Description: Some fighters are direct, practical, and efficient. Some fights are too. But, brief and brutal as it is, Amy Johnson's debut match in the Neo League - against tournament veteran Katelynn Molina - does hold its fair share of surprises on both sides. Each fighter has their chance to dominate, but in the end there can be only one victor. Will wisdom and experience win out over tenacity and vigour? (Winner: Katelynn)
Say what you will about Southtown, it can certainly boast greater diversity than most cities of equivalent size, in terms of both the population and the scenery. In a world constantly on the boom, where ethnicities and philosophies seem to be gradually blending into some form of synergy - for better or worse - this is saying something. In keeping with this, the thousands who come to the City of Fighters each year do so for very personal reasons.
Tonight, a few hundred residents have gathered on a street in the Chinatown district for a very simple reason; to watch a battle between two martial artists. It's early evening, the sun diminishing low on the horizon, and paper lanterns have been lit to provide a source of light as night closes in. Pretty, scenic, and practical. Much can be said of the small stage set up for the warriors, a collection of hardwood boards with colourful banners hung as a kind of apron. It works.
As the announcer spews his usual garbage, working the crowd from post-work sleepiness to pre-match excitement, at least one of the bout's participants stands ready and silent, posture loose and easy as she waits for the call to fight. Amy Johnson is new on the professional fighting scene, though her stoic manner and comfortable posture suggest she has some years of experience outside of the ring. And why has she come to Southtown, why has she joined the Neo League?
For experience. To learn from those walking before, beside, and behind her on the martial path. Ken Masters' league seems to hold an easy road in for those who would take it, and she is certainly not loathe.
Curiously, as the beret-clad young woman waits in her corner, the gold hue in the air - courtesy of the setting sun and unique Chinatown atmosphere - has begun to dim, faint tendrils of mist creeping out around the stage and down the long street. Amy seems not to notice, remaining calm, composed and alert despite it.
COMBATSYS: Amy has started a fight here.
Amy Johnson might be a newcomer to the Neo League, but that doesn't mean she won't present a challenge to her opponent, Katie Molina, alias 'Katelynn.' A Shotokan Karate fighter and longtime fighter on the Neo League circuit, Katelynn has been working her way up through the ranks for awhile, always trying to polish up her Shotokan Karate skills however she can. Sometimes it's through a standard, good old-fashioned fight on the Neo League, while sometimes it's dealing with punks on the streets who have the guts to try to hit on her or try doing unsavory stuff to her. But however you look at it, there's always a new challenge lying in store for Katelynn.
Southtown is a very familiar spot for Katelynn, having fought in this town many times and even coming to visit here a lot when she has free time. It's a rather diverse and unique place, with something for everyone it seems, no matter who you are or what you're into. Kind of like another version of New York City.
Katelynn is also on the fighting stage on her side, doing some light warm-ups to get the blood flowing and her muscles loosened up. She doesn't recognize Amy, but after this fight is over, odds are the two will bump into each other time and again for other reasons. Katelynn's mind is clear and prepared for the battle, although a small part of her is intrigued, wondering what kind of surprises her opponent will provide for her tonight in Chinatown.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn has joined the fight here.
Amy is almost as new to Southtown itself as she is to the professional circuit. A single week's residency is hardly enough to build an elaborate and accurate picture of the many-faceted face of this unorthodox metropolis. For the moment, woman and city remain a mystery to one another; something the Templar seeks to begin resolving, starting with tonight. She is hardly vying for fortune, glory and championship titles, but understanding and respect are crucial.
It's with the latter in her darkly expressive eyes that she makes a solemn bow toward the Shotokan practicioner. Beyond this, her emotions are mostly unreadable. Her muscles tense as she straightens, boots creaking faintly as her feet slide into customary position beneath her. She tests the boards with a flex of the toes, heels digging against the tough beams, and then--
"READY..."
The announcer's voice fades, leaving a few beats for the fighters to ensure they are prepared.
"FIGHT!"
It's as simple as that for Amy. Businesslike and brisk, she starts forward in rapid paces. The couple of seconds it takes to reach her opponent is hopefully long enough to build a picture of her overall defensive style- if she even has one, and does not stray toward the berserker tactics favoured by certain high profile fighters. If all else fails, the opening gambit should tell the lady knight /something/, as she covers the last few feet in a sudden surge. Breath escapes her lips in a hiss, a sharp punctuation for the lashing motion of her left hand rending clawlike at the air.
Her approach may well have disguised the sudden, subtle increase in the volume of mist clinging to the cool air. If it did not, then that could be all Katelynn needs to thwart Amy's first attempt at an assault, as from her right a tendril of the grayish stuff lashes out of the air - hardening, to be whiplike and stinging - to drive into the waiting warrior's torso.
