Description: Schoolhouse Rock! In Seijyun's library, Himeko is -on fire- and cannot do wrong! And while Hotaru dodges the bullet named Mizuki quite a lot, in the end the two newer fighters do for the pigtailed girl. (Winners: Himeko and Mizuki)
Well this is certainly new, isn't it? While Seijyun probably is not exactly the newest place for fighters to be doing battle, the Library itself is likely a new one! It probably pleases many students, and horrified others with the thoughts of what could possibly happen within the place.
The Seijyun library is, of course, very very big. Isles upon isles are stocked up with books for fiction, non-fiction, science fiction (which is disturbingly small), and many others. The structure itself is slightly old-fashioned, walking into the doubl-doors leads right to the main-desk and a little 'gate' that suggest single-line entry and exit. Beyond that, the walls are lined up with books, with about eleven shelves between the west and east walls, and toward the back and center is a stairwell that leads up to the reading area.
Fans are scattered all over the place though, students and non, the completely disregard the 'Quiet in the Library' signs.
Hurricane Hime is one of the opponents to be fighting tonight, a dark-skinned pink-clad fighter whos made a bit of a name for herself by constantly reminding watchers the importance of reading and a good education. She's mildly familiar with both of her opponents and as such is really looking forward to seeing how this will play out in the end! BUt instead of doing any promoting, she's actually been reading through a book that's a collections of Greek mythology. She never gets tired of it! Oddly enough, her oversized scarf sways from a breeze with no apparent origin.
Seijyun. Mizuki's passed by it before--on jogs, on walks, and the like--and she's even been inside once or twice, to visit a friend. But she's never -fought- here before. The thought makes her nervous as well as excited; the match sounds like an interesting one, and if Himeko is as good as she was when she beat Mizuki, then she's sure that the two of them can give Hotaru a run for her money.
Mizuki makes her entrance a few minutes before the scheduled match time, and, as befits the storied school, she is not wearing her Justice uniform, but instead is dressed exactly like a shrine maiden--traditional white robe and red hakama pants, white socks, the slippers, even the gohei (blessing rod), slipped through the black belt that ties her hakama.
She turns to Himeko and smiles, bowing at the waist. "Hime-chan," she says, "I don't know if we can win this fight or not. But I won't have any regrets as long as we both do our best!" ... Do your best. Isn't that what Alma always says? She's seen Hotaru once or twice before, in passing, but never got a chance to meet up with the girl... she'll have to rectify that, later.
Good heavens. Since receiving the information about her upcoming fight this weekend, Hotaru has been fretting it. Not that she's afraid of a challenge by any means. But because being slated a fighter who's expected to hold her own against two other fighters at the same time meant that whoever was putting together the fights for this weekend thought the young Kenpo artist and Kyokugen student was /good/ enough to justify it. And now she has to prove it.
She was there plenty early. School pride might have dictated that she fight in uniform, but A, She hates fighting in skirts. And B, she doesn't really have all that much school pride. But fighting at her home school still carries a certain amount of pressure, only adding to the stress she's felt about this upcoming match for the last few days.
Pacing back and forth, her hands clasped behind her back, the pig-tailed fighter has no one else in her corner. She's expected to hold her own here. While the other two girls get ready, she casts them the occasional glance, reviewing what she knows of their styles from either first hand experience or the studying she's done. In spite the nervousness she feels, there's an excited look to her demeanor as well as she looks forward to doing her best. She's long since meant to thank Mizuki for her help in rescuing and healing Jiro... on probably more occasions than she even knows of, but right now probably isn't the time.
COMBATSYS: Himeko has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Himeko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Himeko 0/-------/-------|
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Himeko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|
Himeko says, "Haha, of Zeus, you're such a pervert," Hime comments aloud with an amused laugh, which is cut short when she suddenly hears her partners, Mizuki's, voice. She suddenly slaps the book shut, and greets the miko with a grin and a quick salute. "It's good to see you again, citizen Mizuki!" she exclaims in her exaggerated superhero tone, "Woah how about that, I didn't know you were a superhero too! A demon banisher of sorts, right? Swift with the bow and arrow, a very suitable partner indeed!"
Though really, the little Hurricane can't even fathom why Mizuki isn't certain of their victory. Sure, Hotaru is tough, but even she can't take on two spirited heroines, that's just plain nutty. "Citizen Hotaru!" she then exclaims, dropping into a boxer-like stance, "Once we were partners, but now fate has cruelly pit us against one another! But know this, as sure as a pyramid in Egypt is like my heart, there's going to be a winner!"
