Description: Hotaru and Ingrid face off in a glass domed park in the nicer part of Southtown. Chi meets Psi in this exciting bout! (Winner: Hotaru)
On the border of the high rise districts and the rich, upscale homes along the southern border of the district is a large green house. Beneath a giant glass dome is a small park, open to visitors seeking a place to take refuge from the bustle of the city in what seems a tranquil enough location. Trees line the sides of the long dome with rows of various flowering bushes at their base. The middle area is mostly covered by green grass and at the very center is a beautiful fountain with well maintained bushes lining the edges of it.
Mid afternoon sunlight pours in through the glass dome overhead. In the distance the tall buildings of the most expensive district of Southtown can be seen but within this sanctuary, the only sounds are those of the birds in the trees and the occasional lazy insect making its way from flower to flower. Even when a jet plane flys by overhead the rumble of its engines are barely audible here. A peaceful garden in the heart of the steel jungle...
A peaceful garden about to get a lot more riotous as it is the next venue for a Neo League match scheduled between Hotaru Futaba and Ingrid Holmann. The pig-tailed Kenpo artist is looking forward to it, having only fought Ingrid in the midst of a confusing three way battle before. This is a chance to fight the girl directly and see how she does. It isn't a small feat as she remembers very well the remarkably powerful yet foreign energy the slightly younger looking girl was able to weild.
Well, Hotaru muses as she tightens her right hair ribbon, her mouth set in a determined expression, there's only one way to find out how she can do against such a fighter in a direct confrontation and this Neo League bout is about to provide that opportunity.
Havens from the steel and concrete jungles of a city are common, but ones that attain the level of tranquility of this one are rare indeed. Even the air in this place is fresh and clean, something not attainable by your standard outdoor park. It's very nice, all things considered, like you're walking out of a city and into the countryside. Until you look out the glass dome and see the skyscrapers, that is.
It's all very impressive to Ingrid, who has thus far seen nothing like it. Before the match is set to start, she'd been looking around and enjoying the peaceful little retreat from city life. She explores around as much as possible, but eventually makes her way back towards Hotaru and the camera crew. She wouldn't want to risk delaying the match from wandering off too far. And then there's the fight itself on her mind. The one fight she's had with Hotaru shows she has very good tactical sense. She'll have to be careful.
But just because she's going to fight her in a matter of minutes doesn't mean she can't be friendly now. She approaches slowly from the side, stopping and smiling once she's a little ways off. "It's nice to see you again, Hotaru. Isn't this such a lovely place? I hope our fight doesn't disturb the peace too much."
As Ingrid draws near, Hotaru bows her head politely in the other girl's direction, her focused expression shifting into a friendly smile as she lowers her hands from having finished fiddling with her hair ribbon. There's a pensive look behind her eyes, however. She might be getting back into fighting a bit too soon. The injuries Kurow left her with in her previous Neo League match were almost as severe as when the strange Martyr of Might nearly killed her some months ago. But staying put and bed rest didn't sit well with her.
Her left hand rubs once along her abdomen. Dressed with the blue and white outfit one might expect if they've seen the Futaba girl fight before, she returns Ingrid's greeting in turn. "Likewise, Ingrid." Her expression warms, "Isn't it though? I've come here a lot in the past. Sometimes I get ideas for my own garden here... the caretakers are so meticulous."
She clasps her hands behind her back, trying to calm herself and get her focus into the fight. Inspite her appearances, Ingrid definitely can't be taken lightly. "I think I've owed you a match for a long time," she adds with a sparkle in her eye, remembering the first time they met in the streets of Chinatown in what seems like a lifetime ago to her. "Looking forward to it," she finishes with another slight bow of her head.
Officials finish setting up the cameras around the green house and finally the match is called to start. Hotaru's hands come up from behind her back, crossed in front of her, only to unfold slowly as she exhales, shifting into a loose ready stance. Her blue eyes focus on Ingrid's red ones and she gives the girl a slight nod to indicate she's ready.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru takes no action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
Ingrid has had her own run in with Kurow. He was clearly too much for her, but luckily there were medics on call, and the ones the League employs are some of the best. The blonde looks around a little and nods as Hotaru speaks, "I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it." She then returns her gaze to Hotaru, "The gardeners here must feel blessed to be able to work in such a wonderful environment." A little smile forms on her features, "And yes, we probably should have run across each other more directly than we have, shouldn't we? I imagine what's ahead of us is going to be very exciting, and very difficult as well."
