Description: Another SNF, another instance when people confuse poor Sakura Kasugano's gender. Will it ever end?? Can face-punchings, collateral damage and fireballs fix these horrible mistakes? ...probably not. (Winner: Sakura)
Home Depot hasn't had a whole lot of luck outside of the United States. They started a branch in Southtown, largely because of the Western-style population and their relatively high incomes... but even it has hit a bit of a slump in recent years. All the more reason to stage a promotional event!
Some of the participants of this event might not be, uh, helping their profits, but any publicity's good publicity for a store of this nature. One of the participants is here surprisingly early -- mostly because she'd been conscripted into running errands! As the SNF cameramen roll into position, Sakura Kasugano is waiting at the checkout of the lawn and garden counter with a big ol' bag of potting soil. Just a wee bit irritable at having to pick stuff up for her mother right before a match, she forks over the cash for the purchase before slinging the bag over her shoulder. "Mmm, thanks! I'll run this out to my dad then I'll be right back..." she notes to the nearest SNF official, before making a light jog for the front exit. CAN SHE MAKE IT IN TIME?!
Who the hell schedules a fight at Home Depot?
Idly mulling over the absurdity of the idea, Grigori Yakushevic stands outside of the sprawling home improvement store, arms folded casually over his barrel-like chest. Around and about him people move to and fro, exiting and entering the shop at leisure for their home improvement needs, and for the chance to catch the fight itself. It's a great day to be a consumer!
But the Russian could care less. Instead, pale blue eyes search the people who come and go, particularly for good looking ladies to harass. Unfortunately for the man, there are very few, and those who earn his eye are met with a few awful pick-up lines. He earns himself a few slaps, but it's all good.
Eventually the man is waved down by a SNF official, to whom the man offers a distantly puzzled look. Nevermind the petite red handprint across his cheek, or the young woman who angrily storms off with her chin held high in annoyance.
And just when he steps inside...there's Sakura.
Impact earns the Russian a low grunt, eyes widening a fraction before his gaze slowly drops, peering at the girl with her bag of potting soil. For a solid minute the man just stares with a quizzical look on his cold features.
"Oh, excuse me little boy," he offers in a thick accent, a large hand reaching up to gently push the poor fighter away. "I have fight to get to. Be on your way, da?" What a jerk!
But whatever Sakura's response, the man ambles away, toward the store proper where the fight-to-be is scheduled, a bored expression on his face as he stares at the massive stacks of lumber piled at the far end of the store.
"Heh, that is lot of wood."
Birdie's here as well. Why? How!? Think of the children! No, screw the children! It makes no difference as the brawler stands outside, looking towards both entrances. Two entrances? Yes. At first, he looks towards the front enterance. Scratching his head, he wonders if he could get there. And then he looks towards the trucking entrance where all the big things go.
Birdie momentarily is delayed. Which entrance is very important for fighters, and here, he's got a simple thought of how to fix this. If Katana was here he'd already know that the front enterance with a truck would be it, so Birdie takes the other enterance.
Climbing up through the supply entrance, the large brawler from Britain makes his way through, pushing through the stock room, the back room and busting his way in through the back, crashing open the dual swinging doors as he makes he way inward.
As he makes his way through the stoor, he notes exactly what isle is what when he needs something to beat on the little girls skull. He idly makes note of hammers, two by fours, bathroom sets, tiles and we cannot forgot the kitchen sink. This place has it all.
Who the hell wouldn't schedule a fight in a Home Depot?!
"'Ello, gents!" Birdie waves towards the SNF officials and two other fighters in tandem like he's a regular (which he is, working for Geese and all), "We enjoyin' a little of the ol' brawling, yeah? Let's bloody well get it started then! Hah!" The towering monolith states, as he hunches over a litte, just to get down to size. He lives for these.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Birdie has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Birdie
COMBATSYS: Grigori has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Birdie
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Grigori
Sakura, running into someone? Not all that unusual, really... especially when she's in a big hurry! But why in the heck did the SNF official tell that guy to walk in the out door? Isn't it clearly marked? *oof* "Oh... hey, sorry about that..." she apologizes, looking up at the friggin HUGE guy. "I wasn't..."
... Really, Sakura really ought to /expect/ folks to confuse her for a boy: she's wearing a totally shapeless hoodie and blue jeans, and she's lugging around a big honkin' bag of potting soil like it ain't no thing. Not to mention the fact that, between her short hair and her figure (lack thereof), she just plain -looks like a boy-.