What?
A shrill whistle fills the air, signifying the start of the match, and suddenly Hime is setting aside the book in favor of her personal paperback. She rips three pages from it, then twirls around and whips the three of them like frisbees toward her opponent, high, middle, and low, "Huaaah!""
... 'Citizen Mizuki'...? Himeko's words draw an odd glance from Mizuki but... she just smiles. This is definitely going to be interesting. She almost expects to hear "Himeko, sanjou!" ... which she doesn't, but it's certain that Himeko's taken the first step; she's off with the whistle, leaving Mizuki behind...
But that's okay with Mizuki, because she likes to prepare herself for a moment, before doing anything else. Her fighting style is more controlled, in general, than most others'... so even as Himeko is rushing off, Mizuki is... concentrating. Her hands are clasped in front of her, her head is bent, and a surge of chi wells up around her, a spinning helix-column of blue-silver energy that is the visual marker of the power that the young miko is pulling in...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
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Himeko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Hotaru with Weekend Special.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/---====|
As Himeko greets her, Hotaru grins back. She's been around the shorter girl enough that her antics don't really surprise her anymore. "Okay, Hime! But I'm not sure what pyramids have to do with your heart," she admits, idly scratching her temple.
And then there's the call for the match to begin and Hotaru is off in a flash toward Mizuki. She's had really bad experiences when leaving people to sit there and power up with a chi-based light show like the priestess is demonstrating, so she's intent on putting a swift stop to it. Only, Himeko's aim ends up being spot on, knocking Hotaru to the side a little with surprise. "Erf."
Regaining her balance mid-step, Hotaru still presses on for Mizuki, now reaching her several seconds later than intended. Reaching out for the other girl's arm, she attempts to get enough leverage to pull her into a series of swift but strong kicks, for her knee, shin, stomach, and then pull her forward over her own knee to slam her to the floor with a non-quiet "HA!"
It's all right if Hotaru doesn't quite get it. The important thing is that it -sounded- cool, and it probably has a deep meaning that only the most sophisticated of sages can truely comprehend anyway, right?
Erm, right. As Himeko had suspected, her attack was swift and sure, but not enough to take Hotaru completely off-course, "Oops!"
Admittedly, the concept of teamwork in battle is still rather new to the heroine, but having her teammates back isn't quite as foreign a concept! She sprints after Hotaru then, able to catch up after the assault of attacks and attempts to grip the back of the kyokugen students collar, then twists sharply to slam her to the ground with a well timed slam, "Hyah!"
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Hotaru's Shin-Jou Tai.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|
It's certain that Hotaru gets that grip; Mizuki's energy is still flickering up even as her arm is grasped and her defenses thrown open! ... or, -are- they? Suddenly, Mizuki's other arm, grasping her baton against her forearm, is used to mostly deflect the series of kicks, giving the miko just enough time to cushion the blow of Hotaru's final attack, rolling along her shoulders and springing back up.
"Wow! That hurt!" she exclaims--no poker face here on this girl. "But I'm not down yet!" Seems she's got a flair for the dramatic as well, as she suddenly lunges forward, flipping her baton around to a traditional forward grip, twirling to her left to spin around and bring the baton around low, in a pair of strikes aimed to strike Hotaru's thigh and damage her mobility...
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Hotaru with Quick Throw.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Hotaru with Medium Strike.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|
While she manages to roll Mizuki to the ground, Hotaru knows she didn't really dish out too much pain against the girl. Taking a step forward to try and press an attack before the priestess can get her footing back, Hotaru finds herself caught from behind, stopped short by Himeko's grip on her collar. Erk! Her eyes widen as she realizes she needed to stay more situationally aware of what was going on around her. Note to self. Need more practice against multiple opponents.
Just before Hime drops her to the ground, Mizuki's baton strikes her right in the leg, eliciting an "Ow!" And then it's down to the floor with her with a squeak. She doesn't stay down very long though, rolling swiftly to the side to spin back up to her feet, landing on her feet in a pose that puts her ready for any other follow up from the two girls.
Seeing that she managed to get up before they could press their attacks though, Hotaru takes off again, this time jumping into the air, diving knee first for Mizuki's shoulder. If she manages to land, she'll swing her other foot around to try and strike the girl in the face, before back flipping through the air to land atop a nearby desk.
"Ok!" Hime cries, striking a pose by setting her fists on her hips while Hotaru is momentarily floored. It's a very brief celebration, but she's more or less back to business once Mizuki is back in Hotaru's line of fire.
