Description: Zach and Hotaru have the spar she mentioned at the Kyokugen Dojo. They have an unintended visitor during the match.
Afternoon at the Kyokugen Dojo is a quiet sight. Too quiet, really. This time of day there should be students training! Or cleaning! The shouts of sensei's carrying on, shouting at hopeful future Kyokugen masters with motivational speeches or kind, encouraging threats! But... none of that is happening right now. There is only quiet to be found. The place needs more students!!
Hotaru is around, though. Sweeping the porch idly, glancing toward the entrance to the courtyard periodically, expecting someone to be along before too long. It'd be nice if it was a lot of students coming along before too long too, but the dojo has had a lull in attendence lately though Hotaru isn't sure why that would be. There were students not long ago, but now? Just quiet.
The pig-tailed fighter continues idly sweeping the wooden porch in front of the main training building. Not even any of the sensei's seem to be around at the moment, she ponders. No doubt they're hard at work at some recruitment drive or something somewhere. A glance is taken over the expensive and expansive training facilities present. Why more people wouldn't want to take more advantage of what this place has to offer, the girl can only wonder.
Zach is running late. He knows this. He was late catching the bus (he doesn't have a car) and has sprinted the last couple of blocks.
He skids to a halt outside the gates of the dojo proper, gasping for breath even as he is kicking up a largish dust cloud. He looks up at the Kyokugen Dojo, this being his third visit here.
Maybe it's fate?
"Futaba-saaaan! I'm here for that spar!" Zach calls out.
The Kyokugen Dojo. Where several of the 'mightiest' fighters the world has ever claimed to exist to begin with has gathered. Oh, sure, never mind that the Sakazakis have worked tooth and nail to place high in various competitions worldwide, and that Takuma is one of the most respected fighters of his generation regardless of their business situation.
Ryuhaku Todoh knows better! He knows best! He's on to YOU. That's right. You. You silly deluded people! Rather than double up on his already strenuous training regimen and somehow find a way to expend more effort into becoming a face for all aspiring martial artists worldwide, he's made it a point to make it a very bad day for his long-time rival. Rivals. (They keep multiplyin'!)
He looks up from the roof of the Kyokugen Dojo with arms crossed and a dramatic breeze. Ah, few are here. Perfect. They shall not feast on their beloved(?) yakisoba noodles tonight! Indeed, they will feast on the tears of embarrassment and shame once he figures out what it is he wants to do this time to make Takuma regret that day so many years ago as children!
But... wait. Who is that who is arriving? His eyes nearly bug out in surprise. They quickly narrow upon the view of the approaching Zach Glen. Could it be... ?!
Ah, there we go. One of the anticipated individuals makes an appearance. Hotaru turns to the side, placing the broom against the wall before hopping down off the porch. Zach has asked about employment at the YFCC, but before Hotaru will recommend him to Alma, she wants to see how he's come along in his ability to control that power of his.
The risks, the liability, well... it's impossible to guarentee anything in this world, but he did hold up during very trying moments toward the end of the Jinchuu tournament when a lot was at stake. And of course this spar between them will be far less demanding than the semi finals of a major tournament, but it will give Hotaru a closer up perspective of the young man's control all the same. A perceptive girl, she's confident she'll get a sense of where he stands this way.
She laughs lightly at the greeting before shaking her head, hands clasped together in front of her as she gives the young man a bow, "Please, simply Hotaru is just fine," the girl states before standing up straight, looking Zach over again with surface level scrutiny. "Well, you made it this far. That's the first step." she remarks, leaning her head to the side with a faint grin. "It's good to see you though." she continues, moving away from the building to position herself more out toward the center of the courtyard. No sense in taking chances near the actual building itself.
"You know," the girl continues, stretching her arms out her sides before leaning hard one way then the next in a quick act of limbering up just a bit. "I was wondering who all has been helping you with learning more about your, ah, well, you know?"
Zach shrugs a bit, "It's been a lot of practice, mostly. Trying things out, experimenting. I =know= there are people out there who know about it. Ingrid, for instance. Travedi's another." Zach rolls his shoulders as he follows Hotaru to the ground of her choosing.
"...Shadaloo keeps coming up when I ask about it, but more as a place =not= to go," Zach comments with a slight wuaver. "Ingrid offered to teach me a bit, but... I haven't had much of a chance to take her up on it, so I've mostly had to work through it on my own."