Tomboys have feelings too though! And when she's called a boy, then told to push off, and then called a 'gent' by Birdie all in the space of a moment... well, it's bound to tick off the brash Ansatsuken fighter! A quick glance is spared to the SNF officials leading the man in -- and he'd just =said= he was scheduled for a fight.
"Aw /heck/ no!" she shouts, gripping the bag tightly with both hands. "Your fight's right /here/, pal!" One split second later, she's swinging herself around, aiming to slam that bag of potting soil right into the 6'5"-ish Russian with all her might! "HYAAAAA!"
... Hopefully the cameras were rolling! It's not like they'll =stop= the fight, after all...
COMBATSYS: Grigori fails to counter Random Weapon from Sakura with Haures.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
Walking away from Sakura, the Russian minds his own business, presuming that he's run into yet another consumer that is just in his way. He has a fight to get to, after all, and that kid is just in his way as far as he's aware!
So, shoving his hands into his jeans, Grigori simply admires the mountains of lumber--at least until the large British guy calls out in his general direction. Glancing toward the man, he offers him a light nod before lifting a hand up and giving him a half-hearted wave at best, the corners of his lips half-twitching into a discreet smirk.
"Ah, privet," he replies as his hand sinks back into his pockets. "You must be the guy I am supposed to fight with, da? Where is girl? I was told some girl was supposed to fight?" He pauses briefly afterwards, pale eyes half-lidded in obvious amusement before he adds, "Two guys versus one girl? Seems unfair to me."
It's about then and there a shrill cry echoes throughout the department store, causing Grigori's face to twist into a look of confusion. He eyes Birdie briefly before he shrugs helplessly. "You hear something?" he asks.
When Sakura finally closes in the man turns around- -and completely at the wrong time, too. Because when he finally faces the girl in question, he's got a face FULL of potting soil with enough oomph behind it to send the man FLYING through the air a good ten plus feet. He only stops when he strikes a stack of lumber back-first.
"Is not girl," the man mutters, turning his head to cough loudly as he struggles to pull himself out of the pile of now-splintered lumber. "That is man. What trickery is this fight??" Because Sakura sure doesn't hit like a girl.
Birdie looks towards what's happening. Apparently the other large man mistook Sakura for something of a little child. Alright, sure. Birdie can see that. He let out a chuckle as the girl awkwardly pulls up the bag and swings it around towards Grigori. But something's wrong about it all. Oh damn is that what he thinks? Wow. He hasn't seen a bag of dirt used that effectively in a while.
Well, Birdie sniffs a bit. "That warms my heart to see something like that. Heh." Birdie states with a grin. "Hahaha. That's rich, bloke. I thought we were supposed to fight a girl." Birdie states in all seriousness, even after the bag's used as a weapon. He's not even able to speak up about the potting soil. "Yeah. I fought some girl that looked like a boy too before." Birdie snorts, "Let's just say I gained a little respect for our so called bloody better halfs, eh? No going easy on them!" Birdie cries as he moves in, even as the bag is swung around.
To do what?! SIMPLE. Birdie's actually grabbing some nice heavy duty measuring tape, and reaching about Sakura, actually attempting to get to the other side. "Hah, you're a shrimp!" Birdie exclaims as he looks towards the measurement, and if he got it right, he'll probably tug both Sakura and the tape, up, around, and into a nice display of batteries. For battery, of course.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Birdie's Quick Throw.
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Sakura 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
So... this Russian's crowing about how Sakura doesn't hit like a girl, and Birdie is too! ... Okay, maybe he's =not=, but Sakura's a bit overly sensitive about that particular topic! She really ought to be used to it by now, but OH WELL.
"Man, you're =way= overdue for a lesson in manners!" she snaps, slinging the bag back onto her shoulder. Yes, this is coming from someone who just ran into a guy without really paying attention.
But she doesn't have the luxury of saying much else though, as Birdie's coming up behind her with some measuring tape. The Ansatsuken fighter manages to spin around on her heel at just the right moment to pull away -- but not =totally= away, as her arm still gets snared by the metal tape. "Yeow!" she howls -- that sharp edge can sting!
But thanks to only her arm getting snared, she has a bit more control as she's hurled overhead; she's able to kick herself about so that she lands mostly on her feet. But what about the battery display? ... Well, she'd forgotten all about that bag of soil that was on her shoulder -- =it= goes flying into the battery display in lieu of herself, sending a shower of AAs, Cs, and Ds every which way.
