Description: Himeko demostrates the power of SAIKYO-RYU! on Zach's face.
Soma enters the mall grounds from the village.
Southtown Village is pretty suburban when one really thinks about it, some might say a little -too- suburban, but it's perhaps the best location for the Hibiki Dojo to reside. After all it's not too far from Taiyo High where there are potential students, but the mall is nearby as well!
This afternoon, however, appears to be a day, a day nice enough for plenty of people to be having yard sales. You can't walk down half a block without seeing one, but a certain girl is taking it to the next level.
Hurricane Hime, a pink clad wonder who's struggling to gain popularity from the masses and encourage the importance of education and reading. But today she's doing something different, which has ammassed a small crowd of people, whom appear to be in their twenties, "It is a little known fact that I, in fact, do practice the Saikyo style! For the uninformed, Saikyo means 'strongest', and it couldn't be more true! It is a style that combines power and style into an unbeatable technique! What I'm going to do today, is provide a demonstration of just how much -more- amazing you can be, if you sign up to become a student! If anyone would like to volunteer, please step forward. Ha-HA!"
Hime grins with almost unbeatable confidence, she of course standing in front of said dojo with a paper sign that has scribbled 'Free Demonstration of Saikyo Style: Limited Time!'.
Sergio enters the mall grounds from the village.
Zach, after his lackluster performance on the Saturday Night Fight last weekend, found himself loooking for work. Luckily, he has gotten PLENTY of experience at job-hunting over the last three years. Today, he is doing janitorial work in the area for the city.
He takes notice of the gathering around the girl clad in pink. This is not all that strange; pink is, after all, a pretty girly color. It's the /rest/ of her outfit that gets his attention. It's...hardly what you would call normal.
However, he thinks he can slack off a bit and watch Himeko do her recruiting pitch.
"For the uninformed, my name is Hurricane Hime," Hime makes clear, unlike Zach she has been doing extremely well in her SNFs! Granted, she needed help, but the numbers are numbers, "You may have seen me on television, the girl with a killer streak! But don't be afraid, I'll hold back of course, come on, anyone!"
Unusual? Well that can't be denied, but she doesn't seem bothered by it at all. The problem, however, isn't that she's boasting to be so tough, but rather most of the audience doesn't seem to want to hit a girl in the first place. Problematic indeed. There's a long, uncomfortable silence, which a single cough breaks up for just a moment.
"... Nobody at all? Come on, people, you're killing me here!"
Zach looks left, then looks right. No volunteers at all. He feels kind of bad for the girl; she is clearly passionate about what she is trying to do here. He checks his watch and thinks for a moment; he is due for a break, actually. He pulls out a walkie talkie, and tells his supervisor that he is taking his fifteen before setting down the litter-stick and bag. He makes his way through the crowd.
"Um... I don't know if I want to learn this... 'Saikyo'," Zach says it with an Midwest American accent, "Style, but if you want a demonstration partner..." Zach glances around, uncertain, "I think I can be your partner."
It is rather embarassing for Hime at the moment, but of course she isn't one to give up so easily. There's got to be some method Dan uses to get peoples attention but.. How? She couldn't remember! But fortune ends up smiling upon the girl, as the job-hopper approaches and volunteers to at leat be her partner.
The girls green eyes light up, hands clenched into fists, "Wh- R- Really? You mean it?" she cries, the accent, it doesn't seem to get any particular reaction from her. She then gives an approving nod, and offers her hand, "Very well, you have a deal! As you might already know, I'm Hurricane Hime, but you can just call me Hime. Please tell everyone your name, age, and your fighting style!" Assuming he shakes her hand, she folds her hands behind her back and listens carefully. "And your natural hair color!" she adds with a teasing grin.
Zach blinks once at Hime's energy output, "Zach Glen, twenty-one years old. I don't really have a fighting style and this /is/ my natural hair color now," he states simply as he shakes the younger girl's hand. He doesn't seem to be joking about that last part, actually. He starts to stretch out a bit, glancing at the crowd. "They...may want to back off a bit for their own safety," Zach comments with a trace of concern in his voice.
"Everyone please give a round of applause for Citizen Zach Glen!" Hime abruptly sputters to the crowd, and goes right ahead to clap her hands. This, suprisingly, encourages the crowd to applause as well, it looks like things are about to get even more interesting! When it dies down, however, Hurricane looks thoughtful with her eyes closed for a moment, "Natural color, right, hahaha! I'll be the one telling the jokes here today, however."