A shadow quickly grows over the two combatants. This, in effect, implies nothing. It's just a stray cloud floating overhead. It might be a suitable metaphor for the size of Todoh's ego getting poped over the discussion at hand. Him! It is him! That young man that came by his yard a while ago.
"Hm. He is here," he says to himself. Eyes narrow further at who he claims to be learning from. Ingrid. Travedi. Are they the ones setting him on the wrong path to mastery?! And now he comes here! 'It,' he says. 'It' is potential wasting away! He could almost cry looking at this.
The ballcap Zach dropped pokes out between a hand and elbow. But, with an odd twist of patience, he waits. Clearly, he must have some modicrum of faith in this upcoming generation among his list of uncountable numbers of apparent delusions.
Besides, for standing upon this BANE TO HIS ENTIRE EXISTENCE it is actually a very comfortable place to stand. A perfect place to witness what may become his greatest heartbreak to date.
"I've met them both before," Hotaru remarks with regards to Ingrid and Soma, starting to connect a lot of dots. Soma told her about his special type of power and she felt first hand Ingrid's abilities in a recent Neo League match. That their energy was quite different from most she'd fought was obvious. And Zach fits right in with them. Hotaru smiles faintly, "You should learn from Ingrid." The control the small fighter demonstrated when they last battled seemed to be the kind of direction Zach needs to go after all.
Standing up straight from her stretching exercises, the girl turns her shoulder toward Zach, raising her near arm forward for defenses, her far arm cocked back and held up at an angle, clearly ready for striking. Slipping her feet a part a bit, the girl continues.
"Well, let's see what you've learned on your own then. Whenever you're ready." Her grin melts into a calm smile as she casts a glance toward the entrance of the courtyard. For some reason she's got the sense of being watched, yet no one is at the gate. Weird.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach grins slightly, almost relishing the task ahead. He slides his feet shoulder width apart, looking over Hotaru in an appraising manner. Zach knows she's fast, more than likely faster than she is.
Purple energy washes down his arms as Zach shakes his hands loose. Todoh would be disgusted, watching in the shadows at this seemingly frivolous display of energy. Glen waits for another moment, oblivious to the spectating Todoh in the wings as he dashes towards Hotaru. Once he's close, he snaps out a single lash of psycho-power, which snaps back to his hand after a very short stretch.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Zach's Sting.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
And in comes the young man for a quick, power imbued strike. Hotaru has gotten used to not being able to sense the attacks she has seen him as well as select few others utilize, but there's still the visual cues to watch for, and Zach's violet hued energy is quite visible.
The lash is avoided, Hotaru weaving to the side, taking two steps to actively get out of the way as she brings herself into an angle to the side of Zach. "Still fast, I see," she comments as she reaches out to try and snag a hold of his arm and twist him down to the ground with a simple judo slam perfect for taking down someone of about his stature compared to hers.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Zach with Quick Throw.
Glancing Blow
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Zach
Teeth clench. The teeth of a man who practiced good dental hygiene all his life. An irrelevant detail compared to the sheer /displeasure/ of witnessing Zach's display. A few details from that night are a little fuzzy - he did have quite a bit to drink beforehand - but he knows damn well he didn't teach him to wield it that way!
But he's a student of his, however unwitting. There's no way he'd lose to this one! No way! Inconceivable! Just like when Hotaru steps out of the way of that inferior application of 'chi'! He's clearly holding back. Too polite to righteously strike down a young girl bewitched by the Sakazakis!
He starts to subconsciously fan himself with Zach's ballcap. Force of habit.
Zach yelps slightly as he finds himself in motion. He grunts as he rolls through to his feet. He spins, looking at Hotaru.
"I try," Zach responds as he pivots on his back foot, sliding low and back in close as energy washes over his shoulders. "I still have a long ways to go if I am gonna keep up with Arika," Zach states as he rises towards Hotaru's midsection with that energized shoulder strike!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Blast Bash from Zach with Kobi Kyaku.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Zach rolls with the throw pretty darn well, coming out of the intended slam hardly bruised. Not bad, not bad. He's going to have to be pretty fast to keep up with the young Kenpo artist and Kyokugen student. But she's going to go out of her way to push him to his limits. That's the real purpose behind this spar, after all. None of that holding back he may have seen in her when they last fight, the girl is tenacious and aggressive this time. "Arika, hm? I've fought alongside her but never fought her directly... She seems experienced. A good target to aim for in skill level." she finishes with a faint smile. "Anyone else you're looking to for help?" She seems remarkably interested in who Zach is learning from. Part curiosity about the nature of his power, part trying to make sure he's on the right path...
