Description: Atop a tower at the Nijo Castle in Kyoto, young Hotaru Futaba faces off against Rolento Schugerg in a Neo League bout where every twitch, every miscalculation, and every instinctual reflexive action is critical to the outcome. His information on the Kenpo artist may have been somewhat incomplete when the match began but by the end both participants have learned quite a lot about each other's techniques. (Winner: Hotaru)
In the past so few ever got to see the inside of the large Nijo castle. The seat of in Japan in more fuedal times, the massive, ornate structure has since become a tourist trap and, this afternoon, a venue for a Neo League match. The stage for the fight is a room on one of the upper floors of one of the corner towers. Made completely out of wood with paper walls around the edges. Solid, wooden suppert pillers dot the room and overhead are a number of thick logs, criss-crossing to support the steeply angled roof overhead. Art covered, thin paper screens section off portions of the room - cheap knockoffs of the real delicate screens that once existed within the room centuries ago. Two of the four walls are solid while two open out onto balconies from which one can see the rest of the massive castle. A set of stairs against one of the solid walls would take one down into the tower or up to the roof above.
The air flows freely through the chamber. Crisp, cool, laden with the distant sounds of the tourest milling about far below. Occasionally birds stop to roost on the rail of one of the balconies and chirp away with their singsongy voices.
Dressed in her traditional blue and white China girl outfit, Hotaru doesn't look too out of place in the set attempting to recreate antiquity. Her hands are busy nervously tightening the red hair ribbon keeping her right pig-tail in place as she bites her lower lip thoughtfully. According to all of her independant research, the fight ahead is the toughest match the Neo League has ever thrown her way. Knowing nothing of who Rolento is besides that he is a very swift fighter who utilizes tactics she would consider distasteful, herself, the young fighter hopes to do well enough to have justified the matchup in the first place.
One could easily question the sanity of anyone that might allow Rolento to fight in a venue with cultural value, as one can count themselves lucky if a single explosion of significant magnitude goes off. The milling birds abruptly scatter as the growing sound of a helicopter thrums, building up into a staccato beat as the unseen Blackhawk swoops over the roof. A black line suddenly pools upon the balcony just outside, and slipping down it is the man in yellow himself, Rolento Schugerg; He lands in a deft crouch, momentarily bracing himself with a hand splayed on the ground. His other rests on the hilt of his baton, not yet drawn. Rising to his feet in a slow and measured manner, a simple gesture is made. Instantly the helicopter can be heard going away, at least enough to be a background hum rather then a sustained buzz distracting to the ambience if nothing else.
His combat boots echo loudly in his approach, shoulders back and expression rigidly stoic, holding himself with simple pride. Slowly he yanks out his weapon in a rasp, twirling it expertly between his fingers. "Hotaru Futuba." is stated. "A young practitioner of Chinese Kenpo who offsets a myriad of subtle weaknesses via training in Kyokugen. You are one of few names upon my list of combatants who has achieved a significant amount of progress in a short time. Although your meek nature prohibits any possible recruitment, my intention is still to chart the progress of the younger generation." His stance spreads, bending down low while arcing his long weapon behind, other forearm interposed defensively. He's positioned himself in such a fashion he can move any direction within a heartbeat, which includes up or down. "This is the extent of palaver. If you wish combative advantage, initiate combat immediately!!"
COMBATSYS: Rolento has started a fight here.
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Rolento 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rolento takes no action.
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Rolento 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rolento
In the moments that pass while waiting for the match, Hotaru keeps glancing toward the stairs that descend further into the building, surely expecting her opponent to arrive from that direction. It's only when the wooden structure begins to vibrate with the approach of a vehicle that hardly looks at home against such a historical landmark does she realize that he will be entering from another direction.
