Description: Watch out! There's a new little punk in town! The youth center is challenged by a new contender on the lookout for Southtown's legendary young warriors. Hotaru quickly intercedes to save her class and makes an object lesson of the boy. What seeds will be planted in this fateful encounter?
Another weekend, another class to mold young minds!
Thankfully the weather has been relatively decent for this time of year. Even still, its a warm enough fall afternoon to make walking through the glass lobby doors and into the well air-conditioned youth center a relief of its own. Immediately the familiar sounds and scents of the center fills the girl's senses. The smell of exercise mats and physical effort. The quiet shuffling of feet over the decently carpeted floors. For a town as thoroughly corrupt and dangerous as Southtown, this place has become a relatively wholesome environment for children to learn self-defense. And above that, discipline and sture that some kids lack in their often broken homes.
Hotaru's class has certainly become a hot ticket at the YFCC. More than a few of her regular students have become avid fans, quoting her NeoLeague statistics and brimming with questions and admiration for their diminutive little ass-kicker and name-taker. The youngest ones often flocking around her while the older ones have long-since given their respect. After all, not every class is taught by a World League Fighting Contender and war hero by the age of seventeen.
Although, as the girl arrives on the premises, it doesn't take long for the girl to realize something seems to be up.. The sounds of sparring in the main hall sound too.. Edged. Different than structured and careful sparring. Tinged with yelps or cries of effort followed by a heavy thump or squeaking slide over the gymnasium floor.
From down the hall, one of the youngest of the class.. A little girl from a home by the docks named Kimiko, "Miss Futaba! Miss Futaba!" Tears in the corners of her eyes as she races along. Clearly looking completely unhurt as her karate gi looks only slightly out of place, but obviously distraught..
That's the thing about this place. An entire complex dedicated to getting kids together who's primary binding common interest is... fighting. It works, by some miracle, no doubt in large part due to Alma's ability to hire patient, dedicated staff members. But that doesn't mean it's entirely without its moments of tumultuous displays of bravado, tempers lost, or just plain old ordinary showing off.
At the first nagging sense that something is amiss in the gym, Hotaru can't help but jump to the conclusion that Remy is back once again and probably provoking her students into attacking him carelessly. Hotaru sighs inwardly, hands tightening a little. A few encounters with the stranger from France have already been a few encounters too many.
When poor Kimiko comes running, Hotaru's expression shifts into a concerned smile as she picks up the pace, one hand relaxing a little in order to come down and rest on the top of the small girl's head, "What is it?" she asks. Her own gait is swift as she heads toward the white, metal door that sanctions off the training room she uses for her Entry Level Self Defense course. "Is it that young man with the green hair again?" comes the follow up question as she voices her hunch, her tone suggesting that she believes it to be about time for her to deal with that disrupter more forecfully than with mere words.
The white door is reached and Hotaru reaches for the handle. Whoever it is that's got her littlest student in a panic is in trouble for sure.
As the saintly Hotaru arrives on the scene, Kimiko pauses in her run. Her little fists balled at her cheeks as her watery eyes implore her role model, "Miss! *sniff* Futaba!" Again repeating her name as the word gives her comfort. Her little pigtails bouncing beneath the gentle headpat and almost immediately she calms a little more.
"No! Not him!" She blurts out as Hotaru is on the move again. A swift gait from the heiress is a dead-run for the little toddling girl as she races with all her might in the young woman's wake, "A boy showed up! .. He picked a fight with everybody!" Huffing and puffing inbetween her words as the woman runs further away down the hall, raising her voice and cupping her hands over her lips to help project her voice so Hotaru can hear still clear, "He's being mean! Make him stop!" ;.;
As Hotaru pulls open the doors, the scene that greets her is certainly not what she had initially thought. In fact, the incongruous image is something different entirely.
Ando shifts back and forth in his hasty stance, breathing heavily as he carefully takes another step closer. Eyes wide and alert as sweat rolls down his brow, "..Kid.. You think you're all that?!.. I got somethin for ya.. Right here!" The taller, older boy lunges forth..
..A bare foot quickly sweeps out, hooking under his knee in a hard sweep and knocking the taller, stronger boy completely off balance. Followed by a second, wheeling kick to swat him out of the air and send him squeaking across the gym floor beyond the mats. "C'MON."
Iwao stares at Ando sailing away, gritting his teeth as the powerful wrestler looms a bit closer. Hands held high and at the ready, trying to limit the faster boy's movements and not let him get behind him.. like the other five guys a few moment ago, "..." With a snarl he LEAPS, attempting to catch those fast legs and hold him down for the others to pile on...
Quick legs immediately vault the vastly smaller boy into the air, evading the reckless attack and landing on the giant teenager's back. Quickly racing two-steps along his muscled-back and flipping away with long braids twirling smoothly. The fast redirection sending the huge youth tumbling and sprawling, "Is THIS it?!"
