Description: Maki Genryuusai goes up against Roberto Miura in a Neo League Match up. The fight ends up going to the wire as both fighters show their resilience. (Winner: Roberto)
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all those who happen to be in the West Outskirts of Southtown at this time, prepare to get comfortable and ready for some action, because this just so happens to be the location of a Neo League fight. A fighting stage has been set up, and traffic has been blocked off, with comfortable seating available for the spectators, and concessions available as well. As the crews finish getting everything set up, the fighters make their entry into the ring.
The first fighter to make her entry into the ring is Maki Genryuusai, a master of the Bushin-ryu Martial Arts, and a well known fighter on the Neo League circuit. The blonde haired fighter waves her hand to the audience as she makes her way into the ring, and is then directed by the referee to move to her corner of the ring while waiting for the other fighter. Maki nods and moves back, loosening up a little with some light stretching and movements to get the blood flowing before the fight.
And then the second fighter arrives wearing a brick wall design goalie shirt with a popped collar as he makes his way to the area cleared out for the fight carrying a mesh bag filled with soccar balls carried over his shoulder.
The recent Taiyo graduate hops over the barrier and spills out the contents of his bag on the ground as he waits for the ref to get things started. A little stretching here and there and he's good to go.
There has been some speculation as to where Roberto Miura will be going to college or whether or not he'll be going straight to pro. Up to now he's kept mum choosing to focus on his upcoming fight.
A fighter who uses soccer balls in his fights? Maki's seen quite a few interesting opponents in her battles, both in the Leagues and outside of them as well, but this one has truly got to take the cake. She'd definitely say she's seen it all, but that would be incorrect, since there will always be more to see in terms of interesting fighters. But nonetheless, now is the time to be focusing on fighting, not observing.
"All right, fighters, you both know the rules, and I want a good clean fight. Ready?" After being confirmed, the referee signals for the bell to ring. When that happens, Maki doesn't exactly rush at Roberto, attempting to strike him. Instead, she gets into her fighting stance and slowly approaches him, keeping an eye on him to see what kind of tricks he has in store for Maki.
COMBATSYS: Maki has started a fight here.
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Maki 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Roberto has joined the fight here.
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Roberto 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maki
COMBATSYS: Maki focuses on her next action.
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Roberto 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maki
As Roberto has shown both in Neo League and SNF he is for real. His stance, it looks more like a goal keeper's ready stance than an actual martial art stance. There's a pause and then a slight smile on his face as he tips his sky blue visor as a bit of a salute.
It takes a few moments to realize that Maki isn't coming in. Roberto moves into touch the first soccer ball he can get to and dribbles at high speed as he moves in close the distance and then all of a sudden he launches the soccer ball forward to test Maki's reflexes though once the ball is released he's charging in after it.
COMBATSYS: Maki blocks Roberto's Long Shot.
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Roberto 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maki
So, those soccer balls are going to be used as a form of offense, huh? Well, Maki's played soccer somewhat growing up and all, and while she's not a professional by any means, she still knows the rules of the game. And they don't say anything about deflecting the ball away using a tonfa. Then again, have you ever seen a goal keeper wielding a tonfa? Didn't think so.
Maki spins her tonfa around and raises it to deflect the soccer ball away, although the impact does bend her arm back a little too far, causing a minor moment of pain for her, but it's nothing major. In fact, it's something that she just shakes off. But then she notices Roberto charging in.
"You're quite interesting, this should be a fun battle," Maki says with a slight smirk as she brings her left leg up and attempts to deliver a left kick to Roberto's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Roberto interrupts Light Kick from Maki with Mundane Save.
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Roberto 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Maki
"Heh. Thanks." It's the only response that Roberto has time for before that foot comes into his chest. Roberto knowing he can't afford to slow down to avoid it and pretty much committing to his charge forward he's forced to take a creative yet incredibly soccer-like response to it. He drops his weight low while still moving forward to chest trap the kick originally meant for his stomach. The change in the angle that foot hits his body causes the impact to be slightly redistributed and it puts him in perfect position to grab the ninja by her waist as he lifts her up. After that he throws her down on her back before throwing a kick to her hip to send her flying away.
