Description: A Neo League match in the Futaba Dojo between two long time friends. Roberto and Hotaru have been through a variety of matches against each other, fought against Shadaloo in Thailand together, rescued prisoners as a team... But it seems the strangely aggressive girl is readily willing to throw all that aside in favor of simply seizing another empty victory. ( Winner: Hotaru )
The Futaba dojo is a large, traditional styled building located on an expansive, rich property in the best neighborhood of Southtown Village. The dojo has existed for years, closed up and sealed off. With her brother and father gone, the girl couldn't find herself to enter it any more. She had no need for a fancy dojo to train in anyway... her quiet corner in the yard of the Philanthropy chapel not far off served her needs just fine.
It was for Kentou's sake that she finally unlocked the door for the first time in years a couple months ago. The boy needed a dojo for her to train him in after all, right? But weeks have passed since she's taught him a thing. Whenever he has come by in hopes of finding her, she hasn't been around. Yet now? When the Neo League came to her to host a rematch against one of her prior opponents, Hotaru made arrangements for the dojo to serve as the staging area.
It's only fitting, Hotaru muses, standing at one end of the large, open floor, staring across the distance a little. Only fitting that she show off the power she's obtained in the very structure her father never seemed to think her worthy to train in. Now he will now. Now Gato will know... how far along she has come.
With little time before the fight remaining, the girl stands quietly by herself, showing no interest in anyone else, her expression quite somber.
Roberto wasn't privy to the symbolism that the Dojo represents for Hotaru. He has, however, been fairly aware of the changes that the girl had been going through these past weeks. It was because of this he had been chomping at the bits for this match-up. That and the fact that the fight had spiralled out of control near the end with fairly bizarre luck for both fighters.
Roberto is fairly low key when he enters the dojo with a mesh bag with a trio of soccer balls. Not wanting to disrespect the location of their impending fight but knowing that it's possible that it will happen anyway. Roberto didn't learn everything he knows about fighting from a dojo.
The soccer star pours out the soccer balls and stares at Hotaru, a girl who changed so rapidly from the girl he last fought against. He doesn't speak yet instead waiting for her to break the silence so he can get a handle on how to deal with the situation.
At first glance, besides the rather serious expression on her face, the girl doesn't look too different than the one Roberto knew before. Oh, sure, her pig-tails are gone, her hair left to hang freely down her back instead of being bundled up in such a way as to make her look even younger than she is. But she's still dressed in her white pants and blouse, a tight, custom tailored, expensive blue vest worn over her torso. Soft, blue shoes cover her feet, and blue eyes glance at the teen fighter as he steps into the dojo.
She doesn't tell him this is her family dojo. Making such a point won't be necessary after all. The point that needs to be made is to show just how powerful she has become. "Hello Roberto," the girl states, her voice reserved. Eyes glance toward the mesh bag of soccer balls but if there's anything disrespectful about him bringing his fighting gear with him, Hotaru doesn't seem to be bothered by it.
"We have been long due for a rematch. I hope you have been training as much as possible since last time. After all... We want it to look good for the cameras, yes?" She stretches her arms out at her sides idly then returns to her patient, passive standing position. "You're going to need to do your best. I've come a long way since last time we had a match." she continues, her tone taking on a somewhat admonishing sense, as if she is somehow worried he won't take the fight seriously.
There's nothing to indicate that Roberto isn't taking the fight seriously. He has a lot to prove especially considering that he's had numerous doubters of his prowess, and in fact Hotaru was one of them (not that she has ever told him). Using a fighting style based on a sport often came with a need to not mess around.
"Yeah... I'm not trying to have a repeat of our last fight, though."
He pauses for a moment as he adjusts his goalie gloves. "I'm fairly certain that no matter the results of this fight, a repeat of the last one will be impossible. Let the whistle sound... Let the fight begin."
And with that Roberto falls into his stance, with his fingers curling and uncurling as he waits as if there was going to be a penalty shot coming soon.
COMBATSYS: Roberto has started a fight here.