Manabu takes another step back.. The last of only three male students left standing. His stance finally eroding away as the futility of the fight dissolves what remains of his courage, "L..Look.. Okay? .. I'm..I'm sorry about that short crack.. alright?!" The young man, having graduated from high school in the Spring, cowers away from the diminutive fighint machine like one would shy away from a feral alley cat.
"I'M NOT SHORT." An incongruously pitched voice blurts out as the chinese warrior STAMPS his feet in a quick advance. Fists shifting quickly as the impact of his stance sends a tremble throughout the training mat. Immediately forcing the taller young man to flop onto his rear and crawl away quickly..
Leaving Kentou alone. Standing in the middle of the blue training mat like a boy king. His saffron wushu jacket hardly out of place. Shifting to a taller stance in a smooth, effortless motion. Exhaling with a snort of derision as challenging eyes sweep through the throngs of sprawled students, "Is this it?! I thought Southtown was full of champions.. Kids that fight WARS and win the great FIGHTING TOURNAMENTS." Punctuating the statement as his fists snap to his sides. Clearly through with this batch.
It takes a while before Hotaru can even see what is going on. Outside of the female population of her class, most of her students stand much taller than she does. Only as they start to get knocked to the floor and tumbled off of the mat does she have a chance to see what the instigator at the center of this storm is up to.
Always protective of her class, Hotaru's first order of business is to deal with just how irate she's beginning to feel with someone coming in here and picking on her students. But then she sets eyes on the kid that's to blame for all of this trouble and surprise blends with the annoyance and causes her to pause. He's no older than the youngest of her class, but he's managed to best them all.
On one hand, it needs to be noted that just about everyone in this class didn't know the first thing about self-defense before this summer and that even the nine weeks it's been running would be enough to teach them how to be competative fighters... On the other hand, some of the high school boys at least dwarf the kid by a large amount. Football players hoping to branch out into other sports, athletic weight lifters interested in learning how to put their brute strength to work in other ways, and others have flocked to Hotaru's course over time.
The girl looks over her defeated students with a silent sigh. Some have noticed that she arrived moments ago and are no doubt itching for pig-tailed justice to be administered on this little rabble-rouser! Others look sheepish, emberassed that they couldn't handle one little brat. Slipping the rest of the way into the room, the girl steps out onto the mat after shedding her soft blue shoes at the edge. The mat itself is blue, matching the Chinese styled, intricately tailored blue vest she has on, though the rest of her clothing is pristine white without so much as a smudge of dirt.
"Well," the girl speaks up, her voice forceful in spite her small, unassuming stature and harmless appearance. "If you're quite done making a comical spectacle of yourself, please remove yourself from the room as to cease disrupting my class." She sounds patiently annoyed, as if pushing the wrong buttons might set her off, but the time being, she maintains a calm, outward composure. The boy looked like he had talent, but goading and beating on her inexerpienced students isn't her idea of putting that skill to use.
The rest of the students collectively hold their breaths, anxiously waiting to see how this exchange will go down. The room falls silent, except for the sniffles coming from one girl in the back corner. Kentou actually never laid a finger on her. She bumped her nose on the wall just trying to get out of the way of the tumbling Iwao.
The boy had heard very strong fighters often visit the YFCC. Perhaps it was dumbluck that the encountered an introductory self-defense course as opposed to a more.. advanced class. Notably, some of the better fighters in Hotaru's tutiledge have actually stayed out of the debaucle. They, unlike some of the more thuggish element, have learned well to not fall for egotistical challenges as Hotaru has taught them. Not to mention, none of the girls in the class seem to have fought at all and none of them are even slightly amused.
As the moaning and murmuring throng quiets down, Kentou squints to the parting lake of defeated humanity. Gaze coming to rest upon this Hotaru he's heard mentioned once or twice since storming the YFCC.
The boy seems.. a bit taken aback. Recognizing the Wushu jacket and pants of fine quality. "This.." The boy turns slowly to face the girl, taller than he by a mere handful of inches, "..Is Hotaru?"
Taking a bare-footed step closer as he brazenly eyes the kenpo fighter over judgingly. "...Thought you'd be taller." :|
Hell! The way these kids were talking, he practically expected the woman to be ten feet tall and breath fire.
After a heavy second of careful scrutiny the boy snorts. Waving a wrapped hand, "Eh. I don't fight girls." A comment that maintains the silent stare of annoyance from the female students. The youth actually seems to.. obey? Beginning to turn away from her in a casual fashion. No, he wanted a REAL challenge. No point in picking on these kids any further, they ain't in his league and picking a fight with some little rich girl is beneath even him. She is another kenpo fighter huh?.. Kinda reminds him..
