Neo League 451 - #452: Sakura vs Clark

Description: Sakura vs Clark, Neo League... XTREME!! Watch in shock and horror as Sakura and Clark duel within an erupting volcano planet!! Will Sakura get the high ground?! Is Clark truly more powerful than Sakura could ever imagine?! Will Sakura successfully interrupt with Shou'ou Ken?! WILL PADME DIE!? Tune in here to see the answers to one of these questions!! (Winner: Sakura)



Sakura's been in a lot of Neo League fights -- including the very first one. But she hasn't been one in over two months now, and is starting to get a wee bit rusty on the concept. Hence, the reason she's here now -- an urge to get back on the track of a true professional fighter!

Contrary to her usual fighting attire, though, she's dressed in a plain, amber-colored karate gi with long sleeves. Maybe it's a bit hot for this fine August afternoon, but this change is all about discipline, so she should get over it! Discipline also means getting here early -- she's present at the fight locale, the somewhat-dirty Gedo Street, though she doesn't actually poke her head out into the gathered masses until just before fight time. Grimacing faintly for a moment, she them remembers to turn on her crowd-pleaser mode, and waves with an energetic smile to the crowds. "Hey, hey!" she calls out to no one in particular, making sure to show her appreciation!

Neo League! The ultimate establishment for fighters seeking to engage in random beatdowns for the sake of -- well, beating down, particularly in a random fashion. Unlike the popular Saturday Night Fights, these matches offer a much needed change from the random premises like having barrels launched at you by a rabid monkey -- which might not have happened in SNF, but is bound to occur -eventually-. Neo League is infinitely simpler and more straightforward... and that's why Clark Steel is here today.
Because sometimes, nothing beats an old-fashioned one-on-one fight to the finish.
Unlike his opponent, the Bad Dude of the Ikari Warriors arrives relatively on-time to the somewhat rundown streets of Gedo, neither late nor early. Stretching out his arms as he cuts through the crowds of people gathered around the sectioned off 'arena,' the sunglass-wearing mercenary offers an amiable smile as he approaches, stopping just beyond the crowds. "Yo," he starts, lifting his gloved hand in a wave. "Sakura, right?" Of course, he knows who the fighting schoolgirl is -- you'd have to live under a rock -not- to -- but this will mark the first time he's ever really fought her, in either official or unofficial capacities. He inclines his head in a brief nod, lips splitting into an easy, casual grin.
"You ready?" Of course, Clark is. There's no underestimating schoolgirls. They're the third greatest threat to mankind.
Roughly.

COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.

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Sakura           0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Clark has joined the fight here.

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Clark            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura


Sakura nods her head in the affirmative! Of course she grants Clark the benefit of the doubt -- there's always a =chance= he'd never heard of the schoolgirl, even with her recent headline-making escapades. In a way, it actually makes Sakura more comfortable that he feels he has to ask -- she talks tough, but every so often, politeness is a good change of pace!
Raising her fist, she nods again. Ready? Of course Sakura's ready! "Sure am! This'll be fun!" Grinning brightly, she nods in reply, glancing to the officials. After a moment, they nod back, commencing the fight with the ringing of a bell.
Not wasting a breath, Kasugano leaps in with a risky attack to test the waters, trying for a quick cross punch to the jaw! "Hyyyyaaa!"

COMBATSYS: Clark blocks Sakura's Medium Punch.

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Clark            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sakura


Fun indeed. Clark drops into a more comfortable fighting stance the moment that Sakura gives her affirmation to his question, his grin shifting into a more calm, thoughtful expression. Tugging his cap a bit more firmly over his head, Steel lifts a single hand and gives a simple twitch of his wrist in beckoning. "Then... let's do it!"
Of course, Sakura wastes no time; within seconds she is already rushing in towards Clark with rather impressive speed. But as Sakura tests, she'll find Steel more than amply prepared to deal with the assault, a single hand lifting to absorb the force of the blow. Fist strikes palm with a brief release of air and a slight 'hmph!' of effort on Clark's part. He smiles. "... you hit pretty hard!"
From there, the mercenary seeks to keep a firm hold of Sakura's hand seeking to yank her -upwards- into the air, before gripping onto her opposite shoulder with his free hand and sending her slamming towards the ground with a short burst of speed. "HUP!!"

COMBATSYS: Clark successfully hits Sakura with Medium Throw.