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Roberto 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roberto
"Good." Hotaru replies as Roberto indicates not having a repeat of the previous match. She remembers it, even in her uncertain state of mind, as being rather... well, she can understand why he wouldn't want to end up in that situation /again/. The officials are seated on the far end of the dojo, out near the garden occupying the space outside of it. Cameras are given their final check through and then the nods are given. The fight people have been waiting for is ready to begin.
"I'm glad you're eager, Roberto. It should make this a worthwhile match. I've had a hard time finding those lately..." Hotaru states, tightening her hands into small fists, turning one shoulder toward the young man. A nod of her head is offered in his direction, a slight indication that the fight is about to begin so he had better be ready. It's better warning than she's given most of her opponents lately. The girl has been... very aggressive.
And then it begins, Hotaru charging forward, small feet padding against the wooden floor of the dojo as she closes the distance between them. And then comes the shift in stance as she slides the last bit of distance, turning her body to the side as she strikes out with a solid kick with her left leg aimed for his chest. Her foot snaps down quickly afterward, the girl spinning around to follow up with three quick secondary strikes from his knee, his stomach, and his chest again with her right leg, "Ya!"
COMBATSYS: Roberto dodges Hotaru's Heavy Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roberto
It would appear that Roberto is ready. Watching and waiting as she charges. Holding still as she moves in and then when the first of those kicks misses wide as he skips back. When she follows up with the three kicks from her right foot he side steps just barely out of range until the last kick is fired off.
It's at this point Roberto makes his move slipping behind her while her leg is in the air and swinging a kick for Hotaru's still planted leg attempting to take her leg from under her
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Roberto's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roberto
While her kicking combination was fairly involved, it seems Hotaru is ready to react when Roberto defty weaves around her strikes. His foot slides along the floor, coming in close to taking her ankle right out from under her, but Hotaru hops up at the last moment, his leg continuing harmlessly past.
Her other foot, her right leg she was using for kicking snaps down, replacing her left as her point of traction as she whirls around even in the moment of landing, attempting to snap out and get a tight grip on Roberto's shirt so that she can pull him backward and flip him down to the ground, following up by driving her knee into his chest by dropping down onto him should she manage to get him down.
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Hotaru's Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Roberto
Roberto lets out a bit of a grunt as she grabs his shirt. Unable to get away, Roberto sets out to minimize the damage from the flip. Twisting himself over, he ends up landing hard on one knee instead of his back and finds himself in close quarters with Hotaru and grappling with her isn't the most ideal situation for him.
Considering all of that it makes his response somewhat ironic. He grabs the kenpoist by her hips and should he get a good grip he picks her up and throws her down on her back in a power bomb before delivering a swift kick to her butt to give him some breathing room.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Hotaru with Mundane Save.
- Power hit! -
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Roberto
The slam to the ground doesn't go as planned, Hotaru left trying to recover from her aborted follow up before the soccer fighter can come up with a plan of attack. It isn't meant to be, it seems, as Roberto reaches out and gets a grip on the smaller martial artist at her hips. "What are-" she starts to protest, flailing her arms as she gets hefted right up off the ground. A clenched fist comes swinging in toward the top of Roberto's head, but the young man is too swift in slamming the struggling girl back down to the floor, causing her to land with a bit of a gasp.
The follow up kick to the tailbone is what really provokes a yelp from Hotaru as she's sent tumbling away some distance, giving Roberto that breathing room he wanted, the girl landing in a disheaveled heap a little ways off. By the time she gets back up her cheeks have tinted a bit red, her hands clenched tightly. She looks like she might have some choice words for the Taiyo student, but for now she stays completely quiet, holding her ground with a glare.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Roberto
Roberto probably would've adjusted the kick to land on her hip instead of her tailbone but with her behavior lately, it's one of those cases where he felt that she had it coming. There will be plenty of time for choice words to be exchanged after the fight.
Instead of speaking or really enjoying he moves in quickly but still attempting to maintain an air of caution. Not a single person that he's landed that kick on has come out of it without being ticked off.
That cautious approach is quickly followed by a pair of punches to the face before attempting to hop back out of range.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Roberto's Quick Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Roberto
And in comes Roberto, aiming to slip in a quick punch on the now flustered girl. But being irked doesn't equate to being flat footed, it would seem, as Hotaru manages to swiftly step around the two strikes aimed for her face. In the process, she whirls in closer to Roberto, aiming to get in under his arm and rise upward, her left hand coming up to try and get a tight grip on his extended limb that he had hoped to punch her with.
