Description: The landscape is an example of natural beauty, and a metaphor for the power that will be getting thrown around in this fight. Zach and Shihong battle it out against Guardian Kings Tenma and Kenji. (Draw Match)
The rolling hills and incredible scenery surrounding Southerndown in Wales is something not lost to anyone with even a modicum of asthetic values-- and it certainly wasn't lost with the producers and organizers that surround the weekly Saturday Night Fight. This slice of the beach is new to the technology and setups that invade it, the cameras strategically placed around the site and the folding chairs for the competitors to seat themslves in until the crew's ready to go.
And slumped in one of those chairs, wearing clothes a little heavier than normal considering their location, is a young Japanese boy with his left arm in a sturdy dark blue cast with numerous scrawlings and writings all over. Despite the protests of his nurse mother, Kenji Ashima's joined the weekly event in the name of working as a team with one of the members of the Guardian Kings.
Wearing a heavy black longsleeve shirt and some sturdy cargo pants with hiking boots, the young man's attention isn't anywhere near the fight at all, instead holding a small novel-sized book of action manga. His fingers poking through the cast hold it steady while he reads, more intent on reading about the adventures of Kamishiro readying her sniper rifle against the alien menace, and--!!
"So what's this I heard about the new transfer student being a girl?"
Business as usual.
Sitting in the chair beside Kenji's is Tenma Kiryuu, his head lolling back against the back of the folding chair as he stares up at the sky boredly. He wants the fight to start already! In his right hand, he's holding his bokken loosely, wearing a simple outfit of dark blue jeans and boots, a dark grey long sleeved shirt with a black t-shirt over it, some random band logo on the front of the t-shirt. "Huh? Yeah, Voronkova," Tenma says offhandedly in response to Kenji's question. "She's pretty strong," he adds, stifling a yawn with his left hand. "Made her join the team."
Zach is wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt over another shirt. He seems largely immune to weather, perhaps because the cold here is not as bad as some of the places he has been. He simply looks around as he makes his way to the scene of the fight. Tenma's someone Zach knows of; he's fought alongside of the highschooler versus Hotaru in an odd match. He waves to the bokken-wielding youth.
"Yo. Good to see you got offa that boat okay."
The last to arrive is a woman in black, and amongst the gathered few fighters, she does not particularly seem as if she belongs.
In fact, her presence is initially marked by a boisterous and cheerful laugh, eyes of black cast upwards toward the skies above. She talks into an expensive-looking cellular phone, pale hand absently clutched to it as she saunters past the outer edge of the designated ‘arena' area, as marked off by the SNF crews. A few members give pause, glancing toward the woman with a quizzical expression before they resume their pre-fight matters.
"And wouldn't you know? They stuck me in some match on some crappy-looking beach!" she exclaims, waving her free hand absently about at her side. Regardless of the others present, she carries on, seemingly blissfully aware of...well, everyone's existence. "The least they could have done was put us on some gorgeous Hawaiian beach. Like Honolulu. Or even Waikiki." Pausing, she sighs wistfully.
"Waikiki is so beautiful at night."
She walks right past the likes of Tenma and Kenji, black eyes still fixed on the sky as she paces about, chatting away into the receiver. For all intents and purposes, she speaks of things inconsequential and dull. Something about taking this ‘Henry' person's daughter to the zoo. Another laugh erupts from her, mirthful and seemingly sincere.
"Ah, excuse me." A crewman steps up to the four fighters, waving his clipboard.
"The fight is ready to begin, if you're ready. Miss, if you could please?"
He makes a phone-like gesture near his ear with his hand.
"Right," she states, sounding annoyed if anything. "See you later, Henry."
The phone closed, she peels off her long coat and tucks it neatly inside before tossing it into the waiting arms of the hapless crewman. He stumbles, but catches it easily enough. Contented, she turns, finally acknowledging the three others.
"So," she chimes, smirking broadly, confidently even. There is no worry there; only composure.
"I'm not sure about you boys, but I'm in no real hurry."
COMBATSYS: Shihong has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Zach
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|-------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Tenma has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
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|-------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Kenji has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shihong
"Vo-ron-ko-va," he echoes, trying to get the pronounciation right. "Man, that's pretty weird. I never thought we'd get a transfer student from Russia, let alone a gir--"
Pause.
"You what?"
But then, even a he plows his nose into his book and shakes his head, Shihong's entrance is made. She strides right by-- she strides right by, and it's more than enough to make the likes of Kenji Ashima pause in reading to look up, his eyes widening up a little bit. Behind the cover provided by the tankouban in his hands, the Gedo student quickly closes the manga and throws it down on the chair, standing up and starting to twist and stretch. "No hurry at all, miss! No hurry at all!!"
And slowly, his arm lifts in a warding gesture at Tenma to keep him from going any further either way. "Tenma... janken you for it," he says, voice lower and in a harsh, rushed tone toward the leader of the Gedo gang.
