Description: IT'S A JAPAN WORLD AFTER ALL. IT'S A JAPAN WORLD AFTER ALL. IT'S A JAPAN WORLD AFTER ALL AND THE WORK IS BEST FOR MEEEEEEE. Katana's japan-o-vision takes itself TO THE STAGE. And what a Japan it is! Watch for the chills, spills, and TRUCKS OUT OF NOWHERE.
Generally, people who are known to go crazy with power are not given power.
But Geese apparently may take this time to give one of his rather eccentric hirelings the ability to control things at whim and see what comes out of it. You can be sure Katana will not 'let him down' as it were, and didn't take a dime of the money that Saturday Night Fight has provided him with and ran with it. It's all spent on the battlefield in Il Paradiso Operahouse.
There are many in the stands. And this is important, because the Opera house is going to see the most very Japanese battle someone has ever done wrong. And it will be in full living color and directed by a simpleton. Can Opera and real life get any closer!?
Katana walks out onto the front of the Opera House Stage. Dressed as he usually is .. he can't get any more Japanese! Except for the flag that sticks out of his back now.. added for the benefit of the audience.
Centering himself in the stage, the giant Gang Leader raises his hands upwards, bladed weapons raised as well.. "To all who have come .. I WELCOME YOU TO THIS AMAZING SIGHT. You will know nothing shall be more Japanese than this battle.. and I will ensure you will enjoy it! BECAUSE I DEMAND IT! Now... PULL OPEN THE CURTAINS!"
The Mad Gear Gang members get to pulling, one crashing to the floor and being dragged off in the background .. but what is seen when it's pulled generally .. isn't going to get any easily weirder. The main floor is set on a slightly raised floor, much like a Sumo Ring, with a circle.. but it's just that. And then, there are levels above it! A pagoda is set up above the two fighters. On the Pagoda is a turtle or two.
ABOUT the sumo ring is a Koi Pond, with fish swimming around it. JAPANESE FISH. The pond is a circle around the square pond, and it's ankle deep.
In the background, Kabuki dancers perform, and behind them, Japanese drums are being played to set the mood. The music is also a flute and whatever else Katana has found. It's much like Kung Fu Music .. as if he could find nothing else. It may be interrupted later by J-Pop. If that wasn't enough, about of the pond are a few cherry blossom trees.. and that is where the two fighters will start, opposite the pond/ring and nearby their respective trees. Of Cherry blossoms.
CHERRY will have the benefit of wearing a dress, supported oddly, rounded at the hips, and with two skirts. One like a stamen, the rest the petals. She will have a GIANT FREAKING pink bow on the back of it as well. Poofy Shoulders on the dress are a must.
NATAYA will have the long flowing, clceavage ( perhaps ) inducing, black and red dress with leg slits. The dress flows WELL BEYOND her feet, covering the area about it as well. Like a pool of dress. Yes the giant handcuffs on her hands are necessary. As is the cute little rounded hat that looks like a strawberry.
"In this environment.. these two young maidens... SHALL BATTLE."
"KYOOO NOOO BONTAAA CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII DAAAKU!" He bellows!
Backstage, getting into her costume was an ordeal for Cherry Aguirre. Why? Because it was likely bought for someone with Japanese woman-sized proportions, and Mai Shiranui aside... they are not typically as busty as Miss Aguirre happens to be. In fact, the special edition DVD of this season of SNF that is released about a year from now will have a Special Feature shot of Cherry, sucking it in, while 4 female SNF crew attempt to get the stupid thing clasped. On a Japanese cosplay girl, it would be adorable and cute. On the busty redhead it looks like her gazongas are going to explode out with a fury at any moment.
Yet she emerges from the dressing room, and gets on the stage... and even the unflappable Cherry Aguirre is taken aback. The scenery is like a visual punch to the face; it's a wonder she doesn't physically reel when she first sees it. Of course, being an American in front of an American audience, she gets thunderous cheers when she walks out... well, that or most fighting fans are probably young men who are seeing 10 pounds of hotness in a 5 pound sack. She waves and smiles to everyone, getting into her performer mindset, but under her breath is muttering, through clenched teeth: "It's like the Tokyo pride parade exploded all over this stage, jesus christ."
Coming to stand next to the tree that bears her name, the Fighting Diva does some stretches -- mostly to make sure her costume's not going to, you know, EXPLODE -- and then gets into stance. That, and she continues to talk to herself while waiting for her opponent to show. "You're a performer. You're a superstar. You can make this work. RuPaul could make this work." A beat. "RuPaul is a 7' black man with dynamite legs, true. Tyra Banks could make this work. SOMEBODY could make this work."
She doesn't look convinced.
