Description: Objective: Evaluation spar. Obstacle: About a 17 year gap in experience. Alias: None. Summary: The young staff user's antics have caught the eye of the world's most fearsome weapons specialist, Billy Kane. Summoned to Geese Tower, the girl is made to prove if her staff use is just a bag of gimmicks or if she actually has any idea what she's doing.
Very few people are privy to the myriad training opportunities this floor provides; it is off limit to all employees who lack the access code. It is a veritable paradise of training devices; almost the entire room is open and incredibly well-lit, separated into dojo-like mirrored enclosures, and more eclectic training partisans. Heavy duty equipment such as weights, machines, treadmills and bikes also litter the area. There's even a running track going the entirety of the floor, offering a wondrous view of the skyline. As for the person who summoned Ayame, he's settled in his own area; many balls dangle from strings, incredibly small, and the floor is littered with pegs to trap unwary feet. He has settled upon a bench at the makeshift mirrored wall; He's lacking a jacket and more then mildly sweating, leaning forward upon a red bo staff. ...One that obviously has heavy lead weights attached to each end, likely amounting to two hundred pounds. A pristine white towel is draped about his shoulders, as he bobs his head to piped music; hard rock, of course, the savage tones seeming to inspire him more then a bit, lips wordlessly mimicking the lyrics he's long memorized.
Recruited by Howard to conduct a little investigation he wanted to avoid having tied directly back to him, Ayame has made a few appearances around the lofty Geese Tower as of late. Conducting interviews with a few officials, arranging a global watch for the girl she finally narrowed down as being a likely suspect... Now all she has to do is wait for someone to spot her, no doubt at some SNF event sometime soon.
What she didn't expect was a summons to the training facilities located high up in the building. Her interaction with the Syndicate had gone primarily through Shihong, the Chinese enforcer she had come to know over time. But this didn't seem to have anything to do with her... The elevator doors open, allowing the teen fighter to step into the large training facility. Brown eyes sweep the environment. Compared to her own makeshift training environs, this is quite the departure.
The pumped music brings a faint grin to the normally serious girl's expression as Ayame nears the seated Syndicate lieutenant. Taking in every detail, she notices the small strung up spheres and sharp pegs on the floor. But what catches her attention more than anything are the weights on the bo staff. Determining them to be lead, she quickly adds up the rough volume and multiplies the math out in her head to determine the likely mass, a conclusion that only makes her bother even further. "Hey," she remarks somewhat lamely, at a loss of words for once, lifting her voice just loud enough to try and be heard over the music. "Ah, I mean, hello."
Little attention is given to Ayame upon her arrival, although there's no sign of being surprised; only at the ‘Hey' does he shift his gaze, looking at her in a decidedly curious manner. Before smirking slightly, cracking his neck in either direction and sitting up straight. "Hey." is what he responds, drawing it out in a way seeming to tease the awkwardness of her own greeting while wiping the towel beneath his chin. "I've seen you fight. Ayame, huh? I was pretty interested to hear you workin' for the big man." An obvious vague referral to the organization. It's quite easy to figure that Billy is the number two, even if there's not a lick of evidence beyond conjecture. "Staff fighter, are you... I don't give a damn about most new coming talent, but that's something that can catch my eye. It's got a few tricks to it, hrrm?" He remains seated, staring at Ayame directly, presenting no small amount of his own presence; he's a former King of Fighters after all. No small amount of reputation and notorious actions.
And the moment he looks up is the moment Ayame puts together the face with the name. Billy Kane. One of the leading fighters in all the circuits out there. She manages a faint nod as he speaks his name, eyes widened just a little as she takes it all in. He's seen /her/ fight? She's seen HIM fight. It's very safe to say that one of her own staff techniques is a direct ripoff of the champion level fighter. Her tongue flicks out to wet her lips, feeling strangely parched all of the sudden.
He mentions that she's a staff fighter like him and Ayame nods a second time, her mind kicking into overtime to regain her composure now that she's stuck having to catch up with the significance of this summons. "Yeah," she replies, her tone sounding a lot more confident than she really is, her right hand coming to rest at her hip. She's a pretty good actress in a pinch, and acting a lot more confident than she feels is one of her stronger charades.
"Started out as a family style, but I took it a lot further than that. I've been adding stuff to my staff ever since. You want to see it?" she asks, her left hand reaching down to a black pouch affixed to her belt.