The man that descends the black cable is an imposing sight. Hardly the most massive opponent the lithe fighter has faced, but perhaps the most composed. He walks with authority, commanding deference merely by how he carries himself. As he rattles off her name and pertinent information, the younger martial artist looks a little caught off guard. Identifying her family style as well as her present training - and even the purpose behind it, all in one statement. Nearly speechless, Hotaru merely bows her head in quiet acknowledgement before slipping into a relaxed stance, one shoulder turned toward him, that arm raised out for defense, her other arm bent at the elbow for striking, her feet slipping apart just a little as she braces.
She doesn't know what palaver is, but she does understand the invitation to take a shot at attacking. "Nn," she replies to the affirmative. An inhale followed by a controlled, calm exhale is the fighter's final preparation before she jets toward Rolento. Her attack is a bold, direct charge across the wooden floor. She leans forward, highly committed, yet not being completely blind to attempts to counter attack her either.
If she gets in close, both hands will attempt to snag a hold of both of Rolento's wrists and use the leverage of his arms to allow her to launch a series of rapid, rising stomps right up the front of him, until she has inverted herself into a backflip through the air. The strikes individually are not the most threatening, but they could add up to a fair amount of pain.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Rolento with Shin-Jou Tai.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
"You should not hesitate." he manages to comment, although not sounding particularly impatient. As she advances, Rolento shifts his own stance, twirling his baton again and then shifting it before himself, intending to deflect her assault. However, he finds that he's only made himself utterly vulnerable to the chosen onslaught; Gripped by the wrists instead, he does make a noble effort to writhe free, but being rather light only causes her to shift backwards with him before the impact upon his chest. The final crack is impossibly stout, sending him staggering backwards. Yet he manages to turn this into a backflip, curling into a tight ball and hitting the wall behind. Bracing upon it, Rolento hefts forward anew, apparently breaking the admittedly impressive initial stun in a moment. He lands barely a meter away, and his baton has begun spinning in a manic fashion.
Trying to simply be everywhere at once, utilizing a rapid rush, the sweeping propeller-like motion tries to sweep Hotaru into it. Were she caught in the first, the pepppered blows would likely disorient her... And if the first misses, one of the other two rushing flashes, each punctuated by a grunt, would potentially suffice instead, with a final sweep attempting to send her airborne!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Rolento's Patriot Circle.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Rolento
The smaller fighter manages to come down out of her backflip with some time to spare - that final kick she delivered doing the job of knocking him back long enough to allow for her to reorient herself properly. That was a clean shot. He misread her for an instant, and it cost him. She can't count on slipups like that again though.
Her blue eyes take a second to lock in on him as he moves back in on her with blurring speed. The window to react to the spinning weapon is precariously brief, but it's just long enough for her reflexes to pull her through. The spinning baton is avoided with a duck, her feet slipping far apart to let her get low enough for it to clear the top of her head by just an inch. The follow ups are avoided as she drops out of the crouch into a backward roll, putting distance between him and her, eying that final sweep warily. Dealing with fighters who weild weapons has always been a frightening experience. While some fists may strike just as hard, there's something disconcerting about being knocked silly by a baton too.
Though she lost ground to get out of the way, she's back on the offense as quickly as possible. This time she seeks to grab hold of his weapon weilding wrist with both of her hands. If successful, she'll turn into him to slam her upper back into his stomach and attempt to pull him right over her shoulder with a simple slam to the wooden floor. "YA!"
COMBATSYS: Rolento fails to interrupt Quick Throw from Hotaru with Medium Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Rolento
Of course, the dedication to evasion is quickly noticed by Rolento, who senses opportunity; Especially given the less then refined assault offered towards him thereafter. Like a dog going for the throat, he decides on a savage intervention as she approaches, allowing his hand to get gripped in exchange for an attempt to grasp her himself. But the lithe girl evades such long enough to begin her momentum, and he slips overhead to slam heavily upon the ground. But he curls forward, twisting around now a mild distance away with a laugh. "Impressive. It only takes miscalculations on a small magnitude to fail. You have the eye of a true fighter!" Yet he seems entirely unperturbed, and not even marginally worried. "I will refrain from insulting you by continuing this substandard assault." His neck cracks to either side, beckoning for Hotaru to come at him again. Although what he might plan now that the supposed ‘softball' is over remains questionable...