And then it appears to be time, the familiar signals given by the league officials, and Hotaru moving into a combat stance in response. Ingrid follows suit, relaxing herself and allowing her arms to fall lightly to her sides, ready for springing movement when necessary. At the moment that doesn't seem to be the case, however. Instead she takes her more common approach of simply holding back and analyzing. She's seen many of the things Hotaru is capable of in their three-way fight, but she has never liked rushing in to attack without some sense of preparedness. In truth it's more her nature to allow her opponent to act first, and then make fast decisions based on studying their movements. She meets Hotaru's gaze after examining her, and then returns the nod, smiling.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
COMBATSYS: Ingrid focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
"No doubt," Hotaru grins as the mention of how fortunate the workers are. "Now that you know it's here though, you can always come by other times as well. It's just as pretty at night... There's lights in the fountain then." She falls quiet then, holding her ground, patiently waiting for Ingrid to prepared.
The moment Ingrid nods she'll get a chance to be reminded of the high speed pressure game Hotaru seems to employ in her fights. Aggressive, almost frantically so, she seeks to best her opponents before making a critical mis-step that results in her being quickly injured far too quickly to continue for long.
At Ingrid's nod, she darts forward, closing the distance between them quickly, a blue and white blur of energy as she attempts to get in close enough to the other girl to grab a hold of her arms. If she gets the grip she seeks, she'll immediately launch into a sequence of rapid kicking stomps, one right after the other, only to backflip away in the end and land a little ways more toward the center. "Ya, ya, ya!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Ingrid with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Ingrid
"Are there? I'll certainly have to come by and find out for myself." It's definitely a place Ingrid can appreciate and enjoy, and some of her friends might be able to enjoy it just as much. However the mood shifts from friendly to one of competitiveness as Hotaru waits, and then attacks. Though certainly aware of the speed of her opponent, she believes she can attempt to outrun her, or at least move quickly enough to make her miss. She waits half a moment after Hotaru begins to run, and then begins shooting off to the side herself, hoping to make it impossible for her opponent to correct her direction quickly enough.
Against a slower opponent this might have worked, but not Hotaru. Instead she's grabbed and jumped upon, the kicks to the chest staggering her backwards before finally thrusting her violently to the ground as the Kenpo artist backflips away. She hits the ground hard, bouncing once, and then tucks rolling away from Hotaru. After a few rolls she suddenly leaps into the air, this time moving forward and launching over and away from her opponent, only to suddenly change directions midair, now coming quickly towards her back, one hand held high in the air as she pirouettes, right leg extended to kick at the young Japanese woman, golden energy glittering around her as she descends. Hopefully the large number of direction shifts will be enough to throw her off.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Ingrid's Sun Dive.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Ingrid
Landing out of her backflip in a half crouch, Hotaru braces, eyes following Ingrid carefully as her opponent rolls... then leaps - only her jump seems too high and Hotaru is confused for a moment... But she figures out quickly. At home in the air, herself, she is not a stranger to aerial changes in trajectory aimed to keep an oppnent really having to guess where a strike is coming from.
The angle Ingrid comes down is awkard for her to navigate around smoothly so she opts to take to the air as well, leaping backward, slipping out of the path of the foreign looking girl's foot at the last possible instant, sparing herself a strike with that potent energy she weilds.
"I must admit," Hotaru speaks as she lands from her jump with a grunt. "I've always felt there's something special about the nature of the energy in your attacks." She slips slowly into a ready stance once more, this time holding her ground, laying off on the pressure for a brief moment.
"Someday... I hope you don't mind telling me more about it some." she finishes, her expression shifting back into a smile as she prepares herself. Normally getting by via reading the styles of her opponents in order to predict how to stay one step ahead of them, Ingrid's method of attacks don't follow conventions that she recognizes easily, and of course there's that special nature of her gift as well.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Ingrid
Her attack avoided, Ingrid lands softly on the ground where Hotaru once stood, readying herself to evade or intercept a reciprocating strike that never comes. She brushes her hair back behind her shoulder when she's spoken to, and considers for a moment. "I'm afraid there's very little I could tell you about it, other than that it was a gift I was born with. I wouldn't mind speaking about it with you when things are less hectic, however."