"...Oh? See it? You challenging me to a fight?" Billy finally comments, obviously misconstruing her last comment. But given his devilish grin, it's a purposeful accident, as he stands up with a flourish. "Well, I accept! You can show me just how good that staff of yours is!" He hefts up his staff with startlingly little resistance, twirling it around effortlessly. If he can handle it in such a manner with those weights, it's a rather terrifying prospect to link it to him fighting at his peak. "I'm worn out, and don't have a real weapon, so this'll do. So go easy on me." That grin only widens, hand lifting up to smooth the red and white bandana atop his head. The towel is yanked off and hurled aside carelessly, his feet sliding into an aggressive stance while resting the end of the heavy bo beneath an armpit, other end hovering barely an inch atop the ground. "You don't mind the pegs on the floor, right...?" They range from a half foot to a quarter foot apart, of varying heights. The balls at least don't look to be dangerous!
She had thought she'd gotten her compsure together. Just put on a calm front, keep the nerves under control, keep the topics neutral and safe, avoid saying anything that could possibly be misconstrued like... like... that. He asks if she's issuing a challenge and Ayame blanches at first, her left hand pausing inside the pouch, fingers closed over the top of the collapsed weapon.
"Actually, what I-" she starts to desperately clarify but he cuts her off with his acceptance of the obvious challenge, leaving her easily off guard for a moment. Everything about the legendary staff fighter is watched, including the ease with which he whips the massively overweighted weapon around into position. "No," Ayame remarks regarding the pegs, sounding just a little lost for a moment. This is some kind of dream match combined with a very awkward stress dream all at the same time.
But when someone like Billy Kane asks you to show what your gimmick laden staff can do, you don't pass up the chance. Her hand regains its control, sliding the small tube the rest of the way out of the patch. "All right," Ayame replies. With casual ease, she lobs the tube spinning up into the air with her left hand, her right hand coming up to brush some of her hair back over her ear as she twirls once and smoothly catches the fully expanded staff on its way back down with her left hand again.
With her familiar weapon in her grip, her nerves seem to regain their standard calmness, her confidence in her ability with the weapon boosting her ego just a little. "All right," she remarks, both hands gripping her staff. "This is as good a way to show you as anything else!" He said go easy, but she starts out aggressive, the agile girl darting forward, staff out at her side.
Her forward momentum gets converted into the staff swing as her feet skid to a stop and the titanium weapon comes spinning in from her side, the girl pulling with one arm, pushing with the other, aiming to give Billy a solid smack with the weapon from the side while still leaving her defenses fairly tight.
COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Billy has joined the fight here.
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Billy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Billy with Fierce Strike.
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Billy 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ayame
There's a casual patience there, the sort that's an exception instead of anything else. Obviously the reason he called her in here was to see how she fights; teasing her is merely a bonus to that particular game. When she finally attacks, he moves backwards; arcing away with languid ease, but not enough to fully evade the tip of her weapon. A meaty whack into his ribcage ensues, echoing like a gunshot in the room. He grimaces, stumbling away with a smirk. The area she hit is a very angry red, but that's probably still far less a reaction then she's used to for a heavy blow. "Ouch. I said to go easy on me!" He suddenly slides forward, spreading his stance and bringing his weapon high. Muscles taut, which belies the intended attack; an incredibly forceful swing, grunting as the weighted end flies out and tries to catch Ayame in the side, preferably to send her flying into one of the mirrors hard enough to shatter it.
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Billy's Fierce Strike.
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Billy 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ayame
The tip of her staff connects with Billy's side, giving Ayame a small success for her aggressive effort. Flowing out of the rebound from the strike, she spins down into a crouch, just barely managing to avoid one of the pegs as she brings her foot slamming down to regain traction, her staff tucked under one arm, the end of it sticking out at her side, making it seem as if she's wide open for retaliation from the more experienced fighter.
He chides her for not going easy and Ayame shakes her head quickly, "I think you'll be all right." And then it's time for her to defend herself, the weighted bo coming in with crushing force and in that instant, the girl swings her own staff back front of her, her right hand gripping it again as she intersects the weapon into the path. Were it made of weaker material, there's a good chance the weapon would've simply broken in half at the impact that sends the girl reeling backward, a loud ringing noise echoing throughout the center.
Okay, that got her attention! Sliding to a stop just shy of nudging the mirror, the girl pushes off, her foot pressing against the glassy surface to give herself a bit more leverage as she goes back on the offense. Deciding to demonstrate how well her staff channels chi, she charges the weapon with a bright, flaring red energy, the chi pouring over the weapons surface like liquid fire but for its color being off.
