Description: Sakura and Rock battle it out in Masters Stadium, while Megumi and Ken discuss business arrangements.
Ken is currently seated in a box office seat preparing to watch a nice fight. It's a simple fact, but it speaks about Ken Masters a good deal. He is
dresssed in a business suit, sipping a Diet Coke and eating a hot dog. He just got out from a business meeting, ending it early just to make sure he got
to this fight. After all, he wants to see how Ryu's student is doing as well as have some time to destress. After all, working on length business plans
gets old after awhile. Still, getting ready to watch the future of the world beat themselves up give him a special joy that few things can compare to.
The announcer is currently reving up the crowd, getting ready for the main event that the agents got for this 'totally random and not at all put on
Saturday Night to steal money from Geese' night. And considering that he's got two of the most promising fighters around, he just might steal a bit of
ratings from Geese. Which, of course, is totally accidental.
Megumi has spent the last several minutes looking for Ken, asking around, and eventually getting pointed in the right direction. And so she comes up to the door to Ken's box seating, knocking on it a few times. She's here rather unannounced, but pretty relaxed about it while waiting to see if he answers.
Rock Howard will fight for Ken Masters any night of the week if it means it'll hurt Geese's prominent Saturday Night Fight promotion. He doesn't expect that Neo League and it's various spin-off exhibitions will ever topple the giant, but he's going to lend his fighting talent and considerable celebrity to it as much as he can, all the same.
After having trashed the lobby of Masters Arena a few nights ago in an impromptu Neo League match against Acacia, the raining number one in the world, Rock pinged on the Masters Promotions radar. He was in the vicinity. He had caused considerable damage to the arena. He owed them a marquee matchup that could recoup the losses. It didn't take Howard very long to consider the offer and agree.
Now, he's been in the wooden ring for a few minutes, loosening up. He's not wearing his usual red Terry Bogard jacket because it got incinerated and he hasn't had a chance to get a new one back in Southtown, so instead, he's just got on a black t-shirt, black pants, and his fighting gloves. Bouncing around the ring, performing a few shadowboxing punches, Rock waits for his secret mysterious opponent to emerge. He notices Ken up in the owner's box and cracks a crooked grin.
Sakura Kasugano... is nowhere to be found! This is not new behavior for the Taiyo schoolgirl though, as quite a few matches have her showing up late. It's part of her, um, charm! Yeah!
As for this little exhibition match ... well... Sakura's grown tired of arrangements for Saturday Night Fights, just because of the =horrific= stipulations her parents place on them. She has to study for entrance exams, still! She has to focus on schoolwork! Et cetera, et cetera, it's a total drag! But with a clearly scheduled match, for a friend of her master's, against a longtime rival... how could the Ansatsuken Angel refuse?
But no, even though it's a major departure from the norm that she's eager to participate in, the schoolgirl's still late. She just is. The first warning of her impending arrival is a Neo League official moving out of the way, split seconds before the thunderous echoes of the tomboy running through the halls at roughly Mach 0.5.
-thum-thum-thum-THUM-THUM-THUM-THUM-THUM-SCREEEECH!- And just like that, Kasugano skids to a halt on the wooden floor, arms flapping to either side for balance. "Hhhhey! Sorry I'm late, Rock!" She makes a quick, furtive glance up to Ken's box seating, then offers a hesitant, apologetic smile! "Hope you weren't waiting long!"
True to form, the girl's dressed in her school uniform, skirt billowing out slightly as she bobs into her traditional fighting stance. Breathlessly, she smiles just the same: "Ready when you are!"
Rock's starting to wonder if his carefully selected opponent is ever going to show up. Stopping his revolutions through the dojo-floored arena, he turns his head to squint up at the owner's box. Hopefully, Ken will catch his look and understand his confusion. Is anyone going to show up? Am I getting conned here? Being messed with?
It ends when the crowd suddenly erupts in cheers. Sakura's a much more popular fighter than Rock Howard. Rock has a strong following and high fame stat because of his bloodline and previous success, but he's not exactly a face. Or a heel. He's kind of grey. That attracts an alternative crowd of followers than the normal white/black fans.