Hotaru hanging back puts Ingrid in a potentially awkward situation, but it's something she can handle. She has to be cautious of Hotaru's ability to redirect her energy back at her, but if she allows it to cripple her she'll never come out on top. With that in mind she rushes in, laying on a burst of speed that brings her quickly towards her target, and then quickly lowers herself, swinging her left arm in a wide arc close to the ground, a large stream of energy pouring out from her hand in an attack aimed at Hotaru's calves.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Ingrid's Sunburn.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ingrid
As Ingrid mentions speaking of the matter at a later time, Hotaru grins, nodding in agreement. She can understand the need to focus directly on the combat at hand. She's often had to catch herself from being distracted and thinking too much about something that isn't focusing on her own art of fighting too.
"Another time," she agrees, bouncing on her toes a little, her entire body slipping into a very relaxed stance that leaves her ready to remain evasive for now. She's still trying to figure out the other girl's methodology. She's swift, acrobatic, and fast, much like Hotaru is. With impressive energy based abilities... far more than Hotaru can muster up.
The temptation is there to try and counter Ingrid's powers with her own mastery of chi, but the angle is awkward when Ingrid comes in again and Hotaru isn't sure she can quite pull it off like she would want. Taking to the air herself, she manages a slim escape from the low level swath of Ingrid's bright hued energy, her own arc taking her up and over the light haired girl to land behind her.
"Close one," she remarks beneath her breath, either as a warning to herself or a compliment for Ingrid's energy manipulation. Maybe she should look into figuring out a variety of things to do with her own blue power sometime... But for now, she tries to use her proximity to grab a hold of the other girl by the shoulder and pull her to the side into Hotaru's shoulder while trying to hook her legs out from under her. It's a simple judo style throw that will result in her opponent landing on the ground with a bit of a thud if she pulls it off.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Quick Throw from Hotaru with Sun Upper.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Ingrid
In the end, Hotaru doesn't rely on her energy defense, and it certainly pays off. She's airborn once again and the swipe of energy misses cleanly- a risk Ingrid certainly took. And perhaps it was a large one, as continually throwing out attacks of the like she has been can be a tiring endeavor. She has very good control over herself, however, and as she feels the tugging hits of strain entering into her system she quickly asserts an iron will over herself and thrusts it off. She needs to stay as alert as possible if she's to win.
This time her opponent does move to strike her, and it seems that Ingrid is ready for it. Hotaru lands behind her and Ingrid whirls about quickly, watching. The attempt to grab is made, and Ingrid makes no attempts to evade, instead quickly lifting her hand up and leaning forward before tapping at the air in front of herself with a single index finger. Instead of becoming grappled, a disk of golden energy forms into the air and Hotaru's hands hit it, the energy immediately disappearing as it invisibly surrounds and binds the Kenpo user. Ingrid then swings her arm high into the air in a great sweeping gesture, launching Hotaru high up before allowing her to simply fall back to the ground, the Norwegian taking a half step back as she does.
Finding herself grasped by the power Ingrid controls, Hotaru gasps, the energy alone filling her with undeniable pain. Helpless to keep herself from being lifted into the air, only Ingrid's own need to relent relieves her of the continued agony and she's allowed to drop toward the ground.
Quick to recover while falling from the air, she manages to land in a bit of a roll rather than landing hard on her back, coming up into a controlled crouch a few yards later. That defensive use of energy is something familiar to her as it isn't too incredibly difference of her own occasional chi barrier. Perhaps a different approach will be best.
Springing to her feet, Hotaru tries to keep the pressure on yet, running directly toward the other girl, sliding into a stop a couple feet away in order to swing out with a strong roundhouse kick... But she's too far and the kick too steep to strike the other girl... The swath of blue energy that rushes out in the wake of the kick, however, might prove to be close enough. "KYA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Ingrid with Kobi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Ingrid
The quick recovery is fairly impressive, but Hotaru luckily rolls away from Ingrid. She would have been a bit off guard, had she rolled in to attack immediately. She makes a mental note to stay completely on guard, from now on. Hotaru comes for her, then, once again using speed to get in close. When the roundhouse motion starts, Ingrid leans back and holds her arms out in front of herself protectively, but a moment later she realizes her mistake, the energy sweeping out to catch her underneath her guard.
