air in a spiral, telltale lines of blue light flickering about the only indication that something other than a simple toss is going on. "May I ask how long *you* have been fighting?" Time to change the subject.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Helix Prelude from Luise with Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Luise 1/----===/=======|=======\=------\1 Sakura
'Hnngh,' yes. Great spell, that, swiped it from Haggar last time she was in Metro City. Of course, she'd also been =hit= by it a few times in the past, so she knows what it's like on the receiving end too: dizzying!
Sakura flings out a foot as she twirls, sneaker squealing against the concrete as she spins to a halt. "Um... hmm! About--" She doesn't get to finish that, however, as Luise is reaching out for her collarbone. Bad touch, bad touch! Sakura's short-circuiting reflexes once again do her proud, the immediate reaction not an evasion this time, but a counterattack! Luise does get the girl's left shoulder, that flickering blue light sending waves of numbness through her nerve endings -- but the sensation isn't enough to deter her reaction, a punishing uppercut to the abdomen that only grows more fearsome as Kasugano puts her full 92 lbs to work, leaping into the blow! "SHOOOOOU'OOOU KEN!" She has the strength of the Dragon Punch behind her now!
And ... well, now it's =her= turn to float, though it's more thanks to her aerial punch and the parachute effect of her skirt. It's also her turn to gloat: "Oh, about three years now, I think! Something like that, anyway." Insert smug grin here.
Not how Luise expected that exchange to go... and now her inability to land solid hits on Sakura is starting to show. Something is keeping her from looking bruised and bloodied, but she definitely looks... tired. Still, she's got it in her to bring herself from the floor and resume her bizarre floating posture. However, now her smile is gone. To Sakura, this probably appears to be a reaction to losing.
How sad for her that in reality, it's Luise's disappointment; when the battle began, Sakura seemed full of energy, vivacious, enjoying the give and take. Somehow, however, the German woman senses a change in what the fight is really about. Deciding to test the waters for now, she flexes her fingers and then ducks forward, aiming a knife hand thrust at Sakura's tummy. "And why is it that you fight?"
COMBATSYS: Sakura endures Luise's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Luise 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Luise is ... upset? Sakura doesn't know what brought that on, really -- she's just determined to give Luise everything she's got, just like she said she would at the beginning of the fight. If Sakura were actually =upset=, she'd likely be even more devastating.
But empathic, Kasugano is not. All she sees is a neutral-to-sour expression, and a knifehand coming for her abdomen. If she'd wanted to, she could block it -- but she decides that leaving an opening might actually be a =good= thing, as it lets her get a bit closer to the evasive German.
A sharp gust of wind is forced out of Sakura's lungs from the blow, but it's about to be returned with a decidedly direct straight cross to Luise's sternum. Regardless of the attack, Sakura finds time to comment, "For the fun of it!" And from the broad smile on her face, it looks like she means it!
COMBATSYS: Luise fails to counter Medium Punch from Sakura with New Moon Nocturne.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Luise 1/--=====/=======|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Perhaps it's the sudden, mercurial shift in Sakura's attitude that catches the normally perceptive Luise by surprise; perhaps she's simply taken too bad of a beating so far and can't properly focus on the defensive. Regardless, she makes an attempt to snap out a hand and catch Sakura's punch, intending to send her briefly skyward, but the schoolgirl's blow powers right on through it, shoving Luise's hand back toward her chest somewhat painfully and literally shoving the German woman back across the ring more than a few feet.
Wincing with pain, Luise still finds her smile returning, somewhat; whatever it was about Sakura that caused her to frown, the schoolgirl's answer to Luise's question appears to satisfy her, or at least placate her. "I am inclined to believe you," she says simply, and it's the truth... still, she feels a conflict within Sakura, unresolve, that gnaws at her as she waits for Sakura's next move.
"What," Sakura asks with a bemused grin on her face, "do you think I'm trying to trick you or somethin'?" The tomboy shakes her fist to the side, as if slinging water off of it. And not long afterwards, she reaches to her left shoulder, rubbing it lightly as she approaches Luise at a reasonable pace. "I mean, would I be here if I =didn't= like fighting?" And, the naive Sakura naturally believes that Luise's motivations are =exactly= like hers.
But... for a moment, she actually pauses in her assault, feet balancing shoulder-width apart. "I just think it's fun, y'know, puttin' my body to the ultimate endurance test!" And in a much-too-cliche pose, she gathers her elbows to the side, fists clenched tightly as a swirling vortex of cerulean chi takes shape around her. Smiling guilelessly, she shrugs her shoulders mildly. "What about you, huh?"