COMBATSYS: Kenji takes no action.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shihong
Did Tenma stutter? He thought he was pretty clear. "I told you, I made 'er join the team, she was able t' draw with Hakuya, an' she gave me a pretty good run for my money." So naturally, this meant she was good enough to recruit. A rare honour indeed, and besides he's gotten tired of certain teams of stuck up Pacific High snobs having more people than they do. Zach's arrival is noted, but before Tenma can reply to what the young man says, the Gedo swordsman is distracted by a passing Shihong. Hellllllllo.
Turning to look at the now standing Kenji, Tenma's expression flattens, and he shakes his head... Reaching out to not terribly gently rap his knuckles against the cast on Kenji's arm. "Try teamwork, Ashima," he grunts as he gets to his feet. "'sides, I'm the leader, I get dibs." Soon enough, Tenma's biting into his left thumb, drawing blood there and painting a stripe down his bokken with that bloodied digit, the wooden blade swept through the air and lighting it up with a misty, violent aura of bloody red chi.
"SO!!" Tenma then calls out loudly, towards Zach and Shihong alike. "Which of you two losers is gonna get their face beat in first, huh?!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma takes no action.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shihong
Zach blinks once or twice at the high-school duo before looking over at Shihong. He raises a brow at the older woman. "I do believe he is calling us out." Glen comments as he eyes the pair.
Tenma has that wierd blood-chi thing going with his sword. He has no idea what Kenji does in a fight. However, he is watching both of them like a hawk, trying to discern something of their style from the first movements.
COMBATSYS: Zach focuses on his next action.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shihong
There comes a distant expression of amusement across pale, porcelain-like features as Kenji practically throws his comic book aside and rises. Watching him for a moment, those black eyes hood ever so slightly, rouge red lips etching slowly across her lips into some shape of a devilish smile. "My, my~" the woman responds, one arm folding across her chest, the other lifting her hand, a slender digit idly pressing against her chin.
"Oh my~! You're so respectful. But please, do not call me miss." A laugh slips past her lips immediately , her hand reaching up and gently brushing her long, straight black hair from her shoulder. "It makes me feel so old. Mao is good enough, if you insist."
Tenma, on the other hand, earns a mildly strange look from the Chinese woman, soft but cold features hardening ever so slightly in response. He's young, and he's almost too confident. Part of her can respect this, but the other part of her wonders if she's going to get annoyed by this young man's behavior.
Strange features melt away, offering Tenma little more than a coy--too coy, in fact--smile, lashes softly batting as she holds her ground. The man at her side, her teammate for this soiree, is noted, and absently nodded at. Called out, yes. But he makes no motions to attack? Exhaling, she shakes her head softly.
"Very well. I'll go first, then."
With those words, Shihong suddenly springs to life, leaping at none other than the leader of the Guardian Kings. A leg swings out, an aerial turning kick with the right leg aimed for his neck. But her body continues to twist harshly, to bring the opposite leg around and execute a hooking kick at the same spot. "HAAH!"
Tenma's knuckles grace the cast on his wrist; Kenji recoils and grabs the hard plaster shell protecting his arm with bones still mending from all of the stress put on it since the start of Jinchuu. "Ow, y--" His good hand reels back as if to pop Tenma one upside the head, but the young man restrains himself-- instead looking somewhere caught between disappointed and wanting to knock the Kiryuu swordsman's head off.
Arm hooking around his chest, Kenji twists left before swapping arms and going to the right while facing Zach, his expression a little grim-- but ultimately he'll get over it. "Man, now I'm in a bad mood..." he mutters, stopping a good running length from his opponent.
"URRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
Dropping partway toward the ground, his right fist nearly underhandedly punches the ground, his arm -exploding- into furious white-blue chi. Blazing out from knuckles to shoulder and trumpeting out wildly like a concentrated torch, the Gedo brawler's powers are, to say anything less, -stupidly bright-. No doubt it annoys the SNF staff whenever he does this, what with the white flash that'll undoubtedly fill the camera lens. If it were night, the light would be enough for a low-flying aircraft pilot to doubletake at. In the day? Likely an annoyance, but ultimately tolerable.
Kenji straightens, whipping his arm back to dismiss the light and force like he were shaking out a match and taking a very relaxed stance, even letting his thumbs hook into the pockets of his pants.
"I'm waitin'!"
COMBATSYS: Kenji gathers his will.
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Tenma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Tenma with Change-Up Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Tenma 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Shihong
It's all meant good-naturedly, it's entirely Kenji's own fault if he decides to get all grumpy about it. But while Kenji is building up his useable chi right off the bat, Tenma has other things to worry about, like the Chinese lady trying to kick him right in the neck. Unfortunately, when he tries to duck back out of the way in surprise, he just leaves himself wide open for it, getting struck not once, but twice, in a painful combination that certainly doesn't do much for /his/ temper. Dark blue eyes glint with sudden fury, but his mouth pulls into a grin. Oh good, he was worried she was all show.