Turning to face the oncoming fighter, Rock breaks into a rueful grin when he realizes that it's Sakura. And that she's late. It all makes sense now. Hanging to the perimeter as the girl leaps into the fighting area, he waits until she's already greeting him and taking up her fighting stance to give his own greeting. "Hey Sakura... You like nice."
"But I /hope/ you're ready," he says, starting to half-circle the arena, sizing her up already. "You're gonna need it. I've been training with the best fighters in the world!"
"Should we turn on the fanservice fans for her tardy nature and disregard for timeliness, Master Masters?"
"What the hell have I told you... No calling me, Master. No making me out to be some evil warlord... And NO FANSERVICE FANS FOR THE HIGH SCHOOLERS! Last warning, you're out of here."
"But... But..... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
With that, Ken's creepy aide is thankfully fired, but he doesn't do it quietly as he runs out crying. The bodyguards outside Ken's box just quirk a brow to the fleeing aide before looking toward the young woman who has made her way toward the box, just getting out of their seats to speak to the woman. Considering that she isn't confirmed as one of Geese's henchies, no silent alarms are activated and one of the guards asks, "You have business with Mister Masters?"
Megumi is definitely informal about this, but nice enough as Ken's hired muscle show up. "Hope so. Nothin' super-urgent, but I'm hoping he'll like what I have to say. So, yeah...business, just nothin' world-shaking. If he's busy, I can try again later?"
She looks... nice? Kasugano laughs nervously, nodding her head to Rock. "I, er... thanks!" she stammers, waving to the fans. Sure, there's quite a few here, but the fans have never bothered her before! In fact ,they're more often the inspiration to rock harder, than anything else!
As long as there's no fans to blow her skirt up anyway. BYE BYE, Mr. Aide! Good riddance! "Best fighters in the world? Well... if you're not training with me, Ryu, and Ken, you're obviously mistaken!" A smug grin and a wink are passed -- she knows full well she's stating a falsehood -- but she has to be at least =something= of a smartaleck! She looks up toward the box, and hehs lightly. Raising a flattened hand, she beckons to Rock with a faint grin. "Well... since I've =obviously= got the home court advantage, why don't you show me what these world-class fighters have taught you?" Bring it!
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
"Pleeeaaaase," Rock says, sarcastically, to Sakura's comment about Ryu, Ken, and her being the only fighter's in town. He doesn't go on with a rant about why Terry Bogard is the man among men who could fight the planet and win, though. He just shakes his head with an amused grin. Home court advantage? Rock's red eyes snap out to the audience. "Yeah, okay," he agrees after a moment of eyeballing the Sakura Legion.
Planting his booted feet into the wooden arena floor, Howard shifts his body into his usual Hakyokusaken fighting stance. Bringing his hands up, his fingers tighten and untighten as he locks his eyes onto the other teenager -- sizing her up. Satisfied that there is nothing out of the ordinary here -- nothing overtly different about her from the /last/ time they fought -- Rock exhales a breath and finally acts.
Feet pistoning into the ground, he grinds his toes against the hard wood floor to gain speed, and comes straight at Sakura to employ his more sizable mass (it's rare that he outweighs anyone) against her in a straight up diving spear-tackle.
"...Business. State the short bit of it here, and we'll see if, Mister Masters is interested in the matter. The boss has a lot of people wanting to talk business with him."
The guard deals with Megumi as Ken just focuses his attention toward the fight for the time being. After all, he knows that Rock has been taught by Terry or someone with a similar fighting style. Rock has also seemingly been taught by Geese as well. An interesting combo that Ken might have to look into later. Right now, he will just have to see how this young man fares against Sakura.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Rock's Quick Throw.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Megumi takes that pretty well, though her arms fold together. "Well. I'd think he'd recognize me, since I'm not just 'some people', but...lookin' to do some promotional stuff with him, in this arena or wherever else he's settin' events up."
