Match of the Millennium

Description: Holy shit this fight is so epic. SO EPIC. (Winner: Tran)

Howard Arena.

A main stage that has seen its share of epic Saturday Night Fight main events, as well as a certain number of other, equally-epic venues in its time--and tonight is by no means an exception!

While the slated fighters may not be Rugal Bernsteins or Kyo Kusanagis, they have made names for themselves within the SNF circuits--name enough, it seems, to appear on the main venue for tonight's matchup, guaranteed to be interesting for the packed audience filling the arena seats.

At the center of the vast arena floor is a lone man bathed in the glow of a spotlight. Dressed in a tuxedo and holding a mic, he gestures with his hand to the crowds, drawing their undivided attention as he begins his typical speech, to introduce the fighters waiting off in the arena's backstage wing. And among them?

Shihong Mao.

For once, the woman has opted to wear something other than her usual suit affair. A deep, ruby-red cheongsam clads her lanky figure, cut up the sides to give her legs maneuverability. Pattered down the front with an assortment of floral designs in gold thread, she wears it well, along with, amazingly (or crazily enough) a part of red three inch stilettos. For once, the woman's hair is also pulled back in a tight bun at the back of her head, a long, ornate gold kanzashi pinning her hair down.

With her arms folded, Shihong regards the vast open arena with a ghost of a smirk, black eyes half-lidded in muted delight. Four on four? The odds really are against her, she figures. But hey, it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge.

When her name is announced the woman moves, striding confidently out into the arena floor, where she pauses to fold her arms over her chest once more and patiently wait for the others to be called.

The lights. Center stage! It's a rush, a thrill, a real kick in the head. And for Dr. Tran, the fact that he's not here to fight an overpowering, invincible superman is like sweet, delicious icing on the cake. It's that legendary time to go: GO TIME!

His name is called, and he strides out to the arena proper, waving a hand and smiling as hard as he can, in part to try to feed the crowd, in part to try to make up for how the top of head and right arm are swaddled in bandages. There's a hint of even more poking up from under his collar, further betrayed by the way he keeps unconciously reaching up to scratch at his chest. He only winces a little each time.

In spite of this, the doctor's acting hearty enough, and that's all that really matters at an event like this. He's still more than capable of dealing with the fight, as is evidenced when he reaches the arena and throws out a few punches into the air like absolutely nothing's wrong. Hoo-yah!

It's a big occasion, and that's a situation that seldom dawns on the likes of Preston Alistair Wellington the II. Big occasion though, that he's been made aware of rather painfully by certain members of his team. It isn't everyday that an opportunity like this presents himself, so he should make the most of it!

"What a pain in the ass," the Brit grouses as is his nature, taking a long drag from a cigarette before snuffing it out against the oar that rests across his shoulders. Barefoot and bare-chested, the man is as he always is when it comes to what's meant to be a big occasion--or any occasion, for that matter!

Thus, before his name is even announced, the student strides out onto center stage... but there can be no denying that he's there for the fight. Impressive, imposing, dominating by presence alone; Preston is a sight to behold.

Big and brawny as always, he yawns as he steps out, glancing at his opposition. Some of them he's met before, having crossed paths in the past. Tran especially, the boy squinting at the doctor. "You again," he says by way of greeting, clearly as friendly as he ever has been.

Lifting the oar off of his shoulder, he swings it to and fro, limbering up a little more before stretching to the utmost; his muscles bulge out, obscenely large as always. The crowd take his waving as acknowledgement -- they cheer him, as the announcer declares rather loudly the boy's full name.

"Don't call me that!" he roars the words out, somehow overcoming the microphone and speaker combination that the ring announcer has. "Just go with Preston Wellington!"

The announcer doesn't give in to the demands of the Brit, who starts seeing red already.

And the last to be announced is the young weapons maven that's never given a last name or a real name for that matter, Ayame. Striding out into the arena as she's announced, the girl is dressed in the same odd assortment of dark reds and blacks as she typically appears in for fights - a tie adorned collar mostly detatched from her black blouse, and a red and black plaid skirt.

Her main weapon of choice is already gripped tightly in her left hand. A six foot long titanium pole, shining in the bright stadium lights, serves as a reminder to everyone of her staff based style of fighting. The big time, Ayame ponders, regarding the stadium with a broad, teethy grin as she hefts her staff up over her shoulders and rests her arms against it, mimicking Preston's stance completely.

She had entered the leagues as a means of training herself for different, weird combat scenarios that can only be found in spewed out by Howard's maniacle minions, and to that end it worked wonders. To be pulled in for some kind of title match was far more than she had ever intended. A sweep over her opponents has her glancing past the human ox, the bandaged quack, to come to rest on Shihong. "So we meet again," Ayame remarks, slipping her staff down off her shoulders and twirling it under her left arm, "You look nice tonight." she grins. Strange, she ponders, how often she ends up in the same places as the mysterious Mao.

And with that, she falls quiet, waiting for the match to begin. Win or lose, she intends to at least smack a few heads.

COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ayame            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Preston has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Preston          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Ayame

COMBATSYS: Shihong has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ayame            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shihong
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Preston          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Tran has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Preston          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Ayame
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tran             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shihong

Waiting is boring; however, upon Tran's arrival out of the wings and onto the stage, Shihong's eyes drift, watching closely as the bandaged man approaches. Slowly a thin brow lifts over a single coal-black eye, red lips pulling into a thin line across her face...before she tilts her head absently to the side. For all of his posturing to the crowds, it's still odd. A ghost of a grin slowly replaces the pensive expression.

"Pardon me," she asks, even as Preston is announced and begins entering the stage. "But, umm... Are you sure you should carry on? That doesn't seem very healthy..." Whatever his response, though, the woman's eyes drift as soon as the British youth enters the main arena. He seems vaguely familiar, but then, who doesn't here in the fighting circuits? And that filthy habit..!

The Chinese woman all but ignores both men as Ayame is called, her arrival out onto the center of the arena earning her a bright smile from the woman in red.

"Little Ayame!" the woman chimes in that same friendly fashion, a hand lifting as she offers the younger woman a small wave. When the girl rests and regards her, Shihong's expression dims, a demure look passing over her pale face, the smile on her lips a touch coy.

"So it would seem. Funny, isn't it? It must be karma..." Pausing, she glances to her cheongsam, before she looks back to the girl in red and black. Shoulders roll in a gentle, casual shrug, black eyes hooded in obvious amusement. "Yeah; felt like dressing up for once. Oh, that reminds me. Assuming we're not out like a cheap light after this, I do need to catch up with you. Or at least schedule a time we can meet outside of this--it's important." Her smile broadens.

But the woman is thoroughly distracted, as the announcer regards all four fighters. Fairness, relatively clean, good sportsmanship, blah blah; half-attentive, the Chinese woman's eyes slip upward, her gaze distantly thoughtful. She's waiting for that word...what was it..?

"Fighters...FIGHT!"

Right, that's the one.

Black eyes snap immediately to the side, regarding the Brit with an alluring grin. "Hello, big boy," she coos, offering the younger man a gentle finger-wave. But soon thereafter her arm drops to her side and the cheongsam-clad woman leaps for the large youth with every intention of landing into his midriff with those heels before she springboards off him with every intention of clipping him in the jaw with her heels and a sharp, loud cry.

Ah, yes, there's a familiar face. Why, the last time Dr. Tran saw Preston, the two were good-naturedly lobbing sticks of dynamite at each other atop a pair of moving speedboats. Good times. "Well, well, the Jolly Giant himself." Tran is about to move from 'friendly greeting' to 'overwhelming wave of trash talk', but then Shihong cuts in and asks him a perfectly reasonable question. Does the doctor answer like a polite, well-mannered individual, or just push ahead with a verbal barrage?

Naturally, the answer is to somehow combine the two. "Ha! Don't go worrying on me, worry about yourself! I'm not going to hold back just because I'm a little banged up, so watch out!" In fact, just talking isn't enough anymore. Even as the fight actually starts, and Shihong goes after Preston, Dr. Tran dives right into the fray after her. He'll keep things simple to start off with, rushing in to just punch her in the side of the head as she lands from her own attack against Preston.

COMBATSYS: Preston Toughs Out Shihong's Medium Kick!

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Preston          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0            Ayame
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tran             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shihong

Did someone mention disgusting habits? After his stretching his done, Preston begins picking at an ear, really getting that thick finger of his deep into wax territory. He withdraws the finger, inspecting what he's managed to extract from his ear, and then simply brushes it off.

Only then does he note that the fight has started, and that Shihong is heading right for him. Rather than move, he simply stands there; her legs slam into his stomach, heels threatening to puncture his skin, only to elevate herself into a kick against the underside of his jaw.

His jaw snaps shut, his tongue nearly the first victim of this fight. The boy's head tilts backwards... but it doesn't seem as if he's moved so much of an inch.

