Description: Neo League. Kurow and Makoto: The Rematch. In a boxing ring! (Winner: Kurow)
A rematch. This is actually something of a surprise for Kurow -- he isn't used to having people seek him out for combat /multiple times/ unles, well, they want to kill or injure him for various past atrocities. However, here he is, in Justice High's... boxing ring?! Well, it /is/ the sport of gentlemen -- and in a world like this, also one with quite the distinguished history. It's a worthy event to have a corresponding 'field' in Justice High's high-quality sports facility.
The youth has taken his place at one end of the ring, tugging his clawed gloves tight on his hands. He's done this for class before -- he's no stranger to this particular field. He knows it well, knows every weird behavior the padding has -- it gives him an advantage, however slight. Being in his own school, too, offers a few upsides -- specifically, a relatively large number of gathered fans, or at least gathered school supporters.
Makoto is, perhaps, a little crazy that way. If she loses once, she keeps trying until she doesn't. It's a great way to improve yourself, after all; she's shown more improvement doing that then she ever would beating up people she already knows how to win against.
She has no gloves to put on. Makoto doesn't even bother to wrap her hands like some otherwise bare-handed fighters do for knuckle protection; she takes it all on her own. She looks a little disapprovingly at Kurow's claws, but doesn't say anything about him: that's his style and she has to respect that. Makoto stands on her own side, walking slowly to get used to the footing and pressing against the sides once or twice to see their toughness. She has a few fans, but more people who were just curious as to how she'd do.
COMBATSYS: Makoto has started a fight here.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Makoto
Yurika Kirishima considers herself a student of the sport. That is, the sport that is assassin techniquess aand ninja arts, or whatever the present calls it these days. Anyway for the past couple of fights the older sister has been trailing Kurow whenever he had mentioned attenting to a fight, in hopes of being able to learn from watching; sometimes it's better to see from afar rather than get torn apart herself!
She does so now, though, completely incognito. She's about, but it's difficult to tell where she is because she'd completely hidden her presence, she's twinky like that.
She's not taking pictures or breathing heavily though, honest.
The ring is, of course, as sturdy as a boxing ring can be; Justice High puts a lot of money and other investment into its facilities, academic or athletic -- it definitely is one of the best schools in the world, in large part thanks to Raizo Imawano's... extensive budget. Being a former ninja, it would seem, has its upsides; even if one decides to 'go straight,' the resources and connections still serve a valuable purpose.
Kirishima evidently really likes his home-turf advantage, perhaps because he so rarely has it; he spends a few seconds addressing the various Justice High students that have come out, telling them that this will be an even more magnificent victory than his fight with Ryo Sakazaki a few weeks ago was. Once he's done with that bit of posturing, having not noticed the disguised Yurika, he turns back to Makoto.
"Your drive borders on foolhardy," he says, with a small chuckle, a few seconds before the bell rings and the match begins. This really /is/ a nice boxing ring. As usual, he dashes in full-tilt and goes for his usual opening maneuver. This time, he employs a negligibly different approach -- his first attack is a hard thrust with his left hand, with the usual pair of horizontal and vertical slashes coming after. A little variety never hurt anyone -- or at least, not anyone /engaging/ in it.
COMBATSYS: Makoto blocks Kurow's Yami Kagura.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Makoto
Last time, Makoto started off strong, believing that the best defense was a good offense. It cost her the match, ultimately.
This time, she's a little more careful, and holds her position, planting one foot backwards to brace herself and then using her lower arms to push aside Kurow's at the wrists; she ends up with what are likely to be rather nifty bruises on her arms, but she keeps the claws away from her, and that's what matters here.
She follows up by - backing up further, focusing on herself and her strength, and giving Kurow a slightly lopsided grin. "How else am I going to learn? You're a good fight!"
COMBATSYS: Makoto gathers her will.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Makoto
Kurow loathes people who hang back and wait in fights; it's a different matter when he does it, /of course/, but when other people do it it makes him want to aggress all the more. It is, perhaps, not the healthiest trait imaginable, but then, no human has a set of completely healthy traits. (Some, however, are more 'blessed' in this regard than others; Kurow is most assuredly not one of them.) When she starts backing away and talking to him, all he gives her is a "Thank you -- I'm sure you'll learn something from this /eventually/, then."
As Makoto tries to focus her will, Kurow focuses on something else entirely -- the openings this kind of posture creates, specifically. Everything, for him, is a tactical choice -- here, Makoto is hanging back. He knows that that means one of a few things for accomplished fighters, and for that matter knows the best way to punish such a choice. He rears his hand back and suddenly springs forward, trying to drive the full force of his hand forward, trying to dig those claws deep into the Rindoukan heiress -- and then extend them and flare them out inside her with his somewhat unique bladed chi.
COMBATSYS: Makoto interrupts Roppu Zuki from Kurow with Hayate.
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Kurow 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Makoto
For Makoto, backing up to prepare is sometimes a feint, or at least preparation for a headlong rush. She may be good at hanging back and waiting, but she doesn't really have the personality for it; she wants to go now now now.