Heck, yeah! Sakura actually cribs from Terry's playbook every now and then. Hadoukens: expected. Shoryukens: useful. But the look on an opponent's face when Sakura feeds 'em a Burn Knuckle: Priceless!
But since Rock is attacking first, she won't need to rely on that particular fight opener -- she can pivot to one side, bracing herself so that her forearms can accept Rock's charge and direct it elsewhere! "Hnn!"
But she won't stay on the defensive for long, though -- no, with Rock nice and open, the girl tilts towards Rock, aiming to plant her knee right up into the Howard boy's stomach! "Hyaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Medium Kick from Sakura with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Rock has become increasingly more tactical with his fighting style as he's gained experience. He has, at heart, the analytical fighting mind of his father. It just usually evaporates by the thrumming and pounding demands of his emotions. Anger, rage, frustration, they all fuel Rock at any given point but he's learning to conquer and control them. He's even learning to see the volatile emotions he goes through in a fight as benefits and things he can harness for more fighting power.
But for now, he's doing a good Geese Howard impersonation. He's letting his opponent play into him. With his initial strike slowed, his momentum deflected back at him, he pivots back to his full height just in time for Sakura's follow-up strike. Her knee rises towards his chest and Rock is prepared.
Both of his hands shoot down to intercept the knee with their palms, pinning it before it can slam into his chest. The impact against his hands grinds his heels across the arena floor, but just as he starts to skid, he releases his grip and sends all the force into his legs. Leaping over the girl, Rock's body contorts into a untucked flip that sends his booted foot slamming into the back of her head on his downward arc.
He lands a few feet behind her in a crouch, rises, and turns around to grin. "Too slow."
Too slow? Why, Sakura ought to-- Oh right, Rock's the kind of person who actually talks trash back to the tomboy. It takes a while for her to remember that, and... well, the boot crashing onto her head helps with the memory.
And like Rock... well, the master is orders of magnitude calmer than the hot-headed student. Something which Sakura probably =should= emulate, but... well, doesn't always.
But now's a good time to start, right? "Alright, you got me there..." the Ansatsuken student concedes, pushing back to her feet and raising her palm to the boy as she takes a few steps back. "I've been fighting a bunch of world-class fighters too, y'know!"
But this time... she waits. Again. Because she never knows if her master will be watching this battle!
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
As the battle of the youth continue on, the bodyguard gives a simple "Just a moment" before heading into the box to speak with Ken. A few second go by before the guard comes in. "Mister Masters will see you now." The guard offers before opening up the door to let Megumi go through.
As Megumi comes in, Ken's gaze is still on the fight, watching it with an interest that most fighters have. "...So, what's up, Megumi?" he asks in a conversational tone that doesn't seem distracted in the slightest.
Megumi waits, and when signaled to go through, she steps in with a simple "Thanks." It takes a moment to spot where Ken is...she's not used to the business suit look. "Ah, hey. Not too much, but," She walks over to stand beside him, looking down to the match at hand and even offering a quick wave - it's debateable if Sakura and Rock will even see it, but it's there. "I've been thinkin' about doing some stuff here. Just something simple like doing some ring-girl bit on the side, y'know?"
"Good," Rock says back to Sakura, sounding hungry. He lives for this kind of thing. He always wants his opponents to give him the best that they got. It's the only way he'll ever improve his own technique; it's the only way he'll know where he stacks up and how far he's come. And he knows, he knows first hand how far he has to /go/ in order to get to that point he wants to be. In order to be able to defeat Geese Howard.
"I want you to show me /everything/ that you've got," he continues, wiping a gloved hand across his forehead to deflect some of his blond hair from sticking to his eyes. "It's the only way we'll know if we're getting stronger."
Knowing he can count on Sakura to give him that, Howard takes a strong step forward. His body blisters, the wood floor beneath him creaking as he swallows chi energy from the area. Eyes flashing as they lock back onto Sakura, Howard slices his arm upward, and a sudden gout of bluish white chi energy explodes off it. "REPPUKEN!" he yells, extending his hand for the sky, the chi bolt searing across the arena floor towards the girl.
