SNF 2008.07 - Playground! Batsu/Tenma vs Hayato/Sergio

Description: What better way to break in Metro City Park's new children's playground... Then having two teenagers fight two adults in it?! In an epic showdown of epicness, the teen team of Batsu Ichimonji amd Tenma Kiryuu face off against the unified old man front of Hayato Nekketsu and Sergio... But who will come out on top? (Winners: Batsu and Tenma)



Welcome... to Metrassic Park!

[RECORD SCRATCHING NOISE]

Alright, so this grand park in the center of Metro City isn't full of velociraptors or Jeff Goldblum pretending to act. However, it is a little more family friendly for the lack of either. Mid-afternoon sun (thank you, off-time taping!) and good summer weather mean that everyone is out and about, making this green patch of an otherwise concrete and steel urban area a haven for those who want to get outside and play, instead of for example roleplaying on their computers inside their homes with the lights off and the shades drawn, because the sun burns ussssss, yesssss.

Anyhow.

He's not exactly playing around on the swingsets, but Batsu is in evidence next to the massive array of playground equipment that's been cleared of snot-nosed brats for the time being so that the Burning Fighter, along with three others, can use it to beat the hell out of each other instead. A good-sized audience is in evidence, considering, back behind yellow cordon ropes and buying food from cart-based vendors. Batsu, for his part, is indulging in some good American eating: a foot long hot dog with all the fixins', which he practically bites halfway through in one go, waiting for the others to arrive.

Ah, playgrounds. Hayato greatly approves of such places. Allowing children the opportunity to run around, expending the nearly limitless energy of youth. And if they should get a few bumps and bruises, or perhaps some scraped knees, well, it's character building! And this is a /real/ playground, not one of those committee designed atrocities that are built to take all the danger (otherwise known as 'fun') out of the setting.
It's unfortunate that the fight has to close the playground down, really... but it'll be open before long. And it /does/ make for a good battleground. Hayato surveys the location as he approaches with a confident stride. His shinai rests against the shoulder of his red track jacket, and there's a wide grin on his face as he thinks about the fight to come. Hmm... Swings over there, monkeybars over that way... How best to make use of these surroundings? Only time will tell. But there's one thing that Hayato does already know... When he and Batsu clash, the results are going to be... energetic.

Metro City- not a bad place to be if you're in it for the parties. It's definitely one of the hottest cities to be in if you're looking for nothing more than to head to a club so you can drink and dance to your heart's content. And so what if Sergio is actually here for a fight? That isn't scheduled until midday, giving him plenty of time to kick loose and have fun the night before.

Cut to the present, with a groggy looking Sergio with a hand against his head walking into the park. He shakes his head and lets out a laugh, "Damn, didn't think that'd be an all-nighter. I shouldn't have cut myself off, couple more beers and I wouldn't have this headache. Ah well!" A quick survey of the landscape gets a nod from him, deciding it won't be too horrible a place to fight. He cracks his knuckles and lets out a shout, "All right! When we gonna get this thing goin', huh?" There's nothing quite like a brawl to cap off a night of partying.

This is not the first time Tenma Kiryuu has been assigned to fight alongside Batsu Ichimonji by Saturday Night Fight, oh no. Last time, there were tanks. It was pretty sweet.

"You know, there ain't any actual meat in those things," the Gedo swordsman says abruptly, somewhere not too far from Batsu as he bites into his hot dog. "It's all like, hooves an' entrails an' whatever they sweep up off the floor." He saw it on TV, so it must be true, right? Besides, true or not it's appropriately disgusting to be an inappropriate subject to bring up /right as someone is eating/, and this, funny.

Tenma stands with his bokken unsheathed, but not currently emanating that weird aura; instead, it rests against his shoulder, his other hand at his side, thumb hooked into his pocket as he turns his attention from Batsu and towards their arriving opponents. Hayato, well, he's a little scary, but Sergio? Oh no, it's a drunk. "Is that guy even allowed on a playground?" Tenma wonders of Hayato, pulling his left hand from his pocket and jerking a thumb at Sergio. "He looks like the FBI or whatever would've given him instructions to stay at least one hundred feet away at all times."

The Taiyo senior's reply to Tenma is to ram the rest of the hot dog in his mouth and chew thoughtfully for a bit before swallowing somewhat exaggeratedly and glancing over at the bokken-wielding Gedo student. Yeah, blood boy... Batsu remembers this guy. But in their last SNF as partners Tenma proved to be a damned good fighter, so Batsu cuts him some slack. "Man, we come from a country where people eat raw fish wrapped in seaweed, that can't be much worse." Batsu clearly eats a lot of sushi, you can tell.

Getting up from the park bench we was sitting on, the Burning Fighter lazily follows Tenma to the 'arena', inclining his head to Hayato respectfully. Any fight against his PE instructor is going to be well worth Batsu's time, in his opinion. "Ready, sensei? I ain't holdin' back just 'cause you're my teacher!" This isn't the first time Batsu's faced off against Hayato in the arena, but the last few times have been... busy. Maybe now in a 2v2 he can get some one on one time with a fighter he respects.

And speaking of...

Ichimonji's eyebrow goes up at Sergio, who seems enthusiastic... sorta. Tenma's question gets an amused snort out of Batsu, but the call to fight's been thrown out even if it WAS by a drunken sot who looks badly in need of a nap, so he drops into his brawler's stance, fists up, and cracks his neck a little bit. "I'm ready anytime, anywhere."