Side-stepping the pegs as she advances back on Billy, the girl takes to the air from a couple yards out, spinning into a higher level strike, aiming to bring Billy's guard high. But the moment her feet touch the ground, if she thinks she has a shot, she'll follow up with a low sweeping spin before rising up into a more traditional, overhead smash. Each point of impact is marked by a small flurry of the chi flying out into the air, drifting down around the two; excess energy she seems to let fall freely before it fades away.
COMBATSYS: Billy blocks Ayame's Requiem For Fallen Blossoms.
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Billy 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ayame
Billy doesn't seem to be affected by the pegs; his feet shift around masterfully despite his eyes being firmly upon Ayame, bringing his staff back to guard. His own defense is rather flawless, center of gravity instantly adjusted and weapon poised to attack or defend in a heartbeat as necessary. An aggressive advance is done, not intending to give her much time to breathe. He slows with a mildly wary expression once her weapon is imbued, twisting his staff in a manner that wastes little energy. Her weapon rebounds off it, his own heat repelling it neatly. It's the sudden middle blow that causes him to tense, forearm catching it with a loud crack. Having lowered his weapon, the final overhead seems perfectly poised to hit him. He'd waste a lot more energy bringing his staff up again.
But instead he shoots out his free hand, and catches the weapon cleanly. His arm recoils, body sinking slightly. A mild hissing sound from her chi burning his palm is heard. "...Well, well. That wasn't bad. But you're wasting a lot of energy..." Attempting to yank her off balance, the end of his weapon shoots forward to connect with her stomach. Before Billy would twist around, snarling as he brings her in an overhead arc, burst of power overtaking the lag of the lift before the weight instead bolsters the speed of her descent, to slam her on her back likely atop a peg a couple meters away. He's definitely moving slower then Ayame'd have ever seen; but whether such truly matters in closing the gap is another thing entirely.
COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Ayame with Fishhook Throw.
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Billy 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Ayame
The rebound off his staff isn't a deterrent, the girl expecting that part of his defense. What follows wasn't so expected though, her weapon failing to find an opening that his arm doesn't cover, only to come swinging down into Billy's waiting hand. He points out her expenditures of energy being a bit excessive. Aggressive, flashy, trying to keep her opponents confused from where the next strike will come... It works on the type of fighters the girl is used to being put up against, but against the likes of Billy, he seems to have little to no trouble seeing through it all.
Her mouth is slightly agape as he holds her staff still. Even though she gives it a token tug, she can tell she isn't going to get her weapon free until he's good and ready to let her. Unfortunately, she's not willing to just let go of her titanium polearm so easily either and she pays for it with the staff slam into her stomach, the girl suddenly hefted up and over before brought to a crashing drop back down onto the floor, the peg drilling her upper back in the process, provoking a gasp of surprise.
Wincing, she rolls off of it, palm slamming against the floor as she pushes herself back up quickly. "Guess I got a bit carried away," she remarks, brown eyes studying Billy for a moment, keeping in mind the ways she's seen him move his staff with far less wasted energy in the process while still proving to be completely effective.
Okay, she'll have to try something a bit more sneaky to get past that kind of defense, she decides. Which is why when she goes on the offense again, the girl lets the weapon do the spinning for her as she steps forward more calmly, twirling it at each of her sides, back and forth. When she finally strikes, it's aimed almost too blatently for his staff, as if not trying to get through his guard at all... but the incoming swift kick from her opposite side aimed for his stomach is the real attack, hoping to slip in around the experienced fighter's guard.
COMBATSYS: Billy interrupts Light Kick from Ayame with Whirlwind Cane.
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Billy 0/-------/---====|=======\=======\1 Ayame
Once more Billy navigates himself around carefully, not presenting any easy retribution for the blow he just gave. He retains a rather casual and smirking attitude. Many people might mistake his seemingly rough and adaptive style as low class, but to someone intimately familiar with such weapons and combat with them, he's got almost none. This is his element; He's the best weapon fighter in the world, out of any instrument, after all. Pathetic Hyo and his playsword just got lucky once. "The only thing that'll work on me is skill, girlie. Try anything flashy, and I'll break you in half while you waste time." Of course, he says this far too late to be of any use, as her whirlwinding weapon is brought up. Rather then bother with deflecting it, his stance spreads and both hands grip the center of the weapon. It would be too late to get out of range at this point, turning his side and catching the kick in a non-vital location. A mad cackle leaves his lips as a burst of adrenaline gets the weapon whirling, catching Ayame dead on in the upper shoulder. Of course, the revolutions don't cease, and only get more fierce; he'd only stop once she's gotten clear, is knocked unconscious, or killed. Any of those work, really. "I'm not a man to waste time with pomp and flash. You keep doing that, you'll only weaken yourself in the end!!"