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Clark            0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0           Sakura


Clark seems pretty easy-going, so far: Kasugano can tell she will really have a good time in this fight! ... He's also built like a rock, as she finds when her fist slams into his iron guard. She winces a bit as her hand is rebuffed, even with that compliment on his part.
She isn't able to pull her hand away when he latches on, either -- so she get a free roundtrip over Clark's shoulder, sent slamming into the ground with a surprised look on her face. ... That was different, notes Sakura as she stares up at the sky, back flattened against the asphalt with just a bit of spiderwebbing cracks forming beneath her.
This is no time to be lying around, though! Kasugano kippups back to her feet, bristling slightly at the pain shooting down her spine from the process. "Ugh, yeah, you hit pretty hard too! Good one!" Momentary discomfort displaced by a healthy flow of adrenaline, the energetic Taiyo graduate launches forward -- this time spinning into a somersault! When she snaps out, her legs shoot to either side as her hands karate-chop down onto the Ikari Warrior's massive shoulders -- and if she's lucky, she'll time the impact just right so that she can continue leapfrogging right over the mercenary's head! "Yut-taaah!"

COMBATSYS: Clark endures Sakura's Sakura Otoshi.

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Clark            0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Sakura


This one's a tough one, that's for sure. The fact that Sakura is up and ready to fight so soon after being flung like a ragdoll is a testament to her skill -- moreso than many her age possess. Steel takes note of this, backpedaling -away- from the girl to gain some distance and time to plan before she acts again.
"Thanks," is offered briefly -- mainly because Clark doesn't really have -time- to say much more of anything else. The moment that he speaks the word, Sakura is already somersaulting through the air like a schoolgirl possessed. Eyes narrow behind those dark shades as she whips towards Clark, but as that those hands swing down... Clark elects -not- to move. No, instead he takes the full brunt of Sakura's attack, his large body staggering down a step from the force of the attack. Yet, as Sakura continues to leap --
-- a single hand juts out, to grab her leg.
If successful, Clark hardly even pauses before he whips around, seeking to -launch- Sakura right into the air. He'll follow shortly after with a leap, twisting around before seeking to drive his elbow straight into the girl's solar plexus -- both to rob her of air and send her on a rocketing collision course with the ground. "BOOYAH!"

COMBATSYS: Clark successfully hits Sakura with Combo Throw.

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Clark            0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0           Sakura


... "Wha-" Kasugano was surprised at first to see Clark just standing right there waiting for her. But she can't abort the maneuver in mid-air like that, no... she's got to keep bouncing past him like she planned! And for a moment, she entertains the thought that she'll get away scot-free, too.
Until such point that her forward flight comes to an abrupt halt, as she's forcefully tossed in another direction. Landing in a crumpled pile, she manages to straighten herself up -- just in time to get an elbow to the solar plexus. Oooh, that's =gotta= hurt!
Groaning, she curls one hand to her sternum, hoping that didn't break anything, digs her heels in and springs back to her feet, scrambling away to a safe distance. No... she can't attack the guy head-on, she realizes. It's going to take a bit more effort than that! Already panting for breath (as Clark just knocked her last ten breaths =out= of her), she nods back to Clark. She's not giving up -- she just needs a moment to get her game back on track!

COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.

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Clark            0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0           Sakura


And there she goes. One single, solid blow, and Clark sends Sakura flying. He's a little glad she doesn't follow up; he expended a bit too much effort getting that attack going, and it leaves him slightly open on his downward descent. When he realizes that no one is headbutting him or shooting chiballs at him with wreckless abandon, his gaze shoots up and follows the path to Sakura -- and watches thoughtfully as she seeks to catch her breath.
Allowing Sakura a brief moment to catch her breath, Steel rubs the back of his neck, considering. Odds are she's planning something painful, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Rather than wait around though, Clark lowers himself once more into a fighting position, and clenches his hands into fists. "Ready?"
It's a simple question, and one he doesn't wait for a response to. For, only a moment later, Steel is -surging- across the distance between himself and Sakura, becoming little more than a forward blur of blue and black as he seeks to RAM himself into the schoolgirl, shoulder first. It's a simple tackle, but one that he brings to bear with enough force to launch her right off her feet or, at the very least, right into the ground below. "HMPH!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Clark Tackle from Clark with Shou'ou Ken.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Clark            1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sakura