"Lucky shot," Tenma says dismissively, even as he stumbles back from the blow... And his bokken sweeps through the air, seemingly uselessly, the red aura around it leaving a crimson arc behind the motion of the blade. From that arc is born a crescent of roiling, bloody chi, seeking to hit Shihong straight across the torso with kinetic force and burning chi, as well as getting blood all over her dress, ha ha ha! "EAT THIS, AUNTIE!!" Oh, now he's just getting mean.
Ah crap. Tenma's calling Shihong 'Auntie.' That's sure to piss the narcicist off. Zach, however, lets the oldr woman deal with Tenma. He sees Kenji power up a bit. Time to curtail that young man.
"Flashy," Zach conceeds to Ashima as he raises a hand towards the powering up youth. The hand rises up above his head. A sheet of purple psycho-power ripples into view. Two points, the old man man. Zach never got his name but Ryuhaku Todoh, for all his drunken insanity, had a good point. Focus on two points.
Zach brings the arm down, and the sheet of psi slams towards Kenji.
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Shihong with Dharmapala.
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Tenma 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Shihong
@emit
The kick lands, two solid strikes that end with her dipping low before she pushes forward, long fingertips gracing the sandy dirt as she moves. Pivoting harshly on Gucci heels, she about-faces, and is immediately blinded by Kenji. However...
It would seem her time with Kenji is through. He occupies himself with loud screaming and blindingly blue-white energy, a sort of power she's quickly finding herself loathing for no real reason. It bothers her little, however; he seems like a nice kid. The corners of her mouth twitch into some semblance of a grin. He's got spirit.
Tenma, on the other hand...
Auntie? Oh, that's just assholishness right there. So much, in fact, she scoffs.
Her form twists again and, in a graceful swoop, attempts to duck beneath the burst. Too slow, however; struck by the blood-energy-whatever, she goes flying back, her form twisting midair before, somewhere in there, she twists and lands in a skidding three-point crouch. Color her mildly intrigued--so much, in fact, a finger runs across her soiled garments, before drawing to her nose. It smells like blood.
She tastes her fingertips lightly. Is it really?
"Interesting voodoo magic," she absently muses...before she suddenly jerks forward again, a blur of motion as she slides for Tenma. A hand at her side jerks to life and, with a fluid motion, her palm drives for his stomach. But it does not impact directly; instead, a swell of vermillion energy erupts between his stomach and her palm, erupting with force to blast him back, should he be reckless.
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Zach's Warning Shot.
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Tenma 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Shihong
"It's the spirit of youth! The passionate sword used to strike down the tempered rage of adults that blah blah blah blah."
His hands raise, the odd thin blades of psychic energy come down at him-- and Kenji's arms whip up reflexively, catching the brunt across his forearms-- and bits of his cast splintering off with a hard *thwack!*
Color him bewildered.
"Jeez."
Kenji opts to bring the fight to a direction that he can better control, his legs spreading and his torso dropping so he can get a good, low lunging run going on. Charging head-on into a fight? It's always been his style. So much that as he draws closer, his hand bursts into that obnoxiously bright light one more time. "Urrrrrgh--"
And should he be able to grab Zach by the neck, the energy surges through his palm-- "HYAAAAAAAAH!"
-- and literally -launches- Zach into the air, a trail of chi chasing back down to Kenji's arm that quickly dissapates.
COMBATSYS: Tenma interrupts Swallow's Wings from Shihong with Initial Breaker.
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Tenma 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Shihong
It is, in fact, real blood, which presumably Shihong can tell at a taste. What a creepy lady /she/ is. Tenma just sort of looks nonplussed at her, one brow arching faintly. "What'd you think it was, fruit punch?" he wonders, and then he's got Shihong rushing at him full-bore. Okay then! As the Chinese woman charges him, Tenma slides back into a stance, facing Shihong's charge sidelong and pulling his right hand back in order to hold his bokken horizontally across his body, his left hand at the tip of the chi-emanating blade. He doesn't seem inclined to get out of her way.
In fact, as he assumes this stance in the blink of an eye, Tenma's grin widens, though his eyes narrow faintly in focus, looking for just the right time to attack. When Shihong's hand comes at him with that vermilion power of hers, he actually lunges /into/ it, driving his bokken forward in a blood-powered stab right at her neck, repayment for her own attack from earlier. Of course, this means that he too gets hit, the force sending him skidding backwards along the ground on his feet, but he stays upright throughout.
"C'mon, auntie!!" Tenma barks, apparently not satisfied yet. "You a fighter, or did somebody's masseuse wander out here by accident?!"
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Sky High Rocket from Kenji with Impulse Flare.
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Tenma 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 1/----===/=======|=======\=------\1 Shihong
Zach tries to lean back, tries to avoid that grabby hand of Kenji's. He's not fast enough for that. The chi starts to slam into him, foreign chi burning through a system unaccustomed to it. He grunts with exertion for a moment.
"I can do flashy too, y'know," Zach gasps as he swings an open palm at Kenji's ribcage. However before it slaps the youth's ribs a sphere of raw psycho-power, about the size of your average beach-ball, slams home. Kenji's the one sent for a flight while Zach stumbles backwards several feet as he gasps for air.