"Also Citizen Zach is correct, the awesome might of Saikyo is a lot like a television, you should watch from a reasonable distance in a well-lit area, everyone please scoot back, shoo shoo!" She actually steps forward and walks in a large semi-cirle, making an invisible boundery. And then with that done she walks to the center again, and sets her hands on her hips- Almost as if on cue, a sudden gust of wind whips her dark scarf backward, making her look very, very cool, "All right then, so it's my style versus your no-style. I have a feeling after this session you may very well change your mind! Now, I shall allow you to take the first strike. Do your best, or you'll find yourself flat on your butt!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Himeko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Himeko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach shrugs when she doesn't buy into the fact that his carpet matches his drapes. It would be hard for him to explain anyway.
He draws up into a simple stance, indicative of something you might see a Shotokahn practioner use. He takes up a very subtle bounce, as if trying to keep his legs in motion as he sizes up the young girl. "No promises there, Miss," Zach states quietly as he steps forward and fires off a very simple straight punch. Nothing fancy or flashy, and only barely technically sound in its body mechanic. He more than likely COULD use some proper training, but they would have to be conversant in Psycho Power to be any good to the wanderer.
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Himeko with Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Himeko 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
Himeko smirks. Quietly stated, but she heard it. It should be interesting for the smaller fighter too, she's faced a couple of interesting non-styles! Her own stance is a bit unusual, with her fists raised it's more of a boxers stance than anything else. But there's no way she's a boxer!
As Zach rushes forward, and lays out a bigtime punch, Hime's eyes narrow slightly and makes a slight shift in her position- Though not quite enogh to avoid the blow to apparently her neckline, simple, but enough to make her stagger back a couple of steps in suprise. "Oof! Ow, well, ok not bad! Now then!" She rushes forward, leaps off of the ground and shoots a flying kick toward Zachs gut! Should it connect she then twirls around, landing a second and then third kick toward her opponent, "Hyah hyah SHYEAH!"
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Himeko's Xou da Xuxa.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Himeko 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach pivots on his back legs, a look of concentration etched on his face as he allows Himeko to fly by him. He doesn't say anything about the attack; it would be poor of him to poke any fun at the girl.
However, he what he DOES do is snap off a kick as he turns to regain his sort-of stance to face the girl again. He is not digging deeper yet; he wants to keep himself in check, and the situation does not warrant slinging energy yet in his mind.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Heavy Kick from Zach with Magic School Bus.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Zach
Whoops! There she goes spinning out of control, but when she's on her feet and facing Zach one more, she makes another gesture, "Good! You have some skill, with the basics!" If one thing she knows well, it's the basics.
Hime then takes a couple of steps back, reaching into her sidepack to take at two handfulls of paper sheets, she then bursts forward into Zachs kick, and then right past him.
Zach finds his ankle and his neck wrapped around paper lassos, and with a swift jerk at the foot, causes him to fall flat on his face. "But Saikyo is more than just basics!" The two 'ropes' tied togeather, Zach for a moment looks like a human bow, Himeko stands on his back and pulls the main string, "It's style! Look how cool I am!" Stretching him but good until the binding breaks and sends her tumbling backward.
Zach flops onto the ground after the 'string' snaps. He...was not in the /least/ prepared for that. He had not really /seen/ Himeko in action before, so the paper show was news to him.
He picks himself up, and lowers his center of gravity a bit by widening his stance. "If you are going to do some tricks," Zach's fist takes on a purple glow that kind of matches his hair, "I suppose that I should as well..."
Zach takes a rapid step forward, firing off an Albert Wesker-style thrust punch. His fist stops well short of Himeko. The energy whips out just past it towards the girl.
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Himeko with Sting.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Zach
".. tricks??" Hime snaps back, seeming amused, "This I gotta see! All right then, show me what you have!" And he does.
The technique seems predictable enough, when the punch comes forth, she eases back to block it. Then lowers her guard when it stops short, "Huh? OW!"
Oh she should have known that glow was for something! She jerks to the side an falls over, but quickly scrambles to her feet, rubbing her cheek. "... Wow, that kind of hurt."
Clearly impressed, she comes at Zach again, this time with another kick! It's a simple snap kick to the young mans side, and is followed with a kick to the knee with the same foot, "Hah! Hyah!"
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Himeko's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Zach snaps an arm down to catch the first kick, and shove away the second one. He grits his teeth as the power demands further use.
He grunts as steps around the younger girl and fires off a quick backhand at her ribcage, "...sorry about that. Didn't mean to hit you so hard," Zach apologizes.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Quick Punch from Zach with Ghost Writer.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Zach
An internal struggle? It's not something Hime can actually see with her own eyes, it seems to her that he's more just concentrating on getting past her amazing defenses! They're there somewhere, honest. "Eh? What are you apologizing for anyway?" Hime demands as he goes for the ribcage, though the problem there is her back is to him at the time, and then she lashes out with a rising uppercut, a paperback book in hand with the spine slamming under his chin with way more strength than a book should, "You punch with the skill of a mudkip!"
Zach is tossed into the air, and tumbles back several feet from the force of the uppercut. The start of a killer bruise shows as Zach shakes the cobwebs loose.