Not wasting time. And he proves it decisively as he weathers her knee strike with ease before catching her with a violent flurry of strikes. Spin after spin, cracks against shoulders and ribs, knocking her feeble last ditch efforts of defense aside as the heavy weighted staff crushes the girl handily. Caught like a blade of grain in the thresher, the featherweight takes a beating, including several solid smacks against the sides of her head as she desperately attempts to scramble out of the painful storm of staff strikes.
One final smack catches her on the leg as she pushes against the floor with her staff and shoves herself backward out of range at last, foot coming down on a peg in the process, provoking another startled yelp as she hops on one foot for a moment, using her staff for balance.
The agony is nearly debilitating, but she's got to get her head back in the game. He may not be at his optimal speed, nor be using his normal custom weapon, but that doesn't mean he's any less deadly. There's a lot she can take away from the warnings thus far. Skill - refined, simple, precise. Ignoring the bloody lip she picked up from one of the strikes, or the gash across her forehead, or bruise on her shoulder, the girl grits her teeth, tightening her hold on her staff. No more flashy stuff, she needs to do something bigger than she's pulled off thus far. But without charging in and hoping she just gets lucky...
Brown eyes flash with a little bit of temper. The older fighter seems more than just a decade and change ahead of her in skill. It's like no comparison. And being shown up like that with a staff is starting to get to her. "I'll show you!" she insists, her voice raised, her skitish behavior from the initial encounter long gone. Energy beings to whip up around her, a vibrant red, matching her temper, as the girl draws from the world and pulls as much of the power around her into her as she can. The visible chi manifestation lasts for a moment, a large portion of it coursing over her titanium staff once again, ready to be put to use.
COMBATSYS: Ayame gathers her will.
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Billy 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ayame
Billy slithers backwards, merciless and unrepetant of his onslaught upon the younger fighter. He actually laughs once more, clearly derisive as his chin lifts and eyes narrow, glaring down towards the other girl with a sheerly violent intent she might not enjoy given the gap between them, alone in the sheer depths of Geese Tower. Where there is no law but the strong. "Gettin' mad at me... will that make your loss any less severe? I've not seen anything special so far. Is that staff there just a gimmick? Is it any different then twirling streamers around, or blowing a horn, and hoping some half-ass fighter will hesitate long enough your half-assed attack would get through...?!" He spits to the side, but not from any real need to. It's not a very friendly gesture in the slightest. "Get real!! I brought you up here since I thought I saw potential. Was I wrong?! If you got somethin' real to show me, then /show/ it!!" The last tone is no small amount challenging, the base of his staff slamming into the ground while he rubs at his sore rib with the other. Giving her the chance to impress him. Winning? Well, she never had a chance of that in the first place!!
COMBATSYS: Billy gains composure.
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Billy 0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ayame
The challenge made, the veteran fighter staying back, waiting for her to show him something. The energy building up around the girl collects heavily in her weapon, that same, hot tempered red she had used with her earlier attacks. He asks if her weapon is a gimmick and she simply remains tight lipped, her focus elsewhere now, concentrating on controlling the energy she's built up lest she get distracted and lose it all.
Turning to the side such that her bruised shoulder faces him directly, the girl begins to twirl her staff again, though this time hanging back. The chi begins to blur, trailing out behind her weapon, forming a bright hued circle of energy in the space her staff whips through. The build up... and the release, is probably no surprise to Billy, as Ayame steps forward and slams her staff out forward and to the side, unleashing the entire built up swath of hot chi out through the distance between them. He should recognize it, it's rather clear she's using her best attempt at mimicking his own chi infused version of the Whirlwind Cane strike.
But the girl isn't idle, following her momentum into a spin that ends with her facing the superior staff user once more. A button press at the center of the weapon results in three small blades extending out from the topmost end of the staff as the girl readies her next action.
COMBATSYS: Billy overcomes Final Sunset from Ayame with Blazing Whirlwind Cane.