Sakura is indeed planning something painful -- but her plans kinda get hucked out the window once she sees the mercenary charging at her like a wild bull. Pausing for another gulp of air, she takes two cautionary steps backwards ... but that's about all she has time for before the man's in close range! "Fast!" she comments, huddling low with her arm over her head. It looks like she's just planning to duck and cover... is that really =useful= when someone over twice her size is hurtling towards her?
Well, it is if she's planning to =do= something with that positioning. With Clark bearing down from above, it's a bit easier for the relatively lithe Sakura to get out of the way of that meaty shoulder, taking a rather rough check to her leading left arm in the process. But in exchange, her right fist is granted exclusive access to Steel's jaw, allowing her to capitalize on the opening with a rather punishing uppercut! "SHOOOU'OOOU KEN!" she howls, leaping into the air!
Of course, that won't be enough to =halt= Clark's forward momentum... just transfer her own in the upward direction. The much smaller Sakura still gets the bulk of that sideways momentum, as she bounces off Clark's torso and is sent hurtling again. This time, though, she's able to control her flight, landing in a low crouch.
And she's grinning up a storm now. "Heh! Did I catch you off-guard there?" Braaaaat!

What is this power?!?
Clark doesn't have much time to react, or even register that something is happening, until he is up in the air. Those, his reactions are rather belated. He slams into Sakura's shoulder, only then realizing something is amiss. Wasn't he supposed to hit somewhere in the middle torso area...? That was the plan, so why--
"SHOOOOU'OOOU--"
"... oh."
"--KEN!"
"Crap."
CRACK!
Team Clark goes blasting off again. The entire meaty bulk of Steel ascends in a rather surprising display of force on the part of the schoolgirl, sending the poor mercenary flipping through the air as blood rushes down his lower lip. That's going to bruise something fierce. Idly, as he ascends through the air, Clark wonders who gave schoolgirls clearance to hit so hard. It certainly wasn't him--
WHUMP.
'Whump' would be the sound Clark's body makes when it hits the streetside with a bounce. At this point, Steel registers the fact that he's still reeling from the blow, and the second ascend through the Ikari recovers himself in mid-air, landing in a crouch just as Sakura spouts off her commentary. He blinks. Pauses. And then... grins.
"... A little," he offers.
"But don't get too cocky yet."
A second later, Clark pushes -off- the ground, coming at Sakura in a run. He rushes forward... and then -past- her, not even blinking as he twists around behind the schoolgirl with aim to launch the sole of his boot straight into her back with a quick, blurring thrust. "HMPH!!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura full-parries Clark's Light Kick!

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Clark            0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1           Sakura


Sakura's had plenty of training to learn how to hit that hard! ... But more to the point, she's been working hard on the reconstruction efforts in Thailand... and she had done a =lot= of weight training during her time as a Shadaloo doll! So... maybe her raw strength is a bit higher than it used to be?
Regardless -- strength is nothing if you don't know how or when to use it! Kasugano seems to have put tactics down as her personal training goal, lately... which is one reason she doesn't seem to be fazed by Clark's slightly-askew trajectory. She simply steps to the side, keeping her face towards him as he breezes by.
And when he kicks out... the girl simply hops. There's one moment in which her feet touch Clark's leg -- just long enough to give her a very slight boost into the air, so she can totally clear herself over top of the mercenary's head.
But Clark was wise to note that she was planning something earlier -- the sudden blossoming of chi at her hands! Now that she's practically right over his face, she twists around in midair, both palms whipping down just inches before his face, with a ginormous bloom of cerulean blue chi closing the distance. "HADOOOOOUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Clark blocks Sakura's Large Hadouken EX.

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Clark            1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1           Sakura


This has suddenly gone from bad -- to infinitely worse.
Clark knows when one of his attacks has gone awry; the moment that he feels that Kasugano has managed to slip by him with such expert skill for someone so young, the tall man is already watching her barely discernable form flipping through the air, using his own leg as a spingboard of sorts. Wheeling backwards the moment that she is airborne, this action just -barely- gives Steel enough time to react in time.
--In time for what? Apparently, the answer is a heaping helping of chi courtesy of one Sakura Kasugano. Sweeping backwards, the Ikari lieutenant's hands snap up and over his face to defend against the strike, eyes widening only briefly as such a massive concentration of energy suddenly SLAMS into his forearms with burning force. It's enough to make the ground beneath him crack, denting inward before Clark sweeps -OUT- with his arms... dispersing all that chi with a loud grunt of effort. Like this: "HUURRAGH!"
The event leaves Clark smoking, but much less abused than he could be. It's his turn to take a small break now, though; instead of pursuing Sakura, he takes a few steps backwards to keep distance between them, taking a few, deep breaths. "Quick," he observes to himself, keeping a careful eye on the schoolgirl. He's going to have to approach this from a different angle.