COMBATSYS: Amy successfully hits Katelynn with Katzbalger.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Amy
With the announcer giving the order to 'FIGHT,' Katelynn immediately gets into her fighting position, giving a direct look at Amy as she awaits the girl's first attack. When Katelynn sees that Amy's approaching quickly, she steadies herself and holds her ground instead of moving, looking at Amy with a look that says, 'Bring it on!' The Karate fighter is ready for just about anything that Amy might be ready to dish out. Unfortunately for Katelynn, the approach does what it's supposed to, that is disguise the increase in volume of mist which turns into a tendrill and then goes for her torso.
Thinking fast, Katelynn attempts to get into a defensive stance, but she misjudges the incoming attack and finds herself getting hit hard in the torso, and just like it's said, the attack stings quite a bit, causing Katelynn to reel back in pain, her teeth gritting and her eyes narrowing a little as she feels the pain inside of her. The impact seems to stun her for a brief second before she regains her stance.
This time, though, Katelynn is no longer as calm and collected as she was a moment ago. Apparently, that pain has gotten Katelynn's adrenaline flowing extra fast, and her calm demeanor is now replaced with a more angry one, her fists clenched harder and her teeth gritting. Her breathing seems to be going a bit faster than it was before, although it does seem to slow up briefly. Just long enough for Katelynn to bring her right fist forward, aiming it directly at Amy's chin.
COMBATSYS: Amy endures Katelynn's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Amy
Feeling the impact before it truly comes, Amy tightens her fingers and draws back her 'striking' hand far enough that it can maintain a satellite position about her torso. This alone should tell the staggering karate mistress that her opponent may not always charge in- she does not immediately seek to follow up with a barrage of assaults, but takes the brief moment's allowance to consider the situation. She has very little time to prepare for the relatiation, but it is time nonetheless.
Textbook karate. Practical, efficient, classic. Amy's long black hair flickers about her features as she moves swiftly, but not fully /away/ from the strike. She allows it to land, clocking her neatly on the chin and thrusting her back a step, but the movement is controlled. Continuing with the momentum gained, she hurls herself into a lighting fast spin and then comes right back at Katelynn, dropping low with both palms thrust out before her.
There is no kiai - not so much as a gasped breath. This might provide the clue that all is, again, not quite as it seems. Amy's approach is slightly off kilter, and at the last instant her form seems to fade from view as she hits the limit of her gathered speed and surges /past/ her opponent. Following in her wake comes the mist gathered about the stage, bizarrely billowing in tandem with her motions and now imitating her charge. A few dozen lashing protrusions seek to bury themselves in the black belt, spattering her from head to toe; each one, by itself, a mere nuisance... but in succession...
COMBATSYS: Amy successfully hits Katelynn with Stormwitch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Amy
Sometimes, a 'kiai' isn't always needed to keep one's fighting spirits up. Sometimes they just need to focus on the fight itself and know what to do best. But that's not why Katelynn gets hit, because she got caught off guard. She got hit because she tried to move out of the way, but ended up paying by mistiming her maneuver, and ends up getting hit rather hard by the attack. She staggers backwards a bit, her anger now replaced by an effort to catch her breath.
After a moment, Katelynn looks up and regains her fighting stance again. But she doesn't attempt to strike yet. It would seem that this girl has a lot more going for her than meets the eye. And Katelynn wants to see what more is possible before making her next move. So she moves sideways, keeping herself moving while keeping an eye on her opponent at the the same time.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Amy
To the eye, neither of these two appear to be particularly unusual, interesting or even powerful. Strange in itself, when so many celebrity fighters exist as ostentatious archetypes to which fans can easily aspire. Likely they share something in their philosophies, and in their personalities. Certainly neither has spoken, and this remains the case as Amy rises from her low surging dash, turning smoothly to face Katelynn with arms raised and legs tensed ready for evasion.
Nothing is forthcoming. It almost brings a smile to the lips of the girl beneath the stoic battlefront, but there is no such lapse in her self-control. She does, however, allow a slight dip of her chin as she meets the other woman's eyes. If they share any kind of understanding as warriors, then they also share something else; a firm grasp of tactics, and planning.
Amy's torrent of attacks seems to be over, for now. She breaths deep and sinks onto her heels, watching her opponent cautiously. It's been some time since she faced one specialised solely in a karate school. So many hybrids, and 'family styles' these days. She'll play this close to the edge, but careful all the same.
