SNF 2007.07 - Kain vs Ryuhaku & Kasumi Todoh

Description: A battle between Kain and the father/daughter combo of Ryuhaku and Kasumi. Can the German withstand the might of two Todohs?! Hint: The answer is yes. (Winner: Kain)



Kain may be getting a fair bit of billing as one of SNF's big 'stars', but the fame really isn't of much interest to him. There may well be ways in which he'll be able to use it to his advantage at some point, but for the time being he's just interested in the chance to face off against a variety of difficult situations, some of which would be tricky to arrange on his own. Facing off against two skilled fighters who use the same martial arts style? It's been a while since Kain has had to deal with something like that. Should be interesting.
Heinlein strides into Howard Arena in a manner that's been seen numerous times, paying little attention to the cheering crowd. He does, briefly, lift up one hand to wave, but he doesn't even bother to look up as he throws the fans this little crumb. Once on the fighting floor Kain slips his left hand into his pocket, leaning back slightly on his heels as he watches the approach of his opponents. He can definitely spot signs of some real ability, but they wouldn't be in this match if they didn't have skills. To see how well they can use them, though... Well, Kain is just going to have to wait.

It has been awhile since Kasumi has been thrust into Howard Arena to participate in one of the main events that SNF holds. The last time she dealt with this situation she was fighting another big name in Ryu. Tonight will be alot different, though. She has seen Kain fight and she would be telling a lie if she said she wasn't nervous. She certainly does her best not to show it though as she steps forward into the arena and glances around towards the crowd.

If anything at least she has her father for a partner tonight. That should make them unstoppable if she does say so herself. Of course he went and got lost as they were entering the arena and she hasn't seen him for the past few minutes. He'll find his way before the match starts. Or so she hopes. After taking a look to make sure he didn't end up in the stands with someone else's popcorn she turns to Kain and presses her hands together while bowing to the other fighter. "Mr. Heinlein, let us have a good match."

Howard Arena security staff have been long awaiting this moment. For the longest time, Ryuhaku Todoh has kept finding, quote those who actually try and watch for his various appearances out of virtually nowhere, "interesting places" to show up. They hate it because they think he's evading the purchase of a proper ticket to spectate. He keeps finding places to pop up all over Howard Arena, and consistently slips through even the most thorough security measures to keep him from popping up in those same places. Nobody is sure how he does it.
Now, it all has come to a head. There is supposed to be one real way into battleground of Howard Arena proper... and that's through the staircases that fighters typically go through. Some are betting entire weeks' worth of their paychecks that, finally, he will /have/ to get in the same way anybody else competing does. They want that rare moment of normalcy from one of the most elusive of fighters.
The smart ones among them have prepared for disappointment. The fans, of course, are none the wiser. (Some still think he's some old male Kasumi stalker.)
For a while, announcers and spectators are alike are curious when Kasumi Todoh appears seemingly by her lonesome. Has that man decided to chicken out of the match and leave his up-and-coming heir to his family style out on her own? Is he being forced to admit that, yes, he will have to walk up the steps like anybody else?
Wrong!
All of a sudden, a large adhesive banner-style advertisement for the Todoh dojo that has been affixed to the wall for the better part of a week suddenly bursts open, the sight everyone has been waiting for tumbling out on his side across the stone battleground with a loud coughing and gagging noise. For a short amount of time, he gags as he stands up and fans himself out, shaking his head to straighten his hair. The man /hid between a wall and an adhesive flyer./ How the hell did he manage that?
This less than dignified enterance on national television is brushed off by one Ryuhaku Todoh as nothing, legs spread out as he draws both fans at once, one pointed up in a wave and the other thrust in the direction of Kain R. Heinlen. It waggles tauntingly. "Today! We show the world the greatness of the Todoh way!" From gagging for air to awful spray in no time flat.
Several members of the Howard Arena staff have lost their bets handily.