COMBATSYS: Clark gains composure.

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Clark            0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1           Sakura


Sakura is still rushing off the adrenaline high from that Shou'ou Ken -- the fact that she was able to get out of the way of that kick so fast has her even more thrilled! In her mind, anyway, it's a testament to her training ... even though it could just be a remarkable turn of luck. Who knows?
The point is, Sakura's invigorated by this series of events. As Clark reminds, she =shouldn't= get cocky... but knowing one's path and actually walking it aren't exactly the same thing.
But while she may have wanted to charge in to capitalize on her momentum, she is taking a different approach now. The karate gi brings with it karate discipline, after all! And since Clark's thinking about his tactics, so should Sakura -- as she does, remaining back to keep her distance. Smiling, she nods back in reply to Clark, not wanting to ruin the awesome moment of tacit acknowledgement by actually trying to =say= something. Instead, she'll curl her hands by her side, drawing in a calm breath as energy once more swells to her palms, this time taking on an electrical aura. "Shinkuuu..." Crackling, seething energy swirls about in a vortex before her, as her gaze narrows upon Clark. And then, with one loud shout, she thrusts her hands forward, with a loud cry: "HADOOOOOUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Clark with Shinkuu Hadouken.

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Clark            1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0           Sakura


"... What?"
Shinkuu. That means something, right? Clark takes a moment to think about what he remembers happening when Sakura begins that phrase. He's seen it on TV tons of times. What was it...? Then he sees the crackling chi. The massive vortex of power.
Oh, right. Hadouken.
Crap.
The energy spills out in a crackling, bubbling mass of pain, and Clark's eyes narrow. These damn people and their fireballs. He remembers back in the day when, if you wanted to hit someone from afar, you had to throw tanks at them! Rather than actually try to -defend- against this gigantic mass of power though, Steel tries something different. He tenses, body preparing for the inevitable surge of energy. And then... he leaps. Straight to the side, hoping to get out of the way of that unholy LAZOR of strength.
Instead, he gets slammed straight in the gut by a gigantic sphere of schoolgirl chi.
"Hurgh!!"
Sent spiralling backwards as he is engulfed in all that chi, Steel strikes a nearby wall with a -solid- crack, SLAMMING hard into it and almost threatening to blast right through it, as well. Luckily by then, all that energy has mostly diminished, leaving Clark burned and battered and stuck to a wall. The onlookers look horrified. As well they should. The power of young people is nothing to be trifled with.
Slowly, with a mutter, Clark detaches himself from the wall. He falls to his feet with a stagger... and then, almost immediately? Breaks into a run, boosting himself faster than he should normally be able to go in order to compensate for the distance Sakura has gained between them. As he gets closer, Clark suddenly sweeps upward with a single leg... and then sends it swinging DOWN, aiming to stomp his booted foot into Sakura's gut with enough force to drive her into the ground, before following with a second, and then third, stomping kick. "HMMPH!!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Clark's Stomping Kick.

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Clark            1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0           Sakura


Oooooh yeah. Kasugano forgot that her chi carries some serious =force= behind it. Property damage was never something she was big on, but some things just can't be helped! "Hehe, sorry about that!" she calls out, cupping her hands over her mouth to ensure her voice can carry out to the Ikari!
But it seems Clark is not about to be deterred. Oddly enough, Sakura's not having to run very hard to keep up with the man! It's something of a first to be the -target- here -- is she really becoming that much like Ryu? It doesn't seem like she's shying away from this lofty honor, though -- she stands her ground, crossing her arms in an 'X' pattern, and absorbing the first kick with her padded handguards. She's rammed backwards, her Chuck Taylors squeaking against the asphalt as she's driven back. But she has enough initiative to back away from the second and third kicks, not wanting any part of that action!
She considers, though, that perhaps she -is- focusing a bit too heavily on the chi for now. That can get lame! So the Taiyo graduate nods in appraisal, taking a cue from Clark and going for some high-falutin grapple action! She leaps past him, aiming to catch the big man's throat around her elbow in a flying lariat -- and with any luck, bring him crashing to the ground in an ironic twist of fate! ... If luck would have it, anyway!