Hurricane Hime can't help but grin a little, an admirable strategy, and she supposes that means she's going to have to work double-time to help out! Whether Hotaru lands her attack or not, Hime is soon on the prowl again, this time whipping out a handful of index cards. When she flings them forward, they act like a whip, sticking to one another and attempts to wrap around Hotaru's uppersection four or five times, effectivly holding her in place on the desk! "Gotcha! Go for it, Mizuki!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko assists Mizuki.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki endures Hotaru's Rengeki Shuu!
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-----==/=======|
Wh--whoa! Fast! Mizuki glances back, then faces forward again, just in time to see Hotaru flying in--a neat, neat move, that, and one that garners a bit of a grin from the other girl. The redhead barely has time to brace herself before the knee-kick combination strikes, and Mizuki is rocked by the attack. But she ignores the pain and she -doesn't- go down, using the pain as a spur, lunging forward.
Hopefully, Himeko's technique worked, holding Hotaru in place--but whether it did or not, Mizuki is moving forward, her baton held at the ready.
"Kouryuu no.."
As she nears Hotaru, Mizuki begins jabbing outwards with the baton--the jabs angled upwards to catch Hotaru in the thighs and lower stomach. The baton's length is encased in blue-green chi, adding to the potential damage, and after six or seven strikes, Mizuki prepares a final thrust for Hotaru's stomach.
"Renda!!!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mizuki's Kouryuu no Renda.
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Himeko 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
Flipping back from her attack on Mizuki, Hotaru lands on the table, giving her a slight height advantage for a moment as well as making her harder to hit. Her focus is on Mizuki though. It's probably that weapon of hers. The girl really doesn't like having to deal with getting smacked, slashed, stabbed, gashed, or otherwise pulverized by the weapons she's had to go up against in her fighting career.
This leaves her open to yet another surprise attack from range from Himeko. As the index-card whip wraps around her waist, she suddenly realizes that while this might be /her/ school she's fighting at, the bookworm is in /her/ native fighting ground here. No doubt inspired to excel, inspired by the volumes of books at her fingertips here!
She grins a little at the epiphany and as Mizuki comes for her, Hotaru has already jumped away, leaping for The Hurricane now, "I'm on to you now!" she laughs, spinning into a jump kick for the shorter girl's shoulder. She needs to take her out of the fight for a bit it seems like.
COMBATSYS: Himeko blocks Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
Uh oh! Perhaps Hurricane should have tried wrapping her Hotaru's ankles instead, Hotaru's proven on ocassion she doesn't necessarily need her arms to defend herself. A lesson learned! "Busted!" she cries, the index cards breaking on their own, and the pink-clad fighter scoots back slightly toward the card catalog shelf. As the kick comes toward her shoulder, the girl whips out her paperback from her scarf and hops upward, the kick landing solidly into it without even bending the object. The shelf behind her stops her from staggering back too far, and then she slips a finger up to one of the handles where 'C-D' is labeled. It's then drawn out, then hucked at the pigtailed girl, "But it may be too late, Hotaru!"
Disappointment! Mizuki had expected the attack to land--had hoped, at least. Drawing back, she can count herself partially lucky, in that Hotaru doesn't come after her again... of course, that means she has free reign! While Himeko is busy defending against Hotaru then making her own attack, Mizuki decides to pull back a bit; she retreats a few steps, then circles around, hoping to be able to get into position to sandwich Hotaru with Himeko, attacking from both sides... and while she's doing so, she's also watching Hotaru more carefully. The blue-haired girl is swift, that's for sure...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki focuses on her next action.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Himeko's Thrown Object.
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Himeko 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
Leaning her head to the side a little, Hotaru manages to avoid getting struck by the flying object. Shaking her head, she rolls her eyes a little, laughing. "Why do I feel like the bad guy here..." she muses. It must be all of the heroic gesticulations on the part of The Hurricane.
She's vaguely aware of Mizuki lining up to catch her off guard from behind, but for now she makes a valient effort to avoid getting sandwiched between the two girls. Hopping forward again, it seems she's out to jumpkick Himeko a second time.
Only now she comes in from a steeper angle, driving her heel toward the smaller girl's shoulder. If she can land it, she'll use the leverage to flip off to the other side of her, getting her out from between her two opponents. She's really going to need to stay on top of her game to deal with both of them at once for long.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Light Kick from Hotaru with Ghost Writer.
- Power hit! -
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Himeko 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
It's a good question, though one Hurricane Hime isn't going to answer aloud. Really, no matter how anyone looks at it from any angle, there's just no way anyone can see Hotaru as a villain!