Unfortunately, Maki finds herself being tackled and then sent flying into the nearby ropes, causing her to drop down onto her stomach. But before the referee can even go over to check on her, Maki's already back on her feet, her smirk now replaced with a scowl as her positive mood has been taken away by that counter-attack.
"I see your soccer skills work well with your fighting skills, but don't get too cocky," Maki says as she rebounds off of the nearby ropes, and then flies directly at Roberto with her foot outstretched in what could easily be described as a fast flying kick that's coming directly at the soccer player like a missile or something!
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Maki's Hassou Kyaku.
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Roberto 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Maki
If it wasn't for Roberto's visor, one would see an eyebrow raised at Maki's scowl. Normally that type of response comes from when he uses the unmodified version that involves him kicking people in the butt to send them flying.
Roberto can barely respond surprised by Maki's accusations of cockiness. "W-wha h-huh? Cocky?" Further response is cut off by the flying missile kick off the ropes. Roberto barely has time to bring up his red goalie glove clad hands before impact comes and the hands stop the attack before it can actually hurt him.
"When did cockiness come into play here," the Golden Goalie asks after finally dealing with the attack and returning an attack of his own in the form of a snap kick to Maki's legs when she touches down.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Maki with Light Kick.
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Roberto 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Maki
It would appear that Maki should be one to speak, since she's underestimating her opponent quite a bit right now. As Roberto tries to kick at Maki, the ninja thinks she has the momentum to avoid it, but she's wrong. Her calculations are off the base, and she finds herself knocked into a nearby turnbuckle. At that point, the referee separates the two fighters, since the turnbuckles are not allowed for use during fights. It only takes Maki a moment to get off the turnbuckle though, but she seems a little bit embarassed now.
Maki would say something, as it looks like her mouth is open, but she doesn't say anything. Apparently, there aren't words to describe how she's feeling right now, although one might say embarassed, or maybe hypocritical. Either way, Maki's got no words for this situation. It's all about carefully planning what to do next, while she watches her opponent.
COMBATSYS: Maki focuses on her next action.
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Roberto 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Maki
As Roberto is separated from Maki, Roberto backs up with no trouble and moves to the corner to roll his neck letting out an audible pop. And then he's back in his goalie stance though it's a bit more bouncier. It's almost as if he was waiting for a penalty shot to come his way.
The soccer goalie then makes his approach and when he's back in range, he brings two fists forward in a double fisted punch. Normally this would be used to knock aside a shot but here it's used to punch away Maki instead.
COMBATSYS: Maki fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Roberto with Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
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Roberto 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Maki
Knock away Maki, huh? Well, Maki's gonna try to knock you away instead. She attempts to drop down onto the tip of her tonfa(!) and spin around like a whirlwind, hoping to use her feet to knock Roberto out of the way and give herself some breathing room. Well, that's what she'd hoped for anyway.
As it is, Maki finds herself going too slow, and gets punched away from Roberto, landing directly on her rear. The referee runs over to check on her, but Maki shoos him away, looking a bit agitated at this point. As she gets back to her feet, though, she does nothing, just glare at Roberto as if to say, "Come on!"
Roberto backs off as the referee goes to check on Maki. It gives him an opportunity to move for one of the many soccer balls. The look on the agitated ninja just seems to speak volumes. Roberto on the other hand seems to exude a quiet intensity as he prepares.
The glare is answered when he shoots forward dribbling the soccer ball with a series of intricate step overs and fakes before performing a spin move that places the Star Striker right next Maki as he performs a soccer styled tackle on her which is to say he makes shoulder to shoulder contact before using his shoulder to shove her away with a grunt given if he manages to make contact.
COMBATSYS: Maki blocks Roberto's Quick Throw.
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Roberto 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Maki
As the shoulder comes in towards Maki, the ninja gets into a defensive stance and uses her forearm to deflect Roberto's shoulder to the side. Of course it does hurt a little, but compared to how bad it could've hurt had it actually connected, it's rather trivial. But Maki's not done just yet.