COMBATSYS: Sakura negates Reppuken from Rock with Large Hadouken.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Sakura
Thankfully, Megumi has asked this question of Ken now instead of before his marriage days or it would have likely let to Ken attempting to flirt with Megumi in some way or use of the casting couch scenerio. But Ken is a married man that loves his wife dearly, so he can look at this from an almost entirely business mindset. He turns from the fight... Which seems to be rather close for the time being... to look over Megumi a second or two. "Well, you COULD be a ring girl if you wanted. Though if you worked here, you are aware that-" Ken pauses to watch the Reppuken hit the Hadouken. Purdy. "...You would likely need to live somewhat near to the Stadium. After all, would be hard to work from Japan or somewhere else." Why does he say that? Well, most fighters come from the Far East and hiring overseas help that live overseas is a pain for Ken and his accountants alike.
Megumi holds still as Ken checks her out, and...smirks. "Whoa, whoa. Who said anything about..." She also pauses to check out the fireworks. "'Work', per se? This'd be a volunteer thing. I've got enough money to work with, so I'm just tryin' to do something fun with this."
Sakura hasn't landed a single hit on Rock yet -- perhaps her focus and determination will pay off!
Perhaps not: for as Rock's Reppuken rolls across the floor, Kasugano slams her hands forward, a brilliant flower of blue chi blossoming from her hands, more than wide enough to engulf one, two, even =three= of Rock's Reppukens! But... the bottom of the mushrooming cloud of energy gets clipped by the Reppuken, and the entire mass crumples down on top of it, the two opposing energies neatly cancelling one another out.
Kasugano scratches her cheek. Ken may have been impressed, but Kasugano's a mite less so! "Huh! That didn't quite go as planned!" Offering a quirky smile, she nonetheless stretches her fingers, before curling them into fists again, advancing upon Rock a bit. Maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to hit him now?
The Hadouken meets the Reppuken. The Hadouken blitzes through it but the energies of the Reppuken are just enough to divert it's path. The huge ball of chi slams like a crashing comet into the floor of arena between Sakura and Rock. The explosion of light bathes Howard in the blue glow, forcing him to take a protective step backwards and shield his eyes with his forearm.
In the chiplosion's wake, the color returning to Rock's vision, Howard lowers his arm back into his fighting stance. Swallowing a breath, his red eyes thin as he searches across Sakura's fighting stance to try and find a weakness. Thinking he's got one he can exploit, he breaks into another dashing run. Two steps, a hop step over the smoldering arena area where the hadouken exploded, and then two more steps he's looming in on Sakura. He fakes like he's going to slam into her again, pivots, and sends an elbow whistling upward in an uppercut for her jaw.
There is an awkward pause as Ken Masters tries to process the offer. Volunteer? Well, it's likely better that it is solely volunteer. After all, Megumi might be attractive, but to be a Masters Ring Girl, you have a Masters Degree in hotness. Get it, Masters?
...Shut up, it's funny.
"Well, I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to my people and see what is happening where and if there is a place you can fit in for free," Ken offers to Megumi as he leans forward a bit to the fight at hand. Huh, Rock is really putting Sakura on the ropes. Is this true skill, or the raging Rock soon going to tire?
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Jab Punch from Rock with Shou'ou Ken.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Megumi stays off to Ken's side as he gets more into the fight going on. "Figured I'd make that clear. This is just somethin' I want to do for fun, try some different stuff. Been serious about every single thing lately, but this is...well, kinda the opposite of it. And people won't mind, right?"
Sakura has had a bad luck streak lasting well over six months, and it shows no signs of abating any time soon! She blames exams, really, though it could just be that she hasn't been training enough with her master. Possibly. Any NUMBER of excuses.
It doesn't dampen the impact of Rock's arrival though -- for two beats after the explosion rocks the arena, the Hakkyokusaken practitioner's elbow is whipping up into Kasugano's chin! Sure enough, the girl had designs of uppercutting the young man as he neared, but they were all but put out of her head by that elbow -- and she has much to consider as she flies back from the blow, landing hard on her duff upon the polished wooden floor.