She does, when Kurow comes at her. Makoto doesn't go into another block, nor does she try to get out of the way; there's not much room behind her anymore in any case before she gets to the edge of the ring. She runs forward instead with a yelled "Haa!", fast enough that she seems to blur through her first step, and simultaneously brings up her fist for a mighty blow on Kurow's torso. The claws, having hit earlier than expected, scrape along her side rather than deliver a deep blow as Kurow was intending. It still hurts quite a bit, but it could have been worse.
Makoto drops down into her normal stance afterwards, fist raised in preparation.
The enormous punch in the chest knocks Kurow back -- indeed, it knocks him back so far that he actually hits the edge of Justice High's boxing ring, bounces off the ropes, and lands face down. Makoto hits like a truck; it's her biggest advantage. Kurow, however, knows Makoto's biggest /disadvantage/, after last time; he saw his assaults glance off time and time again, and then... well, he remembers how he won that fight, and realizes, on some level, that that's likely to be how he pulls it out again.
Pulling himself off the ground slowly, he begins to circle around Makoto even before he's fully standing, dancing like a boxer, using the terrain for what it was /meant/ to be used for. "I remember that punch," he says, off-handedly; his eyes seem to glint malevolently, if only slightly. He allows himself the smallest of grins.
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
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Kurow 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Makoto
Makoto is not a boxer; she is a karate master. She's used to moving around, too, but not precisely in the same way; she walks sideways to keep Kurow in front of her at all times.
"You should," Makoto responds. She used it fairly effectively last time, too. It's one of her favourites. She continues to keep her eye on Kurow, and it looks for a moment as if this will be one of the pauses that occasionally happens in a fight, where both sides stop and regroup or refocus.
It isn't. With very little indication in her upper body, where she hopes Kurow is watching, she bobs just a little closer on a sidestep and then hooks her foot around toward his legs. It's not as powerful as some of hers, but her legs are quite strong regardless.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Makoto's Light Kick.
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Kurow 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Makoto
While Kurow's not a boxer, he's very good at picking up the motions of other styles -- he has to be, in the line of work he's chosen and with precisely how he's chosen to do it. When Makoto comes in with a quick kick, he's ready, thanks to that 'dancing'; he leaps to the side, and then continues to bounce a bit... and then, as abruptly as he started, he stops dead. Evidently, he's decided that now is a good time for a change in tactics.
He studies Makoto's posture for only the briefest of moments, keeping in mind that she's overextended her legs a little; this is a prime opportunity, he thinks, and so he does what comes naturally. There's a sudden massive surge of energy behind him, a sudden flare-up of deep purple Kirishima-ryuu energy, as he declares, "That's it! You're /finished!/" The Justice High crowd murmurs among itself for the briefest of moments, before Kurow suddenly lunges in full-bore at Makoto's legs, trying to grab them with those claws of his.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Makoto with Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Makoto
And when he gets his hands on them, the entire fight shifts. He digs those claws deep in, and suddenly /leaps/, dragging Makoto behind him; this wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the trailing waves of claw-like chi that he's leaving behind himself, conveniently -- where else? -- in Makoto's personal space.
When he gets to the apex of his leap, he curls into the traditional ball of claw-like chi used in the Darkside clawfighting style's signature technique, yelling, "KYOUJUU REPPA!" and slamming himself back down into Makoto, bringing both of them back down to the ring, where he spends a few seconds grinding her into the ground forcefully with that ball of chi.
Only then does he finally pull himself away, dust himself off a little, and smile. In his mind, it's already over.
Between all of that, it looks like it /is/ over for a moment. Makoto is caught in the lines of clawing, shredding chi, buffeted around by the vertical line Kurow left when he dived; she lies on her back for a moment, not getting up.
Rather abruptly, she rolls /toward/ Kurow and into him, trying to trip him with her entire body as she picks herself up. Whether he goes down or not, she strikes strongly toward his stomach with the heel of her hand, picking the precise point where it is most likely to knock all the wind out of it. Her teeth are gritted; she's mostly just forcing herself to keep going at this point.
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Kurow with Araiso.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|=======\=======\1 Makoto
In spite of a quick leap back, Kurow gets caught dead-on in the stomach by Makoto's assault, and his eyes bug out a little as everything he's got suddenly leaves him. He can't keep up with Makoto if she's going to do things like this -- he can hurt her more than she can him, much more, but it's all worthless if he can't summon the strength to do it. She's left him with two options: finish the fight quickly or hang back and put himself together.
Perhaps it's frustration at being caught with such a comparatively slow assault that causes him to pick the first over the second. Kirishima, assessing the ring for the shortest of moments, decides to use it to his advantage. He's seen this move a dozen times, just never with his own spin on it; using the momentum of the hit, Kurow lets himself go back at high speeds, stretch the ropes of the ring as far as they'll go, and then launch himself forward, arm extended to the side in a clothesline-like maneuver. The boy doesn't aim his /arm/ at Makoto, however -- instead, he moves just past her, and leaves her a honed slash of chi to deal with while he continues toward the /other/ set of ropes.