COMBATSYS: Batsu has started a fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-------|


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

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Batsu            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Hayato


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

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Batsu            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sergio
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Tenma has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tenma            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sergio
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Batsu            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Hayato


Hayato really can't say too much about Sergio coming to a fight with a hangover. Hayato himself... well, let's just say he likes a drink every now and then. So, really, it's Sergio's funeral if he doesn't want to be on top of his game! Just means all that much more of a challenge for Hayato. The Burning Phys Ed Teacher grins as his student approaches, lowering the arm holding his shinai and cracking his knuckles. "If you hold back, Batsu, I'm gonna have to kick your ass even harder!"
Of course, Hayato's going to put plenty of effort into said asskicking anyway. Once everybody's in position it's time for the fight to begin, and Hayato doesn't delay in getting things started. "Better get ready, Batsu!" With a sharp laugh, Hayato charges forward, thundering across the ground toward his student. There'll be plenty of time for making use of the environment in a few moments. Right now he just wants to see how well Batsu deals with a full force punch to the face. A very standard test, under Hayato's training regimen.

No, Tenma is of the feeling that floor scrapings are worse than raw fish... He does like him some sushi. Shugging his slender shoulders, the tall youth keeps his attention focused on the other team, dark blue eyes glancing curiously from Sergio to Hayato, and back again. "Tch," the Guardian King mutters, swinging his bokken down from his shoulder, and bringing his left hand up to his mouth, biting into his thumb.

Blood runs down Tenma's hand, dripping onto the ground at his feet, but he doesn't really seem bothered by it; instead, he draws his thumb down the wooden blade of his bokken, painting a wide red stripe on it in his own blood, forging a link between himself and his weapon. "Normally I don't like beating up on drunks, but," Tenma says, sweeping his wooden sword through the air once, the slightly curved blade suddenly alight with energy, a misty crimson aura that envelops the bokken. "I guess I'll make an exception just this one time." Suddenly sprinting forward as Hayato moves to punch Batsu in the face, Tenma crosses right by the Burning Phys Ed Teacher in his attempt to reach Sergio instead, swinging his bokken up over his head as he gets closer; once in striking distance, the wooden blade comes down in a sharp slash, and at the 'bottom' of that motion Tenma reverses the blade, before swinging it back up at a slightly altered angle, creating a narrow V-shape. "Huaaagh!!

COMBATSYS: Sergio blocks Tenma's Ungyou.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Tenma            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sergio
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Batsu            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Hayato


"Tough crowd, eh?" Sergio gives a shrug as the only response he garners are some odd looks and comments about his not looking to hot. Well, at least Batsu seems to have the right idea. "There, that's more like it. I came here for a fight, not for a documentary on the horrors of processed meat!" Noticing the brawlers stance a grin forms on his face and he starts approaching the Taiyo student, only to recognize Hayato has the same thing in mind. It sucks having to play second fiddle to someone better than you, but whatever. That other guy ought to be decent, right?

"Looks like it's you and me, stick-boy." He turns to face Tenma, giving an odd look as the young man spreads the blood across the weapon, only to have it swirl with energy. "Hmm. Not bad." The student rushes in at him and raises his weapon, prompting Sergio to lift his arms and cross them, the weapon smashing down upon them, and then coming up from below after deflecting off. The next attack catches Sergio off guard, but a raised leg lets him take it on the shin.

Leg up, he steps forward. "Jesus, that's downright disgusting." He has blood all over himself; that's not supposed to happen unless he hits someone! The man then gives a grin, reaching forward and trying to grab the teenager and twist him around to wrap a large arm around his neck and hold him in a headlock, "I think you need to wash up!" Releasing the hold he presses his hand against Tenma's back and then releases a powerful spray of water from his palm, seeking to blast the young man away and send him sprawling.

COMBATSYS: Batsu endures Hayato's Fierce Strike.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Tenma            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sergio
[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Batsu            0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0           Hayato


How does Batsu handle a full-force punch to the face? He TAKES IT LIKE A MAN. Maybe it's that comment about how much harder Hayato's going to have to kick his ass if he doesn't go all out, or maybe just lingering annoyance about having to think about what went into that delicious hot dog rather than simply eating it and being done with it. Either way, the Burning Fighter is determined to show his Manly! Fighting! Skill! now, especially to his PE teacher. Thus when the punch comes in, Batsu takes it like a champ... maybe even better, since he plants his foot and throws his weight into becoming suddenly immovable.

There's a second for Hayato to retract his fist, Batsu's head turned to the side... before he turns it back, grinning and wiping a hand across his mouth. "We'll see about that, sensei." And then it's his turn to strike back... and strike back he does, lunging forward with a sudden, short-range shoulder check to knock Hayato right to the ground in one fell swoop. If he can pull that off? Batsu drops, straddling Hayato for a second and delivering not one, not two, but three consecutive crosses to the teacher's jaw before rolling back standing.

COMBATSYS: Batsu successfully hits Hayato with Headbutt Beat Up.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Tenma            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sergio
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Batsu            0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


The solid impact of his blow makes Hayato's grin widen. Now that's a hit! He doesn't get too long to enjoy it, though. From such close range, it's not too hard for Batsu to connect with his shoulder charge, taking both of them down to the ground. He starts trying to bring up his arms, but then Batsu is punching him in the face, knocking his head from side to side. The repeated blows to the jaw make it hard for Hayato to focus his vision until Batsu pauses to roll away.
Hayato rises to a sitting position, then wipes his sleeve across his mouth as he gets back to his feet. "Pretty good. Pretty good..." He grins, then glances quickly about the playground. Let's see... Hayato's gaze settles on the monkey bars after a moment. He dashes over, reaching up with one hand and then swiftly hauling himself up to the top of the structure. If Batsu wants to follow him, he's got the high ground. If he doesn't... Well, Hayato can jump quite well.