COMBATSYS: Amy focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Amy
Ironically, one of the biggest rules about being a good martial artist is learning to be patient and knowing when to strike your opponent and when to wait. The reason that's ironic is because Katelynn is known to be a very impatient person at times. Because of that, her father, the very person who taught her to become a black belt, was notorious for putting her through grueling methods of testing her patience during her years of training, and even then she still has problems with her patience. Granted, she's not as impatient as she used to be, but she still has her moments.
Whether or not she's become impatient now or she's just found her opportune moment to strike is anyone's guess, since she seems to be going on the offensive once again. Katelynn goes in with an attempt to deliver a swift elbow strike that's not exactly done to strike her opponent, but rather to give her room to get closer and grab Amy. If successful, she'll trip her opponent's ankle while pulling forward on her shoulder, causing her to be thrown down in a rather 'twisty' manner!
COMBATSYS: Amy fails to interrupt Twisty Toss from Katelynn with Night Errant.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Amy
If the unexpected works for one, it should work for the other. First impressions account for a great deal, and Katelynn has given away far less than Amy had assumed. That incoming elbow strike is heeded well enough, and with eyes widening slightly as she seeks to alter the situation with a flick of her wrist the Templar is surprised first that the surprisingly fast blow connects; but second that much like her own attacks, it opens the way for the true assault. Touche, indeed.
Behind the black belt, mist drifts quickly through the air as the Englishwoman goes down, hitting the floor hard against shoulder and side. It's a damaging attack- even to one trained in an art usually most apt when pitched against holds, tosses and grapples.
As she works to right herself, Amy's unerring level of control over her chi manifestation does seem to diminish, and the stuff begins once more to act like normal mist, slipping soft and quiet over the stage.
One of Katelynn's most unique throw maneuevers actually works better than she'd thought it might, since she generally used it as a maneuever against people who thought they could fight and would try to deliver a grapple or throw of their own against her, only to have them be humiliated as well as countered by that unique type of counter-attack. But either way, Katelynn's toss does the trick, and a smirk forms on the Karate fighter's face as she sees that the unique attack was worth its while. But Katelynn's just getting warmed up, so Amy had best look out.
In fact, Amy's going to find that Katelynn's capable of using energy similar to hers, except this is more about standard chi. Katelynn brings her fist back and focuses her power into it, causing a bluish aura to form around her fist, and then and flings it directly at Amy's stomach in the form of a sphere with a yell of 'KIAI!' Although, if she had the choice, she'd probably yell something like, 'Eat this!'
COMBATSYS: Katelynn successfully hits Amy with Energy Fist.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Amy
This is certainly the learning experience that Amy was expecting; her opening gambit may have been a resounding success, but her opponent is coming back harder and stronger, proving her own calibre and seizing quite the response from the small crowd. Generally shying away from the spotlight, it's the first time the Templar has been at the centre in such an event, and already she has to admit there is some exhilaration to be had. Food for thought, for later.
When Katelynn's fist raises, Amy's gaze instantly snaps to the formation of energy, noting the practicality even in this facet of the younger woman's style. Quite unlike the majority of videos, official and otherwise, that she has been able to view of higher profile matches. Diversity in all things. Perhaps Amy tarries too long on her thoughts, barely on her feet after her introduction to the floor, as with only a cursory hint toward movement she is staggered by the blast, folding over it and taking swift steps backward to compensate.
There's some credit due, however. She is back in posture within a half-second, teeth clenched against the pain but body already bouncing back in readiness. And how. Possibly even before Katelynn's arm is fully withdrawn, Amy is surging forward with her first sound of the match, a moan on her lips that quickly ramps up to a full scream of effort as she throws herself forward. Like her last approach, this is fast and direct...
And again, the mist obeys her unspoken command, flowing in toward the woman rapidly. Far more rapidly than it has yet, streaming about her shoulders and down her arm as a palm is outthrust, fingers tightly splayed against the air, mist gathering and solidifying into a bucking, slashing weapon of war.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn counters Hound of Avalon from Amy with Palm Blaster.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Amy
Amy's attack is direct and right to the point, but Katelynn's got a surprise of her own. As Amy comes at her, Katelynn's front foot comes forward a little as the Karate fighter lowers herself a little and brings her palm forwards in a strong forward thrust, except this one has a bit of chi adding some extra power to it. The attack is timed just right so that the strike will connect just as Amy gets close enough. It's one of Katelynn's favorite maneuevers, and very useful when in dangerous situations.
The strike succeeds, giving Katelynn more breathinig room again, and she really needs to breathe. Her stamina is starting to run low and her muscles are starting to feel heavy. Even her fighting stance is starting to show some signs of fatigue. Still, she came here to fight, and she's going to fight to the finish no matter what the cost.