As he comes at her with a shoulder slam covered with that Psycho Power of his, Hotaru leans forward as well, swinging her foot up from low to high as she spins into a steep roundhouse. From behind her foot trails a swath of potent, vibrant energy - borrowed from the world around her, the shade is blue but the affect it has is far from soothing as it crashes against Zach's chi then forces its way to smash against him. "KYA!"
Hotaru turns, following the momentum of her potent kick, slamming her foot down and charging forward toward Zach at the first possible moment. She's not holding back at all.
Zach is sent bouncing and tumbling across the ground none too elegantly. He's likely to feel that in the morning, that's for sure.
He gasps for air for a moment, air burning its way into his lungs, "Not really," Zach admits. "Like I said before, I'm learning as I go. Thought about maybe getting training at a proper dojo, but first things first, y'know?'
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Zach
An attempt to press an offense is quickly warded away like nothing! Nothing! A snort follows. Ryuhaku Todoh is not pleased at the progress of this! And what's this out of Zach's mouth? A proper dojo?! What? Has he already forgotten about his lesson? He must have! The fool! The young fool so full of promise, submitting to mere pleasant conversation against the sworn enemy of all his students! His fist clenches tightly around the ballcap. This must not stand!
Quietly, to the extent such is even possible, he leaps off the top of the dojo and onto the concrete ground that often appears to extend as far as the eye can see, pushing himself up against one of the walls of the dojo as he peers out to the fight more than a few paces away. Quite a distance to cover before he could get in arm's length of either one of them. Then again, matters of space and time oft appear to part way before his whim at times.
Perceptive individuals may hear the distant sound of someone making a landing, somewhere.
Normally Hotaru would want to give Zach time to catch his breath, but she wants to keep the pressure on so his chances to rest are going to be slim at best as demonstrated by the girl charging toward him even as he tumbles. "Don't let your guard down for a second!" she warns.
But then she hears it - the sound of feet hitting concrete. Feet that don't belong to her or Zach. The girl knows the sounds the dojo makes. She's spent a lot of time practicing here. It's a special place to her, almost as important as her own property. So when someone is moving around on it that she doesn't know, she's going to realize it.
Her feet slide to a stop before she gets within striking range of Zach, though she's still fairly close. But who would it likely be? She'd recognize any of the Sakazaki's presence by now, and they have no reason to sneak anyway. Hn. Zach might notice the hesitation in the girl for a moment, but she decides to press on with the spar all the same, taking a step forward then snaping her foot out toward him with a side kick in the chest.
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Light Kick from Hotaru with Impulse Flare.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach is almost expecting Hotaru to blitz him. Futaba does not let the wanderer down as she rushes in for the kick.
With a bit of experience, Zach will learn to recognize hesitation like Hotaru has displayed. He'll also learn to pick up on noises that don't belong, so Todoh goes unnoticed by his erstwhile student for now. Zach has more important things to deal with as Hotaru starts to deliver her kick.
He inhales slightly, and throws an open palm forward in order to summon up the one technique he can call on command: The Impulse Flare.
Only...
...it doesn't spin into existance in time to do anything productive. Zach takes the boot to the ribcage, staggering back with a slight gasp. No snappy patter, no quick response from the American for now...
Zach was close, that's for sure. His attack might not strike home, but his attempt to slip it in against the girl before she smacks her foot into his side was certainly a logical choice to make. She can tell her blows are starting to wear him down though. If this was just a friendly match she would lay off a bit, let him get his breath. But she /wants/ Zach to feel pressured, and the only way she's going to be able to do that is by keeping on him.
In the back of her mind she wants to call it off though and go find out who else is around. Maybe it's a student... student footsteps she wouldn't be so familiar with. But then again, that would require active students for that to be likely!
A glance to the side toward the corner she was suspicious of but she doesn't catch sight of anything... or does she? Either way, she needs to stick to Zach if she's going to keep him feeling pressured. A spin to the side and then a leap into the air as the girl to plant her knee against his shoulder, giving her a good angle from which to follow up with a swift kick toward the side of his head before she backflips away. Throughout it all, she's paying close attention to his reactions. He definitely seems far more in control than she had ever seen him prior to the Jinchuu tournament...