"KICK HIS ASS!" Mouko chirps, pumping her tiny fist into the air. >o</
When the kid's attention finally comes to rest on her, Hotaru merely stares back with a patient expression of forced neutrality. That is until he actually starts talking. Her mouth twitches a little at the comment about her height but that's hardly enough to goad her into a fight she thinks would just be teaching her students the wrong lesson. Those who have stood off to the sides, unbowed by the small practitioner of Kenpo remember well the many times young Futaba has cautioned them about being provoked by mere words into making careless mistakes. To then allow herself to succumb to the same sort of thing would be a terrible example.
She looks like she's going to just let him storm off too, after all he's done and said, if only to get back to her class and point out the mistakes they made in trying to deal with the kid. But his comments don't go completely unchallenged...
"Height is rarely a measure of ability," Hotaru quietly, not turning to follow his movement toward the door out of the large room, her tone still controlled. "You of all people should be aware of that." The cool, calm way the words come out almost make it difficult to realize that she's poking fun of his height right back at him while simultaneously acknowledging that he actually does have some ability.
But there is the matter of his disparaging dismissal of even considering girls worthy of fighting, and that's a lot harder to let go. She glances at her own female students, eyes passing over them briefly. She can see the looks in their faces. They don't want him to be able to walk out of here with that parting shot. They want the little kid taught a lesson - and even if they might not be confident in their abilities to do so, there's no doubt in anyone's mind in that room that the diminutive celebrity figher could tear him to pieces with ease. She deliberates for a long moment, trapped in a situation that she doesn't particularly find pleasant, but in the end she knows that letting him get away with that would be a knock against the morale of her faithful students that look to her as an exemplification of the fact that everyone's potential goes far beyond just their outward appearance.
Unusually taciturn, trapped in thought, Hotaru finally turns toward the departing lad, hands clasping passively behind her back. "That's probably just as well. With your attitude, it would be hard to cope with getting badly shown up by one," she calls.
Step. Step. Step.
Kentou continues striding across the mat. The crowd parting for him, if extremely begrudgingly and mostly out of respect for their instructor's order rather than his egress. The boy exhales as he tugs at the wrappings at his wrists, tightening what the little party loosened. Maybe he can head to that dojo down the way? Maybe thats run by someone fearsome and strong. Wasn't there a sign that said 'OX SMASH, American Judo Master' or something like that? Maybe that guy is only half as terrible as his name. Maybe-
Step. Step. Pause.
-Those perhaps ill-chosen words from the girl actually break his stride. A hair pops out of place as his eyebrow twitches.
Don't fight girls, Kentou. Be nice to girls, Kentou. Remember what Mom said. Sides! She was.. kinda complementing wasn't she? Yeah. She didn't mean it. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Step. Step. Step.
The boy continues walking across the gym, resolved now that his work here is indeed done and the rich girl can go back to teaching her class Tai Chi or whatever boring thing they teach kids here. That no-neck punk back there looked like a Tae-Bo master for sure, oh yeah. Its not like-
Step. SQUEAK.
The boy halts in mid-step. Eyes hardening as he stares straight out. "Shown. Up."
The boy immediately whirls about, his bare feet squeaking over the polished gymnasium floor as a hand is held outwards towards her. Palm up. "Rich Girl. I was TRYING to let you save face infront of your kids by walking away!" Such an incongruous thing to hear the boy call them 'kids' when he's easily amongst the youngest here. "You want to be laid out in a neat row RIGHT next to your whiner babies, I'll oblige!"
Outstretched fingers wave her on.
Lesson number one of the day class. How to let ego blind you.
COMBATSYS: Kentou has started a fight here.
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Kentou 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kentou
Well, let it not be said Hotaru is good at finding the right buttons when she wants to. Sometimes that perceptive nature of hers can be used for obviously good and then sometimes it can be used for the questionably good, like right now. He seems to have her pegged as a rich girl already. And in that regard the boy is pretty accurate. Hotaru idly ponders perhaps she should start wearing more simple clothes that do less to show off the family's largess upon which she subsides. But she'll have to give that further thought some other time. For now, the stark clean white pants and shirt and rich blue vest will just have to serve as a contrast to the more pedestrian attire of the spunky punk.
Her hands are still clasped patiently behind her back, the pure essence of contrite patience in spite the provocative nature of her words to him. She can tell it's sunk in when he stops and turns. No need to say anything more at that point other than to offer him the faintest of knowing smiles.
His hand waves her on, his words boasting of the challenge to come, but Hotaru merely cants her head to the side slightly, blinking slowly. "I'm sorry. What happens if I don't come charging at you just because you asked?" While she looks passive, her mind is active. She already saw of his moves in action before and can tell from which the origins of his art must come. But now she's looking deeper, paying attention to how he walks, what his ready stance is, how he reacts to a docile opponent.