COMBATSYS: Makoto blocks Kurow's Kuukan Saki.
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Kurow 0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Makoto
Makoto has never seen this particular attack before, and it's a little surprising when he comes at her - but not quite /at/ her, instead a little to the side. Fortunately, she knows about his prediliction for slashing the air, leaving lines of chi behind, and is able to deal with the worst of it by using one arm to knock the slash slightly out of line, leaving her lightly scored instead of deeply wounded.
She is breathing hard, and obviously almost out of it, but Makoto rushes forward instead. She is focused in an instant, face shading to red as she throws herself at Kurow in what looks like a wild tackle but is really quite well-done; the point of it is to lead with her knee, with all her weight bearing down on it, on the precise point that she struck before. "Haaaaya!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Makoto's Tanden Renki.
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Kurow 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Makoto
Kurow has no trouble whatsoever getting out of the way of Makoto's strike -- now that he knows where she's going with it, he can avoid it. Rather than launch himself again when Makoto rushes at him, he leans back farther on the ropes, stretching them as far as they'll go -- and pulling himself just barely out of the path of her knee, then pushing forward and rolling to the side and out of the way. It's a close call, but it's certainly a welcome one.
When the youth comes back out of his roll, he moves to another section of rope, and starts leaning on it again, once more using the terrain to his advantage... but this time, all he's doing is trying to catch his breath in a relatively save place. Kurow's bought himself the necessary time to do so, thanks to that lucky maneuver; he may as well -use- that time to its fullest effect.
COMBATSYS: Kurow gains composure.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Makoto
Makoto hits the ground knee-first and slides several feet, without Kurow to brake her. That's all right; she isn't hurt any worse than she was before, and willpower is still doing her a world of good.
She gets back up, slightly less quickly than last time, and, on seeing that Kurow has paused to stop and recover, elects to press the attack faster than before. Makoto moves toward him, although with less of a flat-out dash than before, and brings her foot around in a wide arc. It looks like it's going to hit high on his side, but at the last moment, she pulls her leg in just enough so that it passes by, and then drives it forward, aiming to plant it solidly in the middle of his chest.
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Kurow with Medium Kick.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Makoto
The kick to the chest catches Kurow while he's still not quite fully on his guard, and gives him something significant to worry about -- namely, a crushing pain in his breastbone. He's finally 'on the ropes,' both physically and metaphysically -- at this point, Makoto almost has an even footing with the Kirishima youth. She's hurt more, but he's feeling much more spent -- he's actually starting to get sloppy, something that rarely happens with him.
Unfortunately for her, he doesn't get discouraged when he's on the ropes. Indeed, quite the opposite -- it forces him to redouble his efforts. Springing off, he grabs at Makoto, trying to fling her down to the ground rather unceremoniously, in an attack designed more for efficiency than style or form. If she stays down, he tries to stomp -- once -- on her center of mass, as an added 'bonus'.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Makoto with Quick Throw.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Makoto
The drop is effective enough, sending Makoto crashing to the ground with a heavy slam as she hits the boxing ring's mats. She never was as good at fighting off people who like to throw her around; all she knows how to do is roll with the impact, and this time, for whatever reason, she was unable to.
It looks for a moment like she's not going to get up, but she struggles to her feet anyway, now moving entirely on willpower. Her body has taken about as much as it's going to today, but she has enough left in her to at least strike back... Makoto actually elbows toward Kurow as she rises as an unorthodox start to her technique, following it up with a series of somewhat sloppy-looking punches that have more power than finesse.
The last hit, the one that goes almost straight up, is as perfect as ever, though.
Hit or miss, Makoto holds the last pose for several seconds...and then rather unceremoniously falls over in a heap as the dizziness is too much for her to remain standing after. She shouldn't have stood up so quickly, perhaps.
COMBATSYS: Makoto can no longer fight.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Kurow with Seichuusen Godanzuki.
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Kurow 0/-------/-======|
Kurow tries to slide back and out of the way -- but it's for nothing, as each successive hit cracks bone after bone after bone. Kurow has never been adequately prepared for this vicious assault; every time it catches him at least once, and that final punch catches him with Makoto's full strength, sending him flying up into the air, and eventually back down to the mat. It's looking, for a few seconds, like it might be a double knockout...
...but sure as sure can be, Kurow pulls himself up off the ground, hurt and battered -- but conscious, and possibly even ready to continue fighting. That, of course, is enough for the Neo League judges, who declare Kurow's victory on his home turf. Justice High cheers, in its somewhat austere manner -- the super-elite have never been the best when it comes to exuberance, but they give it a shot.
Slowly, with the speed of a man who's obviously injured, Kurow pulls himself out of the ring.
Log created on 17:17:56 05/30/2007 by Makoto, and last modified on 22:02:17 05/31/2007.