"... Oops!" she exclaims, looking up at Birdie as she extricates her arm from the measuring tape lasso. "Well, hi to you too!" she chirps once she gets her bearings... and that's about all the time it takes before the hooded one is charging forward with a dropkick aimed at knocking the British brawler into a cash register! "Hyyyyyaah!"
"No going easy..?" the man mutters in response to Birdie as he rises to his feet. Once back on his legs, the man lets out a low grunt of annoyance, a hand reaching up and rubbing at his broad shoulder before moving to his back, large fingers absently nursing the horrible pain echoing in his lower back. That's going to stick. Not to mention the burning in his face--now a lively shade of red, enhanced only by the trickle of blood that oozes from a nostril.
"Heh, I'll take advice, I think," he ultimately replies. But when Sakura tells him he's due for a lesson in manners, the man's eyes narrow in amusement, lips twitching into a discreet smirk. "You are second person in week to say that. You are like princess-boy from last week. He said same thing. I shall explain: Grigori does not need manners."
Birdie handles the girl well enough, and as results happens to get the girl's attention. Deciding now is as good a time as any to move in for the proverbial kill, Grigori charges forward just behind the young fighter and attempts to grab her by the hood of her sweater and pull down hard, to take the Japanese girl to the floor head-first!
"Here is manners for you!! Gya ha ha ha!"
COMBATSYS: Birdie blocks Sakura's Strong Kick.
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Sakura 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
Manners? ... What's that? Is that like, what rich people live in? Man. Birdie wishes he had some mannors. Or was a king or something to live in a manner. You know? Don't we all wish we were somewhat kings or something? Yeah.
Still, while Birdie's momentarily thinking exactly what and which does this or that, he gets to see tht, for one, well, Sakura seems to be enjoying the fight! This is like the second girl he's fought! Okay, that's a lie. Birdie's fought a lot of girls, but not a girl this strong before. Is Geese pullin' a joke? Cause he is a funny fellow that Geese.
"Haw haw! Hey, not my fault! Sorry chick-a-dee!" Birdie calls as he watches her crash into the batteries, and then thrown them right off. "Wow. Uh. What isle is this?" Birdie wonders as Sakura chirps a hi. Birdie just... uh, waves, "Hi?" And then she charges forward with a drop kick?! Birdie's hands come up to stop it. It's really hard to not see it coming. Really. But he still doubles back a little, crashing into the register. And that's when the cash drawer kicks out with a 'TING' reading 'NO SALE'.
"Hah! You'll have to have more cents than think I'd be so easily spent, but lets brawl!" Birdie calls, actually ripping a rack of magazines out and using the rack as a sort of bronze knuckle. Whatever they're made of. Aluminum Knuckles? Still, he's driving a punch right towards her with the whole rack.
"Like magazines?! They're all yours!" HUUGGAAAAAWRRHHH.
COMBATSYS: Birdie successfully hits Sakura with Fierce Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Sakura parries Grigori's Medium Throw!
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
Ever since that interview, Sakura Kasugano's been all over the tabloids and magazines! And now, those same magazines are all over her! *CLANG* "Aaaagh!" she howls, deluged by both the racks and the magazines that belch forth, sent skidding across the store floor! "H... hey, I never signed a release for this..." she gripes, plucking a magazine off her face and slinging it aside.
Right about then, the suitably distracted girl slams into the paint counter, shoulder-first. "Nngh..." she groans, plucking herself up from the counter... just in time to see Grigori rushing over at her! "H-hey, that's not very nice at all!" she quips, leaping back, and then triangle-jumping right over top of the Russian, leaping clear over him to the other side!
But while she's in flight, she's also curling her arms to her side in a move most of the fans at home ought to be able to identify on sight! "Here, got somethin' for you too!" By the time she lands, a rather sizable orb of blue-white chi has formed in her hands -- one which she's all too eager to usher on towards Birdie. "HADOOOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Birdie with Large Hadouken EX.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
What? What's that giant ball of energy coming towards him? Oh, that's a plane! No wait, that's not a plane at all! That's a ginourmous ball of chioh dear god. Birdie's too hopped up on clanging Sakura with the magazine rack to even care. "Hahahah!" He calls when Sakura's sent skidding. That's one for the books! Hahaha!