As she sends Rolento to the floor, Hotaru looks about to follow up with the slam with a swift kick to the downed man's stomach before releasing her grip on his wrist, but he proves too swift with his own recovery to allow her to take advantage of the opportunity. Even when forced off balance he remains in enough control of his position to make it hard to deliver subsequent strikes.
His words of acknowledgement as he comes back up on his feet earns him the faintest of nods from the girl. His analysis is a little unnerving and the mention of picking it up a notch is hard to dismiss. On the other hand, flattery is dismissed quickly. She's long since learned to avoid being distracted by compliments like she used to be.
By now he should be getting used to her persistant charges in. Trusting in her speed to get her by, Hotaru sprints forward, leaning in low at first only to rise out of the crouch at the last moment with a double palm press aimed for Rolento's stomach. Arm strength alone wouldn't be enough to pack much power, but she couples it with leg and torso strength to deliver a harder strike than one might expect her capable of.
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Hotaru's Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Rolento
The hard, unbiased analysis is certainly not in a complimentary tone. So far only her minute hesitation at the onset and obvious lack of confidence are black marks in her actual combative style; He's not so simple-minded to think that believing in happiness, rainbows and sunshine dust makes one weak, even if morality and the etiquette of believing this to be a simple sport can close many useful options. Twirling his baton, the base is pressed upon the ground as he crouches, bending it slightly. He doesn't move until the last motion, springing upwards in a gentle arc that scarcely twists away from the incoming fist; Given her unique method of channeling the kinetic force, it likely was too difficult to shift towards his new direction, potentially one of many small reasons it missed by a proverbial mile. She'd have to be foolish not to realize by the time it would have connected were he to stay still, he was no longer in front of her. He rolls backwards a short distance, putting a good three meters between. And then he remains thusly grounded, narrowing his eyes as he transcends awareness. To a word of calculations and tactics, running a thousand thoughts per second, defining every subtle nuance of combat, every variable, every advantage and possibility in a level few could hope for...
COMBATSYS: Rolento focuses on his next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Rolento
Her double palm strike meets with nothing but air. Given the speed that Rolento has already demonstrated, one might imagine that she expected to not make contact. Though she struck with committment, her balance was not sacrificed, her right leg slipping forward to correct for her hands not having impacted anything.
As he rolls backward, Hotaru keeps her center of gravity low. Her left hand extended out for balance while she rolls her right arm back behind her. In the dim lighting offered by the interior of the tower one would notice the spark of blue along her forearm - a vibrant aura charged swiftly enough for Hotaru to swing forward a split second later and send it hurling across the distance between her and the uniformed fighter. "YA!"
Should it connect, it will splash against him with pure force before vaporizing, leaving no side effects of it having landed other than the ache of having been hit hard. If it misses, it's trajectory has it headed right out the open wall and into the distance.
COMBATSYS: Rolento parries Hotaru's Hakki Shou!
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
And now, Rolento displays just what his vicious tenacity and planning is capable of. The moment that Hotaru has begun to gather chi, he flashes forward, launching himself straight into the air. This is intended as a disorienting tactic, as he can reach her in a heartbeat. Compensating for the motion is almost useless ergo, as he twists around and kicks off the very ceiling, before landing into a shoulder roll to the side. Exactly where her ball of chi ended up is questionable, but it assuredly wasn't threatening to hit him in the venture. And then he twirls his baton, snapping it out with intent to drive it heavily into Hotaru's stomach. His other hand yanks off a belt of grenades, trying to slap them upon her body while in the same motion lunging upwards, hopefully with her in tow. At the apex he would twist, to SPROING her down with the built-up tension of his baton. She'd explode between there and the floor, although sadly it would not make the final impact any less... "Hmmhmmhmm!"