Well, Kain certainly has to give Todoh credit for the entrance. Even if it sames to be the case that the man has more than a few screws loose. Heinlein doesn't appear particularly surprised by Todoh's explosive entry, however. It's going to take a bit more than that to unsettle someone like Kain. The blond man slowly crosses his right arm over his chest, then sketches a brief bow in the direction of the two Todohs. "Indeed. Let us have a good fight."
Heinlein then straightens back up, glancing over toward the announcer's station. His right hand bursts into black flame as he waits for the start of the fight to be called. He then looks back over toward Kasumi and Todoh, looking them over with some curiosity. "I must admit, I'm not familiar with your style, though I see you've been doing fairly well with it. I'm quite eager to see your skills." The black flames around Kain's hand flare up for a moment, then are suddenly extinguished with a shake of his wrist as he lowers his arm back to his side.

For a few moments Kasumi just stares at her father after his 'grand' entrance and then she looks slightly embarassed for a moment. She should be used to stuff like this by now, but somehow it seems different given this is the main event of this weeks SNF. She manages not to comment to Todoh about his entrance and she turns back to Kain as he makes his little display of energy manipulation. "And see them you shall." she replies and takes a deep breath.
She should have added 'in a few moments' to the end of the sentence because for now she just gets into her stance and keeps her attention on Kain while waiting to see if he makes the first move. She also spares a glance towards her father to see what he might do as well. She is actually the least experienced fighter in this outing so she wants to take her time and do her best not to make a mistake early in the fight that could cost her.

COMBATSYS: Kasumi has started a fight here on the right meter side.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0           Kasumi


COMBATSYS: Kasumi focuses on her next action.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0           Kasumi


COMBATSYS: Todoh has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0            Todoh


COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kain             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0            Todoh


There's all kinds of fighters out there. Some just take it up a notch. Others are Ryuhaku Todoh. And that's enough on that.
With a dramatic sweep of an arm, Todoh drops a fan back into his chest armor and swings the other fan closer to his face, bringing one hand down on a leg as he leans forward with that giggle that is not quite befitting of a man of his stature. He must be very confident, although a discerning eye may notice a fraction of a second of a pause at Kain's wrist flick dismissal of the black flames. Ryuhaku Todoh works with chi extensively... and that is an understatement. He can practically /taste/ it. Ah, there must be more to that then the fancy schmancy colors. The fan is summarily disposed of the same way as the other as he drops his arms to his side and narrows his eyes. Kasumi is prim and proper. Despite her relative inexperience, she is probably hitting more of the 'dos' than her father is in taking on a superior enemy that, by many appearances, outstrips him at his own game. Except for complete disregard for the concept of "audience seats." Nobody beats Ryuhaku Todoh there.
He inches closer towards Kasumi's side, if a little bit in front. This is what the industry calls the beginnings of father/daughter bonding as he puts on at least the believable look of a skilled fighter preparing to deconstruct their opponent little by little, bit by bit.
Or is he tensing for what some believe to be the inevitable?

COMBATSYS: Todoh focuses on his next action.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kain             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0            Todoh


It's a good thing that Todoh doesn't inch any closer toward his daughter, or he might have become a liability to her. As it is, there's a bit too much distance between them, and between Kain and the two Todohs, for him to blast them both at once, meaning he has to settle for just one of them. Poor Kain. Given that he's the elder fighter, it's natural for Kain to guess that he's the one with more skills, even if he is a bit... odd. There are plenty of excellent fighters with odd personality quirks.
One way or another, it's time for this fight to start, and if the Todohs aren't quite ready to bring the fight to Kain, he can try giving them a reason not to hang back at long range. Heinlein lifts up his right arm again, and with a casual flick of his wrist he sends a blast of black fire racing through the air towards Todoh. Someone with Todoh's knowledge of chi can probably appreciate the effortlessness with which Kain launches this attack.

