Description: Zach and Sakurai throw down in a Metro City subway station. Explosions of youthful vigor ensue! (Winner: Sakura)
Neo League organizers have a strange sense of humor sometimes. Variety sells, though, and there's no variety in showing the same twenty places over and over again, even if you do have several hundred matches on the books.
So Sakura Kasugano is here in Metro City. Dressed in a dark-blue Seijyun uniform under harsh subway lighting. The back walls of the subway tunnel can barely be seen; the subway terminal itself doesn't even see much use. Not many people even live near this part of the city these days. So if something happened to Sakura or her opponent, who would be around to see it?
Aside from the Neo League official, the camera and lighting crews, and the staff medics, of course.
Coughing into her fist, Kasugano looks into the camera. Squinting, she peers up to see her reflection in the lens. "Is this thing on?" She starts to reach her knuckles up to rap on the lens, but the camera operator is quick to stop her. "Geez, how much longer is it gonna be?"
Zach makes his way into the subway tunnel slowly, half as if he excepts something to jump at him from the shadows. He steps onto the platform with a certain amount of finality as he watches Sakura poke at the camera. He grins faintly; humor in the face of an uncomfortable situation is always helpful, he has heard. There are few places on earth that would make Zach more uncomfortable than Metro City.
His last trip here was not exactly voluntary.
"Not too much longer," Zach says. "Especially if you let them be." Zach bows slightly. "Sakura Kasugano, right?"
Kasugano turns her eyes towards Zach, smirking with just a smidge of condescension. She's the pro, and he's talking like he's the adult here? "You have to ask?"
Though, to be fair, she's giving him a hard time on purpose, too. She folds her arms to her sides and gives Glen a bow. "At your service!"
Glancing over Zach's shoulder, she nods to the official there. "Well, since =I'm= eager to get started..." she notes with no small amount of amusement in her voice, "Let's do this!"
Kasugano steps away from the camera, widening her stance and raising her fist defensively. "Whenever you're ready, o'course!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
Zach talks like the adult mostly because he tends to /be/ the adult in these situations. Comes from having to fight a non-stop torrent of high school students all the time. He slides into a stance that is somewhere between jujitsu and Hakyokusaken, the influences of both his actual sometime instructor Ryuuhaku Todoh and his fighting idol Terry Bogard showing a bit. He nods once.
"I have to admit, I'm looking forward to this," Zach says even as he steps forward confidently. He fires off a quick combination of jabs at Sakura. These are not ordinary jabs, however, as becomes readily apparent by the trails of purple that wash along the wake of the strikes.
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Zach's Jab Punch.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
"Me too!" Kasugano's at least peripherally aware of Zach's reputation and abilities, and she's eager on experiencing his unique fighting abilities. The stance doesn't escape her notice, either!
But when those jabs come close... Kasugano raises her long-sleeved forearms just in time, smoothly deflecting the strikes from their marks while taking casual note of the energy. "Heh, you've got an aura all your own!" she comments cryptically -- her fans might not know what she means, but Zach might!
Kasugano doesn't waste time though, instead twisting in to deliver a spin kick to the young man's shoulder -- quite possibly followed by two more aerial spinkicks! "Shunpuu Kyaku!"
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Sakura's Shunpuu Kyaku.
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Sakura 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Zach pulls his arms down and in to intercept the strikes with a slight grunt. Zach grins faintly as he leaps back several feet to buy himself some breathing room. He shakes the stinging sensations out of his arms as he considers his next move.
"It's a little deeper than that," Zach says almost contemplatively. "And it's caused me more than a bit of trouble before." Zach brings his hands into the air as three blocks of royal purple solidified will form above Kasugano's head. Glen steps forward, sweeping his arms downward as he does so. "KASANE ATE!"
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Sakura with Ka-Psi-Ne Ate.
Glancing Blow
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Sakura 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Zach
Kasugano smirks lightly, nodding in reply. More complicated? Sure. But since her time with Shadaloo, she's gained a new respect for the power of the human will.