....... Well.. Unless you're Joe, perhaps. Then she's some sort of she-devil.
Hime doesn't mind taking some of the blows now and then, it helps keep her skills up! Hotaru's kick looks like it's going to be a bit painful, but within it, Hime believes she sees an opening! Holding her book from the bottom, she turns her back to Hotaru, and then leaps straight up into the air just moments after the kick connects! Her momentum still going though, she drives the spine of her book into the others midsection but good, "HUAAAH!"
It looks like it's a doozy of a strike, it may send Hotaru right on top of one of the bookshelves, where Himeko would be hot on her trail if so! "That's why they call me Hurricane Hime!"
She got away... apparently Mizuki is not sneaky enough. Ah well. There are any number of things that Mizuki could have done to be quieter, but she's no ninja, no matter -what- Alma fantasizes about. Still, she had her moment to study, and so that's going to have to be good enough. Even as Hotaru is trying to tag Himeko and Himeko is doing something that looks like a Book-ryu-ken... it's kind of hard to get in there, really. Mizuki doesn't trust her ranged aim--so she starts running across the library towards where her teammate and opponent have gone. Halfway there, she crouches, then leaps, rising up and trying to catch Hotaru with a flying kick, a horizontal jump kick that some people think shouldn't be possible with the robes she's wearing.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mizuki's Light Kick.
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Himeko 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
The blow to her stomach with a book would hurt bad enough as is, but the fact that she just kinda jumped into that made it even that much worse. "Ugh!" the girl gasps, literally bent over the piece of literature before she tumbles forward to the floor. So caught off guard she isn't even able to recover from the fall gracefully, landing on her back with a gasp. Okay, aerial acrobatics might not be the right idea in here...
She's back to her feet again though, rolling into a standing position already leaning to the side to allow the jump kick to miss her, but not by much. "Whew," she murmurs reflexively. The two girls are definitely making her stay on her toes here. Glancing back and forth, now stuck between them again, Hotaru hops up onto a table and runs along it to try and get out from between her opponents again.
But when she's running alongside Himeko, the girl drops into a crouch and spins her leg out forcefully, attempting to strike the girl hard at shoulder-level, using the advantage of the table's height to try and catch her at an awkard angle to defend from. "Doing good, but don't get too confident!" she offers as the only warning.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Heavy Kick from Hotaru with Medium Throw.
- Power hit! -
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
Hurricane Hime seems to really be shining today, doesn't she? Sometimes it does pay to be a ball of superheroic energy. "Careful!" She cries to Mizuki's high-flying attack that seems to have something in common with Hotaru's own.
Of course she is keeping close, following along her blue-haired opponent, and when she comes at her with a table-assisted kick, it's really not that awkward from her height. The kick comes zooming forward and slams into her shoulder, but then her gloved hands clasp Hotaru's calf, which she followed by a very Saishu-esque, "Ha ha!!"
Hime pulls back and then proceeds to spin. She spins and spins and spins, until finally she loses her balance and sends her opponent flying toward one of the bookshelves, while she flops onto her back, "Ugh!"
The audience expects her then to boast that's why they call her 'Hurricane'.
She doesn't. "Saikyo!" she cries.
Sai... kyo? What? Well, I guess Hime's got an ego... no, wait. No wait. She mentioned this 'Saikyo' before, didn't she? Yeah, Mizuki is sure of it. Whatever it is, it sure seems to be effective, she can't deny that. Her flying kick adroitly dodged, Mizuki lands even as Hotaru is getting flung towards a bookshelf... it seems odd that Himeko would be the one wrecking the bookshelves.
Once again twirling her baton, Mizuki decides that the only choice she really has is to go for broke--Hotaru's done an admirable job of avoiding her for the most part, so Mizuki intends to see if she can keep it up. Rushing towards Hotaru, Mizuki winds up, and steps forward, spinning as she brings the baton around in a power vertical strike...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mizuki's Deep Strike.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
It's hard to describe the surprise on Hotaru's face as Himeko manages to not only endure what was intended to be a pretty crushing kick but actually grab hold of her leg and send her flying into the bookshelf. Crashing against it, the pig-tailed fighter falls to the floor, catching herself with her hands before face planting completely. Okay, wow! Whatever training Himeko has been going through lately is /really/ paying off!