Aaaand there's the fanservice, anyway -- no special ventilation necessary.
Rock should knock Sakura onto her back more often. But he doesn't steal a look; no way, no how. Rock Howard is an ultimate fighting machine! There's no time for girls.
Standing back from the girl now that there's some space between them again, Rock shifts his weight between each of the balls of his feet and forms a defensive Hakyokusaken stance. He brings his defense in and narrows the openings in his technique that Sakura could exploit. He knows that the girl is going to get up like a ball of hot fire, hungry to lay the pain into him.
He'll be prepared. "Come on, Sakura," he calls, with some half-hearted chiding to his voice. "I know this isn't /all/ you've got!"
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Right he is -- for not long after she's been knocked down, Kasugano gets right back up again! "It's not the best =you've= been putting out either, Rock! What's with all the sissy punches?! Afraid to put some fire on 'em?" she snaps, rushing back to her feet, and driving in close for a strike of her own!
Though she doesn't chance anything gigantic herself -- just a good, right cross to the face! "Hyaaaaaaah!" Desperate times call for desperate measures!
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Sakura's Medium Punch.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Sakura
"Well, I guess not... I mean, if there is an opportunity here and there, don't see why you couldn't take it." Ken figures that there are smaller fights that usually don't have ring girls or the girls simply call out sick. A free replacement always beats trying to find a fill-in that's filled in. He hrms as Rock just blocks Sakura's punch. Looks like Sakura is having bad luck. He'll just blame it on Shingo. Just easier that way.
"Exactly," Megumi agrees. "That's all this is about. Just doin' it, having fun trying it out. So I figured you guys'd pick something out, I'll go with it. Nothing serious, just nice, fun." She's starting to focus more on the match at hand, though.
Hyaaaaaaahhhhhh and whump. Sakura's fist slams into Rock Howard's forearm as the teenager twists his arm around to intercept her incoming strike by slamming his arm down on her own just before the knuckles collide with his face. It sends her punch narrowly off course, extending past the side of his head. He eyes swivel to track it, sidelong, before aligning back forward to lock with the girl.
"You want pain?" he asks, sounding both intrigued and amused by her intensity. He likes that. "Fine, I'll give you pain," he promises. Suddenly shifting from the defensive to the offensive, visibly by the pacing of his feet, Howard grinds a toe into the wooden floor and uses it as a springboard to break into a forward run.
With hardly any gap between the two of them, there isn't much time to build momentum. Fortunately, Rock doesn't need it. Blitzkrieging forward, he comes straight at Sakura -- bluewhite chi suddenly billowing off his frame as he lifts his elbow and propels it straight for her sternum. It's his favorite attack, the one he learned from Terry Bogard, one of his own variations on the Burn Knuckle.
He hasn't had the confidence to try it since his father, Geese Howard, countered it into a bodyslam that almost broke his spine.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Rock's Hard Edge.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Well, Kasugano doesn't =want= pain, it just seems that she's having trouble dealing with Rock's current strategy, and anything she can do to break it up would be an improvement! It seems her confidence is at least =partially= renewed by the light verbal jab, as the Taiyo student finds herself able to swerve to the side sharply, once again raising a forearm, Rock's unquestionable cascade of chi slamming into the girl's padded handguard. Shuddering from the impact, Kasugano nonetheless flashes a brief smirk back at the boy. "Was that pain? Seemed a bit light!" she quips, just before lashing forward to grab for the boy's t-shirt. If she manages to grab it, she'll fall backwards sharply, planting her heel in Rock's stomach as she rolls, sending the boy flying overhead! "Hrriiiii-HAAAA!" That's the plan, anyway!
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Sakura's Medium Throw.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Rock's eyes widen as Sakura's hand curls into his shirt. A second later, the air escapes from his lungs as she pulls him down and then elevates him with a foot to the gut on her roll. Propelled over her head, it takes a miracle of acrobatic dexterity that Rock is able to tuck with the throw. He ends up performing a tight flip and extends out of it to land, skidding, on his heels facing the girl again.