Every strike against his body is met with a sudden flex, as if the muscles of his body were reacting by themselves! "That tickled," he notes, even as time seems to slow for just a moment. He sees Shihong flipping in front of him; he sees Tran streaking in, fist-first, aiming for the Asian...

Which leaves the other Asian... His head tilts, hazel eyes seeking out Ayame. Is she another staff fighter? The oar twists in his grip, and he springs past both combatants, gaining momentum as he sends the tip of his weapon streaking for the last member of this free-for-all. It's a simple thrust, but then anything from a man this burly is far from simple.

COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Preston's Medium Strike.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Preston          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tran             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Shihong

If anyone else called her 'Little Ayame', the girl would probably be trying to take out one of their kidneys with a little mid-fight operation using one of her knives, but coming from Shihong the girl responds with a lean of her head, her grin maintained for a moment before becoming more serious, one eye narrowing slightly. "Deal," she remarks succinctly. A chance to meet up and talk, hm?

The fight is started next and the girl twirls around to face the other three, sticking to her own corner rather than aggressing into the middle of things. She's found she tends to draw a lot of fire by doing that... And Shihong goes after Preston, and Tran goes after Shihong, that leaves... oh wait, the girl realizes, as the heavy oar comes twisting around and the largest combatant (larger than Tran even) comes powering toward her.

Solid, quality oar meets metal staff as Ayame gets the weapon up into the path of Preston's strike. A simple attack, but effective, sending the feather weight sliding back several yards, her feet digging small furrows in the arena floor before she comes to a stop. JEEZ, the girl ponders, shaking her head. That's a tough one with a staff style that might be a bit more simple than her own if she might say so herself!

"That didn't hurt," she remarks back at him, ignoring the stinging in her arms as she shifts her grip on her staff before finally bolting forward at an angle, attempting to slip around Preston. Her target - the one going after Shihong. Maybe it's trying to help the woman out. Or maybe she just can't resist beating up the bandaged guy. Leaping forward, Ayame spins through the air, giving her the speed she needs to bring her staff down with crushing force toward Tran's shoulder. Too late to prevent his attack against Shihong, but maybe in time to prevent a follow up!

COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Tran's Strong Punch.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Preston          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Tran             0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0          Shihong

Worry about herself? She keeps that in mind, even as she rushes in on the Brit and springboards off him, leaving little mark on the broad-chested young man. No bother, she decides, twirling gracefully through the air. But...something catches her eye, just out of her peripheral. Is that the man from before, who warned her to look out for herself?

Landing low, the woman springs up immediately from the knees, just as Tran's punch comes inward. At the same time her arm lifts, intercepting the man's punch from off of her forearm, redirecting the strike harmlessly to one side--particularly, away from her skull. "Very well then," the woman replies, an amused look on her face as she rises up.

Unfortunately, this means the good doctor has two women to worry about.

Coiling a leg fiercely at her side, the woman unleashes it directly for him, as Ayame comes to attack just behind her. The leg snaps out twice, one kick aimed for his collar, the second aimed for his gut before, lastly, she swings it out to the side and whips it back, to drive the toes of her red pumps right into the temple of Tran's skull. What a pickle!

COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Tran with Random Strike.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Preston          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Tran             0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Tran interrupts Strong Kick from Shihong with Dr. Tran Bites the Bullet.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Preston          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Shihong

"Eh? Two at once?" Even as his fist is shunted aside by Shihong, Tran spies Ayame rushing in to give him a solid whack on the shoudler. It would be nice if he could avoid it, and he does make an effort, but he's already somewhat off-balance from his attack, and the staff comes cracking down on his shoulder. It's enough to make him recoil, shifting to the side, wincing in pain. To make it worse, Shihong counter-attacks at just about the same time, her first kick colliding solidly with Tran's head.

The second kick, however, does not even have time to launch, as right at that moment Tran uncoils like a spring. His fist shoots around in a vicious haymaker, all of his body weight behind it. He's not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination, and really not even a medium guy, but it's still a good amount of force.

He takes a couple quick, cautionary steps back afterward, grinning. "Ladies, please, get in an orderly line!"

"Say, why don't we make it three?"

That would be Preston's voice. He's not a fan of waiting in lines, particularly not when he's just watched that little Asian girl with the staff go running past him. Damn kids, always running by him! Like he's some big giant and they're going to trip him up just by running around him!!

Regardless of his pet peeves, it seems that Tran's flippant remark is too much for Preston to handle. After the good Doctor deals with the attacks of both girls and responds with one of his own, a third streaks right for the bandaged man.

It's always the oar you need to watch out for. Preston is an expert in applying pain to others with it, and that's precisely what he aims for this time. A perfect linear strike, he extends his arm to full reach as he slides into range, driving the oar forward to catch Tran right in the solar plexus.

Not that he really knows what that is, but he's aiming for the bulkiest bit of Tran that can be mentioned in a pose without censorship; the stomach. And this time he adds some extra umph to the strike, aiming to knock the doctor right out of the fray!

The crowd is doing their cheering thing also; they love a good fight. And these guys are going to kick the absolute shit out of each other by the time this fight is over!

"I hate fuckin' lines!" Preston roars as he strikes. A man his size needs no lines! He towers over Asians and destroys their cities!

Hopping back after her airborn staff strike hits home, Ayame laughs lightly as Tran seems to shake off the assault with a wise crack, "Please," the girl replies, her right hand coming up to flip her hair back over her shoulder. "We're out of your league. You shouldn't even have come out here in your condition. This is a serious figh-!"

The girl gets cut off as Preston hurtles past her. Oh yeah, him, she should probably keep an eye on him rather than prattling on and on. All it would take is one clean slam from that oar to put a real hurt on anyone. Hopping back, she's relieved to see Preston has picked Tran as his target. But that means his back is to her. And Ayame is certainly not above taking the opportunity when it presents itself...

Sprinting forward after Preston, the girl leaps up into the air, her metal staff flares to life with an earthly green glow with small flickers of red near the ends. The aim is to hook the whole weapon around Preston's neck and... simply dangle against his back while trying to put the squeeze on his mighty neck! If she gets the hold in strong enough, she'll go so far as to pull her feet up and press them against his lower back while straining to pull back harder. Because with someone like Preston, staying behind him seems like the safest place to be to Ayame off hand.

Before Shihong realizes it, Tran is suddenly in her face.

Sort of; swinging his fist forward, the woman is caught in his haymaker, the weight of the skinny doctor surprisingly more than she would have figured. Struck hard, the woman lets loose a strangled noise, her body staggering back a foot and a half before she digs her heels into the stadium floor, eyes focused blearily on the ground.

A blink later, her vision focuses.

"But, oh!" the woman cries, smiling demurely as she lifts a hand to her chin. "I just find myself unable to keep my hands off of you--figuratively, of course." It may be a serious fight and he may be out of their league to Ayame, but Shihong is taking it all in stride. No harm in having a little fun, she wagers.

But for now the Chinese woman steps back a bit, keeping black eyes focused on the group at large with the tiniest of smirks on her face. She'll see where they all are when the proverbial dust settles...

COMBATSYS: Shihong focuses on her next action.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Preston          0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Tran dodges Preston's Bunting Tosser.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Preston          0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Shihong

"You don't need a line, jackass!" As the oar comes screaming in toward Tran, it seems the doctor is doomed to practically be impaled by the hugeass thing. This is not the case. Even were the oar of a design that allowed it to pierce flesh, it never makes contact. Tran artfully sways to one side, letting it swish right past him, through his coat. He is like a tiny Asian matador, magnificent in his splendor!

He's also still kinda feeling the pain from the rest of the triple assault aimed his way. It hurts. Clearly, then, the solution is for him to scamper back once again, rustling into his pockets for his ever-present, even handy medical supplies. He pops a couple pills out, tosses them into the air, and chomps them down like popcorn. Even as he does it, he swaps the bottle they were in for some salve. It soothes all wounds, heals all ills! Truly, this cream is a miracle of modern medicine, much like Dr. Tran himself!

Honestly, it's not much, but in a situation like this, every little bit helps.

COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Preston with Nocturnal Solitude.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0            Ayame
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Shihong

There's a surprised grunt coming out of Preston as his perfectly linear strike is sidestepped, as if this were some kind of three-dimensional reality and not a two-dimensional fighter! Left hopping on one foot as he fails to contact flesh with the brutal bruising and the gushing of blood, the Brit feels a presence lurking up behind him in leap-form!

An attempt to lift the oar up and block the choke fails; the staff manages to sneak into place, and the Brit rears up as the girl gets a good foothold on his back and begins choking the ever-living shit out of him.

Thus begins what may well resemble some form of bucking bronco. Gripping that energetic staff with one hand, Preston flails about in an attempt to dislodge the girl from off of his shoulders before he passes the hell out.

"Guuurrkkk-ucker! Guuurrkkk the fuurkk off meuuurk!"