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Hotaru with Fatality Package EX.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
His weapon slips in right beneath her extended right arm, the blue aura fading from view at the moment of impact. The force is more than enough to crumple the more fragile fighter forward, eyes widening as she gasps with pain induced shock, not even aware enough of what is transpiring to realize that he has lifted her off the ground after slapping the explosives against her side. "Ah!" comes the cry of dismay as she tries to recover from the downward trajectory with a quick twist that would have brought her back to landing on her feet in the end - a recovery cut short by the exploding grenades that launch her sideways into one of the wooden support beams before sliding down to the floor.
For a moemnt it seems that he might have managed to take out the girl with a single attack as she is a bit slow in getting to her feet, her left hand pressed against the side where she got blasted. Her fancy blue vest is shreaded on that side and her white blouse scorched. Minor battle damage that she's used to, unimportant compared to the pain that would seek to keep her from fighting at full effectiveness going forward.
Though her next step is awkward, she recovers her balance in the steps to come as she charges Rolento again. It seems a straight line at first, but she jumps high, attempting to exceed his reach. If he takes to the air after her, she'll try to retaliate with a straight jump kick, but otherwise she'll rebound off a piller behind him with a jump kick aimed toward his upper back. Improvising, attempting to mimic the speed with which he has navigated the environment.
COMBATSYS: Rolento interrupts Light Kick from Hotaru with Grenadier.
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Hotaru 1/=======/=======|====---\-------\0 Rolento
"Such is my surgical fighting style. It is unfair given my physical advantage over a lesser fighter, but I can hope it is instructional." Rolento seems unmoved by the damaged Hotaru, continuing to slowly rotate his baton in a solemn manner, observing her rushing approach. Once more she is open, and he intends to capitalize on it. There is no mercy, no quarter. Rather then maneuver himself in any peculiar manner, he follows her attentively, twisting to continually face, unfazed by her sustained movements. As such, her kick is instead coming straight towards him. At which point the grenade got in his hand is for the cameras to decide, however. It's hurled through the air with vicious speed, impacting Hotaru dead in the stomach; A world series pitcher would kill for an arm like that, undoubtedly. He's impacted in a raised forearm, dampening the blow as he lurches backwards – scant inches out of range as the condensed fragmentation explosive goes off, blowing Hotaru up twice in the span of ten seconds and likely cementing his advantage irrevocably. He lands once more, ergo now reaching into his vest ominously...
The grenade that buries itself in her stomach does a lot to engate her forward momentum as the girl is once again introduced to a painful change in trajectory by the explosion that follows shortly. This time the blast sends her crashing to the floor flat on her back, sliding a long a meter or so before coming to a stop. Arms sprawled out at her sides, the girl looks practically out. The tucking of her legs followed by the clumsy backward roll a moment later reveals that isn't /quite/ the case.
"Anyone can be a tough guy with grenades," the girl hisses through clenched teeth as she struggles to stay upright, her hands tightened into small fists, her eyes focused in spite her pained condition. She does her best to ignore the pain inflicted by the lacerations caused by a point blank grenade explosion and switches back on the offense in spite Rolento having all the time in the world to prepare himself.
She'll show him, she tells herself, losing her composure to a tinge of pride at having been so easily handled by the explosive weapons he's used against her thus far. The surge in power would be impossible to miss even before she leaps headlong into a forward roll intending to bring herself in toward his shins, ending in a crouch, her arms extended out at her sides. What comes next is a powerful chi-laden backflip kick, a torrent of the blue energy she draws upon from the world around her lending more power to the strike than she would otherwise be able to bring to bear. "Tenshou...!"