COMBATSYS: Todoh fails to slow Schwarze Flame from Kain with Kasane Ate.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kain             0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////////////       ]
                                 |====---\-------\0            Todoh


It is no surprise that it is her father that draws the attention of Kain at first. Defeating the more experienced fighter is a decent tactic overall, but even so Kasumi isn't a slouch when it comes to fighting. Afterall she has been training to take over as the head trainer of the family's style for the years that her father had disappeared. She will be sure to show Kain that he should not forget about her even if the results will be rather painful for her.

As Kain lifts his arm to fire that blast of chi the youngest of the three fighters barrels forward. Fighting Kain at a distance or in close is painful either way, but Kasumi likes her chances better with the latter. Stopping in close the tiny fighter settles a foot down behind the leg of Kain as she brings her arm around in a clothesline like move in an attempt to ground the German. If anything perhaps it will give time for her father to deal with that blast an....oh he didn't. Well hopefully he has time to recover.

Ryuhaku is ready for this one (he thinks!). Now, he could feel the use of Kain's chi right from where he stood. Anybody who knows how to use chi at least as well as he does can - this is no special feat on its own. Todoh's grin grows more confident when he sees that very movement Kain launches the little black flame that not only can, but has. Enough so that it could have had its own children's book about eventual success - a formidable opponent to a (in his own mind) formidable technique!
"Now watch!" His hands rise up into the air with such speed and precision that he looks as though he has complete and total control of the situation. He may have had so as he summons a bright yellowish-orange segmented wave of energy in a descending pattern to intercept... nay, overcome, the black flame that wants to prove him oh so very wrong.
The energy wave reaches the floor as per normal, but something happens... or doesn't. He threw it too soon! Kain threw off Ryuhaku's timing, whether by intent or accident, and made him terribly misgauge its velocity as it sails through the wake of his prized Kasane Ate without ever interacting with the opposing chi. It strikes him at full velocity as his arms raise from the maneuver in the chest, knocking him off his feet and causing him to slide a short ways across the ground.
He groans pathetically as he rises up. That fall was kind of hard on his back, if the rubbing is any indication.

COMBATSYS: Kasumi successfully hits Kain with Combo Throw.
- Power hit! -

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kain             0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////////////       ]
                                 |====---\-------\0            Todoh


It didn't take much for Kain to launch his attack toward Todoh, so he's not off his guard when Kasumi comes racing in toward him. It only takes a moment to figure out what she's going for, and Kain doesn't think he has anything to worry about. All he has to do is move his leg thusly- or not. Because Kasumi turns out to be a bit faster than Kain anticipated. Her leg locking against his momentarily unsettles his balance, giving her an opportunity to slam her arm into his throat. He's sent crashing over backwards, the back of his head knocking painfully against the stone floor.
It's painful, but it doesn't slow Heinlein down for long. He slams his hands against the floor, using his arms and legs to spin himself into a crouching position from which he quickly begins to rise. He's not just standing up, though. Black flame shrouds his right leg as it shoots upward, aiming an explosive kick up toward Kasumi's jaw.

COMBATSYS: Kasumi fails to counter Schwarze Lanze from Kain with Sasshou Inshuu.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Kain             0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////////////       ]
                                 |====---\-------\0            Todoh


This is certainly not a fight to dawdle about and try to be impressive. Kasumi has always found the best way to keep the pressure on opponents like Kain is to just be aggressive and show no fear. Of course that also leads to a world of pain when the plan doesn't work. Even so she isn't going to back down even as Kain recovers from her attack rather quickly. She narrows her eyes as that foot comes up towards her and despite it being covered in that rather dangerous looking glow she grasps for the leg to ground Kain again. That kick comes out alot quicker than anticipated though and that foot slams hard onto the younger Todoh's jaw and sends her flying back a few feet to land hard right on her back.

She lays there for a moment letting the fuzzyness clear somewhat before slowly sitting up and rubbing a sleeve against her chin from where she got busted open from that vicious kick. "Pfft, even the Kyokugen idiots hit harder than that." she mutters as she stands up. Yes Kasumi, great way to handle things. Try to make him hit you again. Still a bit too dazed for her own good she hangs back at least for now. She hasn't decided which one of the two Kains is the real one yet.