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Billy 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Ayame
Well, she's not getting madder. That's something. Whether it means she's agreeing with him or ignoring him is somewhat irrelevant at this point. But as he notices the building chi, when she starts rotating her staff, eyes widen. "...?!" He responds in much the same way, once more gripping the middle of his staff, and with a grunt twisting it around. The rotations lag behind, but in a stream of sparks and heat, fire ignites. It immediately trails and builds up a pinwheel. Such is done just as she sends her own out. This wasn't a sure shot; the weight is a hell of an annoyance, and the chi he drew was reckless and hard to shape. But he manages. "GO TO HELL!!" is roared, as he whips out his weapon an instant before her chi collides. His impacts dead on, forming a huge, wildly rotating fireball. It overwhelms it, rushing forward and scathing the ground black. The pegs shatter, the room raises twenty degrees, and the intent is to slam into her and blow her into the wall behind. Which would erupt into shatters of mirror, panels upon the ceiling knocked loose, lights flickering and cracking as the room is suddenly cast in shadow...!!
COMBATSYS: Ayame reflects Blazing Whirlwind Cane from Billy with Midsummer Fantasy.
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Billy 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Ayame
She had been preparing for a physical clash of weapons after unleashing her built up chi blast. Knowing full well that it wouldn't take the better fighter down, but hoping to capitalize on the time it would take for him to contend with it before striking, she was certain she would have her moment, her opportunity to contend with Billy with an exchange of strikes that would go her way for a change.
But she realizes as it rips through the air that it's on a straight path to oblivion, Billy's retaliation dwarfing her own gout of bright red chi and blasting on past it. A change in plans, a split second to react is all she has, the girl shifting her stance, bringing her staff back in front of her, and spinning it again. She had held back on some of her strength, not pouring every last ounce of power into the projectile that just got consumed. And that left over strength proves critical in this moment as she channels perhaps the last of her chi into the staff again.
"SCREW YOU!!" the strawberry-blonde shouts back as she falls back one of her most defense-oriented techniques against energy attacks. A swift spin, the metal polearm becoming a metallic blur laced with chi. But the chi itself seems to have taken on a different property. Where it was red before, it almost seems to blend in with the titanium polearm, appearing more like liquid mercury, fluid metal, that blurs out behind the staff, forming for an instant in time a highly reflective mirror.
Most of Billy's attack splashes around Ayame, causing destruction to the facilities but leaving her unharmed in the process. And out of all that, a small portion of the flaming energy is sent back in the direction it came. Already exhausted by the critical surge, however, Ayame doesn't pursue it to follow up, slowing her staff spin and remaining rooted for a moment, perspiration dampening her forehead, the temperature in the room giving it a sauna like heat. The mirror of energy is gone, as well as all the chi the girl was forcing into the weapon. That was her best shot, and all it did was keep her from being vaporized.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Billy with Reflected Blazing Whirlwind Cane.
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Billy 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Ayame
Okay, he didn't expect that. He was recoiling from the force of his impromptu attack, slowly widening his eyes while stepping back. One hand raises to cover his face, the other trying to heft up his weapon to block it. But it's not enough. He's hit, crashing against his chest and stumbling him backwards. "..." And he's almost unharmed, if singed and the skin rather irritated. "...Hahaha!! That scared me!" He's not joking apparently, rubbing at the angry skin of his chest and letting out a long sigh. Twirling around his weapon, he slithers forward, forfeiting the advantage but not letting up either. One end plants into the ground, pivoting upon it as the heavy weapon tauts and is used to launch himself forward. One leg sweeps up, naked foot possessing a large amount of centrifugal force and a loud snarl. The intent is to catch her in the chest with rib-breaking force. It's somewhat reckless; but is probably enough to put her down, many times over!
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Strong Kick from Billy with Harvest's Reaper.
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Billy 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ayame
Watching what's left of the exchange of chi blasts strike against Billy ineffectively, Ayame gasps for breath. The pressure of every instant in dealing with a fighter like him is overwhelming. The weight of each move, only made worse by the heat in the room now. Her body aches, her bruises and cuts catching up now that her massive adrenaline rush has run its course.
The blades are retracted back into the polearm. She didn't attack with them, but the moment of surprise has been lost, the sharp edges more of a danger to herself than her opponent if she tries anything /too/ fancy with them extended. Right now she's got to pour everything she has into her best tricks, holding nothing back... He laughs, but this time his laughter doesn't seem to bother her, the girl living on some kind of 'relief high' that she didn't get struck by his intensely heated chi in the end.