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Hotaru's Ten-shou Ranki EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Rolento
"I assume my combative choice does not meet your strict guidelines for fairness." Rolento states, matter of factly. "However, I am unable to use chi. Were they explosions of rainbow lights and pixie dust, would you feel chagrined?! I slaved over these grenades!! They are made of my mind, and my strength, and used by my skill, every bit as much as your techniques! Do *not* attempt to belittle my accomplishments due to comparative weakness!!" It seems he's rather agitated at the moment, and as she rushes forward, her kick only burns the air; He has begun to roll backwards anew, laughing deeply before suddenly impacting the floor with his weapon, creaking it backwards. And then, as Hotaru descends, he lashes out; Erupting like a coiled viper, bridging the distance between in a heartbeat. His baton snaps down, aiming to hit her in the collarbone with explosive force and literally spike her like a volleyball, with hopefully enough force to make her bounce. "This fight has concluded!!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Rolento's Mekong Delta.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Rolento
He's fast. The thought goes through the girl's mind as Rolento evades her flip kick into the air but does so with enough control to be able to come right back at her with almost no delay. She knows immediately that his intent will be to catch her in mid-air, before she can recover her footing. She's irked him a little, sinking to a level of chiding another's ability she hasn't done since she got frustrated at being repelled by that tall, oar toting Brit at Pacific High, and when she realizes what this is likely to provoke from a fighter of Rolento's calibur, she immediately regrets it.
There is no time to offer apology, however, as he swings out with his baton once again. Only this time the girl pulls off twisting out of the way in time. Attempting to retaliate in mid-air is risky to say the least, but she attempts all the time, reaching out to try and snag hold of his arm while falling head first toward the ground. If she can get a grip, she'll spin into him and use him as her landing pad. If she fails, she'll correct into a handstand when she lands and try to spring away.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Rolento with Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Rolento
Ah. Rolento has finally underestimated Hotaru! Her twist away was not anticipated, and he's committed to his attack too much to snake away; Smacking hard into the ground, the less then substantial weight of Hotaru is a bit less in comparison to the initial pain; Although once more he kip-ups, grunting mildly in annoyance as he lands in a crouch. The last moments of the fight are at hand. This much he is aware of. His gambit to finish her missed by likely a hair's breadth, but it is nothing that cannot be rectified by careful amounts of force! Hopefully before she extricates herself out of range, the commando slithers towards her, hopping lightly into the air while twisting around; And the heel of one combat boot attempts to impact her dead in the jaw, hopefully with enough force to slam her into the ground anew! "Hrrngh!!" Yes, he's still quite irritated! At least exploding is hopefully out of his system...
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Hotaru with Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Rolento
The slam to the floor seemed like a good idea at the time. But slipping back to her feet after Rolento eludes any attempt at following up with another attack ends up not being fast enough to avoid the follow up from the soldier's foot.
The kick slams the frail fighter solidly in the jaw, sending her reeling to the side. Not even his strongest strike and yet it seems to have driven her off with decisive force. In fact, it might just be precisely the force necessary to drop her for good... But not /quite/.
The girl doesn't even waste time to wipe away the blood from her lip where she got struck hard, instead charging back almost recklessly, taking to the air with a swift leap that converts into a knee dive following a quick flip to correct her trajectory.
If the knee connects, she'll follow up with a swift kick to the side of his head before flipping backward again, trying to play upon that hit and run game she had going earlier that hasn't been doing a lot for her in the last little bit.
COMBATSYS: Rolento fails to interrupt Rengeki Shuu from Hotaru with Weapon Jab.
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Hotaru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Rolento
As Hotaru hurls herself towards Rolento, who has taken to shaking his head to clear his own bugs, he sees her rushing forward. Again victory is almost assured, were things to not be subtly off in reality as opposed to his accurate perceptions. Twirling his baton, it shoots out; Right for her solar plexus, obviously knowing just how vulnerable she is. But she manages to evade it – such is again his own failure. His accuracy, much like in the lunging strike only moments before, was not in question so much as Hotaru's own incredible capabilities. Luck only plays a mild factor; He wasn't in a good condition to compensate, ending in his collision with the ground once more, sliding backwards. Finally, he is lethargic. The weight of myriad wounds building upon him, unlike the two savage impacts that has almost ended his opponent. But he returns to his feet, neck cracking audibly to the side, beginning to turn with his baton gripped tighter. "..." The anger has left for what seems more like a cold sadism...