"Try to humiliate me, will you," the girl snaps, her right arm flaring to life with a violent, spiraling red-orange chi. "Your games are only going to get you in trouble here, Roberto." she continues, still seeking to twist his arm into a position that leaves the left half of his chest unguarded... all so that she can reach forward with her right hand and place her palm there.
"Let's see how funny you think this is!" the girl continues. And then comes the assault, a discharge of all that power built up in her hand. Unlike her normal chi, this energy is made to rend, pierce, slash, and bore its way right through skin and flesh. Hopefully he didn't really like that shirt too much...
COMBATSYS: Roberto fails to reflect Maou Satsujinken EX from Hotaru with Shining Clutch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Roberto
"I'm not out to humiliate you but with the way you've been acting lately, you've needed someone to kick your ass. Figuratively and literally."
Roberto doesn't have time to say or do anything more before the red orange energy bores into his chest causing him to bleed profusely. He's sent flying away slamming into a weapon rack causing the various weapons to clatter to the floor.
The soccer star slowly rises to feet shaking off the attack watching her and waiting for his chance to return the favor. "What has come over you?"
The blast delievered, Hotaru lowers her hand slowly, the swirling energy surrounding her fist fading away slowly. The power behind that strike is impossible to dispute, even if it isn't 'her'. "Come over me?" Hotaru shakes her head slowly, exhaling softly. "No one understands... I guess it's just what happens when someone finally siezes their true potential. Everyone else just gets jealous."
She frowns faintly, keeping her distance at first, "No, I'm afraid nothing came over me. I'm just fighting with the strength I always had... before I was always holding back, afraid, worried, nervous... I was weak then. Now I am anything but!" she snaps, clenched fist shaking in front of her as the young Kenpo artist glares back at the Taiyo student.
"Che," she continues, before leaning forward a little... and finally sprinting toward Roberto at full speed. Her aim is to charge the young man and get a tight grip on his arms, twisting them to the sides to pull open his guard and leave his wounded chest exposed to a series of rapid, rising hard kicks, before Hotaru finishes by stomping on his shoulder and flipping through the air to put a little distance between the two of them. "Ya, ya, ya!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Roberto with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Roberto
The soccer star isn't prepared for Hotaru to grab his arms, which for him as both a soccer goalie and a fighter only can serve as a detriment to him. And it does so each time the foot impacts against his chest he grunts as he stumbles backwards. He has been hit by that move before but never has it hurt like that before nor has it ever come in that fast.
Taiyo's soccer star slowly picks himself off the ground as he looks at Hotaru. "Finding your strength and eliminating is all well and good but that doesn't mean you have to treat everyone like dirt to get there!"
He then moves to one of his soccer balls and prepares himself. "Am I jealous of your strength? No. Fighting, while I still take it seriously, and I practice regularly, it's not my top priority. I've been beaten by people stronger and weaker than you as you are now. What got my respect is how they carried themselves and while you had my respect then, you've lost it."
COMBATSYS: Roberto focuses on his next action.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Roberto
Landing after her asault, Hotaru pauses in a half crouch, arms out at her sides as she prepares herself for retaliation. It would seem none is forthcoming, however, Roberto chosing to hold back and gather himself in the aftermath of her brutal kicks. With nothing to watch out for, the girl stands up straight slowly, blue eyes narrowing on the young man as he speaks of her hostile change in nature in recent months, about the impact it has had on his regard for her.
At first she looks taken aback, eyes widening for a brief moment, her hands lowering as if finding herself temporarily disarmed. "But..." she begins to protest, looking a little hurt for some reason. "I was just..." she blinks. Her expression hardens suddenly, the girl shaking her head, closing her eyes as if to put Roberto's words out of her mind. "It doesn't matter. It's not my problem what you think about me!" she snaps.