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Hotaru's Rengeki Shuu.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach's eyes go wide at the pressure Hotaru is putting on him. Makes a certain amount of sense, actually. Glen's knees buckle slightly under the weight of the girl on his shoulder, even as he is ducking his head to the side to avoid the boot to the head.
Zach's response is almost too simple; he may not have the strength or the technique to bring it off correctly. The Amercian reaches up and grabs for Hotaru's ankle with both hands before trying to power the girl into the dirt. The decision to play rough was not an easy one to make, but it has become clear to him that this was not your typical 'friendly spar.'
There are no further footsteps heard. They doubtlessly belonged to something heavier than a raccoon. It's not as heavy as Marco's bears. But who, or what, could it be? The answer may come far more suddenly than either one would like. Infuriatingly, a casual glance doesn't appear to reveal anything out of the ordinary.
It's when Hotaru comes out of her backflip that she'll likely see it. Not an it. Him. The hairband. The hair. The moustache. The disapproving look in his eyes that border on murderous rage. That red vest-like garment. The trousers. The only missing thing in this picture, a fan - he's holding somebody's ballcap instead.
Ryuhaku Todoh is not embracing his usual 'I'm here, I'm loud, deal with it' approach to sudden appearances. Standing a ways behind Zach just barely out of harm's reach, one sock-clothed foot taps up and down with his arms still crossed. This is the only indication that someone didn't just drop a cardboard cutout of himself out of nowhere as a prank.
That large overhanging cloud passes, adding the sunlight's gleam against an eye. Here he is!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru interrupts Strong Throw from Zach with Hakki Shou EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Zach
While her knee connects and Hotaru believes she has the positioning necessary to make the follow up strike smart a bit, Zach's reflexes bail him out in the end as he manages to duck his head underneath her foot just in time.
Trying to grab hold of her and pull her to the ground actually was a pretty good idea, since she isn't able to push off with quite the speed she wanted to before he gets a grip on her ankle. But Hotaru's been in tight spots like this a lot due to her acrobatic style and she has a way of following up on his grip from close in range.
Remarkable restraint so far, she has time to muse as her right arm whips out to her side, charging up with a vibrant blue aura. Whatever he's been doing it's making a big difference. He seems to be able to take the pressure she's putting on him. But now for the real test. A solid, point blank blast of chi from a girl with remarkable talent for controlling such energy.
"HA!" comes the exclaimation as she slams her arm forward, discharging the pulse of energy under her control even as she falls to the ground, landing on her back but rolling up to her feet. She wanted to focus on Zach but there's a new face in the courtyard and she can't help but rise to her feet and stare, blue eyes widening slightly. Todoh. What's he doing here? Given the history between him and the Kyokugen Dojo, it can't be anything good!!
Her eyes narrow at the ball cap he is fanning himself with. It looks familiar... a questioning glance is cast Zach's way. Of course, the young man might have more than Todoh to worry about after the blast he just took. "Todoh-sensei," the girl states, hands at her sides, giving the veteran fighter a swift, curt bow. She's never had it in her to be mean to him exactly, even if she believes him to be rather odd, eccentric, and all together strange. "What brings you here?"
Of course she keeps checking on Zach... Last time she pummeled him hard was when he lost control. What about now?
Zach takes the chi-blast square on the chin, sending him sprawling to the dirt. Looking at the young man, one will find one heck of a bruise starting. He stays down for a moment when Hotaru starts to talk to someone else. Energy swirls around him, almost as if it has a mind of its own as he sits up and sees Ryuhaku Todoh.
Zach's green eyes go wide with surprise. Zach figured he lost the cap when he made good his escape from the crazy drunk. Guess Todoh wanted a souvenier? "YOU?!?" is the only response the Zach gives to the old man as he pulls himself to his feet. "The heck do you want, you crazy old man?"
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Zach
"What brings me here? WHAT BRINGS ME HERE?!" It didn't take very long for Todoh to go from 'omnipresent watching presence' to 'loud and belligerent' at all, did it? He stops fanning himself with what may be his new favorite thing to fan himself with as he sizes up the two of them. His head tilts back. "Oh. Maybe I just wanted to stop by and say 'hello,' talk about the day, gossip about the stuff you kids do around town, maybe have a cup of tea..."