The landing following her backflip is a little shakey. Hotaru saw how close that strike of his came and that she managed to slip away in the nick of time was pure adrenaline driven reflex. The mercenary leader's own slowly diminishing condition is impossible to miss as well, however. The anger that fueled her earlier careless charges is gone, replaced now by a determined coolness in spite the way she pants for breath now.
The charge that comes next is so very much like the previous ones, as if she hasn't learned a thing thus far. A low leaning sprint, her arms out at her sides for balance. It's only when she gets just outside of striking range that she leaps straight up into a flip intending to take her to the opposite side of Rolento while twisting around in mid air to land facing his back.
She expects him to avoid her again, like always, and attempts to step in closer to compsensate, both of her hands reaching out to grab hold of his arms again, either from the front or behind, before she dishes out another sequnce of rapidly rising stomps much like she did at the start of the fight. Instead of backflipping away, she'll finish by trying to hop over his shoulders and disorient him with regards to the direction she's gone in the aftermath. "Ya, ya, ya!"
COMBATSYS: Rolento blocks Hotaru's Shin-Jou Tai EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Rolento
It seems the final ballet between the pair is taking place, as Rolento observes Hotaru as best he can. She's not a bit tired like he is, but shying away from combat due to such would be a fool's errand. He still manages to slip backwards rather quickly, and as she flashes around the anticipation is true. The movement away is followed, Rolento mildly raising his eyebrows before instead opting to block it. Those fluttering kicks only catch his thigh and across one large bicep, and as she attempts to backflip away his free hand shoots out with intensive speed – intending to catch an ankle and whirl her around, to hurl her across the floor like a ragdoll. "Hrrngh!" leaves his lips, having lost much of his own rather artistic flair. He can be down and dirty if required; This seems to confirm such.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Rolento's Quick Throw!
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Rolento
He fends off her rapid strikes quite well. Better than she had anticipated the moment she got her grip even. Guaging Rolento's condition is harder for her to tell. While attention to his slightly belabored movements clued her in that her attacks are starting to leave an impression, she can't read too much into that it seems.
And then comes the final kick away - the one intended to get the distance she needs in order to rethink her plan of attack. Or maybe just nurse the crushing injuries that are adding up. But his hand shoots out, stopping her short in mid-air. What comes next is almost a combination of panic as it is ability - intincts taking over where a conscious, deliberate reaction would be far too slow. As he whirls the girl, Hotaru's arm is aglow once again, that familiar blue energy she has manifested at times in the fight coming back into play now. A swing of her arm and a kick off from her other foot against his hand frees her and sends the pulsating sphere of energy crashing down toward him at an awkward angle. "YA!" The Kenpo artist completes the previously aborted backflip, coming down on her feet a little ways off.
COMBATSYS: Rolento endures Hotaru's Hakki Shou EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Rolento
Rolento is going to end this. He's indeed rather injured, and near defeat, but not as much as might have been anticipated. He is a brute able to dodge, not a piece of paper able to dodge; That difference more then any has been what allowed him to weather the sea of this fight, realizing then what would take place. What happens next seems to be in slow motion. Every heartbeat has a lifetime between it. Her arm sheathing with energy is met by her release, Rolento's hand seeming to go through molasses as it sinks deep into his vest. His stance spreads, pulling out a veritable schmorgesborg of knives, bringing them up as he turns his shoulder. The ball of energy impacts him viciously, teeth spreading in a snarl. And as Hotaru falls and falls and falls, he has interposed them before his baton.