"Let's hope you don't find out," Zach says as he dashes forward, dropping into a heavy sliding kick aimed at Himeko's ankles. "For both our sakes."
COMBATSYS: Himeko blocks Zach's Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
"Woah, cryptic.. I like that!" Hime replies, with a broad grin. She shakes her hands out a bit as she leans back a little and wonders what Zach is going for next.. And it seems like it's something not pretty! When he goes for the sliding kick she's ready. slamming her book onto the ground so the kick hits it, and she pushes back a little once more.
She then hops backward and strikes a pose, "I'm curious, I wonder what all the hub bub's about.. Your trump card no doubt. Well unlucky for you, I also have a trump card! But will I have to use it this fight? It is a mystery! Hmmmn." she cracks her book open, and then flips through a few pages. "Interesting.. The 'Answers' page says I will. Crazy."
COMBATSYS: Himeko focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach picks himself up and looks across the way to Himeko. "Something like that," Zach diplomats as he takes up a stance again. He doesn't follow up, however.
Instead, he regains his bearings, tries to muster his will-power to keep his energy in check.
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Himeko throws a couple of fake jabs, and notices Zach falling back a little bit. Which is fine with her, her arms were feeling a little like jelly for a moment, but now that she's got a good idea for her next strategy, she nods to herself and bursts forward once again. "Another Saikyo special: Utilizing the roll! You might say it's the Bread and Butter of techniques, check this out!"
Himeko dashes in, and leaps into the air, looking quite cool! But then she rolls into a ball and comes zooming toward Zach.. Though her decent is quick, but the time she reaches him, it'd be like a bowling ball to a pin! "Oshyaaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Zach with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach is slammed to the turf under the surprising weight of Himeko's attack. She can't weigh /that/ much, after all. His knees buckle a bit as he tries to keep his feet. He gives Himeko the slightest of shoves to put a little bit of distance between the two before lashing out with an open hand.
What follows is a beach-ball sized clump of purple Psycho Power at a somewhat surprising speed. Zach lets out a growl of disgust aimed at himself as the ball spins in his palm for a second before vanishing.
COMBATSYS: Himeko just-defends Zach's Impulse Flare!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
Himeko doesn't way much, no.. She must have been traveling a billion miles per hour or something like that. Who knows! Easily nudged back and her paperback drawn out once more, Hime grins like a maniac, "Let's d- Woah what is -that-??"
She points at the orb of energy, and then grabs the end of her book as the orb rips toward her.
A paper handle is drawn out, and then as she pulls back further, it's like she's unsheathing a massive sword, 3 feet of 'blade revealed', "ORYAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The energy slams violently into the 'sword', pages flying everywhere and until the violet energy dissipates, and the weapon is resheathed back into her book.
"The answers were right! Nutty!" And finally Hurricane rushes foward again, book set into her scarf so both hands can grasp at Zachs top. If she can, the smaller girl twists sharply in a simple shoulder throw to the floor, "Hyah!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Zach with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Zach
Zach slams to the floor, exhaling sharply as he does so. He had no time to react, no time to move to avoid the throw. He picks himself back up and grins slightly at Himeko.
"Trump card for trump card, then," he comments as he tucks his right hand close to his side. He's riding the adrenaline, but he refuses to let it control him. The fist glows as it is covered in what appears to be a massive, hazy gauntlet. "Try this."
Zach lashes out with the fist, causing the air around the arm to ripple as he aims it at Himeko's torso!
COMBATSYS: Himeko just-defends Zach's Burst Strike!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Zach
Himeko fans herself lightly with her book and.. Oh nasty, it definatly looks like whatever Zach has planned is going to do something very very bad. Suddenly it clicks in just exactly why Zach asked everyone to back off! For a split second, the bookworm superhero is nervous, and she grips a few pages from her book, "HERE GOES!"
A bunch of papers fly out in front of her, and just a shift of her fingers makes a perfect shape of a medeival buckler, the psycho-gauntlet slamming into it wish such force that the windows of the dojo crack and split! Her scarf whips back from the backwind, and then the papers explode once overloaded. But she's hardly done, leaping upward to flip over Zach, there's another lasso aimed to loop around his neck. If it connects, she'd hop onto Zachs back and pull the lasso closed, giving him a few good chokes before the binds break!
COMBATSYS: Zach full-parries Himeko's Reading Rainbow!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Himeko 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Zach
Zach blinks at Himeko's display of power as she overcomes the Burst Strike. He is already moving as she comes in with that page rope! He coats his hands with psycho-power as he slaps the pages aside before retaliating with that beach-ball strike again.
It's...a lot faster than it was before!