"I wasn't sure," the woman coolly responds. "I don't often deal with children who have the strange, mystic ability to sling blood at me. Real blood, that is." Briefly, black eyes narrow at Tenma, lips curled into the tiniest of devilish grins. "No matter. It's not the first time I've seen blood." And it certainly won't be the last time, either.
Rushing the youth, Shihong finds herself briefly in a predicament. Though her attack fires off without any obvious hitch, there's an unforeseen variable that occurs. It happens to be Tenma tearing off like the reckless idiot he is and lunging at her with that silly toy he waves. It hits her in the neck, causing her to croak rather unceremoniously. Staggering again, the woman looks mildly perturbed, hand clutching her neck.
Tenma's chiding words earn him no response from the Shanghai woman. Instead, her eyes wander briefly toward Zach as he strikes Kenji's assault down, brows furrowing lightly before she smiles. So Tenma is high and mighty tonight?
"Watch closely," she informs him, a slender digit rising from her hand, pointing skyward.
Then she's a blur once more. Faster than before, in fact. A streak of black and white, the woman rushes Tenma, leaping from the sandy beach feet before she's near. A handspring gives her air and power. Midflight, she twists. Her body begins to cartwheel in midair, feet colliding fiercely against Tenma should it land. Not once, but twice; briefly, she lands before she springs again, to cartwheel him once more and land. Dipping low, she handsprings once again, backflipping with the intention of colliding her energy-embraced heels savagely into Tenma's jaw. The result?
A burst of awful red energy to send him soaring as free as the namesake of her attack.
The smooth rockface of the 'platform' carved out of the stones at the sea are hard to get good traction on, even with good shoes and the glop that sand becomes when it's wet. Still, Zach's strike hits him-- hard-- and sends him sliding backwards at first, a controlled reaction-- until his heels clip the edge of a stone and cause him to sprawl and tumble backwards head over heels time and again before landing in a rather messy pile on the ground.
Looking up at the sky, now, he thinks about more positive things. Girls, mostly. And did he hand in the paperwork to the President before he got on the plane? And Sakuya better not touch his stereo.
Sitting upright, Kenji calmly, carefully pulls himself up to stand while rubbing the throbbing lump on the back of his head, all while Tenma and Shihong collide. And calmly, he dusts off his backside and shakes a bit of loose sand off of his shirt. Once all of this is done, his hands whip around in the air as he stomps his foot, face looking absolutely lit up with fury.
"THAT FRIGGING HURT YOU JERKFACE! MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU, MIDGET GODZILLA DEMON MAN?! JEEZ!!"
And then he runs in again. Never one to learn, either.
Once he gets about arm's length within the range of Zach, Kenji skips a little bit, hopping, bouncing on his heel-- and then his good arm whips forward like it were made of rubber, his fist looking to plant hard right in Zach's nose. Less flashy, more 'hard'... as in, his fist feels like getting smacked in the face with a slab of granite.
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Tenma with Vermillion Sparrow EX.
- Power hit! -
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Tenma 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Shihong
Tenma is saucy, you see. Not someone to stand back and do the easy thing, or even the smart thing. Not when he has a plan. A plan which, admittedly, doesn't always pan out how he wants it to. Case in point: Right now. Tenma's plan was simple, indeed it was beautiful in its simplicity. Get hit, but do it in a way that leaves him with the opportunity to strike Shihong while she's vulnerable. Unfortunately, Tenma /grossly/ underestimates the attack directed at him, the speed and number of hits with those high heels and the energy poured into them, hitting his jaw and sending him flying.
He lands some distance away, hard.
As he gets up, pushing himself up to his hands and knees, Tenma looks at Shihong with new respect in his eyes - which is to say /any/, an improvement over the baseline amount he gives others, at least - and then those dark blue eyes swivel over to Kenji and Zach, and he grins. "Okay, strategy change," he mutters, scrambling forward on hands and feet before getting enough momentum to rise properly, his bokken still somehow in hand this entire time. He bears down on Zach in concert with Kenji, and as his teammate tries to punch the American in the face, Tenma is suddenly /right there behind Zach/, seemingly out to take his head clean off with a two-handed slash of his bokken. "URYAA-!!"
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Tenma's Deep Strike.
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Tenma 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Zach with Missile Fist.
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Tenma 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Zach
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Kenji 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Shihong
Zach reacts quickly to Tenma's change of tactics, pitching forward to avoid serious damage from the bokken-strike. His hair... is not so fortunate. Zach lets out a yell of frustration at this, the distraction more than enough to leave the Amercian open for a bit of classic American cuissine:
The knuckle sandwich.
Zach tumbles and rolls across the sands, bouncing once or twice before slapping a hand down on the ground and shoving off hard. He lands on his feet, glaring at both of the high school students. "Alright, you brats. Ya done pissed me off, now." Zach cups his hands by his right hip as violet energies ripple around his arms, flowing down his shoulders into those waiting hands and collecting into a sphere.
The ball grows, until it is the size of a basketball. Zach holds it there for a moment, before thrusting the globe forward.