Not to be confused with a Murloc, the student suddenly reaches back in an attempt to grab Ayame by the hair and deposit her face-first into the arena floor! Give him a moment, he'll do something more creative when he's not being choked out.

COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to counter Quick Throw from Preston with Light Kick.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Preston          0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Shihong

Yeah, this plan worked out better than she thought, Ayame decides, hanging on tight as Preston tries to shake her loose. Light in stature but with a firm grip, it isn't easy to just fling her off, and she's got a good position to keep herself in place on the large student. Taking one of the fighters out early will keep the confusion lower for the rest of the match after all. It's easier to keep track of two others rather than three others. "Yeah, gotcha now!" the girl declares.

Gripping the staff can prove to be a tricky matter as the ends of it are particularly hot due to the energy coursing over it. The attempts to reach her initially are met with Ayame leaning from one side to the other, playing hard to catch. One might begin to wonder if she does this sort of thing a tad too often...

But when he gets a grip on her hair he's got her at last, her longer hair a lot easier to grasp then the skinny girl. "Erk-" she squeaks, attempting to spin herself into his back so that she can slam her foot against his arm and free herself preemptively. But Preston has other plans, such as introducing her to the arena face first, and that's where Ayame lands with a pained grunt, "Oof." And there she lies for a moment, only just starting to push herself up with her hands to avoid getting trampled on in this crazy brawl.

Let's see here.

Tran is popping pills of unknown origin, possibly speed or some illicit drug, Shihong decides. And when her eyes wander, she spies Preston being strangled before grabs her like some Neanderthal and forces her to kiss the arena floor. The Chinese woman winces in sympathy. Ouch.

But still, it would seem she is left unmolested after the dust clears, causing the woman in the red cheongsam to offer a wide Cheshire's smile. Oh, this gives her free reign to pick on whoever she chooses! How wonderful.

Black eyes drift to Tran, as her feet slide beneath her. Lifting her arms, she thrusts both out, a spark of red erupting before her palms. It grows in intensity, vermillion energy flaring up, wreathing along her arms as she lets it grow.

Her eyes don't linger on Tran, however; instead, the woman's eyes turn to Ayame, giving the girl a playful smirk. Is she going to attack HER, then? It certainly seems so, as her arms move, her arms move up and ultimately around. The energy has wreathed both arms.

"HAAAAH!"

Thrusting both palms forward, she sends a huge, angry gout of vermillion-red psychic energy vaguely shaped like a dragon flying not for the tiny girl who kissed the arena, but instead for the tall, burly Brit not too far from her.

COMBATSYS: Tran successfully hits Tran with Dr. Tran - Cool Lovin.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Preston          0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0          Shihong

Unknown origin? Speed? Come on, it's just extra-strength aspirin! Unfortunately for the doctor, it doesn't feel like it helps out that much. Maybe if he hadn't taken a couple right before the match. The miracle cream only fares a little better, probably on account of how Tran's applying it an area that's only kind of bruised at best.

Ah, well. Medicine can't win 'em all, and when it fails, it falls upon Doctor Tran to take another tack. Specifically, one that involves more punchery. A quick glance at the situation, seeing as how the doctor has a moment, reveals that Preston's taking the heat now - and Shihong is just kind of standing over there, shooting overly large, mythical lizards at him. It's not that Dr. Tran cares about the other man, you understand, he just wants to make sure the hurtin' gets spread around evenly.

Therefore, it's another rush at Shihong, except this time he's just aiming for a friendly jab to, as the higher echelons of society call it, the 'breasticle.'

COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Preston with Coiled Dragon.
- Power hit! -

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0            Ayame
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0          Shihong

Getting that monkey off his back is certainly like a breath of fresh air for Preston. In fact, he inhales several big gulps of the stuff, rubbing at his throat as he rather audibly pops his Adam's apple back into place. "Fuckin' squinty bastards, always with the sly shit," he grouses, as only he can.

Of course, then he finds himself squinting at he face of an approaching dragon made of energy. Lifting his oar, he gives it a quick twist end over end, preparing to simply stand there and take the strike; he can't give up his leverage over Ayame, not right now!

But yeah, uh, that doesn't quite work as intended.

The dragon explodes right across his body like a truck. Sent stumbling backwards, his placed footing and the shift in his weight forward are about the only things that stop him from being blown clear across the arena! In the wake of that powerful strike, Preston finds himself several paces back -- and apparently he's doing an impersonation of Birdie, because he looks rather charred and black!

Wiping off the impromptu blackface, the Brit cocks his head to one side, blowing out a long strain of smoke. "Fuck that hurt a bit," he states, spending a moment to watch the insanity that unfolds -- which is to say, Tran going for yet another punch on Shihong.

For just a moment he considers intervening there, but then his gaze settles on Ayame instead. And boy, is it a tempting idea to pick on a little girl who's only just getting back up, instead of attacking the others! "Too fuckin' temptin'," he adds verbally, taking several menacing steps forward towards the relatively-diminutive girl.

Eyeing her off, he strikes with a sudden sweep of his oar -- he judges her nimble due to two things; one, she's small. And two, she's Asian. But the sweep of his oar isn't meant to catch her -- it falls short, deliberately so!

And in its wake, a crescent of chi manifest, blue-white energy that floats for but a moment before slashing forward!

Completing the swipe, Preston lifts the oar up into defensive cover. Two can play at this squinting game, he figures. Thus, he squints.

COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to reflect White Horses from Preston with Midsummer Fantasy.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0            Ayame
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0          Shihong

Still trying to get to her feet, Ayame is still just barely getting up to speed on what is all going on from the moment all she could see was the gritty floor of the arena being pressed against her cheek. Right hand coming up to wipe her face, the girl gets the rest of the way to standing. Of course, /standing/ next to Preston hardly means much in comparison.

A shadow looms over her as the Brit presses his opportunity to get another hit on the girl that tried to choke him right out of the match. Whirling around to face Preston again, it's with her right hand that she tries to strike back, palm forward, a swirl of red chi ripping out along her arm in a last second attempt to intersect the chi sent her way.

Caught before she can quite muster her defense, however, the girl is sent sliding back from the impact, not /too/ worse for the wear, but clearly shaken a bit. Tightening up her guard, Ayame hefts her staff up in front of her at an angle, bracing her legs a little, and then just /squints/ back at Preston. Not just normal squinting either, but full on 'Leave me alone or I'll do something tricky to you!!' squinting. It passes after a moment. The intimidation game doesn't really seem like the direction to go here.

Instead she smiles, "I like your style." Yes, maybe timely compliments will throw him off.

COMBATSYS: Shihong fails to interrupt Quick Punch from Tran with Savage Tiger.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0            Ayame
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0          Shihong

As Preston is struck, the woman can't help but let a lopsided smirk edge over her rouge red lips, black eyes flickering a hint of ember red as they watch him struggle against the gout of unnatural energy. That'll do, she tells herself. That'll do.

Fortunately for her, he becomes less occupied with the Chinese woman soon thereafter, taking out his frustrations on the Asian culture on poor Ayame. It draws a frown over the woman's lips, eyes hooding a touch in annoyance...before the sound of footsteps distracts her. Who is that..?

Oh right, Tran.

Turning around swiftly on her heel, the woman about-faces and meets the man eye to eye. A disciple of hurt, he's come to spread the word of pain to Shihong, who clearly looks to be wanting none of that, for as his jab punch comes flying forward, her hand attempts to lash out and grab him.

She's too slow.

As result, Tran gets a fist full of boob, and the woman wincing in obvious discomfort.

"W-what the hell, man!?" she cries, incredulous as black eyes fix on the doctor.

Direct hit! Nuclear fist has impacted a boob! And you know something? Dr. Tran doesn't see what Shihong is getting so upset about. "I...what? All I did was punch you!" Truly, the breast is as valid a target as any other part of the human body, from the face to the kneecaps.

Still, it's off-putting enough for Tran to back away, not really seeking to press whatever advantage he may have. "Whatever!" He glances over toward Ayame and Preston, noticing that they seem to be engaged in a bit of a Mexican stand-off. Since we all know what Preston probably thinks about Mexicans, it's clear that Tran's only possible target in this situation is Ayame, and so Dr. Tran Goes For It. All in caps, just like that, with a running drop kick that'll hopefully seem to just come out of nowhere. He's not even shouting a warning or anything!

"Hmph!" That would be Preston's response to being complimented. "What was that? Couldn't hear you over all that fuckin' rice in your mouth there, luv," he replies, not about to disappoint his fans by failing to take up this challenge.

It would seem that it HAS earned Ayame a reprieve, although Tran is rushing in. Rather than push the attack, he glances away, just in time to see Shihong jiggling from the attack. But wait, she's Asian! How can there be jiggle?!

Caught by this apparent paradox, the Brit spends a moment to contemplate the mysteries of life... for this is certainly one of them.