"Maybe I should give myself some advice," Hotaru mumbles as she starts toget up, only to have a book slip loose and clonk her on the head. "Ow." She shakes her head, rubbing it, blue eyes trying to focus back on her opponents again. When Mizuki comes for her, Hotaru jumps to the side onto another table. Her foot comes down on a book left by a student who failed to mind the 'Please return books to the shelves when done using them.' sign. Her momentum causes her to unintentionally skate along the entire length of the wooden surface right off the other end. "Yikes!" Hotaru squeaks, managing to save herself from taking another nasty spill in spite the way she's getting worked over thus far. Turning around, she uses the sudden distance to catch her breath, slipping into a ready stance as she waits for the two girls to catch up with her.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru gains composure.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
What is Saikyo. A common question that Hime has actually heard a little too often. However she's looking pretty proud of herself, and while she is making some attempt to keep her confidence in check, it's just such a good feeling knowing her training with Dan is paying off!
But yikes, Hotaru took a really nasty couple of spills there, making Himeko cringe, and then cry out in horror, "OH NO!!!"
She makes a mad scramble toward Hotaru and dives onto and along the table, and one once she slides off, hits the floor with a heavy 'thud' while grasping the book Hotaru slid on, "That poor book! Don't worry, little buddy, you're going to be all right!" and she grips it tightly within her hands, seeming to be making some sort of effort to, what, heal it with her mind? It's possible.
COMBATSYS: Himeko focuses on her next action.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/-------/=======|
Hotaru's had an incredible string of successes versus Mizuki; truth be told it's more than a little frustrating, but Mizuki is ready to roll with it. After all, this is what a fight is. Her baton crashes through a set of shelves before she can stop it, and then she turns... and looks at Hotaru dead on. Standing right where she is, she lets her arms drop... and once again power flares up around her, blazing bright blue-silver as it sheathes her body in energies, as it is drawn in once more...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/---====/=======|
The pig-tailed girl braces as Himeko comes flying at her, no doubt expecting some kind of attack from her shortly! Only to blink as she scoops up the book with such deep, compassionate concern. Well, gee. Hotaru shakes her head, noticing neither of the girls are coming at her for the moment. "I'm pretty sure it'll be all right?" she offers hopefully. It was a pretty smooth slide after all!
That said, she just clasps her hands behind her back and walks off a ways, putting distance between Himeko and Mizuki. Trying to stay aggressive on the two girls has proved to be pretty fruitless thus far, getting her worn out and beaten up repeatedly. She's going to have to adopt a more controled pace now, she decides, if she's to have any chance at this.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/---====/=======|
It really was a smooth slide. But at what cost. At what cost?? Now, Hime isn't in tears luckily, she's got plenty of fighting spirit to spare. She just needed a moment. A moment of silence that she's granted after Hotaru gives her words of encouragment, and then she stands up and gives a nods of her head.
It looks like Mizuki is powering up for something big, she'll have to remember that so she doesn't get caught in the crossfire.
But wow is the burst of chi cool. Really cool! So this leaves Hime and Hotaru staring at one another for a moment, but she breaks that moment with an overhead swing with her opposite hand; her folded up paper-fan in her opposite hand swung at Hotaru's face with a loud FWAP! She then follows up with a hop and kicks both her feet out, a standing drop-kick! "Watch out!"
Mizuki would never attack her teammate wantonly like that! She's Mizuki, not Tenma or Shenwoo or Yamazaki or any of those other crazy-ass loons. Mizuki! Get the name right! Hotaru allowing Mizuki to charge up uninterrupted is a bit of a surprise, but, once the redhead's taken all the power she can at one time, the energy fades. It was refreshing, in a manner, but Mizuki can't dilly-dally too much longer!
For perhaps only the second time in this fight, Hotaru will have to face her two opponents at the same time. While Himeko is busy executing her combination attack, Mizuki is coming in from the side, baton poised... normally she'd lash out at the girl's side, but with Himeko in close proximity, Mizuki decides to execute a quick baton thrust for the other girl's ribcage.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Himeko's Medium Strike.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mizuki's Medium Strike.
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Himeko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/---====/=======|
She's gotten her breath back now and had a moment to clear her head. She tried to start out strong, fast, and aggressive, but the two girls managed to see past most of that and make her pay the price. But with both of them leaving her alone for a moment, Hotaru is ready to slip back into action.
As Himeko swings for her with the paper fan, Hotaru puts her hand out, stopping the distracting attack before it can swat her in the face. This probably ends up making The Hurricane Drop Kick From Hell come out a bit awkwardly, letting Hotaru avoid it and Mizuki's incoming pole stab at the same time by leaning to the side and then sucking her stomach in and leaning back so that the baton stab only ends up brushing along her ribs sideways rather than landing anything that would actually hurt.