It erupts into a column of power five feet across. Zach sweeps it sideways in order to give both of them a drink from the Psycho Fire Hose!
Tenma's sent flying, and all Shihong simply does?
Is land gracefully, dipping low before she slowly and fluidly rises back to full height. "Tsk," she muses softly, shaking her head gently in response. "I told you to watch carefully. You were doing so well, too." Rouge red lips curl softly, a playful smirk haunting her features as she observes him. He rises up, and though outwardly the woman does not react or tense, inwardly she is alert. His every move is noted carefully. When he moves, legs lightly tense.
But he doesn't come at HER. Instead, he swings in futile effort at Zach. Turning around, she watches his reaction, though the punch earns him the faintest of winces. Ouch. But she says nothing. Instead, the leggy woman in black stands back, watching as he summons that power and, in a swift gesture, aims that energy at them.
Shihong? Well, she takes a moment to catch her breath, a hand gently rubbing her throat as she keeps back. No way is she jumping in recklessly with Zach slinging his power like that. Oh no.
COMBATSYS: Shihong gains composure.
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Tenma 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Kenji just-defends Zach's Burst Stream!
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Tenma 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Zach
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Kenji 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Shihong
Tenma leaps in, and Kenji's fist plows into Zach-- and sends him tumbling, to boot. Though it's no small victory after the damage dealt with only one of his attacks, Zach sees fit to retaliate by using that same odd energy again-- that 'purple stuff,' as he'll refer to it in this case-- and have it blast out of his hand like he were out of one of those odd manga he reads in his off-time.
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
His arm again ignites, and Kenji Ashima sees fit to literally -backhand- the beam of energy -so hard- his hand cuts into it. His palm pushed forward and his casted hand bracing against his wrist, the psycho power spills around his defense-- and to make matters worse for Zach, he starts -running into it-.
Like trying to swim against the current, he charges ahead like a madman, the white-blue light ripping up-- and into-- the beam until Kenji throws his left arm up to shield himself, a beam of blue bursting from his fist-- back a great distance, and forward until it spears Zach through the chest. It does no damage-- but the energy gathering at his fist will.
"SET!!"
And along that line of light, Kenji telegraphs a high-speed punch aimed for the middle of Zach's chest. Moreover, the chi stored in it is released in the form of a massive shockwave-- and anything that isn't bolted down or of a signifigant weight will get pushed or outright -thrown- from the force. And as he swings, he screams one more thing--
"RAIL GUN!!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma interrupts Burst Stream from Zach with Dead End Breaker.
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Tenma 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Zach with Rail Gun.
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Tenma 0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Zach
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Kenji 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Shihong
Okay, gigantic blast of energy, that's probably not conducive to Tenma's good health. While Kenji does a bang-up job of totally doing crazy stuff to avoid taking damage, the leader of the Guardian Kings sees himself as presented with very few options. Basically none, in fact; Zach's energy blast is on top of him before he can do much more than realise it's there, and suddenly his body moves almost on its own.
Into the blast.
"Gaah!!" bellows Tenma in pain, as he forces himself through the psionic blast through sheer cussedness, his bokken flashing as he cuts downwards, indeed cuts the remainder of Zach's stream of Psycho Power /in freaking half/, the blow hitting the psion himself hard across the chest to put an end to any thoughts of reacting to it. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" Tenma continues to yell, now more in rage than in pain, as he unloads a vicious flurry of physical strikes on Zach, punching with his free hand, kicking, butting him with the hilt of his bokken, and finally - finally - he ends the thing, by lunging headfirst at Zach's face and colliding with him in a resounding headbutt. A headbutt for the ages. "GET OUT OF MY FACE!!"
It's ping-pong. Human ping-pong. Zach's the ball, with Kenji and Tenma playing the parts of the paddles.
Zach, in a few words, has just had the crap kicked out of him. He's battered, bloody, and it's likely some ribs were broken by these two students. Glen flops to the ground in front of Kenji. Hes done. He =knows= he is done. Zach's body is even willing to admit that this is the end of the fight.
Zach's soul, however, still burns.
The energy bubbles around Zach for a split second, before exploding violently. Kenji may need to get out of the way.
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
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Tenma 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Shihong
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Kenji 0/-------/------=|
Three things that Shihong has learned (in no particular order:)
1. Kenji the most well-mannered and enthusiastic one,
2. Zach has far too much of that purple shit, and,
3. Tenma is a jackass.
Having properly made an opinion of the three gathered fighters before her, and having spent enough time rubbing her throat and recovering from that delightfully-nasty strike to her throat, no thanks to Tenma, Shihong lifts her eyes. Watching, she observes as Zach is brutalized rather painfully by both young men, black eyes flickering with muted sympathies, though such emotions are empty at best.
The tables have turned, more or less. Exhaling softly, the Chinese woman folds her arms over her chest, eyes drawing to a close. Even as Zach explodes at Kenji, the woman stands there. Is she even going to attack? Or has she thrown in the proverbial towel.