COMBATSYS: Hayato focuses on his next action.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Tenma            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Sergio
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Batsu            0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Tenma blocks Sergio's Riptide.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Tenma            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Sergio
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Batsu            0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


Yeah, people complain about the nature of Tenma's abilities a lot... He's pretty much used to it, so when Sergio describes it as 'disgusting', the teenager just grins from ear to ear, showing teeth. There's a bit of blood between them. Still, Tenma gets caught in the grab, and headlocked, before being blasted away by the spray of water... Except that the Gedo swordsman manages to flip himself onto his feet - using his weapon to do so - and kids a little bit on his sneakered heels before turning to look back over his shoulder at Sergio.

"Speakin' of washing up, maybe you oughta rinse those pits out once in a while," Tenma says.

Then, he's closing with Sergio again, holding his swordarm low and across his torso and ducking low... Before springing up with a twisting motion, whirling around in a rising strike with his bloody chi-emanating bokken that seeks to take the Italian up into the air /with/ him... And then knock him downwards.

Right at the end of a slide.

COMBATSYS: Sergio endures Tenma's Vajra.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tenma            0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           Sergio
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Batsu            0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


Hmm, looks like the kid is pretty good at recovering! Not so great for Sergio, but what are you going to do? "Tch, give me a break. You probably smell worse than I do with all that freakin' blood. Worst I'd smell like is a bit of booze, and there's nothing wrong with that!" He's probably not doing himself any favors, with that comment.

He readies himself as Tenma comes rushing in, fists held up in front of himself and intending to smash him in the jaw when he gets close. Something seems just a bit off to him, though, and the punch is checked just before it's thrown. That pretty much leaves Tenma in perfect position to smash the hell out of him with his bloody sword. The downstroke sends him crashing down into the slide, a groan of metal sounding from the impact as the Italian shoots down it.

But his landing seems all too steady, getting up to his feet as soon as he reaches the bottom. Stopping, turning, and grinning he runs back /up/ the slide and then launches off of it towards Tenma in a preposterous flying kick, tying to swat him out of the air with the motion before sending three hard punches to the gut into his stomach, followed up with a palmstrike that ends in yet another powerful blast of water, "Hah!"

Snapping back to his feet after that assault, Batsu shakes his head. He made it connect, but at what cost? Hayato hits hard even by Batsu's standards; the Taiyo student's ears are still ringing from that punch to the face. However, he can't be slowed down just yet, and his eyes track the Burning Phys Ed Teacher's movements across the field to the monkey bars. "Sure you got time to play round on the jungle gym, sensei?!" Batsu tosses out good-naturedly, as he sets off to follow.

Hayato does indeed have the high ground... but Batsu isn't all muscle between the ears. Knowing that he doesn't have much chance of actually leaping up and smacking Hayato without taking a shinai to the face for his trouble, he instead improvises: making a short hop, he snaps both hands onto the jungle gym from below, hanging for a second... and then swings his legs up, *hard*, looking to kick Hayato right off the top of the equipment from underneath, through the gaps between the bars.

COMBATSYS: Batsu successfully hits Hayato with Medium Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tenma            0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           Sergio
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


Well, getting knocked into the air wasn't quite how Hayato planned it. Once he figures out what Batsu's planning, Hayato attempts to leap up before he can get hit, but he's not quite fast enough. So rather than leaping into the air, he's propelled upwards by the impact of Batsu's feet. Not a terribly painful blow, but he definitely felt it. And the landing could hurt, if not done properly. But Hayato already had some ideas in mind for the landing...
Regardless of under whose power he went up, Hayato eventually starts to come down. And he twists his body as he falls, extending one arm out to his side. Batsu's position in the monkey bars should at least momentarily slow down his attempts to right himself and get back on the ground... so Hayato intends to grab him by the head on the way down. Then it's a simple matter of force as Batsu gets yanked back down through the bars, then has the back of his head slammed into the ground.

COMBATSYS: Tenma endures Sergio's Breaker.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Tenma            0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0           Sergio
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


Of course, while Sergio goes crashing into the slide, Tenma is on his way to land normally, because that's what gravity does; but the Italian is fast enough, at least this time, to get at the Gedo swordsman before the Earth's pull manages to, and there's not really many places Tenma can go since he's /in the air/, so he gets kicked. And then, hey, he even gets punched and palm striked and blasted with water and stuff, which sends him flying backwards... And gets him kind of wet.

"Real cute, Super Soaker," Tenma says, catching himself by the chain of a swing, and getting his feet on the seat... So the remaining momentum sends him back and up, before the whole 'swing' part kicks in, and he pendulums back forward, leaping off at the peak of the swing, and diving down towards Sergio again; as he falls, Tenma swings his bokken back over his shoulder with both hands, bringing it down in a violent slash as his arc ideally brings him close enough to the Italian, aiming to strike right across the torso. "Now GET LOST!!"

COMBATSYS: Sergio fails to interrupt Fierce Strike from Tenma with Old Faithful.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


A flying attack, eh?! Sergio knows exactly how to deal with this! The swing trick is pretty neat, even he's forced to admit, but with Tenma rushing down at him from above? Well, he thinks he's got this one handled- no problem. His right arm shoots upward and a geyser of water erupts up out of the ground in front of him, blasting upwards towards Tenma and seeking to blow him right out of the air- or at the very least slow his descent to the point of making the strike less effective.

But perhaps he should have gotten that sleep he neglected instead of going to a club and dancing the night away, because his aim is off. Maybe his eyes are blurry from lack of sleep, but the water sprays to Tenma's side without even getting him damp. As you can imagine, this doesn't make for a very powerful defense.

The weapon makes a loud crack as it lands on his chest, the force of the blow sending Sergio staggering backwards before falling flat on his ass. "Son of a bitch- you hit a whole damn lot harder than you look like you should, you know that?" With a curse aimed at himself he shoves himself back up to his feet and re-raises his fists.