Somewhere in it all, he manages to find the answers to the universe itself, and they unlock before him. Yes, he sees what he must do now! He has found the answers to all of life's problems; war, famine, disease! He knows it all! He--

"Man I'm gettin' hungry," he verbalizes, shaking the cobwebs away as he concentrates on the matter at hand, particularly this fight!

COMBATSYS: Preston focuses on his next action.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0            Ayame
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Tran successfully hits Ayame with Heavy Kick.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0            Ayame
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0          Shihong

Ayame's smile fades just as quickly as it was forced, the girl adopting a neutral expression at first as if taking a moment to process Preston's response. Okay, yeah, that was deliberately offensive, she decides after a moment's thought. "Oh, that's real nice. And I suppose that you think that cranking out the racial obloquies I'm going to get all distracted and make it easy for you to-"

Suddenly, a drop kick out of no where! *CRUNCH* Ayame is sent flying sideways, landing with a tumble against the ground before coming to a rest. A dusty heap, she takes a moment rolling over and pushing herself back up, shaking her head, feeling a bit groggy as she whirls around to face the three fighters now that she's been knocked out of the middle of things. "Okay, yeah, I see what you did there."

A giant breath taken in, and a long exasperated sigh, and the girl readies herself once more, this time making a point to keep Tran in her line of sight as well.

COMBATSYS: Ayame gains composure.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0            Ayame
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0          Shihong

"All you did was punch me? Yeah," Shihong is a touch heated now. "Right in the breast!" Valid target or no, there's just something wrong about throwing a fist square into the woman's chest, regardless of its buoyancy or legitimacy as a target. Black eyes narrow sharply as Tran backs away from the Chinese woman, casting off her frustrations and turning his attentions elsewhere.

Shihong scoffs as result.

If Tran wants to play dirty, she decides, then she presumes turnabout is fair play. So amused by the very idea, the woman's face eases into an expression of clear amusement, lips curling at the corners of her mouth. Yes. She just need bide her time, and wait for a suitable opening...

When he takes off after Ayame, the Chinese woman follows a few seconds later. Only after his attack has found its mark and he's regained his footing does the woman come up behind him and swing a foot back, before she brings it up.

Right between Tran's legs with the shin of her lengthy leg.

And from behind?

"Oops, oh dear, I missed!!"

COMBATSYS: Tran fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Shihong with Dr. Tran Goes For Broke.
- Power fail! -

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0          Shihong

YEAH! Take that, Ayame! Two feet of FURY. Nevermind that it was essentially the grand-daddy of all sucker-punches. Er, kicks. Whatever. It hit, and it hit hard, and that's all that really matters, right? Damn right.

As Tran comes to his feet, feeling supremely satisfied with himself, he has just a moment to glipse the movement that is Shihong behind him. Not entirely surprised that she's attack, he turns about quickly, and then does what may well be the dumbest possible thing he can do in this situation.

He raises one leg almost straight up, tilting forward ever so slightly, an act which actually further exposes his precious ping-pong set. He begins a triumphant shout. "Too slo-" And then Shihong makes contact.

Suffice to say, this is not a technique that Tran tested extensively, for hopefully obvious reasons. Yet, because of this, he is rather completely unprepared for when reality hits. He freezes, acting like he's dead on his feet. His pupils dilate. And then...Dr. Tran slowly tips over, falling flat on the ground.

"Oooh, did you just kick him right in the junk?" Preston could easily retire from this work of fightin' 'round the world and become a commentator; he's really good at it, isn't he! But the racist commentary would get him fired very swiftly. It would be the sweetest paycheck ever though. He wanders over, to stare down at Tran.

Ayame actually called it like it is, but the Brit isn't about to reveal the psychological edge he tries to take into every single battle! If they knew he secretly read to sick patients at Southtown Hospital, why, it would be the end of him as a serious, competitive fighter!

To that extent, he attempts to strike fear right into the heart of all combatants here, by doing the one thing that's seemingly so unthinkable.

In a burst of speed, Preston Alistair Wellington the II tries to kick Shihong Mao right in the junk. And he's not wearing any shoes.

This is indeed ad game of Rochambeau.

Given a moment to get a real good look at what the hell is going on this fight, Ayame is staring right at Tran for a moment as he gets back to his feet following his painful drop kick. The smug look on his face is met with a faint scowl that she holds perfectly well even as she notices Shihong coming to catch the bandaged man from behind. And the girl gets her vicarious vengeance as the well dressed woman delivers a staggering strike, dropping Tran to the ground.

Well, all right then! Shifting her gaze to Preston again, her grip on her staff tightens, expecting him to veer off and send another attack her way now that he's had a moment to dish out the commentary that everyone loves except for the actual fighters themselves. "Cocky fellow, isn't he," the girl mutters. For a moment she wishes she was giant like him, so she could stomp around the battle field like a titan let loose on the tiny people that populate it. Yeah. That would be pretty sweet.

Left alone for a brief moment, however, is all the opportunity the girl needs to fall back on one of her other tricks. It was an unassuming friendly monk that taught her the knack for manipulating chi in an entirely different way that she had before. What can be used to attack can also be used to build strength, and it is in that way that the girl draws in heavily from the world around her, a multicolored manifestation of chi made visible swirling around her legs and up around her, a brief whirlwind that passes as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her more invigorated in its wake.

COMBATSYS: Ayame gathers her will.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Shihong just-defends Preston's Light Kick!

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0          Shihong

"oh for the love of god my kingdom for an icepack" That is exactly what Tran says, and exactly how he says, once he has recovered sufficiently from his unfortunate encounter with Shihong's leg. This is not to say he has entirely recovered, because he hasn't. It takes a little bit longer for him to get to his feet, sucking in air like he had the wind knocked out of him.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'm okay, okay." It almost sounds like he's trying to convince himself. To help the process along, Tran takes a few uneasy, staggering steps back, and then takes a deep breath. He holds it for a minute, and then lets it out. In, out. In, out. The air ripples, evidence that it's not just air that's circulating around the doctor.

"Alright." Tran shakes his head quickly to shake off the last of that unpleasant experience. "Back in business, here we go, one two." He's saying it, but he's still not jumping back into the fray. Perhaps a little caution's been beaten into him?

COMBATSYS: Tran gathers his will.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Preston          1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0          Shihong

It's merciless. It's cold. It's kind of harsh too. Did he deserve it?

Shihong would say yes. Others might disagree.

Black eyes watch as her leg impacts and ultimately topples the mighty Tran, the poor man falling flat to the ground at her feet. Drawing her leg back, Shihong sets her heel down once more, hands resting on her hips as she just eyes the felled doctor carefully. She opens her mouth, red lips about to speak in response to the man...

But Preston cuts her off. Eyes move, peering up at the imposing Englishman with a curious expression, lips pulling into a thin line. "What does it look like?" she asks of Preston, head tilting to one side in mild but genuine curiosity.

Curiosity that is suddenly replaced with surprise, as that burly youth comes sprinting right for her. The woman's eyes go wide, mouth slightly agape in disbelief. How is that even possible, for someone as broad as him to come moving so swiftly.

And then a leg moves, a foot that's disgustingly bare swinging right for her questionable junk. But just before his foot can land home, the woman is a blur of red. His leg touches nothing--

Except the woman's hands, as she plants them on his extended leg, as if he were some gymnast's bar. The Chinese woman is handstanding right on his damn leg, and unfortunate for Preston, has her legs pinned tightly together. No pantsu for you, English!

"Well, if you want to touch so badly," the woman chimes, peering up at the Brit. A wink follows.

"Okay~"

Legs suddenly erupt with energy, a blur of motion as they move frompinching her dress carefully in place to whipping forward, right for Preston's meaty neck. Leglocking him around the throat, if she's so fortunate, the woman will grab hold while her legs are ON FIRE and drop her weight back with a spiraling twist, to bring her back down to the ground and ultimately slam Preston's face into the arena floor with a burst of red psychic energy. Not quite her norm, but she can only do so much with herself in such a pinch.

COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Preston with Strutting Crow.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Preston          1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0          Shihong

What is it with people not letting Preston touch them today! Let him touch them! Let Sasha and he touch them! Ok so his oar isn't named Sasha, and he's no burly Heavy Weapons Guy, but he sure packs a punch.

But not right now. Shihong gets the better of him, hand-springing onto that offending leg. "What the..." the boy murmurs, looking from those shapely legs to the woman's face as she winks at him. And then the Asian shaves her legs the easy way, with psycho power!

He sees those legs come crashing down for him, and he's only got one word. Funnily enough, it finishes his earlier sentence:

"Fuck."

Wham! The legs slam down onto each shoulder, snapping shut around his neck. And then she twists, driving him face-first down into the floor. There's a heavy grunt from him as he impacts, a mighty timber with an awful long way to fall. And fall he has, his face smushing into the ground, kind of like--oh wait, there are no pictures of Preston to link, clearly someone should draw him!