It's easy for anyone and everyone to see the dramatic affect the blue energy has on her, a loud gasp of pain escaping her as she stumbles backwards and collapses. A short moment later she picks herself up and immediately distances herself from Hotaru. That mistake was costly, but she can't allow herself to give up. Keeping her distance this time, she pulls her arm back and then swings it underhand in a circular motion, energy trailing behind the limb as a large ball of energy lobs forth, raising into the air and then falling at a downward angle towards Hotaru. Looks like she's trying to buy herself some time to recover, after that.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Sun Shot from Ingrid with Kobi Kyaku EX.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Ingrid
Hanging back allows Hotaru to fall back on that other defensive ability Ingrid has been watching for. The same power to land strikes can be used to return them as well, it would seem. Hotaru may not be the biggest, meanest chimonger Ingrid is ever likely to encounter, but she does know a few tricks when it comes to energy manipulation that many fighters never master to such a degree.
Ingrid has seen it before, even all the way back to when they first met in a friendly game of King of the Hill in Chinatown. Hotaru is starting to feel the burn of the fight. The strike Ingrid landed as well as her own ebb and flow of offense and defense... But she has to test her energy against Ingrid's again, just to see if she can do it still. Gritting her teeth, she watches the trajectory of the Sun Shot, waiting to get her timing just right this time. She found the lob more difficult to anticipate last time she tried to reflect it...
But this time her defense is spot on, swinging her foot out, creating a barrier of chi that provides a wall for the Sun Shot to smash against. There is a collision of energys, the strength of both of the attacks being worn down a little... But as Hotaru completes the turn of her kick, she leans forward, placing a palm against her own wall of chi and with that, it explodes outward in Ingrid's direction.
Hotaru's energy doesn't make it too far, but that brighter hued energy is sent flying back on a very straight, direct path toward the white haired girl.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Ingrid with Reflected Sun Shot.
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Hotaru 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Ingrid
Exactly the problem Ingrid was hoping to avoid, but there's little that can be done about it now that it's already happened. The energy flies directly towards her, and she attempts to dive out of the way, getting struck by it dead center in the process. Luckily, her own power has much less of an effect on her than that which Hotaru had just hit her with a moment earlier. It definitely hurts, but it's not of the strength that caused her to collapse from pain alone moments before.
She hits the ground oddly do to the attack throwing her momentum off, and gets up slowly as a result. Once back on her feet she takes a moment to very seriously consider her situation. She's hurt, and once again beginning to tire. In this case, she resorts to something that is for her completely unorthodox. She needs to buy some time to catch her breath, but lobbing another ball of energy to do so will simply tire her more. With all this in her mind she reaches up and unfastens one of her hair ornaments, and then quickly flings it towards Hotaru, essentially relying on shock factor to buy her a few moments to catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Ingrid's Thrown Object.
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Hotaru 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Ingrid
That's definitely getting Hotaru's attention. The girl blinks as Ingrid removes the hair ornament and sends it sailing her way. Thrown with the strength of a fighter, even a harmless looking object like that can pack a bit of a punch. But the Kenpo artist is ready for it, not quite caught off guard as she leans to the side and raises both of her hands to catch it, grinning back at Ingrid, "You might want this back after," she laughs, bending down to place it in the grass.
The other girl seems to be tiring, but Hotaru can feel her own strength wearing out. While she's managed to avoid taking much in the way of hits, the strike she did connect with definitely got her attention.
While Ingrid bought herself some time with the ornament even though it didn't strike Hotaru, the pig-tailed fighter doesn't give her TOO much of a break as she charges in again, deciding to put an end to the range game for right now. Attempting to weave around any pesky energy barriers if present, she aims to deliver a fairly simple palm strike for Ingrid's shoulder, more to throw her stance into question and perhaps open her up for a follow up attack. "Ya!"
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Quick Punch from Hotaru with Sun Upper.
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Hotaru 1/-======/=======|=======\===----\1 Ingrid
It didn't hurt her, but that wasn't the main intend, either. The fact that Hotaru catches it is a testament to her skill, but it also means Ingrid has the moment she needs. She could probably have rushed forward and gained an advantage, with the ease that she dealt with the lobbed hair ornament. A little laugh and a smile, "I'll make sure to pick it back up." Another opponent could have just a easily pocketed it, but Hotaru just didn't seem like the kind of person that would do that.
