SNF 2007.12 - Swim! Nagare/Vanessa/Makoto

Description: The battle in the sea! Or at least in SeaWorld. No orcas, except for one, were hurt during the filming of this SNF. (Winner: Makoto)



Sometimes, Saturday Night Live will put in you locations like bars, or a stadium, or even an arena. But then, sometimes, Geese gets really inventive before throwing you into a tank in Sea World. There is even a two to one ratio increase in fighting near or in water when your name appears next to Nagare's on the roster.

So when you sign up, remember! You have a chance to be put into a fight with Nagare! Better remember to not wear white!

The tank... like many other tanks in Sea World, is the Orca tank! In Florida no less. Set up like the next 5 to 6 show is going to begin. Camera's are all around the stage, above and way back, each wearing a water proof protector in hopes to keep the water out of the lenses. Geese's people are everywhere to make sure everything goes smoothly, and like always, will.

The stage has not been taken down, left up. The usual show replaced, and marketed as an extra special event. And the fighters? They're released onto the stage itself, center stage, which already is covered by the warm water that usually occupies it. The Orca's have, as well, been let into their natural environment.

But wait, what's this?! Nagare Namikawa is the first one out, dressed in fins, a jacket and a speedo, the handsomely tall man walks to the highest bubbly set. The set itself actually looks like a wave, actually multiple waves, all dressed infront of staircases. And mid way, a whirl pool for decoration.

Climbing, Nagare gets to the top, and poses.

He waves to the crowd that did show up. Many fans of the other two, and even some for him. Today, like all the other Saturday Night Fights, will be most spectacular! Nagare can't wait to meet his opponents.

Makoto is wearing white. Shock! Alarm!

It's probably OK because it's her thick white gi, which has a red shirt underneath it anyway.

Makoto is on the next level down from Nagare, on what looks like the foamy crest of a wave. She looks a little nervous for about two seconds before hiding it; maybe she doesn't know how to swim, or thinks this is just a really weird place to have a fight.

She slides her feet a few times to get used to the slick footing before waving to the crowd, using her other hand to shade her eyes from the sun. Makoto has never been to Sea World and is as curious about the animals as anything else. It shows.

Vanessa has decided to break with tradition - she's NOT wearing her white halter button-up /thing/ today! This is because even she has some decency.

No, seriously. Stop laughing!

As first Nagare and then Makoto step into the ring, the boxing wonder remains unseen - but soon enough, she appears. She's on the bottom level, to start with, one hand planted firmly on her hip, while the other waves lazily to cameras and crowd alike.

She is wearing that halter button-up shirt, but it's red this time - a dark crimson, almost but not quite the same as her hair. She's not quite as nervous as Makoto seems, perhaps because Vanessa has been in SNFs for a while, and knows how wacky they can get - although, it has been a while, a fact she emphasizes with a few practice punches for the crowd.

COMBATSYS: Makoto has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Vanessa has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Makoto


COMBATSYS: Nagare has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Nagare
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|


Someone in a referee's shirt thunders, "FIGHT!!"

Vanessa moves immediately. "Alright, then...!" There's one person here she knows can't be allowed to live up to his full potential...

After all, this is Nagare's environment. That makes him dangerous.

So the Boxing Queen spins around and takes off at a dead sprint, jumping the railing onto the stairs and climbing straight up toward Nagare. It'll take a little bit of doing to GET there, but when she does, Vanessa's goal is simple.

She is going to punch him right in the teeth, calling, "Let's get it started!" as she unloads her fist unto his maw.

COMBATSYS: Nagare blocks Vanessa's Medium Punch.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Nagare
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|


Vanessa is truely thinking. Now now one could ever call her a ditsy red head ever. If she was ever called one before. Nagare was in his environment. Everyone should be weary of that. Everyone. Since, there are reasons to fear the deep. Perhaps it's because he can potentially have an ability to speak to the ORCAS.

Well, not really, but as the punch lances towards him, Nagare turns swiftly enough to bring up a fin to slow the punch to his teeth. "Hey! That's a little too close to my teeth, don't you think, miss?" Nagare asks. "If I didn't stop that it could have done some terrible damage." He states rather neutrally, almost as if he was... teaching?!