COMBATSYS: Clark endures Sakura's Medium Throw.

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Clark            1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0           Sakura


These are dire straights indeed for everyone's favorite Clark Steel! Well -- some people's favorite. Clark isn't about to go down without a fight, of course, and recognizing the fact that his attack has been subsequently halted with Sakura's deft guard, he puts into plan a different idea.
With a calm smile and furrowed, thoughtful brows hidden behind his dark shades, the Ikari Warrior snaps his leg back as soon as he realizes his subsequent strikes are hitting air. He is a bit slow to recover, having gone behind the bulk of his momentum with that last strike. It makes him, for all intents and purposes, -appear- to be wide open and prone to Sakura's sudden lariat that she swings at his neck, slung forward and slamming into the ground back-first. But the moment he does... Sakura might note his hand snapping back behind him, preemptively stopping him from completely hitting the ground.
"HMMMPH!!"
With one PUSH of his arm, Clark launches straight through the air, aiming to slam into Sakura and hoist her up onto his shoulder with all the momentum of a train. And not just any train...
... a -PAIN TRAIN-.
"HAA!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Clark's Running Pirate.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Clark            0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0           Sakura


... Well, Sakura never thought she'd be able to land a solid hit on Clark -- let alone -several!- So maybe her shift in training focus really is paying off! All she knows is that Clark, once again, didn't move out of the way when he could have. It's enough to give the girl pause...
But even still, she didn't expect he'd be returning a counterattack so soon! She barely has time to land before she sees Clark ramming his shoulder up at her -- and it's with that split-second that she's able to turn her shoulder to him, using it as a shield while she leaps backward sharply, not only dulling the impact, but carrying her out of grapple range in the process!
Landing a fair distance away, the girl shudders. Her little frame's taking a beating this fight, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins is enough to keep it from bothering her as much as it could otherwise. After a moment to gather her wits, and flash a wide grin back at her opponent, the girl charges forward at him, now... charging first with one fist, then the other, aiming to chip away at his defenses a bit more! "Hi-hyaaaaa!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Clark with Medium Punch.

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Clark            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0           Sakura


This really is just not Clark's day, apparently. Maybe he has a weakness to schoolgirls, or -something- like that, but as he makes note of the fact that his gambit -- one he thought would assuredly -work- with how much he had riding on it -- is so simply dealt with, he realizes: hey, he's pretty screwed.
A fact that is just solidified the moment that Sakura's fist makes contact with his face, causing his head to snap to the side with a spray of saliva and blood. He just doesn't have the time to react to it, and so the second fist snaps his head to the -other- side, sending poor Steel staggering backwards in a most unpleasant fashion...
... just at the moment that the man leaps. A simple, sudden straight jump through the air, Clark -twists- through the air, intending to scissor his legs around Sakura's neck in a painful way before he performs a sudden backwards flip. The intent? To send Sakura through the air like a ragdoll, and bring her to a painful collision course with the ground. "HUP!"

COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Frankensteiner from Clark with Quick Throw.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Clark            0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1           Sakura


Well... whenever someone starts thinking it's not their day, that's about when Sakura's luck starts to turn back around! Kasugano is still pretty glad that she's been able to make a good showing, but... overconfidence may be her undoing, as she lingers around the merc juuuuust long enough for him to leap at her.
She swings to the side, as if she might be planning to grab one of his legs... but in doing so, she ends up getting snared herself! She's flung head over heels by the Ikari attack, slamming into the ground! Her spine bows like an, er... bowflex for a moment, but she rolls over to one side, one hand snapping to her back. Oh, she felt =that=, alright! "Ugh... ow, nice one there..." She flashes a half-grin to the man as she pushes herself back to her feet. Her head's pounding at this point -- how much more can she take?

That went... exactly as planned! Clark doesn't betray any expression of relief that he may or may not be feeling when he flings Sakura through the air, having noted the girl's somewhat aggressive actions. He's on his last legs, and it's clear the moment that he picks himself up from that Frankensteiner, gulping down deep breaths and taking a long look at his opponent. Of course... he knows -she's- at her limits too. His observational nature aside, Sakura just looks as bad off as he does. At her words, he grins, shoulders lifting in a shrug. "Thanks. But... I think we should probably finish this now, eh?"
Whatever the outcome or whatever the consequences, Clark deigns not to stop. Instead, he simply rushes -forward-, lunging outward in a blur of speed as he seeks to grasp onto Sakura's shoulders and take her -down- in a slam towards the ground. Afterwards? He'll roll the girl across the ground once, twice, before lifting her upper body up and SLAMMING it into the ground in a swift, disorienting fashion as the bad dude's warcry rings out: "BOOYAH!!"