And then comes the charge forward once again, Hotaru chosing to stay aggressive rather than hanging back. A couple of yards out she drops into a sliding kick, aiming to take Roberto's shin out from under him as she slides past, hoping to slip in behind him so that she can rise up with a knee strike as she spins back around toward him, aiming for the tailbone in return for his earlier attack perhaps!?
COMBATSYS: Roberto dodges Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Roberto
When the face softens to one of hurt, he begins to wonder if he had struck a nerve. It was his way to help her after she helped him through the flash back situation in their SNF. If he was going to help, he'd have to be cruel to be kind. He remains quiet as she speaks. Unfortunately he's not given time for rebuttal since she goes on the attack so quickly after.
Roberto's physical response is quite impressive as his skills as a striker come to the fore. Rolling the soccer ball on the back of his heel and popping it up, and over both him and Hotaru from behind as the shin kick comes in taking to the air just above it. When the knee comes in from behind Roberto darts forward pulling out of the way of the attempt to kick his ass quite literally before trapping the soccer ball and performing a spin move to face Hotaru.
When he's able to buy himself temporary safety, he can finally respond verbally. "If it didn't matter, why have you gone on about how people underestimate you in fights. And just now you were about to defend yourself to me." He pauses for a bit of air as he juggles the soccer ball bouncing from foot to foot and thigh to thigh before it drops to the ground.
"You can lie to me all you want, but now you're lying to yourself." His leg swings back and then forwards sending a fiery soccer ball Hotaru's way. The moment it hits something, be it Hotaru or the walls of the dojo it will cause a massive explosion of burning chi. Yet by some miracle, the soccer ball will remain intact.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Hotaru with Blazing Strikers.
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Hotaru 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Roberto
Her attempted slide kick is avoided by a remarkable display of skill, timing, and speed. That doesn't keep her from trying for the follow up all the same, but Roberto is just too fast to get caught by the swinging foot before he backs off a little to speak to the seemingly lost girl. His challenge provokes a blink. It's true that it doesn't make a lot of sense to dismiss him and yet care that people fear or respect her as she has insisted time and time again...
The disconnect does leave her a little uncertain, eyes shifting to the side for a moment. Why the anger, why does she want to hurt him so bad? What has he ever done to her to deserve that? What had anyone else done? Zach, Frei... The girl blinks slowly before snapping her attention back toward Roberto, mouth curled down into a faint frown. "You mean you..." She closes her eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I know what I want, that's all that matters!"
The shout is echoed back as Roberto's soccer ball comes hurtling toward her. Arms coming up in a desperate defense are too late to get in the way, the explosion upon impact knocking Hotaru clean off her feet and up against the wall of the old dojo, the wind taken out of her as she slips down to the floor with a grunt. That smarts as much as she remembers, that's for sure. Slowly pushing herself to her feet, she glares back at Roberto. "You're just trying to stall, that's all!"
And then she's back on the offense, charging forward once more, shaking off the stun of being exploded by Roberto's famous technique. When she attacks this time it's with reckless abandon, as Hotaru literally leaps for Roberto in an attempt to tackle him to the ground, her hands going for his neck. If she manages to knock him over, she'll kneel on his chest, her grip tightening around the young man's throat, attempting a rightfully cold method for taking the fighter out of the match by simple strangulation!
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Hotaru's Ten Ranku-Tou.
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Hotaru 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Roberto
Hotaru attempts to finish him off by submitting him but he has other plans in mind. As she charges in, Roberto bends his knees setting his feet down as she reaches out neck but his legs are just too stable to be taken down. The moment of preparation allowing him to prepare for the strangle which he ends by pushing out his palms to her chest. While it was harmless it allowed him to get away and into his kick range to utilize his powerful legs... And to talk.
"Stall tactic? Maybe. Maybe not... But it doesn't make what I'm saying any less true. Though..." He pauses to swing his foot high into the air as he attempts to connect with a glowing foot to her chin. "I'm still here fighting... But I have a question. Do you really know what you want?" It's a fair question considering that contradiction. She wants respect but his opinion doesn't matter,
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Thrust Kick from Roberto with Kobi Kyaku EX.