"Here. Let me show you." Nagare states as he looks towards Vanessa, thinking for a moment how to go about this.

And so, the man attempts to snare the woman's arm with both fins, and actually propell her into the water, hurling her down into it and maybe into an Orca! That surely would be against some sort of rules.

Makoto lets the other two jump up and climb above her. /She/ moves around underneath their level, running across the damp flooring, her bare feet not slipping very much on it.

She leaps up, disdaining the stairs entirely. Getting her hand on the edge of the plastic 'foam' on Nagare and Vanessa's level, Makoto struggles for a moment, delaying her ascent, before literally throwing herself up into the air. She leaps high, somersaulting slowly in a forward flip...

...and finally comes down, driving her heel down and backwards on a collision course with Nagare's face. "HAAAAA!" she yells as she falls, attempting to plant said foot there and spring off. They're going to run out of room on that level pretty soon.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa just-defends Nagare's Quick Throw!

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Nagare
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|


They're especially going to run out of room with Vanessa steadfastly refusing to be thrown! The woman eyes Nagare as he prepares, smirks at his retort, and muses, with one hand loosening into a more friendly gesture, "That's true, I guess. But--"

The fins come in, and Vanessa shifts her hands back into a fist, snapping out both hands to deflect the incoming fins while the woman herself skips backward, buying herself just an instant to recover. But then she's moving again - shifting her weight forward, sliding along the slippery ground with one fist cocked back. "If you think that's a hard hit, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" she hollers, and then, in mid-skid, unloads her fist right toward Nagare's chest.

With any luck, she will regain her footing before she goes flying into the Orcas! They're killers, you know.

COMBATSYS: Nagare dodges Makoto's Tsurugi.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Nagare
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Nagare with Dash Puncher.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0           Nagare
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|


Nagare is no fool! He's staying in school! What about you?! Nagare's apparently the center of the attention due to his amazing skills! And that's alright, since Nagare knows that he's a target, just like everyone else! And as Makoto comes for him, Nagare just peels backwards, even as the foot comes for his head.

He's really lucky he floated back to avoid it... but like everything, all good things come to an end! And Vanessa deflects Nagare's strikes before another fist comes towards him mid escape, hurling him backwards... and... he falls? Well, Nagare should be falling, and he is, struck by the blow! It feels really hard. Powerful. Amazingly destructie really, but the man takes it in stride...

Before swim flying backwards, kicking towards the air as he leaves, water and flippers striking at Vanessa, right into the area she dashed into! If she's not fast enough... she just might eat flipper!

Makoto doesn't go to school at all and is not home-schooled, making her some sort of fool. Too bad she doesn't seem to realize her foolishness.

Makoto lands where Nagare was standing previously, taking a half step to steady herself from the awkward one-footed landing, and looks around. Nothing really comes to mind except a continual frontal assault - but really, isn't that what Rindoukan is all about?

She moves to follow Vanessa and Nagare, although she doesn't have to go far, since there's not a lot of room on this platform! She intends to clear that up a bit; Makoto brings one foot up and thrusts it forward, battering at Vanessa with her heel and attempting to finish the push to the water below. She kicks hard, her leg tensing at the last moment after moving it so fast it almost seemed to blur.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa blocks Nagare's Splash Kick.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0           Nagare
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-----==|


COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Vanessa with Strong Kick.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Makoto           0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0           Nagare
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-======|


Vanessa IS pretty quick - indeed, the very thing that makes her appealing to so many fans of the fighting world (barring certain traits largely unrelated to her fighting skill) is that she's quick and nimble, rather than eight feet tall, nine across, and covered in muscle, like half the other boxers in the circuit. Her hands come up and ably block the flipper kick - a minor bruise forms, although to judge by the way Vanessa shakes out her hands afterward, the real punishment came from the effort of blocking in and of itself. Vanessa turns as she hears Makoto coming in, but fails to move her feet fast enough - the kick is hard, and Vanessa actually squawks a loud "OOF!" as it smashes right through her guard and into her belly. She staggers backward, on the very, very edge, reeling backward...