In any event, he grunts again before he spits out dirt from the arena floor. "Fuckin' fucker should hire better help to clean the floors," he mumbles, not entirely sure he has all of his teeth at this stage. Regardless, he pushes himself back up -- and then springs right up into the air!

While up there, his hazel gaze locks on a target; Ayame. The ground beneath her swells with a sudden eruption of chi, a geyser of water-laced energy springing into existence like a fountain in an attempt to lift the girl sky-high!

And if she's that unlucky, she'll meet Preston while he's up there, the boy wanting to drive her back to earth by ramming her square in the tummy with that oar of his!

COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Azimuth Circle from Preston with Bright Renewal.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Preston          0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0          Shihong

Exhaling softly as the chi she drew into her seems to fade away, but it's power remains in the girl, imbuing her with a brief spike in insight, speed, timing, and awareness of the ebb and flow of chi around her. Aware enough to notice that there's a second swath of power gathering beneath her feet, this time /not/ channeled by her. "What the-" Having not fought a whole lot of fighters with the kind of control it takes to force chi up out of the ground, but also not entirely unexperienced with it, the girl doesn't stick around to find out what's going on.

Attention snapping to Preston, with another requisit narrow eyed glare, Ayame springs off of the point, taking to the air just before the geyser would have enveloped her. It's fortuitous that the Brit has chosen to meet her up there, because she's every bit ready for him, hefting her staff up over her head more like an executioner's axe...

To bring it crashing down atop his head, the girl using the leverage provided by the attack to flip forward through the air and spring back down to the arena floor, landing with a soft grunt in a half crouch, having come out of that close call unscathed but severely winded for the effort.

Rising slowly back to standing, she glances over her shoulder toward Preston, her right hand coming up to brush her hair back behind her ear as she works on getting her breathing back under control, "Water chi, eh? Ecchi." A shake of her head as she lowers her hand back to her staff, hefting it back into a ready position. This match is not over yet, by any means.

With one sharp twist and a pair of lethal fiery legs, Shihong introduces him to the floor of Howard Arena.

But she doesn't linger long. After a burst erupts and jars the poor Englishman, Shihong immediately untwines her legs and rolls aside, pulling herself swiftly to her feet with a push of her arms. And once she's back on those three inch heels, black eyes look down at her dusty cheongsam.

The Chinese woman sighs and dusts herself off.

She only becomes distracted when Preston summons up watery chi right for poor Ayame. The outcome is...curious to say the least. So curious the woman tilts her head to one side and offers a slight 'huh' in response.

Eyes turn to Tran soon thereafter, the man finally back on his legs after a brutal nut strike. But Shihong has no intentions of racing right for him. Instead the woman closes her eyes and inhales a deep breath, a sudden and odd glow around her form at her feet as she focuses inwardly as she bides her time carefully...

COMBATSYS: Shihong gathers her will.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Preston          0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Shihong

Truly, women just can't stop looking at Dr. Tran. Evidently, they are more than capable of staying away from him for short period of time, at least, as evidenced by the continued breathing room the doctor is given. Perhaps a time of respite, given in honor of brave soliders who have fallen in this terrible battle? If so, it's clearly over, as it seems rather obvious that things are about to rise to the fabled 'next level'. It is like a truer, more powerful version of 'go time', a challenge that Dr. Tran will surely rise up to!

If only the two women weren't so intimidating. The doctor doesn't really want to have to deal with either of them at this moment, but at the same time, he doesn't want to kick Preston while he's down. It's time to man up, Dr. Tran.

Since Shihong in particular seems to be focusing on him, influenced in no way whatsoever by past events I assure you, Tran makes a beeline toward Ayame, trying to catch her off-guard again, this time with a simple, quick one-two series of punches while she's focused on Preston. After all, look at the guy. It's easy to focus on people that fill over half of your field of vision.

Let it be noted at this stage that Preston is big-boned. And muscular. There's probably only a small percentage of fat on the guy, and it's likely located right in the... oar.

Speaking of, his attempt to swat Ayame out of the air and practically impale her onto the arena floor goes horribly awry. The girl springs up, and he thinks his timing is off--he thinks that HE is the one responsible for that lift, and boy is he mistaken when her staff comes crashing down onto the crown of his skull.

Tumbling out of the air, he lands with a heavy thud. And there the boy lies, opting to catch his breath, legs spread out to each side as he recalls that he really hated this belt the first time around and that fighting for it a second time may not have been the greatest of ideas.

Clarity only comes in such moments to him, when the red haze he typically stares at recedes like Tran's hairline. Yeah, he metaposed it, you wanna fight about it?

COMBATSYS: Preston gains composure.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Tran's Quick Punch.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Shihong

Preston doesn't press his attack, giving Ayame the chance to focus, yes, entirely on Tran, denying him the opportunity to catch her off guard this time. "I'm surprised you can still walk," she smirks back, shifting her staff into the way to intersect the majority of his attacks, feet slipping all the same as if she wasn't quite as grounded as she would like to have been.

"Where did you come from, anyway? I know that guy back there won a belt in this thing before, and, well, Miss Mao has won a fair number of matches, but... who the hell are you?" Apparently she never got the memo that she actually worked with this guy under the same boss at Blackjack... And Tran's legendary matches are before she ever took interest in this fighting matches. In Ayame's eyes, he's just some bandaged up guy they threw out here for pitty points and groin kicks from one of the premiere kickers in this tier!

But now that Tran's within striking range, Ayame isn't going to pass up the opportunity, lunging forward with a sweep of her staff, trying to trip Tran up and drive him back to the ground. Maybe all the women just prefer that he quit getting back up?

Distracted by her own ministrations, Shihong just focuses on that energy swelling around her. It's not a technique she's too familiar with, but it gets the job she needs to accomplish done. And when those black eyes finally lift and settle on Tran, he's...avoiding her. Perhaps rightfully so, at that.

It brings a tiny grin to the woman's lips.

At Ayame's observation, the woman chuckles softly. It's a miracle she didn't wind up knocking the poor guy out, and part of her is thankful she didn't use the toe of her heel. That could have ended very, very badly for the doctor, who now appears to have an Ayame on his hands. That can't bode well!

What's Shihong to do? Preston's looking worse for wear and those two are locked up with one another for the moment. Idly, she bites at her bottom lip. Hmm. This IS a free-for-all...

The woman moves suddenly and swiftly, weaving around the two wide as she circles. And once she's behind Ayame, the woman charges forward and leaps, her body throwing a flying side kick for the girl's back before she pushes off and upwards, her body flipping midair before she brings her heel down for the girl's shoulder.

"Sorry, Ayame~!" She's not a traitor in a free-for-all, is she? ...is she??

COMBATSYS: Tran blocks Ayame's Medium Strike.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Shihong

In response to Ayame, we once again turn to a old folk saying regarding Dr. Tran. 'The ladies are always astounded by Dr. Tran's endurance.' Think about it. Yeah, that's right.

"Hah! Who am I? I should ask who the hell are you!" A quick retort from the doctor. Evidently, the ignorance goes both ways. Amazing the things you miss, the things that miss you, when you spend a few months completely cut off from civilization. Still, Dr. Tran is at heart a gentleman, so he'll give her an answer. Of sorts, at least. Once he finishes fending off Ayame's latest attack.

When her staff sweeps forward toward his legs, Dr. Tran is braced and ready - it smacks against his shins, sending a jolt of pain shooting up his spine, but for the most part he's okay. "If you're really curious, find out for yourself!" It's almost like it's helpful! One thing that may genuinely be helpful, on the other hand, is when the doctor rushes at Ayame again - and then bobs right past her, throwing a quick flurry of jabs at Shihong even as she completes her attack.

Why do old folks have that to say about Tran?! Preston doesn't want to know what the good doctor does during house calls to the elderly. "Man, why the hell am I suddenly thinking about that?" the boy wonders as he clambers back to his feet. The fact that he's still up and going may surprise the others -- but they're presently too busy fighting each other!

Not about to be left out, the Brit stretches to his full height, bulging his muscles out as he trots over to join the fun. They don't get that way on their own~!

"Hey, heads up!"

It's the only warning Tran's going to get as he executes those punches. The oar swings in blade-first, aimed to clip the good doctor right upside the head -- and perhaps send him head-first into Shihong's flat valley!

COMBATSYS: Ayame dodges Shihong's Change-Up Kick.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Ayame has saved the state of this fight.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tran             1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Ayame has left the fight here.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1          Shihong
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tran             1/--=====/=======|

Ayame twitches at Tran's non-answer but when he makes a move to zip by for another target, she spins to the side giving him plenty of space to do so, a bit suspicious about how unpredictable he seems to be. The spin also gives her the chance to see Shihong's sneak attack from the side, though the called out apology kinda helps too.