But it's not going to kee it up like that it seems, because when she flies around, Birdie can only see that Sakura is coming for him with powerful pain of hurtyness. Mid air. The ball of chi sear through the air, and when it strikes Birdie, even with his MASSIVE CHEST OUT, he's not able to beat it?! Yeah. It's sort of IMPRESSIVE. "Wha. Damn that hurts." Birdie sneers, looking up towards Sakura. He's bleeding as he falls backwards, rolling to a skid in a bunch of boxes. He doesn't get up. Well, immediately anyways.
Because right after, towering out of the boxes, the man has something. Another object?! A metal pipe. And he hurls it towards Sakura. "I didn't order any hadokens, chick-a-dee!" Birdie sneers, "The hell you thinking sending me it?!"
When Grigori reaches for Sakura...she's suddenly not there.
In fact, the boy-girl is jumping off of the man and into the air, a swell of blue-white energy in her hands and growing in mass and size. Briefly the Russian pales, his blue eyes wide before he does what's probably wise--he steps back a few feet, giving himself distance between Birdie and Sakura, as the girl (??) launches that sphere right for him.
"What is a Hay-Doo-Ken?" the man asks aloud to himself, a puzzled expression on his face as he lifts a hand and absently wipes the blood off of his face. Flicking his hand aside, the Russian offers a faint sneer of amusement before he laughs.
"Does not matter none to me. Is fight, will fight. LET US FIGHT!"
With a charge forward the Russian attempts to sack the poor girl in a takedown, to pin her to the floor of Home Depot and...punch her a few times in the face with a laugh.
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Birdie's Thrown Object.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Grigori successfully hits Sakura with Combo Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Birdie
> ///////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Grigori
Kasugano snickers as the big burly Brit barrels backwards from her bright blue ball of flames, brushing the back of her hand across her nose. Really, she's not as upset with Birdie as much as she is with Grigori -- sure, they both called her a boy, but at least Birdie seems to be taking her as a serious threat! "Haha, yeah! I =do= practice these things, y'know!"
Though he seems to be getting a bit more angry himself! The hell was she thinking? "Well you were too far away for me to--" Sakura doesn't get to finish, though, as the metal pipe is now whistling towards her! ... And with a brief sidestep, it's now whistling =past= her. "Haha! All's fair in Saturday Night Fight, guys!"
Of course, 'fair' means 'double-teaming' in this handicap match, and while her evasion brought her out of the way of the pipe, it also put her dangerously close to Grigori, who's able to snare the nimble youngster before she can flit away -- and then punch her in the face a few times for good measure! "Nngh!" she nnghs, head ratcheting back with each successive strike.
But far be Sakura from helpless, even now... for there's a can of paint nearby, knocked off the counter from Sakura's collision with it mere moments ago! Flailing about from her pinned position, she reaches for the nearest can ... and aims to slam it right into Grigori's head with a resounding clang!
Birdie watches as his pipe flies towards... and then over Sakura! All his careful planning... ruined?! Most positively. And he just looks at Sakura. Just stares as one might imagine. Yes this is truely the Sakura that Ryu trained, or somethng like that. It was so Sakura that Birdie couldn't even hit her ith a pipe!? TERRIBLE.
Still, Birdie has a plan. Oh does he have a plan! And it involves... hey wait you're attacking the other man? "Yeah, I bet you do." Birdie states as he makes his way towards Sakura, the larger man hefting his weight across the ground, even as she gets tackled by Grigori. Obviously this tag team approach was working well. Excellent.
"Hah! Lets see what you can do!" Birdie exclaims as he throws himself at Sakura without even a moment of rest. Just right off the mat, Birdie throws himself. Across the ground and towards the woman, scampering with his head down, aimed to charge into Sakura without a second thought. With his head! Most definitely his head.
COMBATSYS: Grigori blocks Sakura's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
Poor Grigori. It was an innocent misunderstanding! It's not the first time someone has mistaken poor Kasugano for the opposite sex, after all. Why is he being so hated on??
Regardless of the girl's dislike for the Russian, he barrels forward and slams the poor girl to the ground as she weaves out of the way of Birdie's flung metal pipe, taking her down and climbing atop her. Rudely he punches her in the face a few times like a true gentleman, sitting there with a huge, toothy smirk on his cold face. But just as he reels back and attempts to smack her one more time she flails...
And swings a paint can right at his face?
Lifting a forearm, he lets the thing crash into his arm, the result of which draws a low grunt from the man as his arm sings. For some little scrawny boy-like girl, the girl can hit like a truck. How discerning. "Whatever happened to steroid checks?" he wonders, climbing off the girl. Good thing, too; a moment later Birdie is attempting to throw himself head-first at her.