This moment of almost-peaceful conversation (which was made of LIES, LIKE CAKE) ends abruptly with him leaning forward, pumping a ballcap-bearing fist into the air with slightly bloodshot eyes. "AND HERE I SEE YOU WITH MY STUDENT?! WHO ALREADY HAPPENS TO BE FORGETTING WHAT I TAUGHT HIM THAT NIGHT! HUH?! WHERE'S THAT CONTROL NOW?" And then he starts waving that cap around widely, enough that were any of the two at arm's length might be considered a deadly weapon in itself. "Lighting up like a firecracker! Pah! What'd I tell you? WHAT'D I TELL YOU? And now you're losing to her?!"
See that vein bulge in his head, just under the headband? He must have some significant problems with his blood pressure.
Todoh's outburst elicits a blink of surprise from Hotaru. She hadn't expected outright anger, but she could tell he was irked. But hey, this isn't a ball pit and there's no murderous robot taking shots at her, so how bad can it be really? This isn't a mud filled yard full of hidden death trap mud pits where she came away filthy dirty after a match, so it could be worse, right?
"Y-your student?" she stammers, glancing toward Zach with a surprised look. She had asked him who was helping him out and he didn't mention her sensei's biggest rival in that list at /all/! "Zach, you didn't have to keep it a secret," she states, sounding a little sore at the surprise now. Obviously he kept Todoh's name out of the list because he was afraid her Kyokugen Bias would turn her against him!!
She glances back toward Todoh, one hand coming up to rest at her hip. "What do you mean? He's been quiet controlled. I'm really impressed with how far along he's coming since I fought him last. You shouldn't be so hard on your student, Todoh-sensei." Hotaru tasks, shaking her head slowly.
COMBATSYS: Todoh has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Todoh
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Zach 1/---====/=======|
Zach sputters a bit at the old man, then at Hotaru. "One lesson makes it some kind of official relationship thing?" Zach blinks once or twice, a frown of just sheer irritation crossing his face.
Todoh, as far as Zach knows, is some crazy, and quite possibly drunk, old man with serious delusions of some variety or another. Glen knows nothing of the Kyokugen - Todoh Rivalry that has spanned generations. None at all.
Purple energy flares out and around Zach's left arm as he tucks it in close. The energy hazes, then snaps into focus around the arm, covering it like a piece of armor, or possibly some kind of weapon glove. "Hotaru," Zach says carefully, "I've only had one other dealing with this guy, and he seems to be seriously confused. He says I use my chi all wrong when I don't use chi." The purple deepens as sparks start to fall from the large glove. "However, I'm about to show you the result of everything I've learned since that first fight we had. Every ounce of technique and control I can bring to bear."
Zach looks at Todoh with a glare, "One point, right old man?"
With that, Zach leaps at Todoh, driving that psi-mail coated fist right into Todoh's chest. This may cause inadvertent property damage, but the Kyokugen Dojo is almost always in a state of disrepair in Zach's experience.
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Todoh with Burst Strike.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Todoh
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Zach 0/-------/----===|
"That's right! You came to me that night! Don't you lie to me!" How much fist/cap shaking is he going to do, anyway? But if Zach's close enough to take a deep whiff of his breath, he is sober today. Well, sober of any alcohol. Who knows what else influences the way he even perceives the world around him.
Aside from this outburst, some sort of cosmic dramatic allowance lets Zach say what he has to Hotaru in peace as the elder Todoh fumes to an inevitable explosion of rage and scorn. At least, up until the question Zach asks him that makes all the difference.
"Graduated up to that now, have you?! Now why haven't I seen it?!" And, really, the question answers itself with help of a leaping, lunging, psi-lugging Zach as he lands a solid, powerful blow to the chest. One focused point - but did it save Zach any expenditure of effort in the process?
Only if he's not asked to help clean up.
Todoh goes flyin', flyin' away off his feet and into the front porch, where he crashes through a railing and leaves a Todoh-shaped dent in the front wall that catches him in something of a snow-angel shape before he plants his face on the porch with a low, brief grunt.
The ballcap, too, took flight in the exchange, landing somewhere between Zach and Todoh in the little display of 'control' and 'power.' It'd still be a short walk if he wanted to go retrieve it.
COMBATSYS: Todoh takes no action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Todoh
[ \\\\\\\ <
Zach 0/-------/----===|
Hotaru listens to Zach's explanation with a look of confusion now. There's Todoh's account - a story of mentor and student, one she is familiar with as it mirrors her own life, with Ryo-sensei as /her/ mentor. Then there's Zach's account of a drunk old man trying to give him pointers out of the blue without him even asking... While accusing people of screwing up his use of chi... which she's quite certain he isn't using at all base don what Soma has told her in the past.