COMBATSYS: Batsu dodges Hayato's Strong Throw.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


His position on the monkey bars might have been useful for attacking Hayato, but on the defensive it is a remarkably stupid place to be. Thankfully for his own skin, Batsu knows that too. Thus as soon as he feels feet connect, Batsu doesn't stop moving; he hooks his knees around the bar he just kicked past, and hangs upside down for a moment -- uniform jacket flipping down and revealing the wire mesh training shirt he wears underneath, as is obligatory in this situation -- before dropping down and catching himself in a crouch. Thus when Hayato's descent angles him down toward where Batsu was, the Burning Fighter is no longer there to grab... and much the good it does, too, because Strong Throw is his nemesis. For reals.

Deciding he doesn't like being trapped under monkey bars, Batsu ducks out from under them and heads towards, of all things, a row of teeter-totters. Grinning at Hayato, he calls over his shoulder, "Just like the obstacle course back in the Dome, huh, sensei?!" Pivoting on one foot, Batsu plants his foot, balls his fists, and YELLS. There's an air burst as his cerulean blue chi explodes from his body, briefly, in the DBZ powerup sequence. "AND I'M ONE NASTY OBSTACLE!"

COMBATSYS: Batsu gathers his will.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


Hayato was expecting Batsu to break his fall a bit, so he lands on his back rather harder than expected. He grunts in pain, remaining on the ground for a few moments before climbing back to his feet. "Obstacle course, huh?" Hayato shakes his head for a moment, then looks back to Batsu with a grin. "Well, if you want to play it like that..."
The teacher declines to explain exactly what he means, but the way he starts charging toward Batsu gives a pretty big hint. And he shows no signs of slowing down. A quick check of his aim and then he tries to ram his shoulder right into Batsu, to knock the student down and onto the end of one of the seesaws. This is followed up a moment later by Hayato leaping into the air, intending to stomp down with all his weight on the raised end. This could be really impressive to watch... or it could result in the seesaw splintering and dumping Hayato on his face in the sand. We'll see.

Yeah, that's the ticket. Tenma is certainly aware of the near miss with the geyser of water, but high risk just makes things more interesting! As Sergio staggers backwards, the newly landed Guardian King takes a few careful steps back of his own, putting a bit more space between himself and the Italian, watching him carefully as he pushes himself back to his feet.

"Really?" Tenma wonders, tilting his head to one side. Could it be that he's actually going to accept a compliment with grace and civility and a noble nature? Has, perhaps, the rowdy Gedo gang member finally learned to behave properly in some kind of actual society? "'cause I was thinkin' the exact opposite about you."

That's a 'no', then.

That bokken slants against Tenma's shoulder once more, the energy emanating from it not seeming to bother the Kiryuu demon hunter at all, and his other hand remains at his side, blood-red prayer beads clicking quietly. It's a posture of supreme indolence, of arrogance; the lion resting on the hill. But a canny observer might notice that what Tenma's projecting isn't the whole truth. He's watching, carefully. Calculating. Waiting for just the right moment to strike. "C'mon, Super Soaker. You're startin' to bore me. Maybe you should stick to old man hobbies, instead of fighting. I hear making model boats is pretty fun for people your age."

COMBATSYS: Tenma focuses on his next action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


"Heh. There are guys twice my age that could kick /both/ our asses all over the floor. Better think twice if you think you're going to beat me just because you're younger!" Ah, the arrogance of youth, something that's never quite worn off of Sergio. He slaps his hands together and rubs them, "If you're going to just stand there like a target, I can't help but oblige. Tryin' to lure me into a trap is a pretty goddamn big mistake!"

His stance widens and he lowers himself closer to the ground, adopting a poorly executed horse stance. But what Sergio lacks in refinement he makes up for in pure brute force. He draws his right hand back, facing towards Tenma, gathering up energy before slamming the fist forward powerfully. "HAAH!"

You could almost hear the crickets chirp if it weren't for Hayato and Batsu beating on each other just a few meters away. But the silence doesn't last for long, the ground rumbling beneath their feet only moments before a massive onrush of water explodes forward, pouring forward and ripping up the ground with the force of river rapids. The slide that was ran up only moments ago is struck and torn from the ground, whirling end over end and bouncing along, the massive onrush of water and debris all heading right for Tenma. The Lions hill is about to be blown right out from under him.

COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Batsu with Medium Throw.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1           Sergio
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Batsu            1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0           Hayato


What happens next really IS interesting to watch.

Being in a defensive stance doesn't mean you're about to succeed on the defensive, and indeed as the shoulder rams into Batsu he grunts, tumbling backwards onto the end of one of the nearby seesaws, splayed there for a moment before Hayato's application of the elementary lever sends him *flying*. He's not exactly light, but Batsu's not exactly a heavyweight either, and Hayato can put some impressive force behind things when he's of the mind. In fact, the seesaw snaps right in half as Batsu goes skyward, tumbling off the frame just as the Burning Fighter slams into the ground next to it.

Getting to his feet, Batsu shakes his head a bit, then grins through clenched teeth. "Not bad, you guessed my plan and did it before I had a chance. But, opportunity knocks twice sometimes, sensei!" And that's when he suddenly ducks down... and grabs a half of the broken seesaw.