Grigori just...rolls his head on his neck with a grunt and wanders back to lumber, where he picks up a huge, sturdy piece and wanders back with every intention of slamming it fiercely right atop poor Kasugano's skull.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Birdie's Bull Head.
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Sakura 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Grigori's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
Oof! The Russian seems to shrug that paint can off like it was nothing... at least until he mentions how -strong- Sakura is. She tends to forget how much she'd been practicing, so it comes as a pleasant surprise to hear those particular words from Grigori. Steroids? Leaping back to her feet, she chirps, "Why, thank you! You really know how to treat a lady," her face swelling from repeated applications of knuckles. They cleanse and exfoliate?!
Meanwhile, with Grigori lumbering off, Birdie's in the process of making up for lost pipe! Kasugano turns to face him, and ... finds he's ahead of the game? Leaping backwards, she throws her arms in front of her face for defense. When Birdie's mohawked skull collides with her forearms, though, it =still= manages to knock her backwards, her elbow slamming into an endcap and sending its contents -- a half-dozen table lamps -- showering to the floor.
But the lamps aren't all she has to worry about, because Grigori's closing in with his two-by-four! Lumber? Plank you very much! But Kasugano's not in the mood to accept the present at this time... so she makes a dive for the floor. And the table lamps! "Heh, not bad, guys..." she comments, springing out of her roll to pick up one of the lamps. "Let's shine some light on this situation!" she cries, surging forward all of a sudden -- while swinging the metal lamp upwards like a cudgel in an attempt to knock his block off! "HYAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Birdie with Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sakura 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
You know those days, those days that noting seem to really work right? Well Birdie's having some of them right now. He's just looking right towards Sakura even as she stops the brute, and thinking, hey, what the heck could he possibly do here, right? She's pretty quick. Everything he's trying is just getting either stopped or flung towards the side.
Well damn, that's really getting hard to actually deal with. But then Birdie's just looking towards Sakura, only to find out that a metal lamp towards his head all but sends him hurdling backwards from the strike. He just falls head over heels as he topples like a black mountain, rolling across the ground. In the end, Birdie comes to a stop with a really red mark on his forhead and an imprint in the lamp.
"Augh. Damn now my head's all ringing." Birdie snorts. "It's time to get you back for that, chick-a-dee. I don't care what my partner does, but damn I'm going t have to show you that you're messin' with the wrong bull." And then Birdie just explodes forward. Running across the floor once more, he doesn't even plan on using weapons. What he does plan on though is quite simple.
That would be the large, spiking headed hairpiece that's like an axe, used to run it into Sakura, and if he manages to tackle her, LARGE PUNCHES. Attempting to keep her down. Yeah that'll do.
"...what?"
When Sakura takes his insult as a compliment, the burly Russian looks truly surprised, his mouth slightly agape in response. That was supposed to be a mean comment! She was supposed to get insulted and angry at him for being so rude! But instead...she THANKS him?
"Is crazy." He lifts a hand and absently rubs at the back of his thick neck, pale blue eyes drawing shut as he grunts and idly shakes his head. This girl definitely has issues, aside from punching like a truck. It doesn't help she has an awful sense of humor, what with the lamp swinging and all.
Grigori lifts his head and glances toward Birdie as he recovers, warning Sakura. It draws a thin sneer over the Russian's lips, eyes narrowing as he turns his eyes back onto Sakura. That's when the black Brit charges hair-first at the girl like a bull in a China shop. Or home improvement store; whichever.
He doesn't hesitate to give Sakura time to breathe; he lunges in as well, attempting to seize the girl with the opportunity arises and slip one arm between her legs, the other hefting her up by the neck...before he'll kneel down sharply and drag her with, attempting to crash her back into the top side of the Russian's knee with a loud, guttural yell of:
"HRRRAGH!!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Grigori's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sakura 1/--=====/=======|====---\-------\0 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Birdie successfully hits Sakura with The Birdie.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Sakura 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
Well... Sakura sees two people offering to strike her at once! Oh, decisions, decisions! The tricky part here is judging Birdie's momentum -- she knows he's big, but how fast can he be? At any rate, with Grigori there, there's only one way out -- back into the lighting section! So she leaps backwards...