As soon as she's deflected Roberto completely, Maki takes her tonfa and immediately swings it at the side of Roberto's face, while letting out a loud battle-type cry that shows some hints of annoyance with this whole thing.
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Maki's Medium Strike.
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Roberto 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Maki
Roberto doesn't normally balk at being struck with weapons, since he occasionally trained with Natsu and Shoma and now even has Ichiro on his team. This particular strike, gets a little too close to Roberto's visor and as a result, Roberto brings his hands together to deflect Maki's tonfa strike where before he'd probably would've attempted to dodge it before.
While there was a just a focused face before, now there's a soccer player roaring as he brings up a glowing foot kicking high into the air in an attempt to turn the ninja into a human soccer ball.
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Roberto's Thrust Kick.
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Roberto 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Maki
Fortunately, Maki's adrenaline rush seems to have gotten her to focus a little better. Because Roberto wanting to turn Maki into a human soccer ball isn't exactly something that the ninja wants. Then again, who would want something like that?
Reacting quickly to the incoming kick, Maki twists to the sides and jumps backwards, meaning that the kick hits absolutely nothing but air. Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the term 'Air Ball!'
But for now, Maki's starting to feel a bit on the fatigued side, and is having trouble catching her breath. One of the ring assistants in the corner beckons to her to take a water bottle and have a quick drink while she catches her breath. Naturally, she's leaving herself open to an attack, but either way she's definitely at risk. Still, it's better to have a little extra energy in the tank.\ Fortunately, Maki's adrenaline rush seems to have gotten her to focus a little better. Because Roberto wanting to turn Maki into a human soccer ball isn't exactly something that the ninja wants. Then again, who would want something like that?
Reacting quickly to the incoming kick, Maki twists to the sides and jumps backwards, meaning that the kick hits absolutely nothing but air. Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the term 'Air Ball!'
But for now, Maki's starting to feel a bit on the fatigued side, and is having trouble catching her breath. One of the ring assistants in the corner beckons to her to take a water bottle and have a quick drink while she catches her breath. Naturally, she's leaving herself open to an attack, but either way she's definitely at risk. Still, it's better to have a little extra energy in the tank.
COMBATSYS: Maki gains composure.
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Roberto 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Maki
Roberto has been carefully pacing himself all fight so he seems to be relatively ok and when Maki moves away from him Roberto doesn't move to follow. He has no need to since he's dangerous from both afar and from close in. As long as he has a soccer ball he's a dangerous from a distance.
Roberto moves to the soccer ball he was dribbling when he attempted to perform the tackle on the ninja. He steps on the soccer ball and rolls it on top of his foot before flicking it up to waist height and into his hands.
He whips his arm back and just side arms the soccer ball at Maki in an attempt to knock her off balance. Don't bother saying anything about not being allowed to touch the ball with his hands. He's a goalie.
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Roberto's Thrown Object.
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Roberto 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Maki
Once Maki's finished rehydrating and re-energizing, she turns to face Roberto, feeling a bit more in the fighting spirit than she was before. And while she did display some skills that would make her seem like a good goal keeper, this isn't entirely soccer. Instead, it's more like a game of dodgeball.
And dodging is what Maki does best. When the ball comes at her, Maki rolls to the side and makes sure that the ball doesn't hit her at all. But she's not done yet. As soon as she finishes, Maki jumps onto the ropes nearby, and then bounces off of them while leaping at Roberto. Her aim is to attempt to flip upside down and grab him by the shoulders.
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Maki's Tengu Daoshi.
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Roberto 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Maki
Unfortunately, Maki's attempt is thwarted thanks to Roberto's defensive capabilities.
When the soccer goalie is grabbed he lowers his center of gravity attempting to ground himself and keep the ninja from moving him. He's quite successful in that endeavor however the strain in resisting her grip is the cause of some pain.
Roberto rips himself out of Maki's grip and turns around in a peek-a-boo boxer's stance the result of his training with Heavy D!. Roberto then bobs and weaves before shooting out a snap jab at the ninja.
COMBATSYS: Maki blocks Roberto's Quick Punch.