"You're one to talk," he says back to her about causing pain. "You gonna start /trying/ anytime soon?" Several of the Sakura-fans in the crowd who have front row seats catch the banter and boo Rock. It's unusual that he's so decisively the 'bad guy' in the fight. Truth is, they just want to see the blood.
Rock will give it to them. In a minute.
First, he swipes his hand through his hair again and rolls his shoulders to keep them loose. Satisfied, he beckons her at him with a hand. "Come on."
COMBATSYS: Rock gains composure.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's... clearly not in a good position right now. She knows she's not. And she also knows she's headstrong, likely to charge in blindly, and prone to mess up =tremdnously= badly.
And it's still early in the fight, even though Kasugano's definitely feeling the burn. She may have asked for pain, but she'd already been in a great deal of it since the very beginning.
So the question that remains is: what would Ryu do? In Kasugano's estimation, Ryu would likely wait for a moment, catching his breath, and steadying his nerves for the middle stages of the fight. In other words, the most boring thing imaginable.
Sakura does it, just the same, gritting her teeth at the notion of 'reason' having anything to do with her fighting performance. But that mild irritation fades: she can feel it's the right time to catch her breath. Raising her fists, and a knee, in a Muay Thai defense, she flashes Rock a cocky grin. "You haven't shown me anything =worth= trying to beat yet!"
Okay, maybe Ryu wouldn't have said =that=. Anyway.
COMBATSYS: Sakura gains composure.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Rock's generally affable demeanor diminishes with Sakura's trash talk. He can appreciate a good barb when he hears one, but she's just aping his own limited banter back at him. He's the one who gets to tell people they haven't shown anything yet, not him! Exhaling through a clenching jaw, he reminds himself to stay cool.
He also reminds him to dictate the pace of their fight. Red eyes thinning from their squint, Howard glances to the left and then the right, decides his action, and comes roaring at Sakura again. He doesn't Hard Edge or try and tackle her this time, nor does he go for another elbowing upper-cut. Instead, he leaps the last three feet, lands directly before her, and plants a hand in the ground. All of his momentum goes with it, shunting down to his body as he twists to send one of his legs flipping end over end in a horizontal roundhouse kick.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Sakura with Medium Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Well... that's what Sakura was =trying= to do. She's up against the wall, in a metaphorical sense -- her confidence is totally =gone=.
Totally failing the opportunity to hop out of the way of such a broadly telegraphed kick is really not helping matters. Kasugano gets kicked to the planks from the eccentric attack, tumbling once before regaining control, blood pooling in her mouth. This is really... trying her patience.
She really ought to just give up, but such a thought brings an even sicker taste to her mouth than the blood. Leaping to her feet, she breaks into a quick dash for Rock, howling, "HRRRRRRAAAAH!" She'd say something wittier, but... well. Hard to speak at the moment. So instead, she speaks with her fists -- a quick one-two combination, followed up by a hard uppercut to the jaw. With any luck, her gambit may pay off!
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Fierce Punch from Sakura with Joudan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Howard braces his feet as he feels Sakura's blood boiling. She's getting sloppy. But she's strong and tough, even a sloppy Sakura -- if he's not careful -- can land a blow that might shift the momentum of the fight. He has to be impeccable, perfect, razorsharp and focused. His eyes track her oncoming attack.
The first fist he manages to avoid by ducking back at the waist. The knuckles graze past the edges of his blond hair as it tosses with his backward momentum. The second half of the one-two he reaches out and intercepts with his forearm, so that by the time she's bringing her other hand back for an uppercut, her speed is stalled. It's just enough that he can intercept.
Palm shooting out, Rock catches Sakura's uppercut with his palm. He immediately employs the techniques of his father to transfer the energy through his body like a lightning rod. The wooden floor beneath his boots starts to crack.