Well, she manages to clear herself from Grigori's grasp, but Birdie keeps going, and going, and going like a pink drumming bunny! Wham! Caught in midair by Birdie's big ol' head, she gets slammed back down into the boxes of really /pricey/ lamps, shards of fragile vacuum-formed metal and glass shattering, forming a veritable mist of stuff that really ought not be breathed in! But still, Sakura has more pressing concerns: for the second time in this fight she's being held down for a schoolyard knockout, bashed into the floor by a barrage of punches!
Just messin up her face an' everything! When the barrage finally ends, Sakura kicks herself some leeway... and spits blood, brushing her jaw with the back of her hand. "Geez, guys, it's not like I'm dissin' your mothers or nothin'..." Still managing to keep a smile about her, she winks back at Grigori. "Just hold on a moment, I got plenty of crazy for you =next=."
It's at this point that Kasugano drops right back to the ground, hoping to catch Birdie in the shins with a low spin kick. But not just =any= spin kick -- she'll be spinning her leg about her like a rotor blade, hoping to catch him with four hard heel kicks, before rising to send him flying off into housewares with a massive roundhouse kick! "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! HAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Birdie fails to interrupt Haru Ichiban from Sakura with Bull Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
Sakura 1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Birdie
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Birdie can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Grigori
Now, thre are things where people actally try to save themselves over and over and over again. Well, guess who isn't one of those people? Birdie. He doesn't give no damns about what's going on, he'll beat the ever living hell out of someone for fun or he'll go down trying. And here is definitely one of those go down trying kind of things.
Still, as he rushes into Sakura, well, Birdie just finds out that, if anything, she can be hurt. But that doesn't mean that Sakura can't run him into the ground and strike at his shins! HIS WEAK POINT. Birdie feels the strike crack into his shins and he just hunkers down, moving to catch her in his head as she comes up... but instead, she kicks kicks and kicks even harder, breaking his gaurd simply and sending him flying, even as he tries to push into her grasp!
Woosh. Birdie bombers as he crashes into housewares. It's a terrible occurence, but it just seems that it's not going right for him! Still, he's out.
It's up to Grigori! Birdie, well, "Augh. Bloke ya know what. Ya don't hit harder than that, uh, other girl. Hotaru? Y-yeah." Birdie states before falling out cold.
He doesn't mention Hotaru breaks easier.
She has crazy for him next?
"Oh, I don't know," he replies, lips curling into a light smirk as he stands his ground, simply observing the Japanese girl as she winks. Slipping his hands into his pockets, the smirk grows broader as he hoods his eyes. "Do you think you can handle me?" Especially after getting beaten almost half to death by Birdie. That couldn't have felt good.
A finger lifts, however, pointing toward Birdie. "Plus I has company."
Or at least he once had a partner.
The girl moves, assaulting Birdie with a barrage of swift kicks that catch the poor guy, ultimately sending the poor Brit sailing for all the pretty housewares that get crushed beneath his massive weight. The Russian stands there for a moment, pale eyes observing Birdie as he speaks before he slowly turns his attention back to Sakura.
"Like I was saying," he says casually, not at all ruffled by the sudden turn of events. "I am still here."
Rushing forward, Grigori attempt to lift a booted foot up and, with a fierce thrust, aims it right for the middle of Sakura's stomach, to give her a hearty shove backwards. "HRRAGH!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Grigori's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Grigori
After attacking Birdie's weak point for massive damage, Kasugano rises back to her feet. Only now... she's panting just a bit more than before. The battle's starting to take its toll on the smartaleck Seijyun student!
Of course, Grigori won't be giving her a breather -- she's got a very strong reason to leap out of the way! She does so -- but this time she's getting help, by grabbing onto the blade of an overhead fan! Swinging freely to safety, she lands on top of a shelf a fair distance away, crouching like a monkey as she grins back at Grigori. "Oh, good..." she starts to comment...
Before glancing back to Birdie. "... Oh, uh... yeah! But at least I know when to hold back!" Is Sakura implying that Hotaru =doesn't?= ... Yeah, she's still a bit sore about that. But she doesn't have time to chit-chat, lest poor Grigori get bored or something. "Oh, hey, yeah..." she starts, turning to him with a grin. "How long've you been fighting, anyway? Got any fans yet?" Right at that moment, she kicks downward sharply from her crouch -- which looses a ceiling fan (all boxed up and ready for checkout) from the shelf, sending it hurtling towards the Russian!
COMBATSYS: Grigori blocks Sakura's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Sakura 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Grigori
Foiled again??