"Or are you afraid to find out if I can handle you?" she asks. The strange thing is that for all she says, there's no hint of sarcasm in her voice - her tone is controlled, not showing any indication of anger, snideness, or being irritated in the slightest at this point. Kenpo, hm? And just how much of that has he learned at his young age?
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kentou
"C'mon, C'mon!"
Impatience. Thats what his stance says. Clearly, his is a stance that is meant to be rigid. A strong fulcrum upon which to base his strikes and defenses. However, clearly the turmoil of this challenge is getting to him as he bounces back and forth on the balls of his feet.
The boy shouldn't be doing this, he knows. He shouldn't be starting a fight with a girl just because she mocked him. And there's something.. about her. Completely unlike the other girls here. A serenity about her that he finds.. unsettling. Not frightening or unearthly or any terrifying sensation like that. He.. doesn't really want to strike her. Even if she's reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally asking for it.
"Awwuuhhh..." Kentou grouses, breathing slowly through his teeth as he makes himself settle his stance with a sharp exhale, "HUT."
The short bark dispels all extraneous movement. His wide stance locking as his fists rise to chest level. One held out with the other hovering beneath his chin.
Dispel all doubt. A fist must be thrown with conviction, or not at all.
"Sister.. YOU ASKED FOR IT." He sharply blurts as he quickly closes the distance. Dashing forth in a reserved pace that all but announces that he doesn't believe this will be be a long fight at all. Turning his shoulders into the close-fisted strike with much more authority than any other kid here could muster, "HyyyYAT!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kentou's Quick Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kentou
His efforts to get her to budge are futile. The girl might as well be a statue for how perfectly still she is standing there, just watching him silently now, blue eyes calm, analysing his stance - how he lets his flustered state interfer with his movements. She has always relied on studying her opponents to predict and out maneuver them. Staying one step ahead is a critical component to her ability as a fighter. Mistakes are something she can afford to make few of. But she hardly considers this boy an opponent, however, and her inspections of how he carries himself is almost unconsciously done more with a teacher's eye rather than a fighter's.
When he finally comes for her, Hotaru remains in place until the last possible second before stepping aside, his small but determined strike impacting nothing but harmless air. "See, everyone, that is how you attacked him earlier. Over-confident that your size or know-how would make it a trivial task to deal with this young man only to leave yourselves very open to his swift techniques."
Her hands are still clasped behind her back as she ends up at his side and it is with almost a lazy stretch of her leg that she sticks her foot out in front of her then rapidly sweeps it along the floor, intending to knock one or more of Kentou's feet out from beneath him. *poke!*
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kentou with Light Kick.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Kentou
To Hotaru.. she might as well be fighting against some hotshot lug back in Chinatown. The boy is careless with his movements, extremely so. No patience, no subtlety. Not only can the girl easily divine his next step, she can practically see the next several beyond it. The boy's determined eyes hold a certain.. sincerity that telegraphs his intentions like a beacon.
Kentou may end up regretting this, but there is no hesitation in his fist. A fast and true strike that would have sent any of the other children here sprawling. Putting his all into it as knuckles...
..Pass through open air.
"Whu.." Inexperience again betrays him as the boy's stance cracks. The shock of an equally swift and simple movement evading him so completely shatters his confidence. His knees bend, his torso overcorrects.. He even begins to list and threaten to stumble to the side..
The next moment is a complete blur. He feels gravity reverse itself as he smoothly twirls.. His thoughts puzzled at this unlikely turn of events.. Until reality very harshly lets him know what just happened.
"HUAGH!" The youth's lungs are blasted empty as he collapses exceptionally hard onto the mat. All but piledriven to the cushions as he landed out of control and terribly.
Having just barely enough presense of mind, the boy immediately rolls away. Pushing with an arm and flopping into a low crouch a short distance away to take stock of what just happened and let his lungs reinflate with a gasp. Mouse eyes wide and staring.. "...hnk.. H.how did.." Coughing once more.
COMBATSYS: Kentou takes no action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Kentou
And... down he goes. Hard. Half of the pain is from his own inability to take the fall, it seems, moreso than the strong sweep of his feet. Hotaru can tell that took a lot of the fight out of the kid right then and there. A beginner might be out of it all together at that point, but the kid has the wherewithall to roll into a crouch a little ways off - tactical repositioning, i.e., careful retreat, after his hasty charge.
"Over committing isn't inherently always a bad thing to do," Hotaru notes, her tone observational now, "But it's a very risky thing to do when out classed." Oh yes, she has no druthers about pointing out the vast differences between them. The rest of the students begin to snicker, chortle, and whisper to each other. The little menace might have thought himself untouchable a minute ago, but now things are going so very differently!