%f Billy decides to keep the pressure on, however, coming forward with that weighted staff of his, and Ayame shifts her stance, her feet bracing, as she studies everything about the way he moves. She measures the staff plant as he launches himself into a vaulted kick with a crushing amount of momentum behind it.
This is her only shot, the window just wide enough for her to believe she has a chance. All of her preparation is devoted to the next instant, the girl ducking low and to the side, slamming her staff up, hooking the extended leg beneath the knee with a swift, upward slam, giving it just about all the strength she has left.
Out of harm's way, and his own attack dismantaled, the girl presses her opportunity with an upward leap, her weapon flaring to life again with vibrant red as she swings upward in a second, crescent like strike. Some of the red chi trails out behind her attack, forming a sharp edge blade of energy in its wake, looking almost like the blade of a scythe. In the air and over Billy, Ayame draws her staff back and over her head before bringing it crashing down toward the top of his head with everything she's got - a final explosion of chi accompanying the impact. In that moment she drops back to the floor, her feet just barely managing to land between two pegs with not much space between them. Exhaling an exhausted gasp, she stands up a little more straight, the chi coursing over her weapon conjealing and running off the low end of it, almost like a liquid, fading away before it ever reaches the floor as her power to continue channeling chi at all has been completely exhausted.
Well. That's even more impressive, on top of the completely out of the blue reflection of his chi. His leg is struck, grunting in surprise before she erupts out the first strike. A hiss of genuine pain is finally coaxed out, realizing the second portion of the blow. But the leaden weight doesn't move quickly enough to intercept. He's smacked directly upon the head. His body whirls sideways, crashing upon the ground upon a series of pegs hard enough to break them, rolling to a stop upon the others. He's dazed too much to immediately rise. So she's floored a King of Fighters cleanly. Hardly a minute task! "Well, damn." he offers, planting his weapon and slithering upwards. He's rubbing the sore spot on his head furiously, grimace lingering. "That's more'n just tricks. Looks like trying to crush you like an insect kicked you of the bad habit." He spits a second time, but to clear blood from his mouth where he bit his tongue. "Not bad." Rolling his free shoulder, the grip of his weapon is redoubled. "Not good enough to stand a prayer... but not bad. I'll end it without sending you to a hospital, how's that?" Once more his weapon slams into the ground, bending taut as he rushes forward. But his weapon erupts him straight up instead; like some olympic vaulter, he twists, chest skimming the ceiling, whirling around the weapon as he suddenly descends. "TAKE THIS!!" is roared, the end of his weapon crashing down, accompanied by a brutal kick, trying to crush her beneath the massive force like a gnat between a flyswatter. One can only picture what his attempt to send her to the hospital would of looked like.
COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks Billy's Flying Assault Cane.
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Billy 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Ayame
Her breaths don't come easy now. Facing someone like Billy makes it really hard to pace herself. And that last combination, her signiture technique at that, cost her. His exclaimation provokes a faint grin between winded gasps for air. But hearing the phrases of praise from the greatest weapons fighter in the world makes every last gash, bruise, and ache well worth it. Her pride has always been her staff use. The other weapons, gadgets, knives, darts, whips... those have been the byproduct of toying with various other weapons. But the metal polearm in her grip is perhaps the only posession she actually treasures, the sum total of her creativity in fighting and engineering. And to be able to wield it in such a way that Billy has decided not to break her into pulp to thank her for showing up brings a rare moment of joy to the normally unhappy girl.
"That's a pretty generous offer," Ayame replies about not being sent to the hospital for this evaluation. But that doesn't mean she's unwary. Billy storms forward before taking to the air and dropping right back down, weapon and foot inbound with even more punishing force. The angle leaves it difficult for her to turn the attack around on him as she had his last one, nor is she in the shape to try and dart out of the way after what she's been through. But she /is/ able to get her weapon up into the path again, the weight of Billy's lead burdened staff crushing down on the several times more fragile fighter, her legs bending, her back hurting as she just barely manages to weather the attack out without falling face first to the training room floor.