His leg shoots out, but it meets only emptiness. Briefly the man looks puzzled, his brows knitting slightly before he slowly looks upwards. There he spies the girl hanging from a fan, before she swings off and lands on the shelving out of harm's way. The Russian scoffs.
How bothersome!
Scowling darkly, the man just glares up at Sakura, even as she makes casual small talk. Without hesitating she just kicks the fan off the shelf, to which he responds with a sneer. Bracing himself, the man's arm lashes out, intercepting the incoming, fiercely knocking it aside with a deep grunt. It sends a sting down his arm, his shoulder briefly numb. How can a girl hit so hard?
Are all girls in Southtown on steroids? He really thinks so.
"It not matter," the man replies, rolling his head on his shoulders. "I fight to get better." One day, he'll have revenge. But that remains his secret. "This?" Lifting his large arms, the Russian gestures outwards, smirking broadly. "Is all practice." Even if the odds are terribly against him.
Scrambling into motion, Grigori pursues the girl by climbing the shelving, knocking all sorts of wares off in the process before reaching the top. Only then will the man charge forward and attempt to snare the girl by her hoodie and throw her the heck off of it with a savage smile.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Fast Throw from Grigori with Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1 Grigori
With Birdie out of the running -- or SO SHE THINKS -- the schoolgirl feels comfortable changing her tactics a bit. She no longer has to look behind her all the time, so she can focus on giving Grigori the attention he deserves, as he's been waiting patiently all fight just to get her back for the topsoil sneak attack! "Well, good! You're gonna get lots better fighting me then!" At least he has a positive outlook on things... for that deceptively sadistic smile, anyway!
But she'd be foolish to just crouch there and wait for him. No, when he starts climbing up there after her, she starts skulking back cautiously. "You know, it's not safe for old guys to be climbing up here..." she cautions, "The shelves could break!"
And when he finally lunges for her hoodie, she steps backwards twice too many times, and falls, proving her own point!
... Except that she meant to do that! Her leading arm gets wrenched about by Grigori in the process, but her feet land on a lower shelf... and she's able to bring her other fist to bear in a rapidly rising uppercut! "SHOOOOU'OOOU KEN!" she cries, planting her fist right in the Russian's jaw, and quite possibly sending him soaring into the thicket of ceiling fans!
This kid is insane, Grigori decides. She thinks she can help him get 'lots better' at fighting? As he scrambles up the shelving he just laughs at her comment, scaling the metal shelves with reckless ease before he leaps up. Face to face with the schoolgirl of questionable gender in that outfit, the man's lips pull into a smirk.
"Old? Old?? Hardly. If you want, I can show you I am young in more ways than one," the elder man promises, brows lifting as he lightly wags them toward the tomboy fighter. A split second later he's tearing off for her with every intention of tossing her off the shelves from such precarious heights!
And then--bam. Right in the kisser.
Uppercutted fiercely, the man flies upwards into the ceiling fans above, his broad form soaring with the greatest of ease...before he lands at the distant end of the shelving with a heavy, very meaty THUD that dents his end of the metal shelving. Groaning slightly, the man pulls himself up and shakes his head, a hand rubbing gingerly at his horribly aching jaw. He tastes blood...
"Alright, króshka," he offers, smirking darkly. "Is time to stop fooling a-round."
With a burst of speed the Russian charges forward, closing in the distance between himself and Sakura there atop the shelves. Only when he's dangerously close does he swing a fist, driving his calloused knuckles right into her throat to stun her. A leg sweeps out in tandem, to take her feet out from underneath her. Why?
Well, should Sakura fall the Russian suddenly LEAPS up high...before he comes down HARD on the girl's chest with all two-hundred and forty-seven pounds of meat and muscle. Not to mention very hard heels of his Italian leather boots.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Grigori's Asmodeus.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Grigori
Birdie had suggested they not go easy on the girl, and she believes she's proving him right! Still, she /can/ be grossed out when he talks about certain things, right? Ew. Just friggin' EWWW. For once, Sakura has no words to reply, just a pale expression of abject horror.
Which makes socking him with an uppercut all the sweeter, really! Kasugano grins faintly as the mercenary goes flying... why, yes, she /can/ teach him a few things! But the shelves are probably not going to take much more of this, and Sakura knows it... but before she can leap down, Grigori's already on her! Miraculously, her forearms snap up to deflect his knuckles /away/ from her neck -- though, man, does that sting! Her legs get swept out though, as she wasn't expecting it... laying her out flat on the shelving!