"Such awful odds. Should I bother?" she wonders to herself. Red lips purse softly.
Then she smiles a Devil's grin.
"Of course. Here I come, Vampire Boy."
Gracefully, Shihong darts after Tenma. "I have eyes only for you~" she coos, as she closes the distance between them in by hopping. Midair, she pirouettes, a leg snapping out to kick him in the sternum. When her opposite leg touches down, she immediately hops, switching feet as she coils her previously-dormant leg and snaps it out toward his sternum again.
COMBATSYS: Kenji just-defends Zach's Storm Flare!
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Tenma 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Shihong
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Kenji 0/-------/------=|
Still locked in the punch-- his forceful Rail Gun, the phrase shouted in English, to boot.
And Zach is done, but like anyone else, he goes for one last ditch effort at attacking him-- and quite the daring, if not explosive and dagnerous sort of attack, really, the purple energy suddenly exploding. It takes the Gedo student by surprise, eyes wide and recoiling a little bit. But...
"URRRAGH!!"
Whipping his arm around one more time, the explosive blue-white energy forms in his arm one more time. The brilliant force collides with the psychic energy and explodes one more time, all on it's own-- and in the end, Kenji stands in a rather defensive pose, his forearm turned out and his sleeve mangled to the elbow. Straightening up, the student council secretary shakes out his hand a few times, breathing out a sigh. "Whew..."
He turns, evaluating the situation nearby. Tenma and Shihong! And even if the elder woman 'has eyes' for his teammate, he won't be letting Tenma take this one alone. His manuvers are nothing next to Shihong's graceful steps and the lashing kicks, but his kick has it's own merits. Albeit a little modified, Kenji springs into the air with the heel of his boot thrust outward. "URRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--"
And if his foot connects with Shihong's chest, there'll be the more-than-audible *BLAM* of a localized burst of chi-- and though a burst of light will explode from his foot on contact, the majority of the chi will "detonate" within Shihong, sending a rather jarring shockwave throughout her body!
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Tenma with Prancing Stag.
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Tenma 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Shihong
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|
What the hell did she just call Tenma? The Gedo swordsman is looking somewhat the worse for wear after charging through Zach's big ol' Psycho Power blast, but of course, he does hear what the Chinese woman says. "Are... Are you dumb or somethin'?" he wonders, watching her charge at him. "Vampires /suck/ blood, stupid. An' where's my wontons?" However, uh, she IS trying to kick him, so Tenma naturally tries to avoid it, but after getting blowed up by Zach? He just can't do it. Instead, he gets kicked, twice, the final kick sending him skidding back, but he's not QUITE done.
Oh no, never that.
Instead of just obligingly falling over, Tenma throws himself forward, off-balance and haphazard, ducking into a crouch as he closes with Shihong, holding his bokken low and back... And then he springs out of that stance, turning about, rising off the ground in a whirling airborne slash at the Chinese woman, aiming to take her up /with/ him by the force of his attack, and then drive her right back to the ground, where the rest will be up to Kenji. "VAJRA!!"
COMBATSYS: Tenma can no longer fight.
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Shihong dodges Tenma's Vajra.
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Shihong with Rib Crusher.
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Kenji 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Shihong
"You, young man." Yes, she's singing you out, Tenma.
"Have an attitude problem." She'll gladly correct that, you see. Leaping into action, she lashes out, two precise kicks delivered before she pivots harshly, facing the Gedo youth with a smirk as he slowly but surely recovers. "And I know precisely what I said. Where are your wontons?" Is he being racist? Shihong just laughs.
But he just won't stay down, it seems. He comes again, and with a keen eye the woman watches. Twisting at the last second, she avoids the bloody attack, gracefully spinning out of harm's way before she comes to realize: Kenji is right there, and his foot is crashing into her chest.
Staggering back, the woman exhales loudly, eyes widening before she offers a sneer. But she says nothing; instead, the woman in black cuts a path for Kenji, stopping only to briefly crouch and spring up. Midair, her body twists, arms gracefully splayed as she swings her heels into motion. Her goal? To plant an expensive Gucci heel right into the side of Kenji's prone temple.
"HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Shihong's Strong Kick.
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Kenji 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Shihong
Tenma makes his last opus in the battle, the powerful slash avoided by a hair's breadth-- but she can't avoid the kick. The hard impact and hard burst of force is enough completely cancel his forward momentum and then some, his legs kicking almost comically through the air before he lands on a stumble, but ultimately keeps his footing.
Shihong's legs lift to kick high-- high enough to kick him upside the head, anyway, and while he's all the whole for attractive women kicking high... getting clocked upside the head isn't high on his priorities. His right arm crosses around in front of him to catch the strike on the underside of his wrist, his head jerking to the side. Kenji pivots to his left, whirling around hard and building the spinning momentum to accelerate his fist one more time.
Unlike the usage with Zach, that granite-hard punch is aimed for a bodyshot rather than to the face, since that would be rather rude. Nevertheless, the power is there with the focus, the speed is there with his arm looking like it bends unnaturally while angling for the blow. "Urrragh!!"
COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Kenji's Missile Fist.
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Kenji 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Shihong
Though her kick manages to strike only his arm, the woman seems far from bothered by this; simply slacking, she lets her body sag as she lands in front of him, deeply knelt with arms outstretched. A split-second later she rises gracefully, grinning demurely as she comes face to face with the young man. Hooding her eyes, she peers at the youth.
"Nihao," she murmurs, her expression playful.
But then he moves, his motions swift--but not swift enough. Lifting her arms, she intercept the blow with her forearms, eyes widening with glee before she suddenly jerks to life. She reaches for his arm, attempting to snare it like a vicious snake and wrench it savagely. Should it yield successful results--namely pain--she'll suddenly run UP the front of Kenji, beyond his shoulders while holding onto that arm.
Only when she's above do her heels ignite with red energy and, with a savage thrust down, she seeks to drive him face-first into the sand, another burst of vermillion energy to add insult to injury--and give her the necessary force to leap off him and away.
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Kenji with Savage Tiger.
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Kenji 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Shihong
He's young. He's sturdy. The look in his eyes says he's been at this longer than some, but his skills-- like his kicks, his punches, and his habit of running balls-out into the face of danger with no regard for himself-- are all rough and unpolished. His hair's unkempt and in need of a combing, and most of all, he's a young teenage man in the face of a young, hot woman.
So of course, his guard is down.
His arm jerks to one side, his teeth gritting and body tensing as Shihong guides his limb one way while his body says to go the other, the woman suddenly running up the front of him and planting her heels into the ground-- and then slamming him with that last burst of power, like insult to injury. And he stays still for a moment, laid almost perfectly spread eagle and face down in the sand like he were trying to imitate an ostrich. Is he done? Is he going to give up the ghost?
"PFUWAAAAA-!!"
Kenji's head whips up with a burst of coastal sands and surf, prying himself out of the ground and pointing dramatically. "I. AM. INVINCIBLE!!" he proclaims with pride, in a manner that's both half-serious and can barely be taken seriously.
Or it could be the probable concussion talking.
Still, the Gedo student presses onward. Trying to keep himself a little closer than arm's length, trying to cut down on the range Shihong has to swing her legs, Kenji's arms stay close to his sides, his right arm hooking upward for a short, albeit powerful, upward hook into her stomach to stun her-- and then pull back quickly and launch an uppercut with that same arm right up her jaw!
COMBATSYS: Shihong dodges Kenji's Strong Punch.
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Kenji 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Shihong
Daintily, Shihong leaps off of the face-down Kenji, leaving him with a mouth full of sand and his body tingling with pain. Grinning though, the woman folds her arm neatly over her chest, her hand rested in the crook of her elbow as said arm's hand gently taps at her chin. He's young and strong, but ultimately reckless. But he's also damnably tenacious. She gives him that much credit.
"I like you," she replies to his yell, eyes clearly humored as she sports a teasing smile. "You're a funny one, ...Ashima, right?" Even as he swings his fist in an uppercut for her stomach, Shihong simply thrusts an arm forward, intercepting his arm at the wrist as her opposite arm crosses over her chest. Still smiling, she pivots harshly on her heel, sand spraying as she daintily twists, scant inches in front of him.
A hand lifts, long cold fingertips gently brushing his chin as she smiles. "Let's dance, partner~"
Then, twisting her lanky form, Shihong lifts a leg up, coiling it tightly at her side before she jerks it outwards, a heel aimed for the dead center of Kenji's chest. "Try to keep up with me!"
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Shihong's Medium Kick.
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Kenji 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Shihong
The arm thrown for that punch is halted, but Kenji's not going to give in just yet. Shihong turns to move away from him, but Kenji's tenacious streak wins through, the forearm with shredded shirtsleeve lifting to intercept the shoe across the length-- which hurts, but he's not going to give it up yet!
And he grins, confidently. "Kenji Ashima, Gedo High Student Council Secretary."
Pressing against the kick thrown at him, he takes a good step back before stepping back in himself. His back arches a little bit, and his leg whips around in a high circle-- a high, swift roundhouse kick meant to crack at the side of her head, as well as carry enough speed to it to spin him completely around, hit or miss, to face the Chinese woman once again!
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Shihong with Roundhouse Reel.
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Kenji 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Shihong
"Ah, a student." Pausing, black eyes drift to the sky, thoughtful.
"How charming. Your friend could learn a lot from you. Tell me," Those eyes drift back toward Kenji. "Why are you the peon, and that bratty boy the leader of your team?"
Then her leg moves. Swift and sure, it seeks out her mark- -but meets only his arm. Thrown off balance as he pushes her back, that leg swings high before it swings around and strikes the woman harshly, cracking against her head. Staggering clumsily, the woman seems disoriented by the impact.
Or is she. Her movements are far too lively as she appears to try and restore her balance. She's up to something, surely.
And clarity comes, as she suddenly leaps toward Kenji. Her form twists, her feet erupting with that odd red energy as she flies at his chest with every intention of crashing into his sternum with that energy before it will explode and send the young man flying backwards.