The full-frontal charge is not the smartest of combat maneuvers, but sometimes when done with enough force and panache it can really drive the point home. In this case, Batsu charges Hayato, screaming inarticulately as the chi around him flares blue, then red-orange with flames as the Taiyo senior simply pulls a Shoma, twists his body as he drops to a halt, and looks to bat Hayato right into the sky with a fiery hunk of recently-shattered wood. "IMPROVISED... GUTS! UPPERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

COMBATSYS: Batsu successfully hits Hayato with Maximum Guts Upper.
Glancing Blow

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1           Sergio
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Batsu            0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Hayato


When he sees Batsu charging in toward him with a weapon, Hayato tenses himself up to leap. But the question is, in which direction will he swing? It's only once Batsu stops and shifts into position that Hayato can see he's going for an upward swing. And so Hayato attempts to leap back and out of range. This doesn't quite succeed. He gets back far enough to avoid being launched into the air, but not far enough to avoid having a chi flaming piece of wood shatter against his jaw. The impact knocks his head back, leaving him staring up at the sky as he staggers backward, dazed.
After a few moments, though, Hayato gives his head a good shake. He then reaches up with his left hand and shifts his jaw from side to side a few times, making sure nothing's broken or dislocated. Then he grins at Batsu, although his shining white smile is now a bit smeared with blood. This particular grin is one Batsu should be familiar with... and it means 'watch out'. Hayato lunges forward, swinging his shinai in toward the side of Batsu's head. He follows through, then comes back with a blow aimed with precision toward the student's wrist. Again with the follow through and back for a strike just below the ribcage, and then finally Hayato swings up high before bringing his shinai slashing down toward Batsu's collarbone. All the while laughing in a good natured manner.

COMBATSYS: Tenma dodges Sergio's Whitewater.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Tenma            0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Batsu            0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0           Hayato


Of course, Tenma lifts his left hand and waves it dismissively at Sergio's words. No, no, he's not going to win because he's /younger/, he's going to win because he's /better/. It's a fact, at least within the confines of Tenma Kiryuu's own mind, and that's the only place that counts. When Sergio punches the ground, the Guardian King briefly tenses, but it looks like... Nothing is happening? "Pssh, all show an' no go, Super Soaker? Forgot your Viagra, huh?"

Then the ground explodes and there's water everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

At first, it looks like Tenma might have been completely washed away by the attack, the rushing water and the debris carried along by it, but this is in fact not the case; focusing his chi in his legs at the last second, the high schooler leapt out of the way, and is now sitting on top of the swing set, looking right at Sergio. "Heyyy, pretty close there, old guy. Maybe next time you should try actually /hittin'/ me, though." He pushes off of the swingset, landing and rolling over one shoulder on the soggy, broken ground to bring himself closer to the Italian; as he springs out of the roll, his left hand lashes out in a punch at the taller man's chest, followed by a second, and a third, and more: Quick jabs, barely enough to do anything on their own, but they're carefully targeted to disrupt the flow of chi through Sergio's body, as well as to force him backwards, Tenma trying to control the spacing of their battle...

COMBATSYS: Sergio blocks Tenma's Flow Breaker.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Batsu            0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0           Hayato


Sergio can't tell what happened to Tenma at all- not until he speaks up. Normally there'd be some kind of yell to accompany getting blasted with so much power, so he knew something must be up... but to have it completely avoided? Bah, that seems to be happening more and more these days. It's starting to get a little distressing!

His arms cross over his chest as he's talked down to, at a loss for words how to respond. It's hard to counteract trash talk when someone's busy whoopin' your ass. Good thing for him Tenma decides to make the fight physical rather than verbal again, jumping and then rolling up to Sergio before sending out a barrage of punches. Sergio can be a tough nut to crack when he's got his head in the game, though, and this is one of those instances.

The punches meet palms and forearms rather than his chest, and Sergio actually lets out a little laugh, "Heh. Guess that wasn't one of your better moves, huh? Here let me show you how to throw a PUNCH!" Stepping backwards as he defends, the man decides he's stopped enough of the light, disruptive punches and steps forward, his right fist coming in from underneath. A simple orb of water hovers around his fist as he attempts to slam it home, aiming a single powerful blow at Tenma's breadbasket.

COMBATSYS: Batsu dodges Hayato's Scolding Slash.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Batsu            0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Hayato


Yes, Batsu does indeed know that the look on Hayato's face means 'watch out'. Perhaps somewhat unfortunately for the PE teacher, a highly recognizable look is really, really useful for spurring Batsu to heights of defensive wonder that shouldn't be possible. Case in point: after the O_O expression fades from his face, the Taiyo senior retreats from Hayato's assault post-haste, ducking and weaving around those fiercely powerful slashes until he finally shoves off the ground and dives backwards to avoid that last, overhead slash. He stumbles to his feet, panting from the effort, but grins (somewhat wobbily) at Hayato. "Ha... ha... that was close," he admits.

For a second, his eyes flicker over to the Tenma/Sergio bout... probably because of the devastation caused by countless over-the-top water-based attacks. However, the Gedo swordfighter appears to be holding his own... and it's against Batsu's personal code of ethics to intrude on someone else's mano-a-mano battle. So instead he turns to Hayato... and then runs away? Yes, he runs away...

...into one of those animal-shaped riding things on springs. He effectively dives AT it at a low horizontal arc, pushing off the thing like a wrestler rebounding from the ropes, flying through the air back at his teacher with a chi-laced kick surrounding in an aura of blazing blue, looking to bowl Hayato over. "HORIZONTAL RYUUSEI KICK!"

COMBATSYS: Hayato counters Shooting Star Kick from Batsu with Counter Thrust.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tenma            1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1           Sergio
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Batsu            0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1           Hayato


Given the speed with which Batsu rockets out from his spring assisted start, everything that happens next is in one brief moment. Batsu springs out, burning a path through the air toward Hayato. The gym teacher's eyes widen, but even before that reflexive action finishes he's already thinking. His body shifts as he steps forward and to the side, bringing him out of Batsu's direct path, but closer to the student at the same time.
From Batsu's point of view, it should quickly become clear that things are going wrong. And then Batsu's view will most likely be largely taken up by Hayato's fist. At first it's only a point of interest, rather than obscuring everything. But as Batsu rockets forward and Hayato leans into a punch, that fist will get larger and larger in Batsu's vision. Right up to the point at which it slams into the Burning Student's face and Hayato pushes forward and down, slamming Batsu's head against the ground. Given the momentum he's got going, it should be an all around bad time.