And she still doesn't want to get tagged by it, sidestepping sharply just as she senses the power forming over her head. "Heh, too slo-- " Her foot still gets clipped in the razor-sharp sweep of energy though, a most uncomfortable feeling! "... er, maybe not!" she notes, hopping about on one foot as she tries to shake the feeling out. "Gaaah, it's all numb now!"
She doesn't want to put weight on her numb foot, but that won't stop her from delivering a powerful thrusting kick to Zach's abdomen. "Here! HYAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Sakura with Third Stance.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach takes a half-step back from Sakura as the younger girl advances on him. He shrugs a bit as Sakura starts to throw her kick.
Glen sweeps his arm up and towards Sakura, as if underhanding a softball to her. The jagged lance of psychic energy that spikes forward from the ground goes wide as the kick slams into Zach's midsection, driving him further back. He gasps for air as he keeps an eye on the younger girl, trying to anticipate her next move...
Well... her foot's a -bit- better after getting some feeling shook into it. Kasugano feels a bit better herself, having seen that spike of energy form, and then falter as her kick lands true. "Whoa, almost!" she comments, hopping back with an appreciative grin.
But once she's sure the young man's still fightworthy, she grins and charges forward, hoping to capitalize on her lead. He =may= be able to see this coming, as it's heralded by a faint blue glow surrounding her form: a rushing uppercut aimed at clocking him right in the jaw! "SHOOOOU'OOOU KEN!"
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Sakura's Shou'ou Ken.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Zach
Zach's eyes narrow; she's coming in way too fast for his liking. Glen twists, trying to get away from the attack as he turtles his arms underneath the incoming strike. The impact echoes through the tunnel, forcing Zach back several feet more in the face of the oncoming offensive. He grins a little bit. His arms are starting to feel numb from the constant abuse. He is not used to such defensive methods as he has been using.
Zach gaze down the tunnel behind Sakura, checking to see what all is behind her. Answer: A whole lot of nothing. The young man grins as he twists his upper body away from his opponent, his palms cupped together. There is no possible way for Sakura to /not/ know what is coming as red and violet light starts to collect and flicker in his hands. "Then let's try this," Zach says as the light expands a bit.
Zach throws the ball forward in that classic 'hadouken' motion, the ball bursting and pouring forth a five-foot wide column of violet energies that screams down the tunnel at his opponent!
COMBATSYS: Sakura overcomes Burst Stream from Zach with Large Hadouken EX.
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Sakura rather prides herself on keeping up the attacks when she can. Sure, it's something her master had been trying to coax her out of, in favor of calm and calculated attacks... but when dealing with someone her own general age, she can't help but press the charge and -strike-. The adrenaline rush has always held more appeal to her than the true 'meaning of the fight' her master advocated -- in her mind, the feelings one gets from taking oneself to the limit =is= the reason for the fight. Short-sighted? Perhaps, but she enjoys it.
Still, when Kasugano sees red and violet energies gathering at Zach's hands, she can't help but respond in kind. She always =had= been curious to know how his powers would stand up against hers, and... well, now she gets to find out! Curling her hands back for a moment, she summons forth cerulean blue energies of her own... and thrusts her own palms forward. "HADOOOOOOOOUKEN!"
Hadouken versus... hadouken? Kinda! It's pretty amazing, actually... Zach seems to have actually improved on the formula, channeling a direct stream of energy into one focused beam, as opposed to the blossoming, more-or-less discrete mass that Sakura throws out. When the energies collide, there's a brilliant flash of light and a deafening roar echoing throughout the tunnel. There's no motion at all for one long moment... but soon the cerulean bloom wins out, plunging through the channel of red and violet and slowly but surely overpowering it.
To which Kasugano's eyes widen. "That is... actually pretty sweet, y'know..." she comments.
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to slow Large Hadouken EX from Sakura with Warning Shot.
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Zach would, in any other situation, have a snappy reply, or maybe some kind of thank you. It's not often that he gets a compliment like that from someone as famous as Sakura when it comes to his technique, such as it is.