Teeth gritted in a grimace of pain and exhaustion, the girl goes for one more attack, even if the thought of straining herself for one last burst of chi seems impossible. She has to try though. And... perhaps with a little diversionary tactic, she can pull it off. Already crouching out of coping with Billy's last attack, Ayame plants her hands and staff against the floor, palming the weapon as she puts her agility to work with a quick lean forward into a momentary handstand. Her skirt, obeying gravity, flips down, answering the question that she, in fact, wears black underwear to go with her mostly red and black attire!
The handstand converts into a spring up quickly, however, as the girl twists and attempts to come back down into a seated position on Billy's shoulders from behind as he recovers from his attack. If successful, she simply prys her staff under his chin, the weapon flaring red as she tries to strangle him a little, refusing to give up just yet. "I'm not so easy to beat as all that!" the girl insists.
COMBATSYS: Billy fails to counter Nocturnal Solitude from Ayame with Random Strike.
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Billy 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Ayame
There doesn't seem to be nearly as much vulnerability after that vicious assault as would be expected. The end of his weapon remains upon the ground, feet impacting thereafter spread for balance. Catching the cartwheel towards his blindspot, a mild curse leaves his lips. But he's not defenseless; pivoting sharply, he whirls around and brings it up, intending to catch the springy opponent before she gets to close. And... it fails! He swooshes through air, face momentarily eclipsed by the front of her shirt before the twist behind and strangle takes place. For a second he flails, stumbling forward. Then he grips the weapon and yanks it off, twisting to give her a backhand for his thanks. But it's nothing she can't avoid with effort; he can't see her and is disoriented, after all. Whether that makes it easy is another matter entirely. "Ugh...!" He makes some space, rubbing at his neck before letting out a sigh. "Not easy on me at all... You're somethin' else." Looking at his weighted staff, he holds out his arm and drops it. The horrible clatter underlines the handicap he had imposed. Two steps backwards takes him to a take of other staffs; one of which, unsullied, is taken up. "I guess you earned this..." is mulled, spiraling it in a blur of heat and violent wind that would gush opposite with surprising force. "You glad? Or sad?"
She has her moment of glory, riding around on Billy's shoulders, her chi laced staff pried beneath his neck, applying what pressure the girl can to his throat. It's not much, admittedly. And when he reaches up to take a hold of her polearm, he more than handily yanks it out from under his chin, leaving Ayame flailing a moment herself as her only support was just lost. He takes a swing and it would've clocked her good but for the fact that she's already fallen off, landing on her rear on the training room floor with a grunt. This has been the most grueling fight of her life, pushed far past anything she's had to keep up with before. A bit of a coward at times, anytime something gets /this/ hard, she's usually looking for a way to talk her way out of whatever mess she's gotten herself in.
But this is different. This is a fight that /means/ something to her. An epiphany she never expected to have. To have fighting someone being more than just a means to an end. She had experienced a touch of that battling a certain sick girl that often insisted they spar, but this is so far beyond that. But she's already gone through her techniques and nearly all of her staff related tricks just getting this far, not to mention every ounce of strength she has left.
The crushing weighed staff drops to the floor with a reveberating thud of finality. Handicapped staff is no more, it would seem, as Billy steps over and grabs another staff. Ayame remains seated for a moment, but as he spins his newly aquired weapon, the girl slowly pries herself off the floor with the help of her staff, turning to face Billy, doing her best to stand tall with what she has left in her.
He asks a question, a taste of the heated power he can pour into his attacks blowing back the girl's hair a little in passing. "Glad." comes the single word response, mouth curled into a faint, bleeding smile. Tightening her hold on her staff, she spins it back into a position that places the lower end under her arm, the top end pointing toward Billy. He's expecting her to attack again, and she'll do just that. But not without another shot at diversion - this time of a different nature. The girl starts by taking a couple of steps forward, teesting her legs, before she shifts into a sprint, leaning forward to close the distance with the best speed she can muster.
Spinning the staff halfway around so that the bottom end points toward Billy, she presses another button at the center, launching a small plume of partially concealing smoke into the air between them. It's definitely nothing thick enough to conceal her incoming strike, but it does make it slightly less clear what direction the attack is coming from as Ayame chances one last full spin of her body, bringing the staff down from low to high, aiming for Billy's shoulder, attempting to slide it past his own staff should he angle it to intersect.
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Billy with Medium Strike.