With Sakura's onslaught stopped, Rock's eyes momentarily widen and then he drives his palm in a thrusting blow straight to her core to drive her back.
Oh, Kasugano's blood is boiling alright... mostly out of absolute frustration. There's a lot of things she's frustrated about, none of which she's exactly willing to blame for her abysmal performance -- she's got fans to look out for! And many of these fans likely know of her long-standing bad luck streak, anyway.
She still can't understand how her energy wasn't just redirected, it was =stopped=. That's more Acacia's speed -- she's used to Crack Counters and such. This... well. The look of alarm on her face as she's struck with the boy's palm is most likely in the 'priceless' category.
But the funny thing about Sakrua is... the harder she's pushed, the harder she pushes back. A little dense, in that regard! Which is why she lands in a low crouch, then leaps forward into a somersault! One, two spins -- and then she snaps out with both fists crashing down onto the young man's shoulders, legs flipping to either way for balance! Wham! "Yut-TAAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Sakura's Sakura Otoshi.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Rock's own eyes suddenly widen when Sakura spikes with her strategy. She's not just employing simple striking techniques like this were a playground fight anymore. She's really using what she's learned. When she goes airborn, Rock backpedals from her, anticipating something he hasn't seen before. He's right.
The girl flips over his head. But at the last moment, he realizes what she's trying to do. It's a familiar strategy, flipping over an opponent and hitting them in their exposed back (or shoulders, in this case). Rock uses it all the time for the majority of his crack counters. Pivoting at the last moment, he half-twists around to face her just as she sends both of her fists hammering down for his shoulders. Forearms shooting out to cross infront of his body, Sakura slams down on them with tremendous force.
It drives Rock back, his heels skidding two solid feet across the wooden floor from the impact. But he manages to endure it; he's still standing. He's still poised to strike. Lurching forward, he plants a foot and sends a straight up haymaker punch hailing for her chest before she can fully regain her footing.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Rock with Shou'ou Ken.
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Rock 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's still riding high on her rush, hoping her renewed vigor can pay off! .... But just as soon as she starts driving to eventually turn the tide, her momentum is cut short by a well-placed punch from Rock! She'd just been turning about with a mind of uppercutting him something fierce, but the fist puts her right back down onto the boards.
r Gritting her teeth, she pulls herself back to her feet. She's done so much better for herself than this before -- at one time, she and Rock were nearly equal. But now... it doesn't seem so. And this frustrates her to no end. "I'm... I'm gonna..." she stammers, before clamping her mouth shut. Eyes narrow, her focus renews. She can't give into her childish emotions, she =has= to stay focused -- but even still, it ought to be clear she's fighting herself at least as hard as she is Rock.
Satisfaction. That's the only thing Rock feels when he knuckles reap the their rewards on Sakura's poor, bruised, body. He likes Sakura; she's a fellow Southtown native and a good fighter. She's optimistic, not mired by all the darkness and bad things in the world. She does this because she's good at it and she enjoys it. She's not driven by anything tragic. But today? She's Rock Howard's enemy and he can't feel anything for her beyond a healthy respect of what she might be capable of.
Bouncing back a step, Rock allows her the time necessary to get back to her feet. He's not going to kick the girl while she's down. He can tell that she's stumbling, having problems with her technique. Her resolve isn't honed, in tune, as it usually is. He's fought her and she's been /better/ than this. And knowing exactly what that feels like, Rock doesn't push it with more trash talk. He just hopes she'll sort it out.
After she loses.
With Sakura standing again, Rock is there in his Hakyokusaken stance again. The power is visible behind his eyes. His chi levels, willed from his linneage, burn invisibly in a radiance around his body. Red eyes hardening over the edges of his knuckles, he feels the rush and see's all the angles. He knows exactly what is going to come. The power pools up and out of him, gushing in a suddenly blinding blue-white glow as Rock streaks forward. Slices of chi energy coil off his frame, some say almost angelic, as he rushes into Sakura with a suddenly blinding speed and intensity. "DEADLY," he yells as his fists ignite, burning and churning in a terrible barrage of malicious strikes, each one hammers at Sakura like a boulder rolling down a mountain. "RAVE!" The onslaught doesn't stop. Each strike seems to gain speed and power, until finally, it all culminates...