The time spent talking isn't a complete waste, though, as it gives Ingrid a valuable moment of time with which to focus herself inward, drawing in upon more inner reserves of energy and simply refusing to allow herself to lose strength. When Hotaru comes for her she doesn't attempt an evasion so far. For whatever reason, it simply hasn't worked up to this point. She falls back on the single attempt that has worked out in her favor, even if Hotaru is specifically trying to avoid it. The weaving makes it difficult, but Ingrid accounts for this by waiting at the very last moment, waiting until the strike is already on it's way before quickly pulling her hand up and forming a disk of energy in front of the strike, the result being a predictable launching into the air of the Kenpo artist.
Ingrid allows a small sigh to escape her when the maneuver is successful- it was a small risk in that it wouldn't have hurt too terribly much had she failed, but with how the fight's going a single more mistake could be all it takes to put the fight completely out of her grasp.
Her strike almost lands and Hotaru is certain she manages to pull off the attack before Ingrid could get her defenses up. But to no avail, stopped short by the energy once again, she is sent skyward with a brief outcry before being allowed to drop again. Her landing this time is a bit more clumsy as she tries to spin around and catch her landing on her hands and knees only to be a bit too late and crash on her side instead with a silent gasp. Ow. That's a pretty good technique Ingrid is able to fall upon, muses the girl as she pushes herself back up again.
The only way to get around that effective defense might be to just go even faster, ponders the girl, as she comes out of her rise to her feet in a quick run forward, trying not to let Ingrid get a break this time. Moving faster than she has the whole fight, she hops up into the air, adding a spinning momentum to her jump as if she intends to land a jump kick or other aerial attack...
And Ingrid has two high swings to watch out for as a result, windmilling palm strikes trying to distract her defense high. "Tenrenge!" If the girl manages to get in past her defenses, and that energy shield for that matter, she'll continue into a second hop and another pair of windmilling palm strikes. Only to launch a rising shoulder lunge when she lands and if connecting with it, to finish with a single spin kick in the air to finish the rapid assault.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Ten-ren-ge from Hotaru with Sun Delta.
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Hotaru 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
With her counterattack successful a second time, Ingrid gains a measure of confidence, but keeps it in check. The constant pain from hits already landed helps to remind her that she's still got a long way to go. So far she's done a good job of returning the favor and beginning to turn the fight around, but when Hotaru picks herself up and begins to move much faster than she had been before concern fills her. Even if she were to attempt the same maneuver again, the brunette could reach her before the disk even forms- and that's not to say that it's even the best thing to do in this situation. It'd be completely possible for her to simply hunker down, focus her energy on damage absorption, and attempt to weather whatever is to come... but that would put her no closer to actually winning.
And so she decides to take the fight up another level herself, a bright flash of energy surrounding her as she prepares her most powerful technique. Hotaru is hopping into the air as the energy flares around her, and she leans forward once again, but this time rather than just a small little disk, there's a small triangle of solid gold energy to act as a power amplifier, and then a much, much larger disk than the others that forms. Large enough to hide Ingrid's entire body. The strike that comes hits the barrier instead as she intended, but rather than surrounding invisibly it seems to completely pull Hotaru inside and bind her there, slowly rising upward as Ingrid leans back and gives a playful little salute. Once high up the disk vanishes, leaving Hotaru to drop downward, and Ingrid summons up one final burst of energy, lifting her arms high up into the air and then holding them out towards Hotaru a moment before she hits the ground, a massive Symbol of the Eternal Goddess flaring to life in the air, searing the Japanese girl one last time before she can hit the ground.
Stopped short again, this time while going as fast as she could muster, there's nothing the girl can do to stop herself from being lifted once more into the air, encased in energy that looks far less painful than it feels, her body wracked with the energy coursing through her. Captured by the barrier, the girl struggles for a moment, but finds her efforts to escape it early futile as she gets lifted up and allowed to fall again. She's getting kind of used to this routine by now, not that it makes dealing with it any easier. And then there's the blast that strikes her right before she impacts the ground, sending her tumbling away until she comes to rest on her stomach a ways off.