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Kenji with Strutting Crow.
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Kenji 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Shihong
She rolled with it-!!
And then she collides with him, the forceful impact and the jolting burst of red energy sending him reeling backward a good ten feet-- and then landing with a harsh crash.
It has a certain finality to it. A fine level of pain dealt, pain recieved, and ... Kenji, being as tenacious as he ever could be.
Grunting, he climbs back up to his feet. "Asked myself that a few times...!"
His right arm slumps, his dangling hand angled toward the ground, his knees bending a bit and bending forward. "But... Tenma's my friend... and if I'm not there, who's gonna keep him out of trouble?"
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
The obnoxious light explodes from knuckles to his shoulder and beyond, the feral screams and howls of his chi lighting up the beach one more time. His hand pulls back into a fist as he takes two good steps before lunging ahead at Shihong. He lands in front of her, his feet punching the sand hard enough to kick up small bursts on impact.
"SET-!!"
The blue beam of light lances through Shihong, his fist pulling back and the energy surging up into his hand.
"ONE MORE--"
Kenji's fist blazes ahead on that 'track' of light, looking to follow that line of light and punch her as hard as he can in the chest, the chi unleashed in the form of a forceful and powerful shockwave-- the sands blow back behind the both of them for a great distance... and hard enough to throw her back on impact, if he scores the blow.
"RAIL GUN!!"
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Shihong with Rail Gun.
[ \\\\ < > ]
Kenji 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Shihong
When he rises and responds, the woman offers a smirk. "It doesn't mean you have to take his shit, friend or no," she says bluntly. "Keep him out of trouble all you like, but just remember one thing, if you are truly a wise kid" Her words sound ominous, and it does not help that her features darken considerably.
"Do not let him drag you down."
More obnoxious light. Shihong does not react initially. Instead, the woman stands there, eyes dark as she observes. Within, flecks of red swim in her black eyes, as the energy begins to surge and reach critical mass. Theatrics, she muses to herself. Unnecessary theatrics.
However predictable the attack may appear, it doesn't help she miscalculates herself and underestimates the boy. Struck harshly, she's sent flying back, but grace escapes her this time; tumbling hard, she rolls thrice before she stops.
But, somehow, she gets up, her breath ragged and her face tired.
And yet, she smiles. It almost seems friendly and genuine, as she peels herself from the sand and staggers toward him harmlessly. Closing in on the young Ashima, she tilts her head softly and says, "You fought very well. I would say, of everyone, you impressed me the most. You didn't rely on raw, uncontrolled energy or a bad attitude."
She pauses near the youth, looking him in the eye.
"A parting gift. I am afraid I cannot fight anymore."
Is she serious? Or being deceptive? And what sort of parting gift?
Leaning in, the woman makes it clear, as she seeks to plant an innocent kiss on Kenji's cheek.
...and her palm's heel into his sternum, a burst of red to blast him back ten seconds after.
COMBATSYS: Shihong can no longer fight.
[ \\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Kenji with Swallow's Wings EX.
[ <
Kenji 0/-------/---====|
A nice compliment is one of the good ways to get onto the good side of someone like Kenji Ashima. Moreover, when you're good looking and female, you'll definately be on his good side.
And then when you -kiss- him, well.
Pas still terrifies him, but this is a horse of a different card.
Tired, exhausted, and taken entirely by surprise by the elder woman's tactics, Kenji's body looks like a rag doll as he blasts backwards, tumbling head over heels one more time across the beaches of Wales. And when he comes to a stop, on his back, he stares at the sky-- conscious, but the wind's well been knocked out of him-- and thinks about better things in life.
Like hot Chinese women kissing him.
And ten seconds later, his cast-clad left arm thrusts into the air, this thumb held proudly high.
Sure, it hurts, but with the amount of pain and injuries he's suffered during the entirety of his stay on the Suiryuu... he's learned to take a beating like this in stride.
"Still alive!!" he calls, perhaps a little more cheerfully than he should sound.
COMBATSYS: Kenji takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kenji can no longer fight.
Despite the blow, however cheap and underhand her tactics may ultimately have been, there's no hard feelings at all, even as Kenji is sent sprawling across sandy beach. In fact, the woman in black sports a playful, albeit tiny, smirk as he lay there, black eyes humored as she observes him. Really, however deceptive a lot of her actions and expressions may have been, she meant some of them.
At least where Kenji was involved.
The thumbs up is met with a good natured laugh and, with a toss of her black mane, the woman about-faces and lifts an arm at her side. Like Kenji, it hurts to move and her body aches from the numerous hits, but. Hey. What doesn't kill you definitely makes you stronger.
"Be seeing you around, Ashima," she responds, glancing over her shoulder as she begins to walk away. "You put up a good fight. I am interested to see how you improve, and what becomes of you."
A wave, and the woman takes her leave, smiling all the while..
Log created on 20:11:06 11/11/2007 by Zach, and last modified on 09:55:21 11/18/2007.