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Impulse Flare EX from Zach with Ghost Writer.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Himeko 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Zach
The clock is ticking, it's down to the wire! Hime and Zach in intense battle, one will stand, the other will fall! Tch'ing as she misses with her lasso, she's got another chance to lay down some moves, though this time she doesn't have her book to rely on...
By choice!
Hurricane Hime's book comes out, she takes in a small breath and then when the ball comes? Her back is to him. And she rockets diagonally with such force that she blows through that ball so she can land her Book-ryuken once more at the boy! But even momentum has it's limits, as she goes flying back in the opposite direction, flips in the air and barely manages to land on her feet, panting heavily, "W- What is this power?? This is crazy!"
"It's my curse," Zach states simply after he picks himself up off of the ground. "And it's what I was apologizing about."
Zach plants his hands on his knees, gasping for air as he looks across the way at Himeko. Tries to reign in the energy trying to fight its way clear of Zach's body.
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Himeko 1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0 Zach
"... Hmmnn.." Curse? Himeko is pretty smart, but even that one is a little over her head. On the other hand it sounds very interesting, she'd never seen a real curse in action before! She'll have to ask about that sometime! "I see! Well as you can see the power of Saikyo can contest even the power of curses! It's crazy, right??"
Of course it is! And so with that in comes Himeko, she leaping into the air once more and extends one leg to hopefully crash its heel atop Zach's head. If it lands and she's on the ground, it's followed with a low shin kick! "Kicking it old school!"
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Himeko's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Himeko 1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0 Zach
Zach steps to one side, before trying to grab the girl's leg and simply torque straight up to dump Himeko on her fanny. It's not /really/ a curse, he just considers it one.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Zach comments as he prepares for Himeko's next move.
COMBATSYS: Himeko interrupts Strong Throw from Zach with Schoolhouse Rock!.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Himeko 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Zach
On her fanny? Not on her shift! Though Zachs simply looking throw does work, it's not without nasty results. The schoolgirl flips in the air and crashes onto her butt as planned, but when she's down? She has her book held between both her palms with her fingers pointed like a gun, "BANG!" she yells, and like a machinegun, the book starts spewing papers in a steady stream along Zachs gut and chest! there's not telling how many shots are fired, but eventually her shoulders jerk, but is out of 'ammo'. "...." Uh oh? No siree! "Ha-HA!" is belted in a Saishuesque manner.
Zach yells as he suffers pain by a thousand paper cuts! That stings. It stings a lot. He winces, he's not going to be able to contain it too much longer. He has to channel it, get rid of it...
...and he has to do so in such a way as to minimize the victims.
Zach leaps, yelling, "Try to get out of the way!" He thrusts boths hands forward as he arcs directly above Hurricane Hime. The column of Psycho Power slams into the ground as it propels Zach further skyward. Whether or not it /hits/ Himeko is dependant largely on her!
COMBATSYS: Himeko just-defends Zach's Burst Stream!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Himeko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Zach
"... Uh oh."
Even a rookie like herself can tell when something really big is coming. She's gotten really lucky so far, managing to utilize her talents in rather extreme fashions, but can she do it again??
"Dodging is a technique of fear! And pal, I'm not afraid of much!" Not even massive pillars of violet energy that shakes up the ground and seems to blast Himeko into complete and utter oblivion, sidewalk chalk filling the air!! And when it clears there's Hime knelt behind her seven foot long sword of horribly charred paper. In fact just seconds afterward it crumbles into cinder and she's standing again, "Ok, that went suprisingly well!" What's Himeko got now? Well, once Zach lands, he's faced with another throw, this time she'd leap at him and press her feet on his chest while grasping his collar. Then as she falls back, kicks her legs to spring him into the air, "Oshya!"
COMBATSYS: Himeko successfully hits Zach with Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
Himeko 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Zach is launched back by the kick, skidding and tumbling and bouncing before sliding to a stop. He looks up at Himeko, then passes out from all of the abuse and strain.
He seems to be largely okay, simply exhausted.
COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Himeko 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Himeko 0/-------/---====|
"... Whew.." Hime murmurs, wiping off her forehead with her hand, and lets out a soft puff of air. She takes a moment to get her barings again, and then turns to the audience once more, "Now you've seen the power of Saikyo! It is truely an amazing style that can improve any other style, not just beat it! Newbies or practicioners of other styles, think hard about joining the dojo today! And please, again give Citizen Zach a big round of applause, he did great!!"
Surely enough the applause does follow, lots of whistles and hollering, but now people are walking away after throwing some money on the ground at her feet. Hurricane stands there, dumbfounded. ".......... W- Wait.. hey, this wasn't a street show, come back! Please!" But alas.. Well, at least when Zachs back up, Himeko will be there waiting with a bottle of water and some bandages if he needs them!
Log created on 16:23:49 08/11/2007 by Zach, and last modified on 17:34:16 08/15/2007.