A quick skip back puts her out of range of that attack, leaving the girl unphased but for the effort put into getting out of the way. While she could retaliate against Shihong, the girl's attention has shifted back to the largest participant by a long shot. Shihong's attention is probably still on her after from her attack, but Preston seems to have it in for the doctor now.

"You seem like the type that likes to draw attention to yourself," Ayame remarks as Preston powers on by in pursuit of Tran. "Think that just because you're giant, you're something special." she continues, darting in after him, banking on the hypothesis that Preston can't shift his momentum as quickly as the rest of the fighters here.

"Especially handy for doing this, I /suppose/!" Jumping up from behind, the girl attempts to use the large Brit's back as a ramp to stomp her way up and over his shoulders in order to flip forward and land back down on the other side of him, spinning mid-air to land with her staff already raised up into a defensive position.

COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Tran's Dr. Tran's Buttle Punch.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             1/-======/=======|=======\===----\1          Shihong

Sneak attack? How can it be if she calls out to apologize?

Regardless, the woman's kick fails to meet the girl's body, and as result the woman lands, lips pulling into a thin line across her face. Black eyes drift aside, peering at the smaller girl whose attentions shift back onto the most British of the four.

That's about when Tran makes his appearance. Turning to face the man, the brunt of his attack is absorbed as she crosses her arms, punches meeting flesh and dampening what could have been a pretty mean sucker punch.

"Aww, did you miss me~?" the Chinese woman wonders, before she snaps a leg out swiftly, a quick checking kick aimed for his stomach as she snaps the bottom of her heeled shoes right for the doctor! "Don't worry, I could never forget you!"

COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Tran with Fierce Strike.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Tran blocks Shihong's Short Kick.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Ayame
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1          Shihong

It's rather unfortunate for Tran that he kind of forgot about Preston. As it turns out, AS IT TURNS OUT, the big man is big. Really big. All those muscles aren't for show, as evidenced when his oar or whatever the hell smacks directly into the middle of Dr. Tran's backside. It catches him right as he's about to make a snappy remark to Shihong about something, maybe. At least his arms were already in position to diffuse part of the pain of her kick, so that doesn't go too badly for him.

He still goes tumbling, though, no doubt right past Shihong, until he finally comes to a pained halt. Seriously though, he was /rolling/. Like some kind of Asian soccerball. It's not enough to keep him down, though - Dr. Tran is made of tougher stuff than that. And come to think of it, when it's not tough enough, the doctor has other ways of coping. As evidenced when coughs a couple of times, and then explodes into a cloud of thick, concealing steam. Grunts of pain, muffled shuffling, and various other noises emanate from within. Just...just what is he doing in there?

COMBATSYS: Preston endures Ayame's Light Kick.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Preston          0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1            Ayame
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1          Shihong

It's very much satisfying to feel that oar hitting so very hard into an opponent; even if it is into Dr. Tran's Meaty Buttocks. But that's alright, since Preston doesn't care where he hits -- only that he knows they're feeling the pain from the strike.

But there's an annoying buzz in his ears, and it's annoying him. The voice belongs to Ayame, and she's again trying to wrap her mind around him -- and in this case, stamp her feet all over his back. He stands and takes it, watching as she leaps over him and takes up a defensive stance.

"Unless you want me to get all racially motivated to Godzilla your ass, I'd suggest you try a little less psychotherapy in the middle of a free-for-all," the Brit advises the smaller opposition, before opting to Godzilla her ass.

Despite the defensive stance she holds, he seeks to break it; he closes what little gap lies between them in a quick stride, swinging his oar in to break her guard. All he needs is that staff to move just a fraction so he can capitalize, and boy does he seek to capitalize. The gap crunches into non-existence as he surges forward, aiming to make Ayame's head disappear into his underarm -- as he follows-through with a thundering clothesline, aimed to send the girl flying!

COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Ayame with Running Rigging.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1            Ayame
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1          Shihong

Ayame quickly has her theories on Preston's mobility put to rest as he comes barreling in toward her. No time to even prattle something of that's going to just make her even more deserving of getting trampled, the girl attempts to defend with her staff at first but the momentum behind Preston's strike is enough to remove that defense handily.

A desperate panic has the girl trying to speed out of the way as a backup option but there's no escaping the incoming sweeping arm... pit. Simple mathmatics will make it easy to figure out the outcome of that exchange of force as Ayame is sent flying several yards like a human torpedo.

Crash landing with a tumble, she loses her staff somewhere in the landing, the weapon rolling off to the side, but for a long moment it seems to be irrelevant as Ayame might just be out of commision. "Ugh," the girl grunts after a moment, hands planting against the ground as she starts to push herself up, shaking her head, "Lucky hit." she spits to the side, ignoring the blood mingled within the expectorant.

First order of business as she starts to get up is to find her staff, which she sets about immediately, squinting some as her vision slowly clears. Though looking pretty unsteady on her feet, it might be a safe bet to consider some of that might be for show...

COMBATSYS: Ayame focuses on her next action.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1            Ayame
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1          Shihong

When Tran goes tumbling, Shihong offers him a look of mild confusion. Sure, Preston hit him hard, but was it really THAT hard? He tumbles past, Shihong's expression puzzled as she watches him come to a halt a short distance away. And soon...there's some odd steam around him, his form concealed in the depths of it. What the hell..?

Shihong shakes her head three times. "I don't get it," she confesses quietly, shrugging her shoulders.

But soon enough, a smile paints its way over her thin red lips, black eyes delighted. "Oh, please don't hide from me~!" the Chinese woman calls, making a beeline right for the steam. Once she's close enough the woman hops toward the steam and twirls, a leg snapping out for a three-sixty degree turning kick. Should it land, a second quick kick of her sharp heel to the chest (or what she can hit) follows, and ultimately concludes with a fierce side kick in the same direction.

"HI-YAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Tran successfully hits Tran with Dr. Tran Sets Them Straight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1            Ayame
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Tran blocks Shihong's Prancing Stag.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1            Ayame
[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tran             0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1          Shihong

"Who's hiding?!" As Shihong closes in, the large cloud of steam gives up the ghost, so to speak, revealing Dr. Tran, looking slightly better than he did before. A certain gleam in his eye, a bit more confidence in his stance. Just what DID he do in there? Whatever it was, it seems he did it quick enough to be able to see Shihong incoming and then deal with it. Each kick is met by the doctor's arms, the combo punishing them and not more...tender parts. There's probably going to be bruises from it tomorrow, regardless.

Hell, there's going to be bruises everywhere. Honestly, at this point, it's kind of amazing in itself that Dr. Tran is not a giant, walking bruise. That is not enough to keep him from fighting on! "I was just making sure I looked handsome enough!" And if anyone says otherwise, like Shihong perhaps, Dr. Tran will just haul back and kick them apart. Like Shihong perhaps.

Oh yeah, that's the spot. There's really nothing like armpit clothes-lining a frail (relatively) little girl and seeing her tumbling off into the sunset. Even if said sunset is only a few yards away. It's still satisfying.

Flexing his shoulder after the strike, Preston waves his oar as he lets loose a hearty laugh. "Ahh, that was good, I hope you learned your lesson," he muses, momentarily seeing himself as a figure of authority. But then, that just ain't his bag, baby, yeah! "Time to spread the pain," he murmurs, apparently willing to give Ayame a chance to gather her wits after that devastating strike.

Turning away, he watches the little circus between Shihong and Tran develops further. Then he figures, he may as well back... no, wait. He squints at the air around Tran. All that steam, it's almost as if... "Are you fuckin' havin' a sauna?" he questions loudly, apparently annoyed by this. "Now isn't the fuckin' time to be havin' a fuckin' steam bath, son! When are you gonna take this shit seriously!" Oh, the pot calls the kettle very black.

Thus, what WAS going to be pain for Shihong is apparently going to be pain for Tran instead. While the two play fisticuffs, he simply strolls up and simply seeks to grab Tran by the back of the neck with those big, simple fingers of his. Naturally, the problem simply escalates, as simple shards of white-blue chi manifest around him, aiming to slam forward and splash into Tran's torso with sharp impact force! Maybe he'll be a walking bruise yet.

Fishing her staff off the ground once she finally stumbles across it, Ayame glares back at Preston. "Big dumb gaijin," she mutters beneath her breath, not so bold to shout anything back at him now. The last remark had her introduced to his armpit and she's not eager for a repeat encounter.

Spinning her staff up to her shoulder, the girl has the chance to take in the big picture view of the fight, having just been sent flying clean out of it after all, and it isn't long before her attention focuses on Shihong. The Chinese woman had been fairing rather well the whole fight, much as Ayame would have expected of her, having had multiple chances to fight alongside and against her before this match.

Breathing in deeply, she decides to test herself against the woman once more. Tightening her hold on her titanium staff, Ayame gets her wits together well enough to charge forward, holding the weapon out at her side at first, before sweeping it up and over her head for a spinning slam toward Shihong's shoulder. She doesn't call out her attack, making it a sneak attack for reals! And should she get through the woman's experienced defense, she'll follow up by spinning back around the other way, aiming to collide the weapon with her side almost like a baseball bat!

COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Tran's Heavy Kick.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1            Ayame
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Ayame's Fierce Strike.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1            Ayame
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1          Shihong

Who's hiding? "Why, you are!" the woman cries, charging that steam, even as it gives up the proverbial ghost to reveal the source: Tran himself. Grinning, the woman makes her move, legs lashing out furiously to drive into his body. Instead, they meet only arms, eyes widening a touch before she softly pouts, the tiniest hints of a smile on her lips.

When he amends his question with a statement, the Chinese woman laughs brightly, a hand lifting as she takes a few steps back and grins. "Oh, for me? Why, you shouldn't have, mister Tran. I am so flattered!" A breathless sigh escapes her, shoulders falling as she smiles.

That's when Preston strolls past her peripheral, earning him a bemused look as he saunters right toward Tran and attempts to splash water on him. The Chinese woman, in kind, wonders how such an attack can possibly be effected. ...ultimately, however, she shrugs--at least until Tran's kicking at the lady. Her arms lift and drop, intercepting the kick between her palms. She smiles, lips parting as she begins to speak--

But Ayame cuts her short, the girl's staff sweeping around and up, crashing down toward her shoulder. Immediately an arm whips up and intercepts the blow on her forearm before she twists it and intercepts the other swing, a wince drawing over her pale features. "Ow..."

It doesn't hinder the woman completely; instead she whips a leg around and hooks it, attempting to snare poor Ayame by the neck and send her reeling to the side with a surprisingly amiable grin on her red lips.

COMBATSYS: Tran dodges Preston's Cape Horn Fever.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1            Ayame
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1          Shihong

"Hah! If I was hiding, how come you found me so fast, eh!?" It's almost like there's an actual train of logic there. Almost. That Shihong really is such a charmer, though. Tran almost regrets trying to kick her apart. Again, almost, this time because she has made a fatal error. "MISTER Tran?"

Tran looks supremely indignant as he almost offhandedly ducks out of the way of Preston's grasping hands. To hell with that water crap, the doctor has business to attend to! Spurnful business! "I'll have you know I'm a doctor!" He points a finger accusingly at Shihong, and then turns his head slightly toward Preston. "And you, shove off." And then Tran shoves him, lightly planting one hand against the Brit's sternum. Yeah. That'll work great.

COMBATSYS: Preston fails to interrupt Quick Throw from Tran with Queen's Regulations.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1            Ayame
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1          Shihong

Apparently yeah, that DOES work great. Preston, having missed his first attempt to simply squeeze the guy to death, seeks to swing the oar three times and put a stop to Tran and his ill-found illegal ill-moral doctor ways.

Instead, he's pushed back, left wondering why that actually hurt as much as it did when it was just a shove to the chest. "Fuckin' weird quack," he muses, because that must be the answer to this dilemma.

COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Medium Kick from Shihong with Final Solstice.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0            Ayame
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2          Shihong

The two strikes are fended off skillfully for Shihong, but as she strikes back at the weapons maven she might very well be kicking right back into a trap set up by the girl. The warning is impossibly swift to catch though as Ayame draws her weapon back, siding it up at an angle to intersect Mao's kick intended to hook her neck right beneath the knee.

The entire weapon flairs to life with a vibrant, bright red aura that burns on contact, especially near the ends where it's particularly heated. The other end of the staff is brought low in order to take Shihong's other leg out from beneath her, Ayame taking no chances in the savy fighter getting a kick off before she has finished her combination...

And in the end she steps back and spins around once again, landing to final strikes, a small discharge of chi at each point of impact to add damage to the blows. It's a brutal series of strikes against someone she's come to respect, but... she /did/ leave the blades retracted at least!

"I never said it was a very GOOD hiding place," the woman quips back, recovering from her failed attempts to strike down poor Tran. A moment later Preston's trying to scrub the poor doctor clean of his filthy sauna habits. The Chinese woman pouts in turn, black eyes half-lidded as she watches the Brit and doctor engage one another.

A shrug follows. "FINE, doctor Tran," she calls out with a grin, before swinging a leg at Ayame.

Big mistake, clearly!

Her kick intercepted, the woman's face is alight with bemusement. How on earth..? But before she can efficiently react and strike the girl down, the pole ignites, a furious burst of energy washing over it and soon enough Shihong is flat on her back, staring up at the girl with a pained expression. MORE so when the pole jams itself repeatedly into the woman's body, leaving her prone and feeling very sore.

Very.

"Uuugh," Peeling herself off the ground, the woman staggers back, long, spidery fingertips pressing into her forehead as she takes a moment to try and shake off the dizziness and pain in her body, murmuring quietly to herself in her native tongue.

COMBATSYS: Shihong gains composure.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0            Ayame
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1          Shihong

For your information, a sauna is quite hygenic! It's cleansing for the body and soul! Well, maybe not. If that were true, by now Dr. Tran would have a soul as clean and sparkly as a nun or something. Clearly, this is not the case.

Status of his spirit aside, Dr. Tran barely even notices Preston's attempt to beat him silly. Instead, he just finishes up with his little, highly ineffectual shove, and then moves on to bigger and better things. Or, well. Considering Preston's size, better things. The ladies are definately much easier on the eyes, though. So it only makes sense for him to beat the shit out of one of them. "Well, I guess I can forgive you." He grins, and then runs at pair, except then Ayame beats the shit out of Shihong. Tran falters for a moment, and then presses onward. With any luck, he can catch Ayame off-guard after her vicious assault with a quick shot to head!

Preston is not without his charms. He really isn't! Physically appealing to those who are into big, muscle men, the brute is left with nobody to dance with. So for the moment he just stands there, and scratches at the back of his head. Taking a deep breath in, he can feel that he's pretty damn tired. The adrenalin is wearing off, and it's about time he moves onto plan B.

That would be to take down as many people as he can with him.

Judging Tran to be in the best shape out of those remaining, he again presses the attack. With a mighty yawn to serve as his battle cry, he brings the oar into action again, slanting it across his shoulders as his horribly dirty foot stomps forward to try and catch Tran right in the back of the head! If only he was drinking coffee at the time.

COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to counter Quick Punch from Tran with Quick Throw.

[                         \\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0            Ayame
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tran             1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Ayame can no longer fight.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1          Shihong
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tran             1/-------/=======|

The series of strikes against Shihong took everything Ayame had left in her, the chi along her weapon flickering out like a flame that's lost it's fuel as the girl ceases to channel anything into it. Cool, impassive, but clearly winded, the girl whirls around in time to see Tran's incoming strike.

The bandaged doctor is already too close for her to heft her staff up into an intersecting position, but Ayame takes a different approach to contend with him all the same, right hand snapping out, attempting to grab a hold of his forearm and simply flip him over her shoulder with his forward momentum working against him.

But her fingers only just get in position at about the same time his fist finds her face. Socked square between the eyes, her hand slips off of Tran's arm, the girl staggering backward, a dazed, bewildered look crossing her features as if she can't figure out how he managed to strike her when she was clearly ready to handle it!

"Huh..." she mumbles, "Not bad..." Her vision slips away and the girl collapses to the dirt, landing on her side.

Forgiven by Tran, the Chinese woman offers a weak smile up at the man, her expression hinted with amusement as he speaks. But before she can properly respond to the man, Tran is charging toward Ayame and herself, earning him a wide-eyed look of confusion. Is he going to attack the woman, after having forgiven her for apologizing?? What a cruel world..!

But soon it becomes clear: Shihong isn't Tran's target? Instead the doctor makes his move for Ayame. At the same time, Preston comes charging in and lifts a leg, to kick the poor guy upside his head. It honestly leaves Shihong puzzled once again. What an odd fight she's been thrust into, the Chinese woman decides then and there.

But it's been a lot of fun. She pauses briefly to smooth the front of her red cheongsam.

Hopping back and away from the three as they duke it out, Shihong takes cover at the proverbial sidelines. Crouching slightly, her long legs tense like a tightly-wound coil, black eyes flickering with hints of red as she observes silently. Gone is the playful smirk on her lips, and in its place a tight line crawls over her pale face. Eyes drift from Tran to Preston, and then...Tran.

Leaping forward, the woman sprints toward the doctor, legs igniting with intense, vermillion-red psychic energy. Her body twists just as she closes in, fiery legs flipping as she performs not one, but two aerial cartwheels, legs crashing toward the doctor with each rotation. At the second, however, she pauses, crouching low in front of him before she flips back, both fiery heels aimed to sock the poor man in the jaw, a burst of power to aid him in sailing high into the arena sky.