Perhaps too direct, the technique is one of two that do not entirely belong to Amy. Despite this, they have been drilled into her to the point of relative mastery, theoretically standing tall above many of her other techniques. And as her eyes meet Katelynn's over her outstretched arm, hair billowing before her gaze but never quite obscuring it, Amy reflects on this. Directness undoubtedly has its place, but something is wrong... something in the attitude...
This time, she would smile as realisation dawns. Unfortunately her athletic frame is launched backward by the incoming counter strike, all that gathered mist dissipating in a dramatic burst as the Templar tumbles through the air. She never quite crashes into the ground, though. Further pushing the expectations of the crowd and her opponent, she remains tenacious. Her mouth may be pulled to an involuntary grimace, but she flips about with seeming slight effort, righting herself from a tight three-point crouch while her opponent focuses upon composure.
Foot over foot, she steps forward with only mild caution, conscious to remain on the offensive in hope that an opening can once more be found. It worked once, and playing the defensive and the direct has certainly not paid off against this canny karate expert. Raising her arms with a flourish, once she has closed the distance they windmill about, stirring the resettled mist to further add deception to the motion which is designed to draw some - ANY - response from Katelynn.
If an opening is found, or if the other woman does not stir in the slightest, the culmination is thus; the right hand keeps moving, thrusting a palm against Katelynn's shoulder to drive her off balance, while the left rises and falls against the back of the opposite shoulder. This brings the woman crashing to the ground, where Amy can easily pivot around her and raise her guard.
She'll follow up no further; energetic or not, she has taken some serious damage this bout.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn blocks Amy's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Amy
So how exactly do you block a throw? Well, it's kinda complicated, but you could start by saying that Katelynn steadies herself as Amy comes at her and deflects the incoming attempt from the girl away. Meaning that the only damage that Katelynn really sustains is from deflecting Amy instead of absorbing damage from a throw. But just like Amy's a bit hurting, Katelynn's starting to run out of steam here. As this has been quite a grueling fight from someone who's a new challenger to Katelynn.
Katelynn steps back a little, taking a moment to focus some of her inner power into her body. She closes her eyes and breathes deep, focusing her power on bringing some more stamina back into her, giving her more of an ability to keep going without passing out.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Amy
Deflections are to be expected from such a fairly complex manuever. Amy would have tried something similar herself, which is why the opening whirring of hands is a test as much as anything- preparations have been made in case the examinee should pass muster. This is also why the windmilling motion exists. It is hard to break without gripping, and drawing both combatants into the closest possible form of contact. Somewhere few but a wrestler or a judo master would want to be.
The Templar thrusts her arms away as if helping Katelynn's deflection, stepping back in the same instant to briefly gather the means for her next, very direct... and very directly delivered... assault. This comes a bare instant after she judges her opponent to be most prone, most absorbed in her period of recovery. Such things /can/ be punished, and with her own victory looking unlikely Amy is willing to take a risk.
She spins about /hard/, lashing her form into a thunderous momentum-gathering turn in order to simply launch herself in under Katelynn's presumably lowered guard. This time the left hand leads, lashing a quick three fingered strike in toward the breastbone and then rapidly retracting before real damage can be done. It is, once more, a feint for the true nature of Amy's trademark attack. It should look familiar.
"SYAAAAA!" Passion blossoming through the stoic exterior, the young woman hammers her right hand forward once more, the mist simply /rocketing/ to her palm and billowing into a seething mass. Contact will come against her opponent's stomach, the swirling ball of mist driven home with a sharp twist from the wrist, drilling and tearing, clutching at what seems the very centre of the black belt's being before she is brutally tossed backward in an explosion of energy.
COMBATSYS: Amy successfully hits Katelynn with Trembling Palm.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Amy
As the mist comes at Katelynn, the fighter formulates a plan in her head on the spur of the moment. She plans to brace herself so that she'll be in the right position to take the attack head on, but in exchange be able to come back with a swift counter attack. Give-and-take, or something like that. Or at least, that's what she plans.
Unfortunately, the mist is more powerful than Katelynn realizes, and she finds herself getting hit harder than she thought she would, and ends up being tossed backwards onto the ground. The referee comes over to check on her, but she gets back up... albeit very slowly, given how injured she is. She has to roll over onto her side to push herself up, and then finds herself struggling to keep her balance as she pushes up to a standing position again. Getting back to a fighting stance, Katelynn looks at Amy and watches her again, trying to maintain her fighting stance as she attempts to get back into the right mental state of mind for fighting.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Amy
When contact is made, Amy's expression takes on an almost feral aspect, the buffeting of that unorthodox chi buffeting her long, black hair into a snakelike explosion held in check only by the beret she wears. Her eyes shutter against the backdraught as the technique's final blast strikes home deep inside Katelynn, and the dark blue is momentarily lit to a bright pastel haze, glowing and ethereal.