"I'll get you for that! ...Later!" Vanessa snaps, but as she finally falls off the edge into the CHURNING SEAS BELOW, the woman lashes out with both hands, grabbing for the edges of Makoto's gi. "For now, you're comin' with me!"

What swims backwards on water chi... must come down! And once he kicks at Vanessa, that's exactly what happens. The backstroke is ended and Nagare falls through the air and back into the water. There's a nice loud SPLASH which tells Nagare just entered his home element. That's never good, as one could imagine. Because it just isn't. Something must be done!

But sooner or later, Nagare surfaces, but not on a fish, no! He has a fish in hand however, as he floats there, looking at the two combatants in an estimate on to who or what to do next. He looks at both of them. They seem prety happy with everything going at the moment. He taps his chin and then nods.

And then Vanessa falls in after him. Well, with or wihout Makoto? Nagare's not too sure. He just holds onto the fish, wondering what to do next. Before flining it at Makoto.

Yes. A FISH. HAVE SOME FISH, MA KO TO. It's good for you! And it's only been dead like... a week.

COMBATSYS: Makoto dodges Nagare's Thrown Object.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Makoto           0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0           Nagare
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/-======|


COMBATSYS: Makoto fails to interrupt Medium Throw from Vanessa with Medium Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Nagare
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/=======|


Makoto's gi is ever so grabbable. Vanessa is not the first person to reach out and get ahold of it. She will almost certainly not be the last. At least it wasn't the scarf; Makoto is touchy about the scarf.

Makoto tries to dig her feet in when Vanessa grabs ahold, trusting to her strength to be able to keep her in place. It probably would be if the ground wasn't so slippery; Makoto slides along it for about a quarter foot, then pitches over the side with Vanessa, the fish coming close enough to ruffle her hair.

On her way down, Makoto twists around to try to land on Vanessa, knee-first. It looks like it's going to work right until it doesn't, and Makoto hits the water with a very loud and, judging by the yell, rather painful belly flop. It sounds like a bag of flour hitting concrete. She's going to be feeling that one.

SPLOOOOSH! Makoto hits the water hard! It probably hurts a lot.

Especially because for the moment Vanessa is standing on her back.

"Whoo!" she jeers, shaking some of the water off her gloves. "That was close." She looks down, into the water, trying to find Nagare. He's in the water - his native element! And most definitely not Vanessa's, so she needs to wait a second.

But as soon as she sees Nagare pause just long enough for her to hit, the woman lunges in. It'll put her at a disadvantage, to be sure, once she's /in/ the water...but until then, she should be able to get up the momentum to at least give Nagare something to wince about!

COMBATSYS: Nagare blocks Vanessa's Fierce Punch.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Nagare
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/=======|


Nagare would wince about it if he wasn't too busy keeping himself in the thick of it! Raising his arms and fins, Nagare's able to stop the full force of the punch, only for it to knock right into his hands and fins. In his element, he's able to really put it to use, as you might imagine. Still, the blow is surpriingly powerful, smashing against the mans arms, powering him back towards Makoto...

And once there, Makoto might have been happier is Nagare had nothing to do with her! Slowly floating for a moment, Nagare powers down into the water right infront of the girl, swimming down hard and fast. He's going to do something! But then it changes all of a sudden. Something terrible happens! Nagare spins up, turning around and heading directly towards her!

But then... all of a sudden, he twists backwards, like doing a loop de loop in the water... and attempting to connect with Makoto, flippers raking by with an extra special present in the water. But here, it's almost like a silent killer!

Each kick of his fins is laced with water chi! Watch out, Makoto!

COMBATSYS: Makoto dodges Nagare's Flipper Roundhouse.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           Nagare
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/=======|


Makoto is not going to stay in the water forever. That landing kind of stung, and in any case she's not a very good swimmer; she'd rather not leave herself quite that vulnerable. Rindoukan is a landbound style, with occasional jumping, not something that she's supposed to be swimming for!