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Hotaru 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Roberto
The young man's bracing keeps him from being tackled over as the smaller fighter had intended. That doesn't keep her from trying, however, tearing at him with her hands in a frustrated attempt to get a firm grip on his throat, her teeth gritted in determination. But he manages to force her back with his hands against her chest, leaving the girl suspended in place for a moment as he repositions her to make room for one of his powerful kicks.
A kick that doesn't quite get its chance to connect as Hotaru gives up trying to reach him and backflips away, a trail of chi coming up and interesting with Roberto's chi infused leg, their energies colliding before her own blue essence manages to force its way through into a collision.
Unscathed, Hotaru lands out of her backflip, gasping for breath as she keeps her focus on Roberto, pausing for just a moment as she tries to get her bearings again. "You think I don't know what I want? What kind of question is that! I want strength, power, I want to stop being a shame to my family name. I want to have what it takes to protect people I care about from anyone who would harm them. I want everyone to know that I won't be taken advantage of. I just want what is rightfully mine!" she snaps.
The feedback from his foot impacting against Hotaru's energy. His foot tries to break through but Hotaru's enrgy wins out and as a result, Roberto finds himself being pushed away by his own chi sending him sliding across the dojo floor comically before slowly making his way back up to his feet.
There are several ways Roberto could respond to it but he chooses to lock on one particular thing that Hotaru says. It's something he deems very important but in order to do it he has to tell Hotaru what she needs to hear, rather than what she probably want to hear. He can only take comfort in the fact that the censors will probably bleep it before his little brothers can see him using this language. The students and teachers and Taiyo would be surprised to hear use this language.
"Protect people? Protect people? Was the conduct of how you fought Zach Glen the conduct of someone who gave a flying *beep* about protecting people?" He takes a deep breath and begins running towards her. "All you gave a damn about was leaving him in a *bleep*in puddle of blood." When he closes he then jumps up and forward and thrusting a knee into her bread basket. "So you're more powerful... So *bleep*in what?"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru interrupts Heavy Kick from Roberto with Hakki Shou EX.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Roberto
Holding her ground after her rant, the Futaba girl falls quiet, watching Roberto get back up to his feet. Silently, she listens to him, blue eyes narrowed, mouth a tight lipped frown as she seems only interested in figuring out how to force him to submit from this fight as decisively as possible. Surely by now he's seen that she is far more powerful than she has ever been. Clearly this new direction she has taken has been for the best, yes?
But his words don't fall on deaf ears and as he brings up her Neo League match against associate and fellow YFCC employee Zach Glen, Hotaru freezes, eyes widening slightly, moments from her fight with the young man brought to the forefront of her mind. The injuries she dealt him, the apathy she felt... "I just wanted him to..." To what? Know she could blast a hole through his chest? Know that she was stronger than him? What for? How is that pursing strength which to protect other people?
"He didn't..." she starts to protest again. He didn't fear her enough? Wasn't afraid? Why should he be afraid? Why should she be trying to savagely injure him over something as harmless as a sporting match? The girl takes a step backward, shaking her head, taking her eyes off Roberto for a moment as a sensation of confusion overtakes her - wavering on the cusp of epiphany, the questions she had asked herself before begin to torment her mind.
Roberto comes charging in, however, and Hotaru turns to face him, twisting her torso so that his knee catches her with a glancing hit in the side rather than squarely in the stomach. A pained gasp is released from her mouth, eyes widened. But she isn't finished yet -
With the soccer fighter in close, Hotaru snatches a hold of his tattered shirt with her left hand, drawing her right hand back, her forearm charged a brilliant blue before she slams her hand forward, discharging a powerful amount of chi into his chest at point blank range, releasing her hold on his shirt at the same time. Staggering backward after the impact, the girl catches herself a few steps later, bringing her attention back toward Roberto, eyes narrowed, "So what? So WHAT?" she snaps back. "Finally I have the strength to do what I want. My brother will see what I've become now and he'll be proud. Monsters like Kurow will no longer be able to torment me as they had in the past. 'So what', you say... That's..."