Now she's finally moving at the speed she needs to two keep up with the two opponents at once, it seems. There's a faint smile, a little glimmer of satisfaction as she manages to keep her cool for a little bit. "Thanks for the warning," she offers Himeko with a grin before she swings out for the girl with her foot, attempting to use leg strength to knock her away so that she can shift focus back to Mizuki in a moment.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Light Kick from Hotaru with Ghost Writer.
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Himeko 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hotaru
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Mizuki 1/---====/=======|
Talk about backfire, the joke was she was giving the warning a little too late! And then it got stuffed, STUFFED I say. Hitting the floor with a heavy thud, she's quickly back on her feet, and.. Thinking she may have had enough for the time being, without Mizuki's help, she's going to be in way over her head if this keeps up!
Once Hotaru's kick comes in yet again, there's no attempt to send a big swing, instead she crouches slightly, withdraws her handy paperback and bursts up into the kick, a body to body collision in which the smaller girl manages to win and overpower! Her book slams under Hotaru's chin this time, and well.. On the plus side, this would potentially seperate them since she's intending to knock Hotaru back toward her partner, "Go long, Mizuki!"
Yes, this has quickly become merely an exercise in frustration for Mizuki. Ever since that initial hit, nothing has seemed to work at all; it's as if either she or Hotaru simply aren't in the same plane of existence. Of course she knew that such fighters existed--people with blinding speed, who were impossible to hit--but she'd never come up against one before. Go long? Huh. Uh...
"A--alright, Hime-chan!" cries Mizuki, doing her best to get into the spirit of teamwork, and as Hotaru is knocked back, Mizuki sets herself... and seeks to tag Hotaru with a rising uppercut slash. Fortunately it is a blunt weapon, but the uppercut, if it hits, should sting a little...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mizuki's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 1/--=====/=======|
Once again she finds herself completely repelled by the smaller statured fighter. The book slam to the chin sends the girl reeling backward, eyes starting to water. That smarted! She's going to have to find out who's been teaching that kid. She's /vastly/ improved since the previous times she's seen her fight.
Avoiding Mizuki's swing is almost more happenchance than pure skill this time. With her eyes watering a little and her back to toward the miko-garbed fighter, she can't even really tell which way she should try to avoid the inevitable attack for her back. So she steps to the right, which ends up working out pretty good as Mizuki's upward baton slash whistles past her side.
Finally turning toward Mizuki, Hotaru lunges at her, hopping into the air into a quick spin to gain momentum, swinging out twice with her arms with two whirlwind attacks aimed high. When her feet touch down, she continues to swing, however, trying to find an opening in the other girl's defense through which she might be able to make a stronger attack. "Sou-shou...!"
Looks like Mizuki is in trouble again, but well, Himeko's going to take the opportunity to keep her distance and do a little bit of ranged support for a moment or two. Making a dash to the card catalog again, Hime leaps onto it, then atop mostly empty bookshelf tower lined against the wall. It's crazy, perhaps a little too crazy, but she rocks back and forth, and finally manages to rock the entire bookself off-balance, and attempts to drop it down onto Hotaru! ... Um.. Heads up, Mizuki.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki fails to reflect Sou-shou Tenrenge from Hotaru with Kongou no Kagami.
- Power fail! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 1/----===/=======|
As she begins to attempt her first swings, Hotaru quickly realizes that Mizuki is trying to do something to her in turn. Already too committed to avoid whatever she might do, the girl just strikes harder and faster, small sparks of chi lighting up as each hand swings forward, pushing the other girl back a little as she goes.
She leans hard into the girl, lunging with a swift, rising shoulder slam into her chest to knock them both into the air. "Tenrenge!" Her entire body flares with a blue aura at that point as she dives back down into the priestess, delivering one final attack, discharging her chi with a small explosion of blue light before sliding to a stop somewhere a few feet away... unfortunately coming to a stop where the bookshelf is starting to tumble her way!
It's fights like these that make Mizuki question herself. She doesn't like it, but she can't help it. Hotaru went into ghost mode, has been effortlessly dodging her all night, and the one chance Mizuki's had to contribute something, -anything-, to this fight, and she flubbed it so bad she's got blood in her mouth. She can't even pick herself up for a moment, she's in so much pain, just splayed against the base of a bookshelf, practically unmoving for a few more moments.