She half-swims, half-splashes her way to one of the platforms and pulls herself up on it, rolling out of the way of Nagare's flippers by maybe half an inch. She felt that one even though it didn't quite hit her, just from the movement in the water.

Makoto flips up to her feet, dripping water everywhere. Her hair is plastered down, and her scarf stuck to her back. Stomping her foot, she gets into a combat position and holds it, concentrating on slow, even breathing for a few moments.

COMBATSYS: Makoto gathers her will.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Makoto           0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           Nagare
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/=======|


Boxing is not exactly designed for water sports, either. On the other hand, Vanessa's always been the athletic sort, and while she may not be a master of altering her style to suit a situation, she can at least swim competently!

Also, she hasn't quite yet thought of exactly how she's going to flaunt her condition to the boys in the third row when she gets out of the drink, here, so she needs to buy herself a little time.

Thus, while slowly shifting herself away from the middle of the pool and toward a ladder or something she can use to get back onto the stage, Vanessa waits until she can sense Nagare nearby again, and then quickly lashes out with both fists "One! Two!" in the direction of his head. Maybe she can make him come up for air?

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Nagare with 1-2 Puncher.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Makoto           0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


Nagare gets blammed hard! Nagare is sent flying into the air, spinning actually and with the shot, he's sent out of the water! Swirling down towards the ground, Nagare actually lands, rather upright but still wounded on the ground of the deck. Breathing hard, Nagare seems to almost breathe too much. Maybe he has gills?!

But really, he's just getting over the quick shots. Strong enough to send Nagare out of the drink, but not strong enough to really do terribly lasting damage. Looking towards Makoto, he's already in range, so he might as well. "Sorry miss." He states as he moves towards Makoto, even as she gathers, and attempts to send a rather funny looking kick towards her.

Infact, his entire waddle towards her looks really odd, but the kicker is, well, the kick! It looks like Nagare's using his feet in a very odd way to strike out towards Makoto, almost as if he was freaking out with the kick, or it was rather... well, okay it looks like on land he might fall if he doesn't kick quickly! But it's not a light kick either!

COMBATSYS: Makoto blocks Nagare's Heavy Kick.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Makoto           1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


Makoto, lost in her breathing exercises, doesn't look like she is going to respond at all at first. Nagare's foot comes closer, closer -

- At the last moment, Makoto brings her hand up, catching the foot with the palm of her hand and rather roughly pushing it away from her torso. The force of the blow makes her hand tingle, but never mind that - she's moving now, and straight for Nagare.

Makoto reaches out with her other hand, attempting to grab ahold of Nagare even as he recovers from his bizarre kick, by the shoulders. If she manages that she brings him in, yanking him roughly so that his forehead is on a collision course with Makoto's own!

Her head wins ties.

Vanessa grins a little as she knocks Nagare clear out of the water, and quickly turns her attention to getting out herself. They're busy, and Vanessa has no particular intention of changing that. Rather, for the moment, the Boxing Queen simply clambers up back onto the stage, stretches pointedly in the direction of Row Three, Seat J (someone screams and faints), and then shakes her hair out, casting a critical eye on the exchange of blows.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa focuses on her next action.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Makoto           1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


COMBATSYS: Nagare dodges Makoto's Tacchuu.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Makoto           1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


Nagare knows it's coming. SOMETHING is coming. He threw an attack, and it's only right for her to respond in kind! But, wow, she's strong! Nagare's almost tugged around terribly until he realizes, just by the impact of his leg against her hand, that she's not a light weight at all. This is going to be enjoyable!

Right as Makoto reaches out towards Nagare, he wastes no time! Throwing himself back into the air, he begins to... of all things? Swim. Swim backwards like he was on a mission! Water chi visibly melts from his figure, keeping him aloft as he does. He breathes really heavily.

His head doesn't want to be hurt! It has goggles on it! That'd be a pain to get hit in.

But as he backstrokes away, more flippers with chi laden energy is swiftly shot towards Makoto!

Kick kick kick! Stroke stroke stroke! Watch out Makoto, and please don't choke!