Still breathing and conscious, it looks like she might just lie there for a while and call it quits. Getting back up to cope with being stopped short by a technique she can't seem to figure ways around again doesn't seem like the best idea. But another idea does lend itself after the girl thinks about it for a moment, rolling over onto her side and pushing herself up once again. Her back is to Ingrid at first as she props herself up with her left hand against her knee...
But finally the girl turns in full and from her right arm sends a shimmering projectile of bright blue energy on a collision course for Ingrid. If she can't get herself past that defensive technique, perhaps this will work. "YA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Ingrid with Hakki Shou EX.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
This seems to be just the thing Hotaru was looking for. After she hits the ground Ingrid remains cautious, especially as she rolls partway up. Then she whirls about and launches that energy off towards her. It comes fast- very fast. The last time Hotaru lobbed this blue last of energy at her she had an incredibly powerful energy ball of her own to deal with it, and while it only shined off rather than striking completely, it wasn't able to fully overpower it. At the moment that is beyond her, so returning fire seems like a particularly bad idea.
Oops.
Instead, Ingrid moves to run out of the way, but upon taking her first step, she meets with tragedy. Tragedy in the form of a little golden hair ornament. Not being careful enough about her footing, she steps right onto it, and slips. Her foot flies out behind her and she ends up twisting and falling right /on/ to the incoming blast of energy, which keeps her from landing on her face by plowing right into her and then flinging her the opposite direction at a high velocity. She hits the ground and rolls, hair strung out all about her.
She begins to pick herself up, and falters. She shakes her head a bit to try and clear it from the pain, and slowly manages to get back onto her feet. Once there she leans forward and runs, barely holding her balance as she charges Hotaru. As she goes both hands raise above her head, and once she gets close she swipes them both down together, releasing energy as she does to try immerse Hotaru in it, collapsing to the ground as she does so.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Sunbeam from Ingrid with Kobi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|
Hotaru's eyes widen as Ingrid seems just about to get out of the way of her proud little Hakki Shou. It takes a lot of effort to snap one off that fast and for it to not be met with success would certainly be disheartening... But then her opponent's foot comes down on the hair piece that Hotaru had so considerately set aside after it got lobbed at her earlier. And that, as they say, is all she wrote. The girl blinks as her projectile sends the poor girl tumbling, wincing as she goes rolling. It's all part of the sport, of course, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel a little bad about that.
But Ingrid isn't down for the count yet, getting back up on her feet to try and deliver another powerful energy blast at close range. Hotaru could dodge it, or she could stop it, and at the moment, she decides to rely on her chi manipulation rather than her reflexes, kicking again in order to create the same barrier she had earlier.
The chi intercepts the beam and once again both of their powers, foreign to each other as well as to the girls, clash with a final explosion of bright, sun colored energy and deep sapphire blue energy. Hotaru may not understand Ingrid's power, but her chi manipulation manages to hold the line in her defense all the same.
Ingrid falls following the attack and Hotaru turns around at the conclusion of her kick in time to witness that the attacks smashed each other to pieces, but that she is left unharmed. Which is good, because in that moment she drops to her knees, the exhaustion of having pushed herself to keep pressure on her opponent inspite being frequently rebuffed for her efforts having worn her out significantly.
"Ingrid," the girl murmurs thoughtfully between breaths. "I think... there's a lot we could learn from each other." She wasn't blind to the effects her own blue hued energy had on the girl. Energy pulled from the world around them - the plants, the air, the grass beneath their feet. It seemed to affect the blond in strange ways, just as her energy was particularly devestating and didn't seem to strike like Hotaru is used to. Perhaps together they could both learn to overcome what seems to be a bit of a weakness for each of them.
Her own energy nullified, Ingrid hits the blue shield as she fallsd and then slumps to the ground. She's currently in a rather painful mixture of being almost completely out of breath, and having it hurt to breath, resulting in a long few moments of silence as she fights to both stop panting to hard and control herself through the pain of it. She speaks up when it's all finally manageable, though. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Hotaru. I'm sure there's much we could do to help each other, as well." She rolls a little and then sits up, "Congratulations. That was a very difficult, but enjoyable fight."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
Log created on 00:53:51 11/03/2007 by Ingrid, and last modified on 10:23:31 11/10/2007.