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Hotaru with Random Weapon.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 1/----===/=======|
Hotaru exhales, gasping for breath after her last attack, as if something about the last attack she did took way more out of her than merely the effort in driving into Mizuki with so many small combined attacks. By the time she realizes that the bookshelf is coming her way, she is helpless to avoid it in spite a desperate leap forward at the last second.
The large piece of furniture pins her on her stomach for a long moment and it seems like it might've been enough to almost take her out of the fight after what the last attack took out of the Kenpo artist.
Shaking her head, the girl finally pushes down with her arms, putting the arm strength gained from dozons of pushups at the Kyokugen Dojo to use now to lift herself up enough to finally roll forward and let the shelf slam flat against the floor.
Coming up on her feet again, Hotaru gasps, her hand pressed against her stomach. That little bookworm is /dangerous/ in libraries! Getting squished by a library implement is enough to leave the girl catching her breath for a moment.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 1/----===/=======|
Tiiiiiiiiiiim-beeeeeeeer! Windmilling her arms, Hurricane Hime goes down with the bookshelf kind of like a surfboard, then once it lands, she hops of with a flip, striking a sentai pose, "Oshyaaaaaaaa!" she cries.
She gets into a defensive stance quickly though, expecting a counter attack... There isn't one immedietly, thankfully. But she doesn't take the moment to catch her breath, she did see her teammate take a really powerful blow, and as such it's up to her to by Mizuki as much time as she can! "Still standing?" she asks to Hotaru with a grin, "It looks like even the home advantage isn't enough for me to take you down easily, check this out!"
Index cards are drawn from her side-pack, which she whips toward her opponent. It looks like it's just going to make a crash course toward Hotaru's chest at first...
She... she's not dead yet? Amazing! "Ite-te-te... that hurt..." In fact, Mizuki can't (or at least doesn't seem like she wants to) get up to a standing position... she pulls herself to a kneel and even that hurts, her pretty face screwed up in a grimace.
"Gomen, Hime-chan... I'm not ready to face her again, just yet..." For the third time in the match, Mizuki seems to be praying. And she probably needs it, after that massive damage attack. But the prayer has a different bent, this time; her energies are flaring, yes, but blue-green, not silver-blue, and they're gathering almost over her head...
And then the collected energy breaks like a wave, spilling over Mizuki's body in a waterfall of energy, fading away before it hits the floor, but only just barely...
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Hotaru with Mulligan Stew.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|
Of course there's always more to it, isn't there? Her hand jerking to the right, the paper whip leans to the side, and then wraps multiple times about Hotaru's arms and waist. Once clinched in, she jerks back and forces the kempo fighter toward her as a result, "Get over here!" she cries.
With her back briefly to Hotaru for a moment, she waits until the last moment to rocket straight up into the air once more, that dang book in her hand leading the way to her 'book-ryuken' interrupt, her chi helping blast Hotaru up higher, "Toasty!!"
She's hardly worried about Mizuki staying back for a moment. However she is waiting a bit impatiently for her to use some massive ofuda attack that banishes spirits!
Watching Mizuki create teh chi wave that washes down over her, Hotaru blinks. She knew the girl was gifted with healing, but not that she could actually do it on the fly in combat as well! She should probably spend less time marvelling at Mizuki's ability and more time paying attention to the Hurricane who manages to wrap her up all over again.
Unable to do anything to keep her from getting jerked back toward the smaller student. 'This is going to hurt,' she muses right before she gets clobbered hard by the book of doom, falling over and landing on her back again. Hotaru lies there for a long moment, blinking. It would feel really good to not have to get up again. She's clearly not going to be able to wear down the two girls fast enough at this rate, and she's wearing out, being buffetted over and over in spite her attempts to play hard to catch.
Rolling over to her side, she finally pushes herself up and charges Mizuki. She's far too late to do much about that healing ability of hers, but she can at least try to get in an attack all the same.
Hopping up, she tries to drive her heel into the priestess's shoulder in an attempt to leap over her, press off the library wall, and come back down somewhere near where she started. She needs to step up her evasiveness something fierce.
It looks like Mizuki is in trouble again after all! Himeko bought a little time but.. Arguably not enough? Her lips curling inward a bit, she frowns just slightly, but then chases after her opponent. She's probably not going to make it in time to stop Hotaru, but she'll do her best to make her pay for ruining her awesome plan! Her scarf waving wildly behind her, the girl sprints, leaps into the air and onto a bookshelf, then off of that, flips again, and tries to land atop Hotaru with a double-footed stomp, "Hyaaaaaaaaah!!"