COMBATSYS: Nagare successfully hits Makoto with Breast Stroke Kick.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Makoto           1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


Swimming in midair is not a legal move. Makoto is entirely sure about it. Even if the SNF rulebook doesn't have anything to say about it, your friend and mine Mr. Physics does. Newton would be spinning in his grave.

Makoto is just spinning after the flippers catch her on her legs, sending her rolling across the small platform. She /almost/ goes off into the water, but instead manages to catch her fingers on a ladder to the upper platform as she goes by it, practically dislocating her shoulder to swing herself around and onto it. She scrambles up it, vanishing onto the platform just above Nagare. Once on top, Makoto pauses a moment, taking a deep breath and holding it in focus. Her face reddens.

There is a deep, booming thud.

Then another.

Then a third, as Makoto finishes kicking out the supports, and the platform begins to tilt alarmingly before, with a squeal of metal, the last support gives way and the entire platform begins to fall right onto Nagare!

Hit or miss, it skids off that platform, and into the water, where it floats, making a small and rather tippy moving island in the water. Makoto stands on it still, feet planted and going "Haaa!"

THE DUEL CONTINUES, AND VANESSA iiiiis sitting off alone. "Tut, tut," she muses, sighing. "A lady left all alone by her lonesome. Who's the rude one now, handsome?"

She grins, shaking one sopping wet gloved finger at Nagare, and then with lightning speed, popping him one right in the jaw.

And then she looks up and "HOLY COW!" she dives away hopefully before Makoto's amazing flying platform bowls her the hell over or Nagare throws her into it or feeds her to a whale or something.

COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Nagare with Tanden Renki.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


COMBATSYS: Nagare endures Vanessa's Jab Punch!

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


Makoto's crazyness pays off it seems, and Nagare just looks at Makoto weird for a little while. Hmm.. What is she doing. And then the deep booming thuds all make sense. Nagare blinks and sort of just attempts to brace himself when the platform begins to fall. There's no getting out of the way of this one. It's falling, and Nagare has to do something... and that means, quite simply, that trying to stop it may be the the only way! At least, allow him to escape.

WHAM. Squish the fish. And so, this fish was terribly squashed. Crushed underneath the powerful steps, Nagare needs something. Maybe a breather. But, well, he's not offered that. Instead, he's offered something like it, but it pains, it hurts, it destroys him. But, even as he's bleeding just a bit, his pecs look great. And then Vanessa punches Nagare in jaw. It burns, but something in his eyes burns even more.

TWO WORDS. Taiyo. Spirit.

Looking towards Vanessa, it's all too clear what Nagare's about to do. Swimming towards her, he stops almost out of of nowhere. Feet already attempting to strike out with his flippers, he's attempting to really get her attention. But by that time... it may be to late! Water chi laced kicks fall down upon Vanessa! What possibly could save her from a fishy strike!

Makoto's platform, now drifting in the water, eventually mostly stabilizes. Makoto has to stand near the center to avoid tilting it too far and sliding off, or having it capsize, but this she does, watching for assaults on her rather vulnerable position.

None come. Makoto's island drifts further away from the center, toward the back glass, not out of sight - the pool isn't /that/ big - but definitely a little further out of reach.

It comes back a moment later, propelled by Makoto's foot against said glass and a shove off with all her strength. She comes closer and closer, eyes focused on the prize: the melee going on at the center.

COMBATSYS: Makoto focuses on her next action.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0           Nagare
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/-------/=======|


COMBATSYS: Nagare successfully hits Vanessa with Super Splash Kick.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0           Nagare
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          1/--=====/=======|


Not a thing.

Vanessa played with the BURNING SPIRIT OF TAIYO HIGH, and for that, she has been destroyed.
%Or more accurately, she has been kicked all to hell.

"SUNNUVA" the Punching Machine declares, and then she is embedded halfway into finely constructed backdrop, kicking her feet and swearing with such talent and skill that the material actually decays around her (which is absolutely not caused instead by her fists punching the material to shreds).