However, he still has to deal with incoming chi-blast at straight-ahead o'clock! Zach's arms are still up from the blast. This helps a bit as he clenches one fist and forces out another, shorter pulse of energy to try and shoot the incoming projectile down. The small sphere goes wide, poorly aimed in his panic, as the hadouken slams into Zach's chest. Glen tumbles and rolls across the platform before coming up on one knee. He is bleeding a bit, the front of his shirt is soaked through as he stays somewhat down for a moment.
He's still smiling, however. "Thank you," he says. "That =was= pretty sweet, actually."
Sakura grins as she rises back to her full height, pausing a moment to smooth her long skirt out. This Seijyun uniform is still taking some getting used to. "Heh." ... Her smile dampens, though, when she realizes Zach's gone and started bleeding. She walks across the platform, getting a closer look at Zach and his wounds. "You gonna make it, there?" She keeps her guard raised, however, scrutinizing his every move. Inattention and mercy cost Sagat his eye and the scar on his chest, after all!
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Zach pulls himself to his feet, glancing down at his chest for a moment with a severe frown. He steps back from Sakura for a moment. "Still not...?" he mutters before regaining his stance. He tenses a bit at Sakura's approach.
"Older injury," he says, "From a Neo League match, now that you mention it." Zach braces up, and taps even further into his will. Purple energy erupts from the floor, a passionate red mingling with the flares as it rises up his body. "I would like to see this to the end, though," Zach says.
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Zach
Older injury? Well, that makes her feel a =little= bit better. "Oooh. Yeah, you better, uh..." Kasugano falters a bit, scuffing her feet on the tunnel floor for a moment, but shrugs it off.
Zach can -say- he wants to finish this, but with him bleeding that badly, she really has to wonder aloud, "Seems pretty bad, though... who did that to you? It should totally be healed by now..."
Regardless of the response, it'd be downright rude to refuse his request to continue. With a sudden burst of speed, she makes a mad rush for Zach... and aims to tackle him to the ground! If she manages to succeed in this attempt she'd give him two quick chops to the base of the neck before springing free. "Hyaa! Hyaa!" ... Yes, she's channeling Sean, for anyone at home paying attention...
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Sakura's Strong Throw.
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Sakura 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Zach
"Hotaru did this," Zach answers softly, and then Sakura attacks. Zach rolls with the tackle, going to the ground with his arms tucked in to absorb the strikes to the neck. Zach is breathing kind of hard at this point; the fight has taken a toll on him.
Sakura jumps to her feet, and Zach tumbles in to keep things close as he tucks one fist back. A purple gauntlet hazes into existance before shrinking and contracting before seeming to soak right into his arm. Glen takes a single, thunderous step in as he slams the fist towards Sakura's midsection. Hit or miss, at the end of the motion, he gives the punch a quarter turn outward, almost as if twisting a key in a car ignition. It is then that the three-foot gout of violet energy punches forwar before vanishing into the ether.
COMBATSYS: Sakura interrupts Burst Strike from Zach with Sailor Shoot.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0 Zach
Hotaru! Kasugano blinks slowly, piecing together what she remembers. "... From that Neo League fight?" Sakura's brother had pulled that fight for her to review... But in the meantime, she's leaping back, steadying herself for the next round of attack. Curling her fists back defensively, she notes, "But that was a long time ago..."
She doesn't have much time to ponder that though, as Zach is charging in with his fist. Steeling herself for the inevitable surge of energy, Kasugano raises her knee to help defend her upper torso... before her skirt restricts the motion somewhat. "Stupid skir--"
By this point though, Zach's already made contact, the deluge of energy slamming into her shin, and everything behind it. Kasugano chokes back any words she might've been spitting out, instead focusing all her strength into planting her foot into Zach, and walking =up= him. Planting both feet onto him, she uses him as a springboard for her to catapult backwards, even while more and more of the terribly painful energy is washing over her like a firehose on 'full!' "Nnngh..." she howls, kicking backwards and away to relative safety, landing in a low crouch. That... left its mark, that's for sure, as she's panting afterwards...