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Mizuki with Iki no Nagare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki interrupts Koushuu Da from Hotaru with Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|
The power washes over her, and my god, it's amazing. The healing waters that represent her ability to form chi not into a weapon, but a tool of life, literally wash away the bruises, the blood... she suddenly breathes easier, as a cracked rib that was threatening a lung puncture knits itself together... energy and life surge through her body, and literally, it brings her to her feet, renewed...
Just in time for Hotaru to come descending down. But Mizuki twists--the hit she takes to her shoulder isn't as bad--and in the same moment she's crouching, and leaping, and striking Hotaru with a rising baton uppercut, almost like a certain 'Rising Dragon Punch'... except that Mizuki reverses her stroke at the top and smashes Hotaru back downwards, towards the ground.
"HYAH!" she cries, clearly getting into the fight at the end, and all her frustrations at Hotaru's speed are banished with the successful strike... she hasn't thought to check on Hotaru's condition yet, but she will, once she lands...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru endures Himeko's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|
Hotaru's heel comes down on Mizuki's shoulder as intended, but when she goes to jump off as intended, Himeko comes and lands on HER, grounding her in place on the miko's shoulder of all things. "What-!" she flails wildly, unsure as to whether she should try leaping off or just take the tumble.
In the end, the option to chose is taken from her as she feels Mizuki shift position suddenly and lauch up at her with that baton of hers, smacking the pig-tailed girl something fierce. "Ah!" she gasps, waving her arms and falling all the way back down to the floor where she crash lands a top a pile of the books that had already been scattered and spilt throughout the match.
She starts to sit up when one last book, jostled loose by her impact with the ground, topples out and plonks Hotaru right on the middle of the head and the girl slumps back down, sprawled a top the books. "...reading can be fun an enlightening..." she murmurs before exhaling and closing her eyes, released from having to get smacked around anymore by the two girls at last.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Himeko 1/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Himeko 1/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|
Freeze frame for a moment! Just a moment.. And then resume! Hime windmills her arms while standing atop Hotaru, and then when the girl below her goes off-balance, she ends up falling off as well, "WAUGH!"
Dropping like a sack of potatos, she also hits the ground with a WHUMP, luckily managing to avoid Mizuki on the way. However, she also catches Hotaru's words, and drawing her face up from the ground she notes, "Yes! Reading is an adventure! Consider joining the Taiyo High Book Club!" and then flumps back onto the ground once more. She's.. Done here, yes.
COMBATSYS: Himeko has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|
Mizuki lands from her final strike, and-- "... what? Oh, uh, I guess... we won?" She looks kind of confused actually... "I--I didn't think I hit her that hard!" Frowning, Mizuki walks over to Hotaru, kneeling down, checking her heartbeat, her temperature (why? No one knows), then kneeling down.
Once again a glow surrounds her hands, but this time it washes over Hotaru, a wave of blue-green energy that should give her a headstart on the healing. In the background, the fight is called for Himeko and Mizuki, but the redhead is barely paying attention.
"Hotaru-san?" she's calling, gently, to wake her up, though Mizuki turns her attention towards Himeko, "Thank you for fighting alongside me, Hime-chan. It was educational, and your performance was inspiring!"
The attentions of Mizuki end up helping the fallen Kenpo artist quite a bit and she ends up batting her eyes open only a few seconds later. Fortunately for her, she never really suffered any /grevious/ injuries in match. It was mostly just getting weathered down little by little that finally wore her out.
Which is why with just a touch of Mizuki's gift she's actually looking pretty good already, "What? Huh? Training already...?" she grouses, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, shaking her head before glancing at the priestess who's name had been familiar to her for so long yet she had never had the chance to catually speak with directly before.
"Oh, eh heh," the girl grins, resting her hand behind her head sheepishly as she finally remembers why she's lying on a pile of books rather than the Kyokugen Dojo floor. "You two made a great team. Really taught me a lot about where I could stand to train better." Dealing with multiple opponents has been a problem of hers for some time, and this fight really helped drive that home.
Hopping to her feet, she shakes her head and clenches her fists, "I'll do better next time," she promises, laughing a little before bowing politely toward Mizuki, adopting a very traditional posture of respect for the priestess. "Thank you, Mizuki-san. Hime-chan." the pig-tailed fighter offers with a wave. She brushes off the offer of help from the SNF medics, surprised that she's feeling just fine already, thank you very much.
Log created on 20:29:47 07/07/2007 by Mizuki, and last modified on 20:15:14 07/08/2007.