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Luise 1/--=====/=======|=======\=======\1 Sakura
"Trick me?" Luise asks, sounding bemused. Sakura's building up for something big... and so she decides not to attack, herself. After all, every performance needs a grand finale, and things are always quietest right before the climax. One might argue that she's stalling for time, and perhaps she is... but the baited breath of the audience tells her, in her heart, that this is the right way to do it. Every audience is different, after all.
Instead, she continues to float there, looking at Sakura appraisingly. It's as if Luise's entire opinion of the fighters of Southtown rests in how Sakura comports herself, from the way Luise is looking at the girl. Still... "But what's in people's hearts isn't always what's on their faces, or their tongues." She smiles again, hoping to defuse the comment somewhat, before answering. "Why do I fight? Hm. Perhaps... to realize my potential? Maybe that's the best way to say it."
COMBATSYS: Luise gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Luise 1/---====/=======|=======\=======\1 Sakura
Luckily for Luise, Sakura had taken no offense from the earlier suggestion, and she takes none now. "Mmm, fair enough! I like to think I say exactly what's on my mind, though!" Many others would agree -- she doesn't even =bother= sugarcoating her opinion in many cases.
Indeed, with all the energy she's gathering, it ought to be quite clear that she's gearing up for a huge attack. At this point in the fight, the idea of 'saving for later' isn't really high on the list of priorities. After a bright flash of light, Sakura's energy ebbs to a faint blue aura surrounding her form -- she's either reached a particular 'limit', or else she's just showing off. Either or, really. But the point is -- she's no longer rooted to one place, but instead striding confidently up to Luise, since the elder seems to be curious about Sakura's final move.
And yet, Sakura's guileless smile persists. "Yeah, I like doin' that too! I've already gotten a bunch stronger so far, might as well keep it up, right?" Cool, collected... she's conducting this just like any other conversation, except for the faint blue glow about her.
At least, it's a simple walk until she gets close enough to dash forward again. A quick one-two punch is aimed at Luise's face, before Kasugano follows with a rising uppercut! And should that uppercut hit its mark, she'd land quickly, and rocket a second, altogether beefier uppercut to send Luise a-flying! "HA! HA! HAAAAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Luise interrupts Midare Zakura from Sakura with Overture to Farewell.
> ///////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Luise can no longer fight.
> ///////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
And now, the climax of the battle, as Luise predicted. She doesn't have a lot to say in response to Sakura's comments; indeed, everything she really needs to know, she already knows. "One should always seek to better onesself," she agrees, watching Sakura warily as she advances. In her mind, the drums are already rolling in the background; the cymbals are prepared to crash, the brass is ready to go.
Sakura holds the conductor's baton, and she drops it when she lands her first two punches, their swiftness catching Luise completely by surprise and lifting her into the air during that first mighty uppercut. However, the grand finale is yet to come; as Sakura heads skyward for the true finish, she finds the German balancing on her fist in mid-air with one hand, smiling at her... it too is guileless, with no arrogance. A simple willpower.
"Just remember, you shouldn't improve only your body." The blue-white glow around Luise intensifies until it is practically blinding, and suddenly around her torso appear a ring of eight crystal-like orbs, circling her and pulsing with light. "Consider this my farewell overture, Sakura, and may we meet again. Now... come, finale of starlight!"
The resulting blast conceals Sakura and Luise from the audience, as a massive pulse of pure white light bursts from the eight orbs, bathing Sakura in a blinding flare and directing her back toward the mat. And when the Taiyo schoolgirl recovers... Luise is gone. Perhaps that last attack reduced her to dust?
A stunned official trundles into the ring. "And our winner... a hometown favorite, SAKURA KASUGANO!" The crowd goes wild! But... where's Ms. Meyrink?
The last Sakura knew, everything was going according to plan! She landed her opening punches, she landed her uppercut, and even the blinding blue-white light is right on cue--
Wait, when did that become part of the combo? That's not her chi! That's... OH YOU TEMPTRESS. By the time Sakura's able to comprehend what's going on, well... she's blacked out for a moment, having experienced what folks might call 'lost time'.
That is... she finds herself flattened on her back, with absolutely no idea how she got there. Sitting up, she looks around with a dazed expression. Rubbing the back of her head, she finds it starting to swell -- apparently she'd landed head-first. Ow. The audience is... cheering? Maybe? It's hard for Sakura to know, at first, but once the telltale chant of 'SA-KU-RA! SA-KU-RA!' is heard in the stands... well. It's time to stand up and raise her hands for the victory, right?
If only the memory of who she was just fighting hadn't been knocked out of her!
COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.
Log created by Luise, and last modified on 12:14:29 03/05/2007.