Her voice begins to tremble, certainty replaced with incertainty. "I mean... I... If you don't understand how this is so much better then it's not my problem. Maybe I did go too far with Zach. This newfound power it's..." Her brow furrows, "It's... well, it isn't easy to keep it in check." she finally admits, her voice lowering. "I don't mean to... I'm not trying to hurt anyone that bad. I'm just trying to make a point. Make sure no one underestimates me. Ever. Again!" Her voice raised now, Hotaru drives back her confusion with clear, poignant anger that leaves no uncertainty in its furious wake.
Her right hand clenched in a fist, the girl glares back at Roberto, mouth set in a neutral expression. "What do you want from me? I've done no worse than many other fighters have done to their opponents in fights!!"
Even though Roberto didn't hit cleanly he knows he hurt Hotaru significantly and that the gap that Hotaru had created early on in the fight has closed somewhat. He knows he only has one chance left before he's out of this fight for good.
"But who is going to protect other people from you?" His body wobbles as he moves towards one of his soccer balls and takes deep breath, looks at Hotaru in the eye. "All you did was show off how big your chi *bleep* is." And with that he swings his foot slamming his into the soccer ball sending it flying towards the Kenpo artist.
COMBATSYS: Roberto can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Roberto's Long Shot.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-======|
Roberto finds it hard to stand up but he does if just to deliver one last few lines before his exit from the scene. "Besides, power isn't what makes you worthy of respect. It's how you use it." His body continues to wobble as he breathes heavily struggling to keep the cobwebs from taking over.
"There are people who are stronger than you who are actually worthy of respect. People like Rose and Guile who actually fight to defend people." Roberto knows that he only has time for a couple more twists of the figurative knife left before he loses consciousness. "Don't think that I didn't notice that heavy breathing. How does it feel to get pushed to the limit by a soccer player who confessed that he doesn't see fighting as his top priority? How does it feel to show this new power of yours and come out of it not gaining your opponent's respect? Take this victory that is 'rightfully yours' that you've won for yourself with power that you've even admitted that can't properly control and enjoy it."
With that Roberto falls to the ground exhaustion taking over before his body hits the ground. Consciousness leaves him quickly there after.
The soccer ball comes screaming in with the power behind it that Roberto's experience as an athlete allows him to pack into something as innocuous as a sports ball. Barely standing after her constant exhertion in taking Roberto down, the best she can muster is raising her hands to let the ball pound against her forearms rather than her chest, the projectile ricocheting off to the side as a result. Driven backward with a stumble, her arms out at her sides as she barely manages to stay upright, the girl releases one last pained gasp before catching herself.
But in the end she remains standing, gasping for breath, eyes focused back on the young man as if daring him to try anything else now. But what he has in store for her is not another attack of the physical sort but rather one of the cold, plain truth variety. Examples of powerful fighters out there far beyond Hotaru in ability are mentioned, and the girl can think of a couple others... even that she fought recently, such as the tenacious Hayato-sensei who bested her solidly in the SNF she had last week.
Roberto notes her condition, the fact that she's barely standing after all she did to best him quickly, and Hotaru stops focusing on him at all. He shouldn't have been so hard to beat. He... fighting isn't his top priority, he doesn't even have a real discipline to boast about! Fighting to capture her breath, perspiration rolling down her cheeks from the exhertion of the match easily catching up with her, the girl leans forward, propping herself up with her hands against her knees.
"I won." she snaps back between gasps for breaths, as if that simple fact countered the entirety of what Roberto had said to her throughout the match. She won, and that's what she wanted more than anything, right? What about respect though. Honor, friendships... The girl remains silent as Roberto collapses, leaving her the victor of this match. Raising her right hand, she clenches it, blue eyes lowering to focus on the red-orange chi flickering over her fist. She won. She got what she wanted out of this fight. So why isn't she happy?
One last look is cast toward Roberto as the girl lowers her hand, the chi flickering out softly, then she turns to stride out of her own dojo, leaving him to be aided by the NL officials. Another empty victory, she realizes, as she strides away. What does she need to feel satisfied with a fight? What is it going to take? Why does she wish she could have simply talked to Roberto like she had in the past? A quiet sigh escapes her lips as she passes through the dojo's door to the estate outside, retreating into the manor itself, seeking refuge from the world.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
Log created on 23:18:03 03/05/2008 by Hotaru, and last modified on 23:37:12 03/09/2008.