COMBATSYS: Tenma interrupts Fierce Punch from Sergio with Deep Strike.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Tenma            1/----===/=======|=======\======-\1           Sergio
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Batsu            0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1           Hayato


So, here's a funny story for you: Remember how Sergio said, like a minute ago, that trying to lure him into a trap was a 'pretty goddamn big mistake'?

Well, guess what Tenma just did?

The water-wielding Italian manages to deflect the worst of those quick jabbing off-hand strikes, and seems pretty amused by the whole thing, but so does the younger man, grinning from ear to ear at Sergio's words, his posture changing just slightly... And then when the fist comes at him, he twists sharply to one side. Water and fisty goodness graze along Tenma's side, painfully, but not nearly what Sergio was likely hoping, particularly as Tenma's knee buries itself in the larger man's gut.

"Hey," says the Guardian King. "Let me show you how to GO DIE ALREADY!!" That chi-emanating bokken lashes out at the side of Sergio's neck, both hands swinging it with all their might; were it a live blade, or Sergio a normal person, it would probably be a killing stroke, but Tenma isn't done there. Another leap follows, a short one to close the distance that opened between the youth and the older fighter after he hit him in the damn neck, and Tenma swings his bokken down in a final slash at the soft part of Sergio's shoulder, gravity giving him a little boost. "Now get /lost/!"

Interesting, that was supposed to feel like his fist crushing into Tenma's stomach and crumpling him around it, not like having it hit him in the side and glance away. Instead it's a blow to /Sergios/ gut that ends up bending him over, a choking cough pronouncing he just had the wind knocked out of him rather viciously. And if that wasn't bad enough he's not done, smacking him with a full on swing to send him spiraling away before attacking yet again to crush him down to the ground.

There's no defense possible when someone's coming at you like that, and Sergio laying in a heap on the ground is proof of it. "Er-ergh... Yeah, guess stayin' up last night was a pretty horrible idea." Slowly Sergio presses his hands to the ground and begins pushing himself up. What's this, can he actually still fight after that blow?!

Well, not quite. What he can do is try and make Tenma pay for thusfar making a complete fool of him. He's not even all the way up when he makes his attack, a final surge of energy outpouring from him as two massive waves of water form, rushing in on each other. In they come towards the two fighters, and with them being so very close there's going to be no time at all for Sergio to get swept up with the one behind him before the two waves meet and collide. So he acts immediately instead, pulling both fists back and trying to slam them both forward with all his strength in to the Guardian King's stomach, just in time for the waves to converge and crash into each other, sending a massive spray of water swirling around them and splashing high into the air.

COMBATSYS: Sergio can no longer fight.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Tenma            1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1           Hayato
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/----===|


Haha, take that, gym tea-- *FIST*

It's a totally inelegant dismount for Batsu, who all but tumble-rolls across the ground to a stop. He's been hit harder than that, for sure... but the uncontrolled flight path of his attack makes recovering from the sudden interruption basically impossible. He slides to a stop just next to one of those monkey bar dome-looking things, just shy of cracking his head on the metal rungs. When he gets up, he looks even groggier than Sergio did at the start of the match, thanks to a combination of pain and disorientation; he brings a hand up to the cross-shaped scar on his temple, eyes narrowed in concentration.

The sudden surges of water on the 'other' side of the arena get his attention, however, and have the added benefit of snapping Batsu out of whatever was keeping him dazed. "Heh... Gedo kid's already done, sensei," Batsu says with a faint grin at Hayato, stepping away from the dome he was leaning on. "Looks like I gotta speed this up if I don't wanna look bad!" His hands drop to his sides, suddenly flaring with that bright blue chi, and Batsu whips his arms forward, parallel to the ground, and a screaming bullet of GUTS! lashes out toward the Burning Phys Ed Teacher. "TAKE THIS! KIAI DAN!"

COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Batsu's Guts Bullet.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tenma            1/----===/=======|=======\=------\1           Hayato
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/----===|


Hayato could just hunker down and curl up so that the chi blast from Batsu can't hit anywhere sensitive, but where's the fun in that? Instead he rears back, throwing out a fist to meet the incoming projectile. There's a flare of light as Hayato's fist collides with it, resulting in a chi explosion. When the blast clears, Hayato is still standing there, fist extended. It would look a bit cooler if he didn't then hiss his breath through his teeth and start shaking his hand. That hurt!
Not enough to slow Hayato down for /too/ long, though. "Well, I guess I'll just have to handle both of you myself!" Hayato takes a few running steps toward Batsu, then suddenly takes a leap toward him, hands first. He kicks off the ground with one foot just before he breaks contact, sending him into a spin and causing him to drill through the air toward Batsu. He snaps his shinai out at an angle perpendicular to his body, and fiery orange chi surrounds his hands the weapon as he veers in toward his student.

COMBATSYS: Tenma dodges Sergio's Unrealized Potential.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tenma            1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0           Hayato
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/----===|


There is precious little time for Tenma to react, but... A real fighter thrives in these kinds of situations, don't they? The adrenaline rush of danger, the need for split-second decisions which could alter the whole course of a battle, and thereby perhaps the whole course of a fighter's career or even their life? So Sergio conjures up his waves, and they come crashing in, but rather than get struck, Tenma hurls himself to one side, barely managing to get out of the way of the crash of water on water, leaving the Italian stuck in the middle.