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Roberto 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Maki
And just as a good boxer knows how to punch, a good one also knows how to block. Maki's no boxer, but she still knows how to block, as evidenced when she raises her arm to deflect the incoming punch away. Without wasting a beat, Maki then brings her right foot up and attempts to deliver a roundhouse kick aimed right at Roberto's chin.
COMBATSYS: Roberto fails to interrupt Strong Kick from Maki with Diving Header.
- Power fail! -
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Roberto 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Maki
Roberto after being stymied by Maki's defenses attempts to do something crazy and plow through her defenses by diving head first at her. Or atleast that was the plan. However when he bends his knees to prepare for launch, his head gets lowered right into Maki's and he's sent spinning wildly in the air before he hits the ground a skid stopping right next to the ropes.
The soccer star pulls himself back to his feet and uses the ropes to assist in climbing back to his feet. His visor has been knocked off of his head and the soccer player is looking slightly loopy.
Looks like Maki might be gaining the upper hand, but it's still definitely anyone's fight. When Maki sees her opponent a bit woozy, though, she's not entirely sure what to make of it. Sure, it could be that Roberto's a bit dizzied and out of it. But there's also the possibility it could be a ruse to try to get Maki to lower her guard.
Granted, either one is a possibility, but how do you decide what to do in a situation like this? Do you capitalize on a possible opening, or do you hang back in case it could be a trap?
In a situation like this, some people might flip a coin or something, but when you don't have a coin available, you have to rely on your instincts to guide you. And for Maki, when something like this happens, it's best to hang back and wait and see what happens next.
COMBATSYS: Maki focuses on her next action.
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Roberto 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Maki
Roberto does eventually snap out of it and does see his visor on the ground. Instead of going directly for Maki, he goes to pick up his visor and put it back on. Fortunately for the soccer player, yet another one of his soccer balls is close by and so he touches it on his feet a few times.
Then the soccer player steps forward to touch the soccer ball forward. He takes another step and then gives that soccer ball a good boot. The target? Maki's head.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Maki with Long Shot.
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Roberto 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Maki
Whoa, more dodgeball, huh? Unfortunately, Maki's not in a dodgeball mood right now, and the purpose of dodgeball is to dodge the ball, right? Well, that's what Maki would like to do, but unfortunately, her reflexes have suffered a little since her last dodging attempt. The ball strikes Maki directly in the face, sending her backwards into the ropes with a loud, "UNGH!"
That, right there, in Maki's opinion, should've netted Roberto a yellow card at the very least. But they're not playing soccer. They're doing a Neo League match, where the rules don't say anything against that. Besides, if Maki can use her tonfa, then why can't Roberto use his soccer balls? Although a tonfa is more of a traditional weapon than a soccer ball, but still.
As Maki struggles to get the dizziness out of her head, and wipes a stream of blood that's coming from her nose, she takes a deep breath and slowly approaches Roberto. Once she's close enough, she brings her tonfa arm back and then swings it upwards, letting out a yell at the same time.
COMBATSYS: Roberto dodges Maki's Genkou.
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Roberto 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Maki
The moment after the soccer ball is released Roberto rolls up on the balls of his feet. That enables Miura to prepared when Maki retaliates. Roberto holds his ground as the ninja approaches and then as the tonfa swings upwards, Roberto bursts forward and slightly to the side which pulls Roberto to Maki's flank and out of the way of the weapon. With a quick step and a turn the soccer star is right behind her in a display of speed that he hadn't shown at all earlier in the fight when before he had shown resilience.
Roberto decides to take advantage of his positioning and grabs Maki by the waist before attempting to throw her down to the ground on her side.
COMBATSYS: Maki interrupts Quick Throw from Roberto with Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
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Roberto 1/---====/=======|=======\=====--\1 Maki
As Roberto attempts to grab Maki, she realizes that she's got an opportunity to reverse the whole thing. Unfortunately, it's a tad bit on the risky side, but part of being a fighter is about taking risks and all that. So she'll just have to go along with it and see what happens.