"I didn't break your stance," the girl continues, "You had already done that on your own. I just helped an already crumbling posture fall the rest of the way down." Her hands... are still clasped behind her back. It goes without saying that she's not broken a sweat. "You know better than that though. I could tell. Let's see it."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru takes no action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Kentou
Nobody. Not in years. Has anybody ever dodged Kentou that completely.
The pain from the impact? Oh, he's familiar with -that-. As the Americans would say, 'This ain't his first rodeo.' The boy has been overmatched and beaten down elsewhere, usually by frustrated adults ganging up on him or the occasionally exceptional fighter he's managed to goad into fighting. Already, the youth wipes his lips with the back of his hand. Eyes briefly glancing at his wrist to check for blood, glad to not see any. Yet.
What TRULY hurts, however, is her following words. Her calm, conversational tone finally getting through his one-tracked focus and he comprehends exactly what she's saying. She's making him into today's lesson.
Kentou's outrage very nearly eclipses... his excitement. Sorry Mom, but this girl is the challenge he's been looking for! It.. doesn't feel right to hit her but.. At the same time..
"HUP!" The boy's terse shout again cleanses his thoughts. Banishing his growing anxieties and confusions and aligning the world into one simple concept.
His Fists. Her Face.
"Tell me..." The boy lifts up from his crouch into a low stance. Shifting his weight backward as his shoulders roll, "..What you think of -THIS-." Time to show her what this kid is made of!
With an abrupt push off his back foot, the boy all but blurs forth. Darting as he redoubles his previous speed, launching himself like a cannon as he quickly closes the distance.
"FUUHAKEN!" Shouting the technique as he engages his skill. His hands launching into the air with such speeds that his fists become little more than blurring after-images of one another. Filling the atmosphere with bursting winds from the raw, tempestuous disturbance..
COMBATSYS: Kentou successfully hits Hotaru with Fuuhaken.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kentou
The change in speed this time is substantial. While his body advances upon her at a rate that she can discern without too much difficulty, the actual speed of his strike is something else entirely. She judges his potential range based on the point at which choses to shift from advancing to striking and factoring in the length of his arm and the distance the momentum will carry him over the mat. And even with taking all those factors into consideration, the spunky kid manages to reach just a couple inches further than she anticipated, his fist homing in on her cheek even as she tries to circle around him a second time.
Finally her hands unclasp and come out in front of her in order to correct her balance rather than allowing herself to stumble just for the sake of maintaining poise. Though her head was turned slightly from the blow there's also a certain give there, as if her neck muscles adjusted to the incoming force in just the right way to let both movement and strength absorb some of the impact.
And rather than be spun to the side by such a forceful blow, the girl's arms snap out to try and grab hold of that outstretched fist of his and twist his arm to cinch him in place. If a tight grip is obtained, she'll pull him forward into her knee before flipping him over it into a seated position only to drive her other foot into his back to send him sliding along the mat covered floor. That rapid sequence of joint locks, strong kicks, and a quick slam can only mean one thing. The girl has unleashed the Shin-jou Tai.
Her back is to most of the class, making it easy for them to miss the quiet contemplation in her eyes. That technique of his... it's more than one could be tought at a corner Kung Fu course. In fact, there is something familiar about it...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kentou with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Kentou
The flood of fists washes right up to the edge of the girl's defenses. His expression straining as he pushes himself just a little longer, throwing a little more momentum and determination behind his surprisingly decent technique. Only the very last strike, when the boy again completely over-extended himself, does his knuckles finally strike true.
The elation of success of that attack dies away nearly as fast as it conjures, feeling the girl easily roll with a punch that would have floored any of the assembled students here. Even he, himself, could never take a punch that superbly.
Lesson Two: A small victory that comes at tremendous cost, is no victory at all.
Again the Kenpo Kid is way off balance. All but throwing himself ackwardly into Hotaru's waiting counter attack as his fist is easily captured. Twisted and pulled about all but helplessly as his stance, and any hope of leverage, is in shambles.
"HrK!" The little warrior's doubles over as her knee damn near breaks him in half. Blasting his senses from his body as he collapses to the seated position limply and sprung from like a diving board. The sheer momentum -shoving- him face-first into the mat with enough force to shudder the gym floor and force the arranged students to take a step back.
All are stunned to silence.
A moment passes with Kentou lying face-first in his boy-shaped impression in the mat. His motionless body is enough for some to consider this fight well and truly over. Not that there was a shred of doubt what the result would be here. But for a moment there.. He almost-
"..Mph." A grunting sound rises from Kentou's form. Followed by an arm slowly, carefully reaching out to begin to push himself up. The wind knocked out of his sails as he gasps for air.. propped up on all fours.
But rising.