It takes a terrible lot to truly upset Nataya. Normally, she faces each encounter in the same way: with a quiet intensity coupled with a sense of peace. It's the sense of serenity that carries her through the strangest of incidents without question and she usually has something good to say about everything. The toughest challenges are met with a smile and intent to learn from them. Improvement does not occur unless the face of adversity is met head on.
And then there's this.
It's bewildering. The sights, the sounds. Having lived in Bangkok for most of her life, it's not that all of this is strange to her. After all, it's an urban development unlike any other whith facades of old and new that battle each other for space, ending in a crushed, garish amalgam that's difficult to match. Nevertheless, there's the organic growth of an ancient city to a modern one.
And then there's this.
It's like someone took a Trapper Keeper filled with Hello Kitty stickers and then slammed it repeatedly againt a animation still of Sailor Moon while singing the Ya Pappa song from Ranma 1/2. Nataya has to squint and make sure that everything she sees is actually real, and not just some kind of hallucination somehow induced by the ruffly Morticia Adams getup she's wearing. She half scuffles, half slides her feet along the ground, sending up a minor cloud of dust by her feet. Nataya is clearly not a cosplayer and therefore maneuvers in the dress like a cow on a unicycle. Still, in some respects it fits her. Rather than being a showboater, she's quiet, demure, and has a smile on her face, although it's far less showy than Cherry's.
The fans cheer for Cherry, and she listens intently, her eyes conveying a quiet maturity that defies her actual age, and she presses her hands together, despite the unweildy monsterous cuffs on her wrists. They shimmer slightly, as if made from quicksilver. She bows her head in a traditional greeting, and speaks in a voice loud enough for Cherry to hear, but not enough for anyone else to as she deftly covers her microphone with one hand.
The warm eyes and the gently smiling face issues only a single series of succinct sentences. "Hello. I'm Nataya. This dress is stupid. I feel stupid. It's a genuine pleasure to meet you."
Everything is going as planned. The women look just like one of his Japanese anime's. EVERYTHING IS GOING AS PLANNED! ( It's a restatement that needs to be made ). But as the women get together, Katana raises his blades to the air, and then points towards the crowd. "AND NOW! You have seen the stars of our Japanese show today! ... And in a moment, WE SHALL BEGIN! These two will represent Japan, both in style, grace, and the STRENGTH of the RISING EAST! The spirits of Japan are truly hovering above this production, and the ancestors that have given me such great wisdom shall ALSO lend themselves to those here.... SO LET US BEGIN!"
And thus, most of the lights are cut.
YOU DIDN'T THINK IT COULD GET WORSE, DID YOU. TOO BAD.
Released from above the curtains are loads of fireflies. UP ABOVE, there is a 'makeshift moon', pure white light 'covering' the stage in a slight wisp, while fireflies fly around, flashing. It's just so great, isn't it?
But yet not really done.
Immediately, the drum music begins to heat up.. it heats up ever faster..
And then at the breaking point cuts and the sound of Card Captor Sakura's introduction music playing.
"NOW, TO THESE TRULY JAPANESE TUNES... YOU SHALL FIGHT! BEGIN, FLOWERS OF THE JAPANESE RACE! AND DANCE ALONG THE STREAMS OF THE RIVER OF LIFE WITH YOUR VIOLENCE!"
Katana meanwhile is lifted to the top of the pagoda for the moment.
Butterflies are released as he gets there, mixing with the fireflies.
Oh, that poor girl. Still, Cherry can't help but laugh a bit at the dress, though she feels somewhat bad for Nataya at the same time. 'Flowing' is not easy to fight in unless you're, like, one of those people who learned how to fight in Buddhist monk robes or something, but what're the odds of *that* happening? The Fighting Diva gives her opponent a little wave, a her habitual smirk, before responding (and also craning her head away from her lapel mic a good deal). "Hello, Nataya. You sure do. So do I. Nice to meet you too." Leaning back into a standing position, she flexes her hands a little bit, fingers wriggling, before getting back into stance. "My advice? Find your inner Tim Gunn, dear: 'make it work'. And if it gets really bad, we can--"
She's cut off by the strains of 'Catch You, Catch Me'... and while all this other nonsense doesn't bug her, for some reason the song makes her *grimace*. "Jpop," she grumbles. "It had to be Jpop." With a grin at Nataya, she inclines her head Katana-ward. "Afterwards let's jump him in the parking lot and take his milk money."
Of course, no sooner has she uttered those words than the Shogun bellows his pronouncement that the fight begin, and Cherry entirely plans on taking the initiative, here. "Good luck!" is her only warning, before the pink-clad Diva is closing the distance to Nataya as quick as she can, kicking up spray from the koi pond and looking to slam a sudden palm strike into the other girl's stomach. Nice and basic. And she's still smiling. We'll see how long it lasts.