Time starts again, as he /snaps/ his hands downwards. Just prior to the girl hitting the floor, the ballooning waves of razor-sharp knives spreads, glimmering like a sea of stars in the ambient light. Trying to impact her and pin her to the ground like a moth on a pin, using sheer saturation and speed in return for the damage he just took...!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Rolento's Steel Rain.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rolento
Her projectile striking against Rolento buys Hotaru the precious instant in time that she needs to see his next attack coming. Anything faster and there would have been little hope of avoiding the rain of blades that would have more than finished this fight decisively.
But as the knives take to the air, the girl lands with only one foot, leg bending as she applies the necessary strength to turn her landing into a second leap forward as the several razors drive into the wood with the patter of ineffective thunks.
The girl's desperate trajectory wasn't merely a panicked attempt to get out of the way, though there was a fair amount of instinct at play there... But rather an attack as well as she comes down toward Rolento, swinging out with her right with an open palm aimed toward his temple - not the hardest hit in the world, but the focus of where she's aiming is important. "HA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Rolento with Quick Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Rolento
Alas, it seems Rolento's shining gambit has failed in this instance, the rather sudden cacophony of knives sinking into wood startling him due to a distinct lack of blood. The blow into the side of his head hits before he can bring up his guard, causing him to stumble aside. It wasn't much, but he's a house of cards at the moment who finally got nudged over; His ability to fight, tenacious for some time, was almost extinguished rearing into the flare of chi that ended in his ineffective attack. Staggering, he still manages to suddenly roll into a ball – and literally flies towards Rolento like some manic armadillo, zooming! It may look silly, but there's a good chance it might smack into her, hopefully knocking her out of the fight as well... Although either way, his unfurl ends in a crash upon the ground, and something of a laugh. "My information on your evasive techniques was significantly underpar!! Admirable! Judgement.. Grade B+! Current path augmenting innate talents. Psychological limitations may be present!"
COMBATSYS: Rolento can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Rolento's Mekong Delta.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
Landing on her feet after her strike, Hotaru stumbles forward out of the way of his tumbling attack, her hand reaching out desperately to plant against a wooden piller at her side, leaning hard against it for support, her arm propping her up for a moment by its own strength before she collapses against it, supporting herself with her shoulder while she remains feebly standing. The speed of the fight was beyond anything she can remember outside of her exchanges with a particularly gifted prodigy from Justice High. The intensity, the critical timing in each movement absolutely essential to the victory she can claim in this most unlikely of outcomes. It was instructional. Lessons learned here will not be forgotten any time soon.
Her breaths come to her in gasps as she turns around and faces Rolento, the veteran fighter conceding the match to the young Kenpo artist. The statement that comes next is pained, winded, and maybe even difficult to understand, but she says it none the less, "I... apologize for disrespecting your manner of engaging in combat... Your technique and skill do not deserve to be regarded in that light."
There is a faint smile hidden by her hand as she wipes the blood from her mouth and then leans away from the post to make her way toward the stairs descending out of the tower.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
"One would be a fool to underestimate you due to your stature and youth." Rolento muses, having done such mildly enough to end in the smallest grain of sand tipping the scales. He pulls himself to his feet, more winded then outright hurt, but given how arduous this motion is there's little doubt Hotaru won. He still retains his confidence and pose as he arcs back his shoulders, sheathing his baton in a swift motion and once more walking towards the balcony. His loss here was not pointless... it was quite instructional. Such only motivates his current goal. There are endless child prodigies in this day and age... Surpassing decade veterans in ways that hasn't existed in memory. And there's an entire world of untapped resources he can exploit in the areas that the fighting circuits and humanity cast blind eyes. He didn't come here to win points; He came here to gain valuable data, and if nothing else he has likely assessed Hotaru's talents as well as any man alive. Gripping the cord of his helicopter, he vanishes in a flicker, off to places unknown...
Log created on 23:47:22 09/28/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 09:58:24 09/30/2007.