Ryuhaku and Kasumi Todoh came in to further demonstrate the strength and power of their style as they enjoyed the first tastes of success with all the Todoh dojo advertisements. Kain is defending himself well against the father-daughter combo. He has overcome the Kasane Ate and the Sasshou Inshuu alike. The two techniques the Todoh family both hold dear as some of their most versatile and greatest weapons, discarded as a simple triviality. To be fair, Kain is considered one of the best of the best of the best. This may have been seen as a natural result.
But where did Ryuhaku Todoh go now? One moment he was there rubbing his back after eating a Schwarze Flame from throwing a Kasane Ate too early. The stadium crowd knows where he's going (for once) when he "stealthily," note the quotation marks, rolls along towards Kain's blind side when he knocks his daughter away.
Todoh thrusts both hands towards Kain's backside at different elevations, trying to lift him up by the expensive suit (and the metaphorical scruff of his neck) and, should his hold not be challenged or outright overcome as the case may be, hurl him straight downwards into the ground nearby. Is Ryuhaku Todoh as sneaky as he likes to think he is?

COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Todoh's Bodyslam.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Kain             0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////////////////////        ]
                                 |====---\-------\0            Todoh


Ryuhaku Todoh is almost as sneaky as he thinks he is. He does manage to get up behind Kain, and if Heinlein was a normal person he probably wouldn't notice Todoh's presence. He's a bit busy with recovering after getting knocked down and then launching Kasumi with that kick. For a fighter to sneak up on Kain when he's actively examining the flow of chi around him, however, is almost impossible. That doesn't mean he actually knows what Todoh is planning to /do/, though.
Kain's suit gets snagged and he's lifted up, but then it becomes fairly easy to figure out what's coming next. He gets thrown downwards, but his hands are the first thing to hit the ground, allowing Kain to control the rest of his fall. Kain's left foot is the next thing to touch the ground and he immediately pushes off with it, spinning himself around with his right leg extended. An aura of blue chi surrounds his foot as he sweeps it out toward Todoh's legs, aiming to send the elder fighter crashing to the ground while Kain gets back to his feet.

COMBATSYS: Todoh fails to counter Medium Kick from Kain with Kuzu Otoshi.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Kain             0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////               ]
                                 |=====--\-------\0            Todoh


Good thing the comment didn't lead to getting grounded again. Kasumi isn't sure how many more of those kind of hits she could take again. At least one of the Kain clones disappeared so she knows which one to attack with now. Perhaps going in close isn't the best of ideas. Could range work against this monster? It is time to pull out the failsafe attack. The same one that didn't do her father any good earlier in the fight when he tried to use it.

"Kasane..." she begins as she lifts her hands up high and takes in a deep breath as she steps forward and pushes her hands downwards to create that wave of chi aimed right towards the German fighter. "ATE!" She has to try to give Todoh time to recover because right now the pair are doing about as well as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.

The precursor to the Kain Overcomes Todoh Techniques Threepeat is an exciting moment in the stadium. Has the tables been turned on Kain as he is grabbed and nearly introduced to the ground before him?! The collision is not loud, thanks to Kain's softer landing. But Ryuhaku Todoh has a knowing(?) grin. He expected this! His hands lift off of him when he feels that slightest bit of resistance, clapping together above his head loudly in a swift moment of focus. He saw how Kain got past his daughter, but this time he's ready! His hands part with lightning speed, one lowering around waist length as he prepares for the coutnerattack in a direction it is not coming, as Kain instead chooses to go low.
The stiffness of this counter stance his daughter recently demonstrated works against him. Namely, when the leg gets struck, Ryuhaku feels a very uncomfortable muscle twist as he collapses onto his side on the battleground. Despite his apparent stiffness, he at least has the sense to lift up his legs and inch away when his daughter calls out the name of his most time-honored technique! It's enough to cause him to shed a happy tear.
Which will probably stop being a happy tear if it accidentally stings the foot closer to its path in its wake, that is.

COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Kasumi's Kasane Ate.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Kain             0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////               ]
                                 |=====--\-------\0            Todoh


While Kain could go for another test of clashing power between his flames and a Kasane Ate, he instead decides not to risk it. Overconfidence can be deadly, and he can see that this is a quite finely honed technique. Finely honed, but not quite fast enough to catch him this time. Kain quickly sidesteps as the wave of energy comes down toward him, letting it pass by harmlessly as he moves to flank Kasumi.
Heinlein flattens his right hand out and summons up a glowing aura of blue chi around it. Without pausing from his original evasive maneuver he swings his arm out, intending to chop the side of his hand into the back of Kasumi's neck. The idea is then to continue his movement until he's standing directly behind where Kasumi was, leaving him ready to deal with whatever the Todohs might bring out next.

COMBATSYS: Kasumi blocks Kain's Medium Punch.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////               ]
                                 |=====--\-------\0            Todoh


She isn't quite sure what Kain is up to at first, but it seems Kasumi ends up figuring it out before he can land his hit and send her sprawling to the ground again. She twists about to bring up her arms to take on the punch for her and she slides back a little from the impact, but otherwise she seems to be all right aside from feeling a great amount of soreness in her forearms right now. "Nice try, but not good enough."

And since he is close in she may as well try to grab ahold of Kain before he tries anything else. It isn't pretty on what she tries to do, but if it works it might be rather effective. She goes to grab him around the legs while driving her shoulder into his gut as she tries to heft him up long enough just to slam him down hard on his back.

Thanks to the fancy footwork of Kain, Todoh's foot actually does get the residual wake of Kasumi's Kasane Ate. It jerks back while he's trying to right himself up after that fall with a yelp. His daughter's spirit is still strong! This is good. But it puts him in a pretty uncomfortable position getting back up when he has to shake his foot around a little to shake off that sting. Some of the crowd can't help but laugh when he bounces around on one foot for a good three hops. When he comes to a stop, he steadies his stance a little, leaning forward a bit more than he probably should with both arms pointing outward. He breathes in and out steadily.
"Yeh hah hah... very good! Very good for child's play!" Kasumi might have been asking for it when she said the Kyokugen guys hit harder, but Ryuhaku's voice is the sort that carries veeeeeery well in crowded setings. Whatever the case is, Kain does not seem to take Ryuhaku as a terribly serious threat, but the cameras are clearly paying attention as he wags a finger up and down scoldingly while Kain introduces an arm chop to his daughter's neck. (Ryuhaku would not approve of the two body parts dating.)
He watches Kasumi's own movements very closely in her attempt to heft Kain up and down. He leaps off the stage with his stronger leg, arms raised high as he summons the underlying forces of the world to do his bidding. "NOW WITNESS THE MAJESTY OF A TECHNIQUE UNMATCHED IN ITS MYSTERY AND MIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME!"
And then, just like that, he summons a perfectly solid three-segmented wave of yellowish-orange energy to try and keep the pressure going on the one who has already very clearly demonstrated that he wouldn't stand for these shenanigans.
...Is this really the first time anybody's seen this?

COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Kasumi's Rebound Throw.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////               ]
                                 |=====--\-------\0            Todoh


COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Todoh's Kasane Ate.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  ///////////////               ]
                                 |=====--\-------\0            Todoh


Oh, it's not so much that Kain doesn't consider Todoh a serious threat. It's just that he's mostly been in a position where only one of the two fighters is an immediate threat at a given moment. Now, though, he has to deal with both of them, but he's still handling himself quite well. A short leap helps Kain escape from Kasumi's grasp and keeps him facing Todoh. This is a good thing, because he has to quickly bring his arms up to block the incoming Kasane Ate. There's a flare of blue light as the blast impacts Heinlein's arms, his own chi dulling the impact of Todoh's.
As the Kasane Ate fades away, Kain holds up both hands toward Todoh with his fingers facing outwards. Time to show off a fancy attack of his own! There's a spark of blue light in front of his hands, one which quickly begins to grow. It forms a greenish blue sphere of raw, churning chi and quickly expands to a good five feet in diameter. The breeze from the roiling energy can be felt all the way out to the audience, but it's Todoh who really has to worry, as that massive fireball shoots off toward him.

COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Todoh with Himmlische Seele.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                 |=======\====---\1            Todoh


"Tch." Kasumi was hoping she was quick enough to catch Kain by surprise but he has proven to be a top tier opponent. She isn't even sure if the greatness of her and her father combined can trump Kain. Even so she cannot just up and give up. She is in the spotlight right now and just laying down and givin gup is not an option at all. She takes a deep breath and takes a moment to make sure is amply distracted by her father before she moves in again. She rushes in right when he is busy throwing his energy around and aims to kick him in the back of the knees and then grab him by the back of his top to toss him back down to the ground. No way they can win unless they manage to ground him.

The shock of impact between Kain's chi against Ryuhaku's own applications of it jars the elder Todoh's elbows. This didn't quite go exactly as a hundred percent planned, the impact enough that his landing is not terribly steady. That wasn't even Kain's counterattack to begin with - it goes to show the very differences between their levels of chi mastery when Todoh is on the bad end of an exchange that Kain merely raised his arms against!
"Hm! So you can take it! But let's see you do better! C'mooon." Todoh crouches down and does that taunting giggling thing again as the blue light grows harder, faster, better, and stronger alike. Does he really want to sit there and take it as it goes to its full diameter of five feet. His long black hair whips all over the place. Some are standing on end to begin with. It's hard to tell which.
At the moment of release, he's ten feet away and he already feels an overwhelming power as his eyes comically widen. He arcs his back a bit in his attempts to instead politely sidestep and let the giant greenish blue chi ball pass, for it clearly has right of way.
It also has no concept of waiting for pedestrians! It envelopes Ryuhaku Todoh and even carries him off his feet as he finds himself enveloped within it and traveling along. That's just how powerful it is, and a clear demonstration of how even someone who is fairly hardened against this sort of thing can get carried away with it!
Todoh yells incomprehensibly as his natural aura finally causes it to dissipate enough that he is dropped along the ground further away. He has no visible bruises from physical contact, but when he comes to, it is very clear that he probably doesn't have much fight left in him no matter how he looks to dress it up. He breathes in and out, righting his vision as the camera falls upon Kasumi's and Kain's positions. Is Ryuhaku Todoh out of the fight?
"WHOSE SHOW IS THIS ANYWAY?!" Ryuhaku suddenly belts out as he hikes up his trousers, huffing along as he inserts himself right between the camera closest to Kain and Kain himself, drawing a fan and striking a pose along with the telltale grin of 'I'm totally desperate but I'm not about to give up the spotlight!' The fan is held high into the air for a moment while Ryuhaku makes sure to lean in enough that they'll want to switch to the next one over. He knows the cameras very well from all his times watching these fights.
With a little bit of Old Man Knowhow, he suddenly thrusts the fan-holding hand down and back to a camera angle they would almost definitely switch to just to get Todoh out of the way. They see the fan adorning the national flag of Japan. What they may also see is if he promptly backhand-slaps Kain away with it.

COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Kasumi's Combo Throw.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                 |=======\====---\1            Todoh


COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Todoh's Random Weapon.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                 |=======\====---\1            Todoh


Kasumi's attack is simple enough to evade. Kain simply runs toward Todoh, and that in itself brings his legs away from her planned attack. The downside to this is that it brings him that much closer to the blow from Todoh's fan, and Kain is running a bit too quickly to effectively stop running, or get out of the way. So how does Kain deal with it? He just keeps running forward, but he leans back as he does so. The upper half of Kain's body starts falling backwards, letting the fan miss him.
Kain's not just going to fall flat on his back, though. No, he catches himself with his hands and kicks off the ground with his left foot. His right foot sweeps up in an attempt to smack Todoh in the jaw with a flaming kick as Kain flips around to land back on his feet.

COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Todoh with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Kasumi
                                  >                                ]
                                 |>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Todoh


Too damn slippery. Was her first strike just lucky? She thought she was faster than this. It almost feels as if Kain has just been a step ahead of both her and her father this entire fight. There has to be some sort of weakness, but damned if she has found it yet. It is dire situations like this that you just bite down and throw all you got and try not to regret the actions. This fight may not be one she can win, but she wants Kain to remember the day he had to fight with the Todoh family if she can help it.

She presses her attack on Kain as he continues to be distracted by her father. She tries to grab him to spin him about to face her while pulling her other hand back and then thrusting it forward open palmed as hard as she can while stepping into the strike and driving it square into the German's chest. "Haaaah."

Ryuhaku holds his pose even as what would have been hailed as the risk of a genius should it have come to fruition. He even waves the fan a little for the crowds that probably do not think terribly high of him at the moment for all his ineffectual theatrics. While breathing heavily in his attempts to stay conscious and in the fight, he doesn't know when to quit. This is something shared by both the Todohs. He fights to the bitter end, and the even more bitter taste of defeat that he would be promptly licking off the bottom of Kain's flaming shoes. Figuratively. But he'll probably be eating a sandal or two if the stream of students comes to a steady stop after all this.
About that flaming shoe business. Kain lines it up so very perfectly that it smashes him in the jaw. Blood and saliva both go flying in almost exaggerated amounts, both descending to the ground in lovely Kasane Ate patterns. Todoh's upper body jerks back from such the impact that he almost makes a whole 180 onto the ground.
It is a wonder he didn't lose his footing to begin with. In fact... he doesn't yet fall on his face as he rises up and makes a slow turn-around to face Kain with a perfect bruise-colored imprint of his shoe in his face, black eye and swelling and all. "Yeh hah... hah..." He's not looking steady.
Around the sake time Kasumi tries to thrust her palms into Kain's chest, he lunges forward from Kasumi's left (Kain's right) and brings a hand up to try and grab his neck. His other fist trembles shakily with untold rage and scorn as his balance quickly slips, trying to wring Kain's neck around before, very desperately, swinging a fist straight for the nose in an attack that lacks any hint of grace, precision, or well... anything other than an angry, determined yell.
Ryuhaku then collapses face-down in front of Kain's feet, or further away if he is repelled by some means. Kasumi may need to carefully step over him.

COMBATSYS: Todoh can no longer fight.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Kasumi


COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Kasumi's Senkou Nagashi.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Kasumi


COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Todoh's Strangling FACEPUNCH.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Kain             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Kasumi


Once again Kain evades Kasumi's attack with a well timed leap, and once again it brings him a bit too close to Todoh for comfort. This time he doesn't pull off a fancy dodge. He lifts up in arm in the way of the hand reaching for his neck, so that he still gets dragged around, but rather less painfully. Then comes the punch to the nose, which winds up being a punch to Kain's palm as he quickly moves to block it. A quick shove and a step back and Kain lets Todoh collapse to the floor as he turns his attention to Kasumi.
Kain lifts up his hands, both of which burst into black flame as he smiles at Kasumi. He sweeps both arms forward, launching a pair of black fireballs toward the younger Todoh. They spiral around one another as they shoot forward toward a possible explosive impact.

COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Kasumi with Schwarze Flame.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Kain             0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1           Kasumi


Todoh lies prone, face flat on the arena that is shameful for one to lie upon for more than short moments at a time as the fight between Kain and Kasumi continues to rage without him. The elder Todoh, what some would have considered the more potent fighter between them, is down. Kasumi is left to her devices alone to hold her own. How far can she go? Can she really do it? Does anyone have any faith in her?
Todoh's right hand weakly rises, although the rest of him does not. It is holding a fan that he gently waves up and down every now and then. The odds are clearly stacked against her... but at least one man in all of Howard Arena still holds faith.