Everybody had some kind of reputation at school... and for some time, Amy's was as 'that freaky witch girl'. For just a moment, it makes sense.
But then she straightens, drawing air into her lungs and flexing her fingers to work away the forced tension that always comes with the complete execution of the Trembling Palm. It's relatively new, and it still causes her heart to pound in her chest. Not least due to the legend that accompanies the technique. Still, for all of this the Templar appears relatively unfazed by the exhaustion she should be feeling. Her bruises scream for attention, but she does not heed them. Katelynn once more takes a back seat... and Amy?
"Hii-yah!" She spins about again, the mist remaining about her grasp, curled through her fingers. It has not dissipated fully, though the tendrils that have drifted loose now shear about to again obey the lady's command. As she spins, she drops low and then rears up off her feet into a short vertical leap, controlled and powerful. Her right leg hammers up even as her right arm sways to the left, burying itself momentarily against her side so as not to interfere with aerodynamics.
But that motion also carries with it the mist, the Dragon's Breath, and transfers it from hand to foot. The striking limb lands nowhere near Katelynn, but the burden it carries is launched into a four-foot wide, howling demon of a projectile. It thunders toward the black belt with little sign of stopping, feathering at the edges as it gradually loses form and consistency.
COMBATSYS: Amy successfully hits Katelynn with Raven's Wing.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Katelynn 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Amy
Attempting to dodge an incoming attack while fatigued isn't exactly a smart idea. Then again, when your body is fatigued, your mind can be fatigued in making decisions too. Maybe that's why Katelynn tried to leap out of the way of the incoming attack (calling it a projectile would be too much of an understatement!) but ended up getting hit... hard. She went flying again, and nearly took out the poor referee, had he not gotten out of the way in time. She then rebounds off of the ropes and comes back in a stumble. Clutching her stomach and keeled over, Katelynn looks like she's ready to give out at any moment.
But then, a strange aura appears around the fighter again, and she looks up with her eyes wide and glowing. She narrows her eyes and grits her teeth, and then pushes forward off one of her feet, while flying at Amy with her other leg extended in a flying kick that's coming directly at her completely horizontally... and at a rather fast rate of speed no less!
COMBATSYS: Amy fails to interrupt Super Missile Kick from Katelynn with Wyrm Waker.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Amy can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/-----==|
After hurling herself so vigourously into the air, even the Knight of the Dynamo needs to take a momentary rest, dropping into a crouch with her chest heaving as she regathers her thoughts, pulls flighty emotions back in check and - most importantly - ensures she has enough stamina left to continue this bout. It has been long, and with the pressure of the crowd she's noticing this more than she normally might.
Katelynn is clearly feeling all these strains no less than she, for all she may be more experienced in this setting. Amy keeps her attention upon the other woman anyway, not allowing herself to overjudge the situation, not to jump to hasty conclusions with regard to her opponent's health. She watches, waits, and when action is to be rejoined she smoothly rises to her feet, expression once more carefully set to a stoic middle ground. Her arms raise, then suddenly begin to slowly drift... but 'drift' may not be the right word. The movement is controlled indeed, careful, well judged.
Until the end, when that desperate aerial steamroller of a kick hammers directly through the dramatic hold Amy attempts to gain. For a moment she seemed so focused it could not fail, but moments are just as they are named; fleeting. Katelynn's final gambit proves better judged than her opponent's, and the Templar bounces twice off the stage before she comes to a temporarily unconscious rest at its edge.
To break any form of perpetual motion, you need only apply a single point of pressure.
In the right place, at the right time.
Katelynn has to wonder what Amy was thinking when she tried countering something like that. Probably getting too worn out and not able to think straight either. In fact, as the referee declares a knockout and Katelynn is declared the winner, the fighter barely acknowledged her audience as she simply steps out of the ring and walks away. It was a good fight, but it was over too soon it seemed. Then again, some fights last longer than others, it's just the way things are sometimes.
For now, Katelynn simply finds a quiet spot to take a rest while she's tended to by League doctors to make sure she's OK and not seriously hurt. In reality, Katelynn is mostly fine, just feeling like she could've gone a little more tonight, but didn't. There's always next time though.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn has ended the fight here.
Log created on 20:24:39 07/25/2008 by Amy, and last modified on 13:57:46 07/28/2008.