As Maki feels herself being thrown, she drops onto her tonfa, and this time she spins around like a whirlwind, sending Roberto across the ring like she intended to. But her balance is a bit off because of being thrown, and she suddenly drops onto the canvas. Groaning in pain, Maki struggles to get back up, but by the time the referee has counted to five, she's back up, albeit breathing a little heavier and having trouble maintaining her stance. But she's still in the fight.
Roberto on the other hand takes until about six to get back up to his feet. He takes a bit of time to shake out the cobwebs from the kick delivered to his head and then he glances at Maki, glances at the soccer ball. He takes a deep breath as he dribbles around the ring for a moment.
After that moment to get his head right, Roberto moves forward similar to the last time with a touch and then a kick but this time the shot is lot different. For one, the soccer wasn't on fire before. It also wasn't flying that fast before either. And if that chi flame-engulfed soccer ball should hit, it will explode catching the ninja in the explosion.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Maki with Blazing Strikers.
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Roberto 0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Maki
How on Earth did Maki ever think she was going to avoid flaming soccer balls, even though she is an agile woman and all? Probably because she was so dazed and confused. As it is, Maki moves the wrong way, and is pelted left and right with those flaming soccer balls, sending her staggering into the ropes, and then she stumbles forwards, looking very limp and like she's going to fall to the ground, giving Roberto the win.
But before she goes down for the count, Maki's eyes suddenly open wide, a glimmer of light shining in them suddenly, and then Maki rushes at her opponent, attempting to deliver a swift flurry of tonfa strikes and kicks. Apparently this is Maki's last effort before she goes down.
COMBATSYS: Maki has reached second wind!
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Roberto 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Maki
COMBATSYS: Roberto interrupts Bushin Gou Rai Ha from Maki with Blazing Juggle.
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Roberto 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Maki
That flurry of strikes comes at the former star goalie/striker of Taiyo High. Avoiding it doesn't seem like a good idea since Maki wasn't completely knocked out of the fight yet. Blocking them without a response doesn't either. Instead Roberto shoots into the eye of the tonfa storm glowing knee first, bashed and battered by the strikes.
With his knee winning through, he uses it to bump her high into the air, and then he turns and leaps up into the air flipping backwards to drive the Bushin-ryu Ninja back down to earth with a chi engulfed kick.
The soccer star barely has it in him to drag himself to his feet. Desperately he gasps for air.
Even though it's supposed to be her last ditch effort, the attempt to launch one last attack somehow brings more adrenaline into Maki, as she attempts to destroy Roberto with her flurry of strikes and kicks--
But wait, Roberto apparently has plans of his own, attempting to counter Maki's last-ditch effort and remove her adrenaline from her. And boy does it work like a charm. Maki's hit hard, and the juggling attack sends her up into the air, and what goes up must come down. And Maki's going to hit the canvas very hard, meaning that Roberto might have the win under his belt. But he'd better look out, since Maki's getting in one last swing of her tonfa at his face.
COMBATSYS: Maki can no longer fight.
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Roberto 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Roberto dodges Maki's Medium Strike.
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Roberto 0/-------/----===|
Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Roberto, by all rights should've been taken out by Maki's final strike but as he back pedals his tired legs give out on him and he collapses just under the attempt to strike him in the head.
Both fighters are counted out by the referee but Roberto seeing that Maki has fallen begins to crawl to the ropes. His hands grasp the bottom then the middle rope and then finally the top rope as he pulls himself to his feet. The ref manages to count to nine before Roberto wobbles off the rope barely keeping his balance long enough to not get counted out.
As Maki hits the canvas, the referee runs over to check on her to see if she's still able to fight. After a moment, he raises his hands to signal the end of the match, and Roberto is announced as the winner of the fight. Meanwhile, Maki, is being helped out of the ring by several ring attendants. She didn't win this time, but she gave it her all and that's what counts. As she looks up at her opponent, she smiles a little and says, "You scored the winning goal!" And winks at him.
COMBATSYS: Roberto has ended the fight here.
Log created on 22:16:53 06/29/2008 by Roberto, and last modified on 11:50:11 06/30/2008.