Trying to step over the fallen elder Todoh also leads to Kasumi some rather bad decisions. She hops back over him after her strike misses as she tries to duck around and put some distance between her and Kain. Not like it matters in this instance since Kain can pretty much reach her wherever she goes with those flames of his.
r There is a cry of pain when the flames impact with the younger Todoh and she looks ruffled and barely standing once they die down. "Not gonna let it end like this." she growls slightly while staggering forward. It is at a slow pace, but Kasumi continues forward once again in an attempt to grab Kain. The move she intends to use is one she developed on her own that is rarely used. Slow it may be, Kasumi none the less grabs for an arm in attempt to flip Kain of her shoulder and while he is being tossed she thrusts her free hand forward towards him in an impact of explosive chi intending to blow the German fighter away from her.

COMBATSYS: Kasumi successfully hits Kain with Shiranui.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Kain             0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0           Kasumi


Kain can't hold out forever, it seems. When Kasumi grabs his arm he attempts to pull back against her and for a moment it seems he's going to be able to hold her off. At least, until Kasumi makes proper use of the principle of leverage, yanking him up and off the ground. He immediately starts trying to twist himself around, but being upside down makes it a little hard to react in a timely fashion. Kasumi's hand impacts with Heinlein's chest and he's sent flying by the chi explosion. He may be able to weather the chi itself fairly well, but there's not much he can do to avoid being sent flying.
Heinlein hits the ground rolling and fairly quickly manages to pull himself into a crouching position. He rolls his neck briefly, then smiles at Kasumi. "Well done. I'm sure your father's proud of you." He'd be even more proud if she wins, of course... But the fight isn't over yet. Something Kain intends to fix. He runs across the arena floor toward Kasumi, black flame engulfing his right hand. He clenches that hand into a fist then throws a straight punch toward Kasumi's chest. Nothing fancy (for Kain), just an explosive punch.

COMBATSYS: Kasumi fails to counter Medium Punch from Kain with Messhin Mutou.
- Power fail! -

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Kain             0/-------/=======|


COMBATSYS: Kasumi can no longer fight.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Kain             0/-------/=======|


The younger Todoh breathes heavily as she finally manages to get ahold of Kain and blast him away. Of course she knows her father is proud, though she does take the compliment from the other fighter with a slight nod of her head. She doesn't know if she has much more in her though to continue this fight for long. Not when it is down to being one on one with a fighter such as Kain.

% Still she makes no attempt to get out of the way as his punch comes in. Her focus is intently on his movements as she tries to bring her arms up to once again get a grip on the other fighter to toss him about. The result is just not having the speed to get ahold of him and that fist slams into her hard enough to stagger her back several steps. "I tried...." is all she mumbles and then slumps forward to land flat on her face and it doesn't look like she will be waking up any time soon.

With both of the Todohs down, Kain allows the flames surrounding his fist to wink out. He slowly lowers his hand back to his side, looking at both of the fallen fighters. It doesn't take long for him to determine that they won't be getting back up in the immediate future, and it's not too much longer after that before the fight officials realize it. Once his victory is announced Kain gives the two Todoh fighters another brief bow, then quietly makes his way out of the arena. It wasn't enough to beat him, but it seems that Todoh-ryuu Kobojutsu does have some good points to it.

COMBATSYS: Kain has ended the fight here.


It just so happens that both Ryuhaku and his daughter are left on the ground together. Ryuhaku's pretty thoroughly beat, based on how solid that kick connected. The fan waving having come to an end, he lets the arm collapse back down onto the ground until he's able to get up... or gets coaxed by security to pick themselves up and leave. But until that moment comes...
His other hand reaches out towards Kasumi's back. He pats her a couple of times in an encouraging motion (or so that's how he intends it) before letting it go limp again. He knows how he's going to spend the next couple of afternoons when "the usuals" start denouncing him again!

Log created on 10:40:29 07/08/2007 by Kasumi, and last modified on 20:17:06 07/08/2007.