COMBATSYS: Shihong successfully hits Tran with Vermillion Sparrow EX.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0          Shihong
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tran             1/----===/=======|

COMBATSYS: Tran endures Preston's Light Kick.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0          Shihong
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tran             1/---====/=======|

It has, indeed, been fun. Fun enough to kill a yak. Fun enough to kill ten yaks! As many yaks as you can bring! An infinite number of yaks! Yet sadly, like all good things, it must come to an end. It seems that both Shihong and Preston are intent on making it sooner rather than later, as they both come after The Man himself, Dr. Tran, fresh from delivering the finishing blow on Ayame. "I'm glad you approve." He doesn't have time to gloat, though. Time is at a premium with that much collective ass-kicking coming his way. Clearly, then, he has no choice - it's time to show the world just what Dr. Tran is made of.

"Alright! COME ON, THEN!" Tran throws one hand straight up into the air in preparation, and takes a step toward Shihong, subtly altering the timing of what he has to deal with. It may have been a mistake, in retrospect, as she then proceeds to pretty much beat the liviing shit out of him. The last backflip sends Tran airborne, but even so, he keeps control of himself, landing just in time to meet the grody-ass foot of Preston.

Again, possibly a mistake. God knows where that foot's been, the smell alone! Ugh! It's enough to drive a man crazy, which is evidently just what happens. Not budging an inch from the kick, Tran screams. "YEEEEEEEEEARGH!" His hand moves down to clutch at his chest, and then he rips his shirt off with a wide, sweeping backhanded motion, revealing the heavily bandaged, bleeding in several places mess underneath. The arc of the swing might even catch Preston, too, which would definately be a bonus.

COMBATSYS: Tran successfully hits Preston with Dr. Tran Takes Off His Top.

[                          \\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Preston          1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0          Shihong
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Tran             0/-------/-======|

Felled by a shirt.

This is not Preston's finest moment. Nor is it slated to be Tran's, considering all of the diseases that exist within the tall brute's toes. That may have been toe-jam that come off during that strike. It just may have been.

But that shirt comes through and it catches Preston, whipped with enough force to apparently cause damage!! "Ugh, what the fuck," the Brit laments this sudden change of affairs, as he finds himself falling forward.

A large shadow envelopes Tran. Will the doctor avoid a falling timber?

Either way, Preston's going to have a snooze on the arena floor.

COMBATSYS: Preston can no longer fight.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tran             0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0          Shihong

The woman's body flips, heels catching and hooking poor Tran in the jaw, coupled with an angry red burst of psychic energy that only serves to launch the man higher above. And as if to add insult to injury, he's kicked by a dirty bare foot. That's just nasty--but it isn't on her mind.

Instead the woman lands in a low crouch, the lapel of her cheongsam fluttering back into place before she rises in one fluid motion. Despite the look of utter calm that resides upon her fair features, beneath the facade is an adrenaline-raddled woman on the brink of collapse. She's tired and she's pushed herself to the brink, and now...she's faced with one person.

A very shirtless, very bandaged Dr. Tran.

"Those bandages," she observes, lifting a finger to point at his bloodied chest. "You should change them soon. You might risk infection." She pauses, that lifted finger turning as she softly taps her chin. "Then again, you're DOCTOR Tran, so I'm sure you were aware of that." A low, pleasant chuckle follows, a playful grin edging over her lips.

And then Preston begins to fall on poor Tran. That's when Shihong makes her move.

Springing to action, the woman dashes a few feet before she leaps high and brings her legs up, coiling them tightly to her chest as her body ignites with energy. When she lands, she intends to do so right in front of Tran, both legs shooting out harshly to crash painfully into his shins, before her legs swing up and bring her into a handstand, each heel clipping poor Tran's chi in with a mix of painful vermillion energy and the force of her heels into his jaw. Again.

Her legs immediately fall- -a bit more hurried than usual, no thanks to her cheongsam. Oh my!

COMBATSYS: Tran dodges Preston's Medium Strike.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Tran             0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0          Shihong

COMBATSYS: Tran blocks Shihong's Coiled Serpent.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Tran             0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0          Shihong

Falling on someone as an attack has its advantages and disadvantages. On the upside, if you're doing it you're probably huge, and that means if it hits it'll hurt like the dickens. This brings into view the downside, which is that it takes for-freaking-ever for you to actually get there. Dr. Tran, his heart pumping like mad at this point, feels a little bit like the world is moving in slow motion. Maybe it's because he also feels like he's about to die.

Whether or not he'll survive the fight, win or lose, Tran hasn't come this far to deal with even more of Preston's nasty personal hygiene. He quickly dashes away, letting loose the tattered remains of his shirt, directly toward Shihong. As she leaps into the air and begins her attack, he can't help but grin again. "I'm risking a whole hell of a lot more than infection." Even if Tran had the spare strength to keep talking, Shihong's attack prevents him from doing so. At first, because of the concentration required to plant his feet properly for the shin-kicks, and then afterward because her shot at his chin is intercepted by his open palms. They still smack into his jaw, though.

And even though she's hurried as she finishes, Tran's quick to try to press the advantage, any advantage, slim though it may be at this point. He lunges forward, hand extended for the woman's throat, seeking a solid grip with which to yank upward. The push-off is just enough to get someone off the ground, and at that point, he'll follow up with a spinning kick to send her packing.

COMBATSYS: Shihong blocks Tran's 3 2 1...Dr Tran.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Tran             0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0          Shihong

His words seemingly fall upon deaf ears, as the woman charges in the last throes of the fight. He braces himself against the strikes, securing a suitable defense for her particularly nasty, psychically-imbued offense, and comes out still relatively in once piece. As for Shihong? She rises swiftly, hands hurriedly pinning her cheongsam's front and back into place. This attire and this particular venue have not been kind.

Somehow, she's maintained her modesty.

When she looks up, she spies the man coming in, a hand raised for her throat. Immediately she sweeps an arm up and intercepts, eyes wide before she leaps out of dodge, avoiding the really painful could-have-been's of Tran's attack. A smile soon crawls over her lips, eyes hooding in amusement.

"So, if you're a doctor, where'd you go to school?" she asks, almost casually. This is sad moments before a hand lashes out and attempts to grab HIM and, should she successfully grab hold, CLIMBS the front of Tran in those awful heels, to linger high above him while wrenching his arm in place. A split second later her legs ignite and fiery stilettos slam DOWN, to shove Tran face-first into the arena floor with a horrible burst of psychic fire.

COMBATSYS: Tran interrupts Savage Tiger from Shihong with Dr. Tran's Buttle Punch EX.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Tran             0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0          Shihong

Really, what a woman. Sexy, smart, not jailbait, not arbitrarily hateful toward anybody with a dick...maybe Tran's biased, but he can't help but find himself liking Shihong. Just a tad. Don't tell anyone.

Of course, that won't keep him from beating the shit out of her.

"Now's really not the time, is it?" It's his only response to her, just before she comes in and tries to use him as a highly abuseable stepladder. Tran accepts it, at first. When she's halfway up, he wrenches his body around, breaking her hold on one arm even while his other comes around to clobber her in a rather awkward clothesline. He tightens up after that, delivering a suprisingly precise series of punches to Shihong's entire upperbody, before backing away hesitantly, hands held up protectively.

"There's always time for conversation!" the woman calls, making her charge and grabbing his arm. At first things go according to how she plans, and those stiletto heels of hers lodge against Tran's midsection as she begins to climb. But it's midway something odd happens. He wrenches his arm free of her grasp and, with the opposite hand, punches her repeatedly in the torso. It stuns the woman, her body breaking free of its climb as she stumbles back and away, mouth agape.

How..??

Her pale features soon melt into an expression of amusement, black eyes half-lidded in delight. Thin red lips grin a Cheshire's grin, long fingers at her side twitching slightly, curling into her palms as she struggles for a breath.

"...was curious, is all," Shihong adds.

Breathing in deeply, the woman calls upon her last reserves, pressing an attack as best she can. At her side a hand flares with red energy, growing brighter as she zeroes in on Tran and, at the last possible second, thrusts it toward his stomach, causing that spark to erupt right into his stomach...before the woman staggers a few steps and lands on her knees, exhausted.

COMBATSYS: Shihong can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Tran dodges Shihong's Swallow's Wings.

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

"Not this time." Swaying slightly from the continued exertion, Tran tries to focus his every sense on Shihong, trying to anticipate anything else she might have coming. Thankfully, this time, it works out pretty well. The woman's final flare of energy pulses, but Dr. Tran isn't there for it to make contact with him, having hurriedly pushed backward, just out of reach. He stumbles slightly, then catches himself.

Making sure he's in the clear, he straightens, coughs up a few specks of blood, and then finishes, "Ask me again later." Then he smiles faintly, raises a hand to the roaring crowd, and hopes to god that he doesn't pass out.

COMBATSYS: Tran has ended the fight here.

Log created on 23:32:52 03/29/2008 by Tran, and last modified on 16:23:59 04/01/2008.