COMBATSYS: Clark successfully hits Sakura with Rolling Cradle.

[                          \\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Clark            0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1           Sakura


That may be a good course of action! ... Especially since Sakura could probably give her body a rest here.
But the girl, like usual, just doesn't want to give up without giving 110%! She starts to leap out of the way, hoping to deny Clark his moment of glory -- but instead finds herself wrapped up in it, flailing around like a cat in a washing machine under the powerful arms of Clark Steel! She's then lifted up and baaaaaashed into the ground, her frame causing a definite impact crater in the asphalt as she hits!
Wincing, she rolls to one side, vision starting its fade to black. But even still... she won't give up! She's got enough energy left to rush at Clark in one all-or-nothing strike, hoping to clock the Ikari in the jaw with just one more uppercut!
Maybe even =two= uppercuts, if that first one lands. She's just gotta try her best!

COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached second wind!

[                          \\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Clark            0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0           Sakura


COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Clark with Midare Zakura.

[                                < >  ///////                       ]
Clark            1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0           Sakura


Just too much.
Steel blames his lack of oatmeal this morning. Damn his terrible foresight.
The fact is, though, that Sakura's uppercut lands into him JUST as he is getting back on his feet, almost assured of his victory. But then she proves him wrong by just launching him into the air with one mighty uppercut to the jaw. Thankfully, after taking about forty Galactica Phantoms to the face over the course of his lifetime, Clark Steel has developed a jaw made out of something more than bone. Like, ultraboneium, or something. The two uppercuts still are more than enough to take poor Clark Steel out of this fight, however, and send him flying through the air with the greatest of ease, until... WHAM!
With a solid thud and a bounce, Clark Steel strikes the ground painfully. He rolls a few more feet, before groggily shaking his head. "
"Uhng... verruh goof sh'raike.... ow."
That's Extremely Battered Jaw Speak for: 'Uhng... very good strike... ow.'
With whatever energy is left within him -- which is, admittedly, not that much at all -- Clark drags himself upwards, shakes his head... and then rushes STRAIGHT for Sakura. He moves sloppily, sluggishly, and a lot slower than he thinks he's moving. But still, with one hand extended, he seeks to grab Sakura by the shoulder...

COMBATSYS: Clark can no longer fight.

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


COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Clark's Ultra Argentine Backbreaker.

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


And, grasping nothing but air, Clark blinks and looks at his hand. "... hey!" he declares, shocked.
"Where'd she go... uh--"
And that's about when Clark lands face-first into the ground, muttering something along the lines of, "I need shome oatmealsh," before just passing out. Ow.

Breakfast =is= the most important meal of the day; adrenaline makes a reasonable, if highly addictive, substitute. Sakura's had a rather copious dosage of both this morning, so perhaps that's why she's able to keep jumping around well past her body's breaking point. Her vision had started to fade, but with her pushing ever harder... well, the mind's a powerful thing! She's used to telling her body to shut up, and this is a prime example of her body actually listening, giving her the strength to not only deliver two powerful uppercuts into her opponent... but to let her dive to the side, rolling into a tumble for the one and only time this match, carrying her just out of Clark's grasp before he plows into the ground.
Landing in a low crouch, she immediately throws herself back to her feet, fist cocked for a retaliatory punch... but when she realizes Clark's down, her stance slackens.
"... Oh, hey, yeah." She laughs lightly, rubbing the back of her head as her gi settles. "That was pretty close! We'll have to do this again some time!"
Adrenaline highs -suck- when they wear off, though -- from standing still even that long, Kasugano begins to feel the burn! One hand snaps to her back as she lists off to one side, wincing in pain. It's probably a good thing the Neo League official calls the fight in her favor... and an even =better= thing medics are on hand for both fighters! "Thanks for the fight, Mr. Steel! Oh, and..." Hmm, he's unconscious? After a moment's thought, she decides'll finish anyway: "Tell Ralf I said hey, alright?" With those vests, how could they -not- know each other?

COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.

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


COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.

Log created on 19:22:08 08/02/2007 by Clark, and last modified on 06:07:51 08/03/2007.