"..pretty.. good...." Clearly favoring the arm that wasn't locked and pinned. Shaking his head swiftly to work the cobwebs out of his groggy thoughts, the boy is actually pushing himself back up to his feet. Stumbling and falling back to one knee once.. But pushing himself up again as a raw act of will.
"..ready for.. my best shot... girl?"
Turning on his heel as the youth forces himself into that stance. The throbbing pain blurs his vision, but his heart beats steady and his fist is shaken but true.
"...hhhHHAAAAAAAAA!! HUT!"
Kentou's forceful kiai once again banishing fatigue and pain. Less effective than moments ago as his body is failing.. But he will not disgrace this technique with weakness!
Mousey eyes glare at Hotaru, lining her up as his stance shifts and prepares before -springing- into the air. The leap is almost perfectly vertical. Leaping high as he pulls his limbs inwards and spin-twists about quickly. Gaining momentum from gravity itself, "TeeenchiiiIIII!"
Pulling air into his lungs as the arc through the air reverses, sailing downwards quicker and quicker within range of the girl and -LANDING- a short distance away with enough force for the entire mat to -bounce- up into the air. The planks, forming the floor of the gym actually rattle with the titanic impact as the mat flails around the both of them like a roiling blue sea.
"SHUUEN!" The word spoken at the precise moment the momentum rebounds. The impact of the hard, earthquaking landing reversing itself through his body. Equal and opposite. Launching forth again in a hasty dash. His right fist outstretched along with his wide stance, propelling all of that conjured and redirected force into the tip of his knuckles.. Aimed right for his opponent!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Kentou's Tenchi Shuuen!
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Hotaru 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Kentou
She doesn't follow up after practically breaking the kid, sending him to the floor. Students begin to murmur, whisperings of 'The Shin-jou Tai' technique potentially overheard. To date, the girl has never once pulled out that deadly flurry of kicks, twists, and throws on a student. It becomes obvious that the students all believe this little exchange to have come to an aburpt end. No way the young, wayward menace is going to get back up from that one.
But then there's a grunt and signs of movement. Everyone begins to hold their breath. Everyone but Hotaru, that is, who stays quiet, observational, one hand slipping behind her back as before, though this time one hand stays forward, raised in front of her, palm sideways as if she was prepared to slice through the air or weave her hand in either direction. The kid has earned enough of her respect that she only keeps one hand behind her back instead of both as before.
Slowly he struggles to his feet and Hotaru is quiet the whole time. She knows what it feels like. To rise up in spite pain, ache, an agony. To breath deeply in in order to give it your all. When he asks if she is ready, Hotaru shifts one foot, turning her toe forward. Apparently... she is ready now.
Calm, composed eyes follow him as he builds up his own inner strength... drawing upon chi that, while not manifesting in outwardly, can certainly be seen on the inside. She can't see such spiritual lines, but she can feel them, her own aura sensitive enough to such things. So close, she muses, so close to pushing that chi to the point of being able to control it. If only someone could show him how...
And then he takes to the air, leaping at the girl, landing in front of her with enough power that the impact of his landing alone is enough to blow her pigtails backward and ruffle her clothing. And then comes the forward attack, fist outstretched. It's fast. Incredibly fast. Among the fastest attacks she has ever seen. Yet in that blink of an eye she moves. It's so very subtle, almost impossible to perceive to those merely watching from outside of the fight. But for the boy who poured his all into this attack... he'll see, and he'll know.
Her body leans, that forward left hand of hers coming out to press just a teeny amount against his fist at just the right moment and angle, redirecting it. That, accompanied by her own movement, sends the poor boy sailing past the young teacher.
Her right hand? The one that's been behind her back? That has already begun to glow a brilliant color of blue, a power concentrated into her hand. It's not unlike what she feels in the boy. Only... she knows how to force it out. As his best shot flies by, her hand swings up from behind her back, and with practiced aim, the girl attempts to send a small, yet forceful projectile directly for his back. "HAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kentou with Hakki Shou EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kentou
Even the hardest diamond can be shattered with a single blow.
A flaw is systemic. Progressive. Entropy, once having found purchase, is both intractable and irreversable. And to those with patience, to those with clarity of thought and purpose.. Such flaws are easy to see. With a sound blow.. exploited.
The youth is launched like a bullet from a gun, an arrow sprung from a bow. At the whims of his own momentum and force. Every second is as long as a life-age. A heightened sense of things, a increased perception of time and space. His master technique, the apex of his skill, seems to fly true yet again. The girl clearly overwhelmed by his Godly speed.. Unable to move even her nimble body out of the way this time!
It is only as her left fingertips move in and tap his fist soundly, does Kentou realize its only because she did not need to.