OK, so, she's /really/ rusty. This is clearly calling for a little less fine sass, which hasn't worked, and a lot more blowing up of people, which also hasn't worked but has resulted in less of Vanessa getting mauled.

Which is why Vanessa gives a slightly bloody smile, offers, "You know...you aren't the only one...with tricks like that!" before charging in, gathering energy around her left arm. She sweeps up, strikes out in a straight jab with her left hand toward Nagare. The jab may hit, it may not, but what's really worth worrying about is what happens when Vanessa slashes her left arm forward, a sweeping motion across her front, and rising up in its wake is a veritable hurricane of gale-force winds - fit to smash Nagare square in the chest, and maybe knock him right off his feet!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Nagare with Gaia Gear.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //                            ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0           Nagare
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|


Nagare attempts the unattemptable to find out... it really is unattemptable. Or at least, un dooable. The jab does hit. Nagare's sent back, sent reeling back because of it actually. And the gale force hurricane winds washes over him, throwing him back and blowing him out of the water. It's terrible! Horrible. Some one think of the children...

Because Nagare can't. Out of the water the man is sent reeling into the air, and then once more, he comes down, down down and and moving for a final belly flop. But no! Nagare will not allow that. Instead, he actually comes down through the air. Down... down down down down...

Right towards Vanessa.

For what goes up...

Must dive down? Yeah. And right into your head! Where he would be embraced after by the Orca people, and made their rightful king! Or well, glub glub glub for now.

COMBATSYS: Nagare can no longer fight.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Vanessa          0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0           Makoto


Makoto continues to let her platform drift closer. Closer. Closer... Eventually she gets bored of this and leaps from the platform to the nearest stepping stone to the center. Except in /this/ battlefield, there are no stones.

The orca Makoto stepped on rather abruptly blows out of its blowhole, but she doesn't even slow down, leaping from its back toward the platform, narrowly swerving aside from Nagare as he makes his descent into the deep blue depths. (She's not worried, she bets he can hold his breath for ten minutes - even unconcious.)

Instead, her foot flicks out for Vanessa's ankles with intent to tangle and pull her down to the ground. She yanks as hard as she can, trying to dislodge the other woman - then follows it up with a solid strike downward, toward what would be Vanessa's stomach if she fell properly, to knock the air out of her explosively.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa blocks Nagare's Concrete Dive EX.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Vanessa          0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0           Makoto


COMBATSYS: Vanessa fails to counter Araiso from Makoto with Puncher Vision EX.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/-======|


COMBATSYS: Vanessa can no longer fight.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/-======|


Vanessa seems to be popular! This plan was apparently not a good one.

Vanessa brings up both arms as soon as she spies Nagare coming down like a meteor right at her pretty face. "Not today!" she jeers, blocking the attack easily and shoving Nagare away and into the briny blue. Now, where's--

Ah, THERE she is. She's coming in a lot faster than Nagase was, but that hit earlier has left Vanessa not particularly desiring to experience it a second time. Perhaps better to discourage it altogether: Vanessa shoves off, her body all but blurring as she streaks toward Makoto in a blow that will surely easily slip right past Makoto's guard and right up into her grill!

Except Vanessa trips, first on the slippery ground and then on Makoto's foot, and then she's on the ground, half-way ready to make a comeback anyway, when Makoto deflates her like a blacksmith punching a malfunctioning bellows.

She makes a rather similar FWOOSH sound before she goes unconscious, too.

This is not a particularly auspicious way to return to the world stage, all told.

Makoto rises up, slowly, from the mostly-crouched position she held after smashing her fist into Vanessa's abdomen. She felt the impact, there, and is pretty sure she's staying down for a bit longer than people do most of the time, but it's best to be sure.

About ten seconds after that, she reaches behind her and wrings out her scarf, and only /then/ does she raise her hand in the universal signal for victory.

Then she points at the water. Someone had better fish Nagare out at one point.

The Orca's fish Nagare out.

Telepathy?!

Maaaaaybeeee.

COMBATSYS: Makoto has ended the fight here.

Log created on 21:18:32 12/20/2007 by Makoto, and last modified on 18:10:14 12/25/2007.