"Man... Persistent," the leader of the Guardian Kings mutters, rolling his neck with a faint pop... But he's pretty sure that Sergio isn't going to be able to keep fighting, so instead he settles in a bit, taking a moment to catch his breath as he looks over towards Batsu and Hayato. "Hey, Baldie!!" Tenma calls out towards his 'teammate', the giving of nicknames being one of Kiryuu's most distinctive - and unpopular, at least to those so named - habits. "You need any help over there?!" It /is/ a team fight, after all!

COMBATSYS: Tenma gains composure.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0           Hayato
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/----===|


COMBATSYS: Batsu fails to interrupt Burning Windmill from Hayato with Guts Upper.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0           Hayato
[                        \\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-======|


COMBATSYS: Batsu has reached second wind!

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0           Hayato
[                        \\\\\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-======|


People think that Batsu can't strategize worth a damn, but the truth is that he occasionally has his moments. But for the second time this fight, he proves that just because you can see something coming doesn't mean you're going to be able to pull off what it is you wanted to do in response. Batsu doesn't wait for that blue bullet to smack Hayato before moving, nor does he let the chi fade; in fact, he's already running full tilt at his teacher BEHIND the projectile, right hand dragging behind him and glowing with fiery orange. When the windmill comes for him, he ducks and attempts to drive his fist *RIGHT INTO IT*.

A few seconds later he slams into the ladder for a nearby slide.

Against all logic, however, such an attack isn't enough to keep Batsu down for good... or perhaps he just feels a deep-seated need to brain Tenma over the head with a rock for calling him 'Baldie'. "Heh..." he bites out, pushing himself away from the slide and unsteadily yanking himself to his feet. He sways a bit, but that's about all. "Ain't so bad I need help from someone who calls a guy with a full head a'hair 'Baldie'," he says with a grin.

Hayato quickly begins to stride toward the fallen Batsu, gratified to see the young man quickly getting back to his feet. Even as he does so, though, he snaps his shinai out to point it in Tenma's direction. "Don't just sit on your ass, kid! Get over here and try to beat me up!" If Batsu's not gonna ask for assistance, he will! He then turns his attention back toward Batsu. "There's rules to this fight, Batsu. And didn't I tell you I didn't want you to take it easy on me?" His grin widens. This man really is insane.
And most people would be quite perturbed to see an insane man suddenly start charging toward them the way Hayato does toward Batsu. Especially if they knew that said insane man was going to try to belt them with a left hook across the jaw. Although Batsu may not know that that /specifically/ is what Hayato is about to try to do...

You know what? Tenma's glad he doesn't go to Taiyo.

Shrugging his shoulders a little, the Kiryuu swordsman gets on the move once more, not one to pass up an invitation like that. "Man I've seen /monks/ with more hair'n you got," Tenma directs at Batsu as he charges in, because that's how he rolls; not far from the two Taiyo High combatants, the Gedo swordsman skids to a stop, and sweeps his bokken through the air... Too far from Hayato to possibly strike the man.

But there's a crimson afterimage that follows the motion of the blade, and from that is born a crescent of roiling blood-and-chi, the two mixed so closely together as to be the same thing. The bloody arc tears through the air towards Hayato, as Tenma calls out: "Eat... THIS!!"

COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Batsu with Medium Strike.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0           Hayato
[                            \\  <
Batsu            1/-------/=======|


Supposedly after one of these miracle resurrections on the field of battle, many people capable of such a feat find their senses sharpened, their anticipation greater. Indeed, Batsu too occasionally feels these things; however, in his case they're kicking in a little delayed, which might explain why he tries to weave to the opposite side of the left hook and instead ducks INTO it, reeling back a few steps holding his jaw. That stung, but even that's not enough to take Batsu out just yet.

And then someone makes fun of his hair.

Batsu's head hangs, either from fatigue or pain, but the air around his body suddenly bursts with bright blue, licking around him almost like fire. "I ain't got control... over what Blood Boy does..." he murmurs, the glow intensifying despite Batsu not moving any more than letting his arms fall to his sides, hands balled into fists. "Not his stick... nor his SMART MOUTH!" His head snaps out, his eyes blaze, and both arms fling out at Hayato. This technique may look familiar... but this one is a *whole lot worse*. A massive blue bullet streaks out at Hayato, larger than the torso of the person who fired it, in time with Tenma's bloody crescent. "ZENKAI... KIAI DAN!"

COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Tenma's Dharmapala.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0           Hayato
[                            \\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Batsu successfully hits Hayato with Maximum Guts Bullet.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0           Hayato
[                            \\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-------|


Two energy attacks flying through the air toward Hayato... this could be tricky. He manages to twist to the side, letting the bloody slice from Tenma slash by him, probably to go crashing into the monkey bars or something. He's not quite so lucky with Batsu's attack. Both of them are so close together in timing that Hayato doesn't get the opportunity to properly react after evading the first one. There's a blue explosion as the attack slams into Hayato, bowling him over.
Hayato finally comes to a stop by the seesaws. As he sits up, he glances over to the broken one... Well, it's already been done once, but why not? Hayato slips the shinai into a loop on his jacket, then reaches down and grabs one of the seesaws. There's a sharp crack as he manages to break the board loose, hefting it up with two hands. If nothing else, this should certainly cement his reach advantage, as he charges back towards Batsu and lashes out with a sweeping strike at the student.

Man, this poor playground; the bloody crescent does indeed smash into the monkey bars, and actually slices through them a little bit... But that's nothing compared to Hayato wrecking the crap out of a seesaw. "Mph... Faster'n I expected," Tenma mutters to himself at the Burning Phys Ed Teacher avoiding his attack entirely... And of course, Hayato's focus remains on Batsu, which means that, hopefully, Tenma has an opening to cause some damage.

Rushing up /behind/ Hayato, Tenma tries to get in under the backswing on that seesaw, ducking low as he attacks; a slash across the back of the taller man's knees, hoping to make Hayato buckle a little and maybe presenting Batsu with a better opening to wreak some havoc!