That single tap at his technique renders him undone a second later. The carefully gathered and focused kinetic energy disrupted.. Like a butterfly flapping its wings, the disruptive harmony echoing through his entire frame and sending his balance to the for winds. His own blind force and speed becoming his ultimate enemy with a simple, patient strike.
'..No..' Kentou's lips soundlessly word as he sails past the taller teacher, just beginning to flail helplessly as the girl spins about and her aim is true. The blue orb of force streaks through the air and striking him square in the middle of the back.. A focused strike annihilating the remainder of his already shattered defenses as he -sails- through the air!
CRASHING down on the squeaky smooth gym floor a good distance away and -slamming- up against the folded bleachers along the wall. The impact from that by itself sprawling the boy out a few feet further until he slides to a halt. His limbs akimbo, sprawled out like a ragdoll.
COMBATSYS: Kentou has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
The young instructor's arm lowers as the projectile goes flying into the back of the young, puffed up student who thought himself untouchable by anyone in this room. By now that falsehood has obviously been shattered. The girl's left hand reaches over and clamps against her right forearm. It burns, she muses silently, but not like it used to. The meditations she has begun practicing are clearly helping. She's been keeping them a secret. To date, only Acacia knows of them, and even she has no idea what the red-orange flicker of flame in Hotaru's hand signified.
Some students around the class begin to snicker at first, sounding a little nervous to do so, as the small teacher doesn't tolerate behavior like that in her class. But they can't help themselves, it seems. "She showed him," comments one boy to a young man at his side. "Yay Futaba-sensei!" chirps a girl in the back row, delighted to see Justice dished out with a remarkable, inspirational performance on the part of their teacher.
"That's enough," comes Hotaru's reprimand. Two words, but they carry a weight few would understand were they to see the small girl they came from. "I've taught you all to be better than that."
Most of the kids knew that was coming anyway an wisely held their tongues. Those who didn't sheepishly button up, hands folded together in front of them, heads bowed, eyes to the floor. The diminutive fighter glances briefly over each and every one of them, scolding them sternly with her eyes, not having to say anything else to get the point across.
And then with that, she walks forward slowly, approaching the collapsed kid who's ultimate technique was shattered by the nudge of a finger. "You have talent in fighting, but the way you put it to use suggests that your instruction was incomplete. You didn't learn the rest of what it means to use Kenpo in its true spirit. You have the potential... but right now you lack the control, the discipline of a martial artist. I trust that you will never disrupt my class again."
And with that, Hotaru turns around, a very neutral, somewhat unreadable expression on her face. She hopes whoever is teaching that boy finishes the job right. If he were go on like that the paths that lay ahead might be ones the pig-tailed girl is all too familiar with. He'll end up like her older brother. Just making the comparison in her mind causes her complexion to pale slightly. Her lost brother, driven mad with his lust for strength, given himself in to the lessons only devils can provide.
Hotaru pauses mid-step, glancing over her shoulder at the very young teen.
"..Nn..Not..finished.."
Is the boy actually trying to get up? The young warrior's hand slowly slides out from beneath his crumpled body. Arm trembling as he very, very slowly begins to lift his torso from the smooth gym floor. Determined eyes hidden beneath his wild bangs as his teeth grit in effort.
The laughter forces him to move. Forces him to rise even when every fiber in his body tells him he's done here. No quitting. No surrendering. He can fight! As long as there's a breath in his body he can fight.. He..
And then the young teacher silences them all. Kentou's head quirks upwards, straining eyes seeing her scolding her own students. The very ones he challenged to fight..
This revelation renders his defiance undone. Arm giving way as he collapses back to the floor soundly.. letting his mind acknowledge what his body screams at him.
Kentou wasn't just beaten, he isn't even remotely in her league. His family technique.. his speed.. They barely even registered against her defenses.
Eyes slowly closing as his forehead touches the cool floor. This is what he wanted to find.. wasn't it? To find true skill, and put his own to the test.
As Hotaru acknowledges him, he slowly lifts his head just enough to barely look her in the eye. Her words sting with humiliation on his pride.. Fists curling tightly once more in impotent indignation. It only hurts because she's right. Her analysis of him was perfect.. spot on.. Uncanny. How did she know he's.. mostly self-taught? Is it really that obvious? To those words are spoken as a lecturing statement, his mouth parts as if to say something.. expound on her words, but the end of her statement brooks no room for further discussion. All he can speak of are the terms of her victory. Lowering his head in acquiescence, Kentou states, "..I won't.. Its.. You have m..my word."
Having had a few moments to recollect himself, the boy again pushes from the ground. Grunting with effort as he manages to reach to the bleachers behind him, pulling himself up to his feet ackwardly. Wobbly, but standing.. His arm still hanging at his side limply and clearly wincing as he stretches his back. But for a kid his age.. He's certainly baring the damage astonishingly well.