Zach is sent flying back, tumbling to a stop. He is sent crashing into, then over a bench, and does not get up. He stays on the ground, spread eagle with a pair of foot prints on his chest. He makes no move to get up; he's not sure that he can without some kind of help.
"It was," Zach admits numbly, "I'm not totally certain why, but I have an idea about it." At this point, the referee calls the match, since Zach is clearly staying down.
COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
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Sakura 1/-----==/=======|
Kasugano draws in a long breath, remaining at the ready in case Zach gets back up again... but once she sees the referee call the fight, the Seijyun U freshman dashes over and kneels beside him, resting her hand on his shoulder. Okay, now that the 'fight' is out of him, she can have a conversation?
"Yeah? Hotaru's... yeah. We've talked. I just had no idea it could do this much lasting damage..." Even Sakura's had gone away after a couple weeks...
The cameras shut off, and the crews start to pack up. A medical team stays behind as Zach stays down still, gasping for air a bit. He looks at Sakura with a strangely relaxed look on his face.
"You know, I guess, how most people use chi, right?" Zach asks. He doesn't wait for an answer; the question is basic and mostly rhetorical. "And how people... like me don't really use it all that much, or all that well? I think it has something to do with that." Zach grunts a bit and pulls himself up into a slouch. "Because it does this," Zach nods to the blood, "Everytime someone hits it with chi. This time ain't so bad, though, but..." Zach shakes his head as if to dispel the troublesome thoughts.
"I'm still very worried about her. She's got a lot on her mind," Zach says with a certain amount of familiarity, and more than a bit of empathy. "But I'm in no position to lecture anyone on control, or responsible applications of power."
Kasugano smiles hesitantly back at Zach. The difference between Psycho Power and chi is something she has a great deal of firsthand experience with, yes. Though she's confused... until he explains.
"It's like your body is... not reacting, uh... well to it or something, huh..." she notes after a moment. "If I'd known more about that I might not've hit you with that..." she chuckles, scratching the back of her head.
As for Zach's self-deprecating remarks, Kasugano shakes her head. "I've already done that talk with her. A few times. She's..." Kasugano glances back to the cameras, making sure the microphones have already been disconnected. Seeing they have, she turns back to Zach, smiling faintly. "She's seen how much she's hurting people now, when she's not been meaning to. She'll come around."
Kasugano springs back to her feet, offering Zach a hand up. The medics stand by, ready and able. "But it was a good fight, though, just the same!"
Zach looks slightly chagrined even as he accepts the hand. "Don't apologize," he says firmly, "You fought the way that you fight. That's all there is to it." He seems to be refusing to take the chi-blast personally, shruging as if to say that it is not really a problem. He winces; Sakura hits pretty hard.
"It was," Zach admits with a nod. "I'm just sorry I could not give you a better fight. I still have a lot to learn." Zach chuckles, "It makes me feel slow sometimes, going up against people younger than me and still way ahead, y'know?"
Kasugano smiles at that. She likes giving people a good challenge, that's for sure! "Heh, thanks. But... eh. That's the thing about fighting, though, ain't it? Nothin' set in stone... even the fighter who =isn't= as good, can beat up the better fighter if they play their cards right." Kasugano knows this from experience, having caught Kyo on a bad day once, and a good day more than once. "For me, it just gives me a reason to keep training!"
Smiling, she steps back and away from Zach, dusting off her skirt. Seems she got it a bit dirty after all -- it was just hard to see in the harsh Neo League lighting. Now under the subdued subway station lights... well, there's some garish dirt blotches. "Ugh. Need to practice fighting in this uniform more though, it's... tough!" Grinning, she snaps a quick salute back to Zach. "Still, thanks for the fight! We gotta do this again some time!"
Zach nods once, and gives Sakura a short wave. "Yeah," he says, "We should. But in the meantime, I think I need to see about getting patched up." Zach considers for a moment about the problem. He thinks about who he could talk to about it, what with Frei out of town and all.
Log created on 20:07:29 04/17/2008 by Zach, and last modified on 14:09:38 04/18/2008.