But that high jump gives her just enough time to log-roll off to the side, letting her fall off the shelving system before those Italian leather boots can crash down. She doesn't make a =pretty= landing, but her fate is better than that of the shelves -- a brief bump and a misstep as she hits the floor, as opposed to =complete annihilation= of the shelving system as it collapses under the weight of one very massive Russian's heels! Metal warps, cardboard and styrofoam explode, fragmented ceiling fan blades go flying every which way...
And Sakura, she starts a beeline for the plumbing section while all that's going on! By the time Grigori's done making a wreck of the shelves, she's a fair distance away... and curling her hands to one side. "Yeah, maybe I =should= think about getting serious..." she smirks, as her fingers curl around a rapidly-growing sphere of energy. She squints her eyes to focus on the Russian, fatigue threatening to shut those eyes further... and when the moment is right, she thrusts her hands forward. A shockwave of blue energy rushes forth, threatening to make the decimated ceiling fan aisle even more of a mess -- with Grigori at the epicenter. "HADOOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Grigori with Medium Hadouken.
[ \\\\\ < > /// ]
Sakura 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Grigori
When Grigori's feet descend, they fail to meet the familiar crush of flesh and bone. Instead, those heavy boots crash into the metal shelving with all his weight, the massive thing groaning painfully and slowly buckling from the top down. The entire thing begins to fall down in an accordion-like mess, product spilling out from all angles and causing someone in the management department to have an aneurysm.
That's going to cost them.
But falling painfully is the last thing on Grigori's mind. Instead he watches as the girl roll down and ultimately hit the floor as he falls with the shelving. When he hops off, the man rolls his head on his shoulders, popping his neck loudly. A laugh follows, as Sakura stands, collecting that sphere of energy.
"I am tired of the lights show. Please! Come with real fighting, not that energy shit."
Too bad that shit hurts. A LOT.
Lifting large arms, the man intends to let the blast crash into his arms and prevent him from taking the full brunt. Instead, Grigori completely underestimates Sakura's chi-strength and, as a result, the blast knocks the man clear off his feet, right into a shelf full of various plumbing supplies. He doesn't stir...not immediately.
Groaning loudly, he rises like the dead, peeling himself off of denting shelves and busted porcelain products, pale eyes glaring at the girl ahead of him...or girls. He thinks and swears he seeks five Sakuras--a quick shake of his head briefly clears it up. Groan turns to growl, as pale eyes narrow deeply, lips pulling back over his teeth.
And then he's off to an imaginary starting gun. Barreling for Sakura, he lashes out, attempting to grab her by the arm...
COMBATSYS: Grigori can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Grigori's Belial.
[ \\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
Instead, he misses and falls flat on his face, to dream a dream where women don't reject his horrible advances.
What a wonderful world...
If the store didn't want damage, they shouldn't have invited fighters to play! As it is... well, Howard Enterprises will take care of the costs... right?
"... Oh, c'mon! One for you, one for him! I was going easy on you, pops!" comes the girl's ready retort, as she dusts her hands off in the wake of her fearsome blue fireball. "And I didn't even break out the special ones..." she laments, with a fat lower lip for melodramatic effect. ( It goes nicely with the fat upper lip and bruises Grigori and Birdie dealt her... )
Still... she can't stand a whole lot more fighting at this point. Her stance is definitely sagging, compared to her nimbleness just a few minutes ago... but that won't exactly stop her from pulling on the bins of PVC pipes, spilling them all over the aisle. Environmental hazards?!
Just to be safe though, she backs away, readying her defenses for the mercenary barreling towards her. When he leaps, she hops backwards, keeping her guard raised...
It seems she juuuust squeaked out okay. Staring down at the fallen warriro, she lets out a huge sigh of relief, alternately clenching and relaxing her fists as a side effect of the adrenaline coursing through her system. She could just as easily be right on the floor, as well; she recognizes the role luck had to play in her fight tonight.
That still won't stop her from talking trash though. "Yeah, that's right! A /girl/ beat you /both/. And don't you forget it!" Sticking out her tongue for a moment, she turns around and walks off with about as much dignity as one can muster after /that/ display. ... Sakura can be a real -jerk- sometimes!
With SNF medics rushing in to clean up... Sakura gets about halfway to the next aisle before she mutters irritably, "... darnit! I guess I gotta buy another bag of topsoil..."
COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.
[ \\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:15:18 04/04/2008 by Grigori, and last modified on 00:29:17 04/11/2008.