COMBATSYS: Batsu fails to interrupt Random Strike from Hayato with Random Weapon.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0           Hayato
[                                <
Batsu            0/-------/-----==|


COMBATSYS: Batsu has reached third wind!

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Tenma            1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0           Hayato
[                           \\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-----==|


Openings? An attack is all the opening Batsu needs! Probably because he's been hit in the head A LOT this fight and his critical thinking skills are not at their best right now. The best defense is a good offense, right? And Hayato's starting to look a little shaky himself, so Batsu is going to seize the moment. If he can just hold out long enough to wrest that seesaw chunk from his teacher, he can deliver a punishing return blow that might settle this entire affair here and now! It's a stupid chance, but Batsu's entire fighting career is built on stupid chances.

Sadly, Hayato's grip is a little stronger than Batsu expected. He can get his hands around the makeshift maul as it heads for him, but stopping its momentum enough to turn it to his advantage and strike back is 100% another matter, and he utterly fails at it. Surprisingly, the blow doesn't hit as hard as he expected it might... but it's still enough to send him spinning around to land on the ground, face-first.

Some time passes.

AND THEN HE GETS BACK UP.

"That... all ya got, sensei?" Batsu says, wiping blood from his mouth and wobbling, but staying upright.

COMBATSYS: Hayato interrupts Medium Strike from Tenma with Random Strike.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tenma            1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0           Hayato
[                           \\\  <
Batsu            0/-------/-----==|


The thing about such a long, heavy weapon is that once you swing it, it can be kind of hard to /stop/ swinging. Sure, Hayato could just let go... but then it might fly off and hit somebody in the crowd. So Hayato hangs onto it, continuing to swing around, which means that a spot 'behind Hayato' doesn't actually remain behind him for long. There really isn't much of anything Hayato can do to /purposely/ deal with Tenma slashing him across the legs... but he can let his burden sag a little. And so while Hayato takes a nasty rap to the knees, at the same time Tenma is getting clocked upside the head by a fast moving seesaw.

Damn, what is Batsu MADE out of? Tenma is kind of in awe by the way the other student manages to get back up /again/, which is probably not a good thing to be doing, because he's also getting hit in the head with a seesaw, the impact rocking the Guardian King's head sharply to one side, and the rest of him starts to follow...

...Before Tenma catches himself with one hand. "Like hell that'll stop me," Tenma grits out, steadying himself enough to lift his left hand back off the ground, fingers contorting lightly in a simple mudra position, while his right hand swings back, holding his sword behind himself, as the crimson aura around it intensifies, blotting out the wooden blade entirely so that the Gedo swordsman appears to be holding a sword made entirely out of blood.

And once he's ready, Tenma finally springs out of his crouch, whirling around to swing his bokken in a vicious one-armed slash at Hayato's side, aiming to strike with blunt force and bloody chi, but if it lands, things get more complicated; Tenma's chi will actually pass THROUGH Hayato, disrupting the flow of chi through his body en masse, stealing his vitality and leaving numbness in its wake... "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!!"

Batsu himself is starting to wonder just how he's keeping this up... but damned if he's not going to use it. The actual 'second wind' is starting to kick in, finally... and rather than being a bloody mess of scar tissue and GUTS!, he is a freight train of fury! Or at least a mine cart of fury. Surely at least a unicycle of fury.

Thus as Tenma really, really makes his move, so does Batsu. His brain is in another dimension; all that's left is the reptilian hindbrain telling him to leap at Hayato in a low horizontal arc, looking to smack his teacher into the ground with an axe kick glowing with his bright blue chi. It's probably all he's got left in this fight, but he is going to MAKE! IT! COUNT! in the end. "GOTCHA!"

COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Hayato with The Sealing Sword.
- Power hit! -

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Tenma            0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0           Hayato
[                            \\  <
Batsu            0/-------/------=|


COMBATSYS: Hayato fails to counter Crescent Star Kick from Batsu with Counter Thrust.
- Power fail! -

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tenma            0/-------/-----==|
[                            \\  <
Batsu            0/-------/---====|


COMBATSYS: Hayato can no longer fight.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tenma            0/-------/-----==|
[                            \\  <
Batsu            0/-------/---====|


Hayato is unconcious before he hits the ground. Batsu's foot crashes into him at the same time as Tenma's blade slices right through him. He's already falling from the impact of the kick, but between both of the attacks Hayato's head snaps back, a rather unpleasant, pained sound escapes his throat and his eyes roll back. His legs simply give way, and he collapses to the ground on his back, the seesaw falling to the side. He... he doesn't look like he'll be getting up anytime soon. At least he still appears to be breathing, but it /might/ be a good idea to contact a medic, just in case. But don't worry, Batsu... This means you've got a lock on a passing grade for this fight.

Ahh, the sweetness of victory. It's what they strive for, right? Tenma stands there, breathing rather raggedly, after the one-two punch of two things which were not at all punches finally drop Hayato, and he looks over at Batsu. "Heh... Pretty good, Baldie," the Gedo swordsman says, grinning as the aura around his bokken dissipates, with a sound like a slowly exhaled breath. "An' here I thought I was too old to have fun on a playground anymore," he adds, not bothering to look back at the rest of the place, which between the water and the ground breaking and everything else is... A little trashed.

It'd probably have looked like this in a week or two anyway! They just made it look, uh... Vintage.

Tenma does glance down at Hayato though, with a critical eye. "Uh... Maybe we oughta call in some first aid or somethin'," he suggests, a bit lamely. Totally not his fault.

COMBATSYS: Tenma has left the fight here.

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

Log created on 14:59:59 07/19/2008 by Tenma, and last modified on 20:10:38 07/25/2008.