COMBATSYS: Cherry has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cherry 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Nataya has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Cherry 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Nataya
COMBATSYS: Nataya blocks Cherry's Strong Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Cherry 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Nataya
A hand swoops down not with the grace of a cat but with all the brute force mechanical strength that's usually found in construction equipment as Nataya sweeps the hand away from her stomach, istead taking a glancing blow on her forearm. It's a considerable impact, enough to cause concern as she glides back slightly, attempting to open up more space.
The music isn't an issue for her. Nataya's worked in some torturous conditions in the past. Granted, none of them looked like somebody's warped idea of Disney Japan, but it's all pretty much the same.
She gives a nod, indicating that she understands Cherry, or at least comprehends her if she's not catching all the pop culture references. "I'll do my best," she says calmly as she squares herself, falling into her combat stance and stressing the dress's length with the position of her feet.
The braces around her arms shimmer, quiver, and then shatter into what seems like hundreds of peices as Nataya reveals the minor ruse: the cuffs she had been given were tossed aside in exchange for the multitude of prayer beads that she normally carries. Freed of their disguise, they begin to spin about Nataya like a swarm of protective insects, darting in and out of the silver cloud that seems to rise up from the woman.
With a motion of her hand, Nataya hurls a burst of the beads at Cherry, the tiny pinpricks of light outshining the multitude of fireflies as the rocket towards the devillish diva, contrails of silver smoke following behind.
But all of that's just a ruse. A smoke a light show designed to keep Cherry off her balance. Travelling forward on a patch of beads on the ground, Nataya avoids the constraints on the dress by apparently gliding across the ground effortlessly. One hand is reared back as she swoops a hard left to blindside the other fighter with a square punch to the jaw.
"And look at them go... THE LAND OF THE RISING EAST IS CLEARLY HAPPY, FOR I AM AS WELL!" He yells out, flexing, on top of the Pagoda! And he looks down, both blades flashing in the moonlight. But what he sees.. well.. all things are 'generally' the same for the moment. The J-pop still loops, because it can, but it will be replaced very soon.
Meanwhile, the Shogun's eyes focus on the two warriors dressed to his specifications. He can set the scenery. He can dress them like dolls. But if they refuse to take part in the glorious tradition without AMAZING flare, then Katana will have to give them a little push.
And a push he does.
"The Shogun is proud to announce he will HELP THESE WOMEN IN THEIR GLORIOUS QUEST!" And leaping off the pagoda, Katana aims to land with blades digging into Nataya!
Yet as he leaps, she moves.. and the tips may end up craping against Nataya as Katana crashes into the Koi pond, splashing everywhere.
"You must INCREASE YOUR SPIRIT! ALL OF JAPAN IS HOT BLOODED... so you must be .. AS WELL!" He yells! And pokes.
A bellowing roar,
COMBATSYS: Katana has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Katana 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Cherry endures Nataya's Quick Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/------=|
One red eyebrow goes up at that. The silver light explosion and subsequent storm of what appears to Cherry to be floating marbles is pretty damned impressive, and despite her typical blase manner she has a healthy respect for things that have good showmanship, even if Nataya probably didn't INTEND for them to be good showmanship. "Oh my," is all she says, though coming from her it has a slightly sarcastic sound to it. "As if there weren't enough bright lights and blinking things on this stage..."
Squinting, Cherry's hesitation at dealing with the spheres appears to be an accidental stroke of good luck: by the time she figures out what she wants to do, Nataya's actual punch is within her perception. Problematically, it's too fast to avoid and waiting so long hasn't left her many other options. Thus the Fighting Diva plants her feet and hopes for the best as the dress-wearing girl's punch smacks into her face, sending her spinning to the right...
Problematically for Nataya, it doesn't disorient her so much she can't use it to her advantage, though. Summoning as much of her dancer's grace as she can, Cherry turns the recoil of being hit into a spinning roundhouse directed right at the side of Nataya's head. It's probably not the NICEST attack in the world -- especially since Katana just entered the fray -- but it's going to look cool on the replay. Maybe. "Haha, TURNING Japanese!" Cherry shouts, during. "GET IT?!"
COMBATSYS: Katana successfully hits Nataya with Weapon Jab.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Cherry successfully hits Nataya with Heavy Kick.
- Power hit! -
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
Apparently, Nataya doesn't get it, because she gets hammered at from both sides, taking an incredible amount of damage in doing so. Katana's attack comes completely out of left feild, forcing her to compensate for that assault at the exact same time as Cherry's. The result? She takes a stab to the back and then is immediately smashed in the head without any time to recuperate. The blow is nothing short of devestating, and she crumples to the ground in a heap.
The beads that are flying around her, however, have something entirely different to say on the matter.