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Billy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Ayame
Billy remains the same as ever, smirking towards Ayame. To her, this fight has a deep, meaningful significance. To Billy, it's Friday evening and he'd really like something to drink. The effect fighting far beyond one's league, regrettably, is one sided. But he can see the passion and the desire to go through the end, even knowing it's probably going to hurt, and that this entire chain of events, bringing her so close to the end of victory, is the easiest she'll ever have... and likely never to be repeated again. Oh, Billy is confident even with his terrible luck that he'd of pulled it off. But she earned the kiddie gloves removed. It's the most tangible respect he's shown of her talents, after all. Preparing the weapon, he didn't expect the plume of smoke. That turns the molassus swing into a wild card. With all that in her favor, it's still not a sure thing. He hefted up his weapon, but too high – and got whacked right in the chest. Legs bowl before he stumbles backwards, his face warps in pain, and he laughs. Deeply. "Well. Your stupid trick got me after all."
Nothing more follows. He suddenly launches out his staff, rippling forward with a crack of violently shifting air. It breaks into three segments, steel chain rasping like a nest of serpents. The end attempts to plow into her stomach with unbelievable force, to blow her backwards; and just prior to reaching the end of the length he twists the weapon and yanks with a cackle, to ignite her in a swathe of napalm-like fire, intent on covering her from head to toe. It would only last until contact is fully broken, wafting away thereafter; but this is the apex of his standard techniques. And the true cornerstone of the chasm between them.
COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Ayame with Blazing Cane Thrust.
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Billy 1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Ayame
Her smoke screen gives her the chance to land one last hit before Billy decides to end this exercise. His remark is heard, but it barely has time to register with the girl before one of the fastest attacks she's ever seen launched her way. The instinct is to get out of the way. No tricks, no deflection of forces or energy are going to redirect that attack. Even at her best it would be doubtful, and this condition, it's hopeless.
But while she's thinking of getting out of the way, it's already too late. The segmented staff crushes into the far more fragile fighter, driving her backward easily with the force, her staff dropped mid-way as her arms are flung out at her sides. It's barely even registered to her what's happened, a somewhat bewildered expression on her face just before the finalizing blast is dealt, a body encasing tomb of flame that stifles any attempt to scream in pain.
A more seasoned fighter could fend something off like that by sheer application of energy control, but for the junior contender there's just no hope of battling the flame off. The burning agony is brief, the staff drawn back and the chi's presence dying off like flame denied its fuel. Minimal comfort for the girl that lands several yards past on her side smoke rising up from her slowly.
With so much of the fabric of her clothing destroyed by the immolation, it becomes more clear just how many other weapons she has on her. A long sheath on her back, another one strapped to her side. The cloth burned off her forearm is concealing a narrow shortsword, attached to some kind of contraption clearly intended to spring it into action on demand, as well as what was probably a small, collapsed crossbow before it just got melted beyond recognition.
Ayame stirs after a moment, hand pressing against the floor, the girl rising up on one elbow for a moment just barely. Ugh... what was that nuclear bomb that just went off on her?? The destruction of her outfit doesn't seem to bother her too much as the best she can manage is an amused grunt that might've been a laugh were she more conscious. Wobbling, her right hand slips into the chared remains of her her left wristguard, drawing out a small metal knife, the super heated metal burning her fingers a little as she draws it up. "Heh... go to hell," she echoes back at the rebel weapons master, blind flinging the throwing knife off toward Billy before she simply flops on her back and releases one last sigh, eyes closed, the girl out cold.
COMBATSYS: Ayame can no longer fight.
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Billy 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Billy catches Sudden Fling from Ayame with Random Strike.
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Billy 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Billy has ended the fight here.
"That's my line." Billy mulls as she raises one last, feeble attempt at defiance. It's thrown with all the laziness of a mundane. It's near enough in his general direction he has to lazily lift his staff. It rebounds off it, spiraling madly straight up before he catches it with his free hand. "Ow." is mused at the heat, tossing it aside. Returning to his rack, he tosses the staff gently and carefully smooths out his jeans. Hmm. His clothing isn't stained or burned. Brilliant. It was a good spar; he was pushed beyond his limits, even if that was more extenuating circumstances of her arriving after a frenetic workout. But that doesn't excuse her rather brilliant showing. He meanders over to her, pulling off a new towel and dabbing at his wounds gingerly, appraising her curiously. "Not bad." He flicks the towel over her, thumbs hooking in his pockets as he leaves with a whistle. A shame she had to pass out on him... always a trouble with fragile women!!
Log created on 01:05:25 04/26/2008 by Ayame, and last modified on 12:56:05 04/26/2008.