"NEO!" And Rock's hands come together directly before his chest, all that energy rocketing down the length of Howard's body into a brutal explosion of forward chi power.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Sakura with Deadly Rave Neo.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Sakura
Well, he won't have to wait too much longer for that -- Kasugano does her best at getting out of the way, but with her muscles already sore from the beating she's received... well, they aren't listening to her right now. Nope. Instead, she's going to be doing her best impression of a punching bag as he slams fist, foot, and chi strike alike into her, head and upper torso ratcheting back with each and every blow.
Until the end, when Sakura's thrown to the floor. She starts to rise back to her feet...
Before her limbs finally collapse beneath her. She knows when she's beaten, hanging her head in a low shake from side to side. Abysmal mood, really.
"Thanks for the fight..." comes her voice, a near whisper to the shouts and hollers from the audience.
COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|
Howard ignores the shouts and cheers of the audience as the fight ends. As the chi smoke rises from his fists, still burning some from the Deadly Rave Neo, he walks over to where Sakura collapsed. "Hey," he says, quietly, so that only she can hear him. "You did your best. That's all that matters and I appreciate it." He holds a fingertipless gloved hand out to her. "Here, take my hand."
Sakura's loathe to say she's done her =best=. Maybe that =is= her best nowadays? Even still, she can't stay mad at herself, with Rock flipping the 'face/heel' switch back to its proper position. Steeling herself, she nods her head in agreement. "Thanks!" Taking Rock's hand, she rises back to her feet. "And yeah... it... it was a good fight! You've gotten a lot stronger!" She may be getting a black eye from that last frenzy of strikes, but she still looks... cheerful? If that's the word for meeting defeat with a bright, ebullient grin, anyway. "Thanks!" Because that's how one =acts= when the fans are watching! They give her strength... even when her body has none less to give!
Pulling Sakura up, Rock grins at the girl when her usual enthusiasm slides back across her features. It's a much nicer color than self-loathing. He has enough of that for half the planet. "Hey," Howard glances up at the owner's box. "Do you need to talk to Ken? If not, I was wondering, if you know," Rock suddenly spikes red. "Well. Anyway. You probably need to talk with Ken, right? I'll seeya."
Kasugano blinks at the comment. Ken? Why, yeah, she was going to, but... The schoolgirl looks back at Rock. What was that look on Rock's face just now? "I ... It can wait a few minutes, I mean, if it's urgent..." she stammers, pink flooding across her cheeks as well. "I mean, just... what is it, Rock? Geez, spit it out already..." She laughs faintly ... though from how she's leaning with one arm against the wall, she might not be =standing= for much longer.
Rock motions with his hands at Sakura, waving her hesitation off. "Oh, no, no, no," he says very hurriedly; voice a few octaves higher pitched. "I'm sorry, this isn't the time or place or anything. God, I'm such a huge idiot." He backs up a pair of steps, like a kid who just saw a rattlesnake, and looks left and right -- eyes dancing as he tries to find the quickest exit out of the arena. Finding it, he suddenly turns and starts sprinting for the escape junction.
Not the tiem or... what? This is a private dojo! It's not like hundreds of people are watching your every move or hinging on every word, or anything, Rock Howard! If it was, there'd be... stadium seats, and skyboxes, and.... well, okay, maybe it's not the right place. Kasugano just scratches her head in confusion, looking up to the skybox with a faint shrug.
Cue laugh track! .... Or maybe that's actual audience members laughing...
Rock may have won the battle, but did Sakura won the crowd over! The schoolgirl smiles distantly, still a bit confused as she walks for the back door, eager for the medics to get her all patched up. At least that... is a non-confusing process.
COMBATSYS: Rock has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:14:50 05/19/2007 by Sakura, and last modified on 10:52:43 06/30/2007.