Himself also pausing a moment, his attention finally shifting from the instructor to her assembled class. The edges of his blooded lips twitching between stoicism and a frown, before unable to hold back his retort, "..You better .. learn what she's got. Or I'll kick all your butts again.." :|
What next? ... More speed, he's just not fast enough! She was able to dodge him so easy.. so completely. Clearly he's just not fast and strong enough. Gotta work on that more.. So next time she can't get away so easy! But.. What was that she did that hit him in the back? He couldn't see behind him after his master technique missed so completely.. It didn't feel like a punch.. But it hit just as hard. His whole lower body tingles still from it..
The boy begins to make his slow exit. One hand constantly moving from hand hold to hand hold along the wall as he moves along very carefully.
The girl watches him move along the wall, quietly surprised at how soon he managed to get back to his feet even though it doesn't show in her quiet, impassive expression. When he gives his word, her mouth curls just faintly. She likes that. Someone who is willing to put his word on the line. He came, he made a scene, he got schooled, and he promises to never ruin another of her classes. Maybe she should try that approach on Remy...
He pauses, warning her students of a future beating if they don't keep up on what she's trying to teach them, and that hint of a smile becomes even stronger. He doesn't seem like a bad kid, she muses, just... well, whoever is teaching him needs to consider the pride they're sending him out into the world with. That ego is going to get him into trouble. He works his way toward the exit and Hotaru remains silent, though her eyes are still on him.
While her students can't see, she's taken to biting her lower lip in a state of conflicted consideration. There's more she wishes she could do for him, but this class isn't for him. His skill really is far beyond that of her students.
As he nears the door, Hotaru finally calls out after him, "Hey kid. Good luck out there." It's a tough world, and with the way he goes looking for fights, it's probably only going to keep getting tougher. "You're welcome back here any time," she adds. Just... without the whole class disruption next time, please.
"Maybe you'll want a rematch someday."
He should have led off with a kick to keep her off balance. No no.. maybe a feint THEN a kick? Yeah. Yeah.. maybe that will work better. Thats it! Next time he'll lead off with a low kick. Yeah, that'll work better! He'll have to practice that a bunch first. That and more sprint training, yeah.
The youth's thoughts swirl as he tries to process the battle. Tries to comprehend what it was she did against him. Previous opponents were always so simple and straightforward. Just one gimmick or a simple fighting philosophy that was easy to adapt to after a few tries. But this? He.. He admits he has no real idea how she did what she did. He couldn't see it.. couldn't understand it. He saw it with his own eyes and he still didn't get it.
Its like.. Is that what Chi is like? Is that what she was doing?
The boy pauses at the hallway entrance, the door still open from earlier when Hotaru stormed onto the scene. His wrapped hand gripping the frame as he halts, head slowly turning at the instructor's surprising well wishing. Isn't she supposed to be mad at him?
Confused by her seeming change of heart, but the corners of his lips tilt upwards just a fraction anyway. Luminous, mousey eyes brightening as he states, "..Its Kentou. Ondori Kentou.." Introducing himself only now at the end.
The boy's lips finally widen into a true grin, pain and all, "..You can count on that!" Slipping then beyond the doors and to Southtown beyond.
Maybe this criminal town has some real promise after all..
Kentou. Hotaru notes the name, idly wondering if it'll ever matter. After all, maybe he'll become something. Make a name for himself. Appear on TV, fight in the leagues like she does. Pursue a goal thought impossible by some.
Or... maybe he'll disappear back into the blur that is the population of Southtown, never amounting to anything that merits notice, becoming much like nearly everyone else out there. The same. Having had a dream at one point then simply giving up on it, content to wallow in normalcy for the rest of their lives.
Hotaru doesn't know enough about him to predict one way or another right now, but her mind can't help but wonder what he would grow into if someone were to show him the way. Forge his spirit into a proper, respectable young man while honing his fighting skill to release the potential she felt in him during their exchange.
But as Kentou slips out of sight, Hotaru is left with a class full of students in need of instruction. "Okay, everyone, gather around me." He might hear her voice echo down the hall a little ways before he gets out of range. "First off, Ando? That stance was terrible. You were just asking to get torn apart by a smaller opponent. Left yourself wide open all over the place. And Iwao? What were you thinking? A kid that size? You could just let him attack you and pick him right up off the ground. Instead you jumped at him like you do on your High School wrestling mat. Well, that may work in wrestling, but here we're learning self-defense, and jumping at an opponent like that, I don't care what size...."
Just another afternoon at the YFCC, the quaint little nook in a corner of downtown, where the spark of inspiration can put one's feet, however bare they might be, on a better path. Just another fork in the road in that strange neck of the world known as Southtown.
Log created on 00:24:25 08/18/2007 by Kentou, and last modified on 02:50:31 08/20/2007.