So of course she takes Zach's side in this, hand coming to rest against her hip as she turns toward Todoh, "It sounds to me like maybe there's been a misunderstand-" she starts to explain, ever the diplomatic one. But Zach has taken matters into his own hand, leaping to assault Todoh with a powerful dosage of his Psycho Power and Hotaru's eyes widen a little.
And then Kasumi's dad goes /flyyying/ through the railing and wall into the dojo and Hotaru sweatdrops. That's bound to get someone's attention for SURE. And she can't really patch it up before someone shows up anyway. "Oh well," she murmurs beneath her breath. "Could be worse. Could've been a wrecking ball." That last wrecking ball was Ryo's fault though, honest!!
The girl takes steps forward past Zach toward the gaping hole in the wall to stick her head in with a blink, "Hello? Todoh-san, um... are you okay?" He DID just get blasted by Zach, but on the other hand, she's learn to see that he's quite the tough bugger that tends to bounce back from nearly anything. The girl taps her foot, "You might want to be on your way before Ryo-sensei gets back. I mean, ah-, well, it could get awkward!"
Zach still has a frown on his face as he walks up to his baseball cap, snatching off of the ground and knocking the dust off of it. He looks up at the brim of the cap he is =wearing=, and swaps hats before tucking the removed hat in the back of his belt. He glances over at Hotaru.
"...sorry about that. I'll help fix it, since he seems to be after me." Glen seems to be out of breath, but then he =did= just expend a lot of energy.
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Todoh
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Zach 0/-------/------=|
"Grbghrhgl." That's the sort of noise powered by Todoh's vocal chords as he comes to. One hand raises, as if to shove Hotaru away if she made any motion to try and help him up despite the distance between them. No dirty Kyokugen lover hands better touch him! This particular wall, on the other hand, has become very familiar with Todoh, what with the sigh of cracking wood every time he hits it just right.
This is probably the first time he was knocked /inward/ rather than the other way around, pulling himself out with an angry huff past Hotaru and her perfectly reasonable pleas for him to leave. He picks up speed when he sees Zach put on his hat. "THAT WAS GOING TO BE YOUR LIFETIME FEE YOU KNOW!" He calls as he hops down from the porch and back on the concrete ground where many a fool has taken a nap upon. "Ten years later I'd have auctioned that off after you become a world-class fighter under my tutelage!! ARGH! You really tear at my heart! You... you sneaky, underhanded little whelp!"
He breathes in and out very loudly. The nerve of this kid! But, that big ol' cloud that covered the area earlier brings along its cousin, shadowing the sunlight as his shoulders slump and his expression goes mild, blank. He turns away and starts to walk off with a slow, disappointed gait. Perhaps the weight of all this was so depressing that the mere thought of finally managing to properly deface their treasured sign has lost all novelty.
"You simps!" Well, he has that spirited insult he must've caught off of old US TV show tapes to go out on, at least.
COMBATSYS: Todoh has left the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Zach
As Todoh brushes his way past her, Hotaru stumbles out of the way. Trying to get close to him seems to just be exacerbating the problem and she figures that out quickly enough to stay out of his way after that. Zach's offer to repair the wall is met with a bit of a grin, "Eh, it's insured. At least... I hope Ryo-sensei remembered to renew this month," she continues with a tap on her chin. Maybe they'll be fixing it by hand after all!
But then there's Todoh's anger directed toward Zach and Hotaru's shoulders slouch. No one likes to lose a student after all... "Maybe you should talk with him sometime when he's sober," the girl remarks. "And, uh, less depressed." Pause. "And less crazy." Pause. "Okay, maybe talking with him at all isn't going to work out after all."
She focuses more on Zach though, her smile warming some. "You've come a long way. I'll let Alma know about your interest in the job at the Youth Center."
Zach exhales through the nose to stifle the laugh as Hotaru tries to figure out when a good time to talk to Todoh is. He simply nods, and falls on his butt after he is certain the coast is clear.
"There are just some things I don't get about this crazy world of fighting," Zach comments. "But thanks. I still have a long way to go, though."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has left the fight here.
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Zach 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Zach has ended the fight here.
Log created on 17:54:14 11/20/2007 by Zach, and last modified on 23:54:17 11/20/2007.