They retract at first, as if to protect their master, but immediately begin to whirl about, raging angrily as the mists surrounding her body seek to bolster their flight as well as prop her up. Nataya staggers to one foot, attempting assess the situation.
She may be down, but she's not out yet. Her head turns from Katana to Cherry, and she narrows her eyes ever so slightly, the smile still on her face. the concept of an interloper she can't fight is brand new to her... but for now, she'll play by the rules.
"Not particularly," she replies conversationally as the beads whirl into a spiral in front of her. Like a coiled spring, she launches them at Cherry at an alarming rate of speed. The glowing pinpricks immediately start firing silvery bursts of pure force, attempting to blast Cherry into next week and deliver a hailstorm of stinging beads along with it.
COMBATSYS: Cherry parries Nataya's Ten Perfections EX!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
As the fight continues on! The background suddenly flashes to life, the drums coming into full earview once more, rumbling as something begins to happen. The lights flash on, perhaps providing a blinding change of pace before a few women with kimonos pass across the back of the stage. And then when they reach the middle on each side... open the Kimono's and start doing the can can!
Of course, all of them has cat ears, rabbit ears, or some kind of ears, including the 'tail'.. but the clothing under the kimono's are either tight, or a single piece swimsuit of some kind.
"And from the unsure darkness of violence came the RISE OF THE GLORIOUS VIOLENCE INDUCED HISTORY OF JAPAN!" Katana sure does love his Japan, and those women are rather nice looking too.
And the J-Pop switches.
It's faster paced and now has the words 'Honey flash' able to be made out. Guess for yourself.
"Hahhaah! SUCH WARRIORS YOU ARE ALL!" He cries, to both. "Hmm? .. Turning Japanese .. yes.. YOU MUST BECOME LIKE I AM!" He exclaims, before spinning about with the wakizashi once and crouching, facing Cherry. "Like this! LIKE THIS! WAVE STRIKE OF THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, BOKU NO DOKU SA!"
And Katana leaps into the air, bringing both wakizashi downwards, attempting to perhaps BISECT the warrior.
"FACE THE MIGHTY SHOGUN! SHYAAAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Katana successfully hits Cherry with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
"It was a little stupid, I admit," Cherry uh... admits, smirking at Nataya again as she pulls back from that roundhouse kick. "You try being quippy after someone punches you in the face really hard." She winces a bit at the stab to the back that Nataya takes, since that's pretty brutal no matter how you slice it (get it?). Of course, that... takes another turn when Katana's attention turns to *Cherry*, and she goes a little blank before she realizes the BIG FREAK is rushing her with REAL SWORDS.
"Whiskey tango foxtrot!" she shouts, trying to step back out of the way (and entirely missing the beads crawling back to Nataya as she recovers). Sadly, she's not quite fast enough for that, and the front of her costume gets two nice gashes in it... the costume, *and* Cherry. Nice lines of red that look like they really hurt, because THEY DO. Ducking backwards, the Fighting Diva puts a hand to her wounds and says to Katana, in a low voice, "You and I are gonna have Words about this later."
But there's no time for that. Why? Because she is being ATTACKED WITH AN ORBITAL STRIKE. Perhaps it's just fate, or perhaps it's Cherry REALLY not wanting to get zapped after taking two sword slices to the gut, but her response to the beams is aggressive but surprisingly effective: she charges INTO the swarm, moving like a blur as beads flick all around her, each step taking her closer to Nataya. "Dig the... jewelery... but... don't feel like... get hit... right now!" she bites out between dodges, until the final one turns from an evasion into a furious forward leap, foot extended in a Bruce Lee-style flying kick surrounded by flame in the shape of a dragon's head. "WATAH, Y'ALL!"
COMBATSYS: Cherry successfully hits Nataya with House of Ninja EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-----==/=======|
The hit alone does considerable damage, but it doesn't look like Nataya's really quite recovered from getting pummeled so hard so early. She's fairly unused to that, and the best she can do is stumble wildly as the kick lands on her squarely. She tumbles across the ground, letting out a gasp. This is going incredibly poorly for her, and it's going to take a miracle for her to pull this one out of the fire.
With a shaky breath, she slides her legs up under her feet. One scquare hit, and it'll probably be all over for Nataya. She takes her time, focusing her attention on her target again.
"You're... very strong," is the best she can come up with as the mists around her boil, the beads rattling, chattering as if demanding action. Spreading her fingers, she calls the shining lights to her again. This time, the beads flare up in front of her, making a square sheild as she charges forward into a shoulder ram designed to move defensively as she tries to blast Cerry out of the ring into the koi pond.
"The only words we will have is YOUR LACKING OF JAPAN SPIRIT!" Katana yells loudly at Cherry, bellowing barely over the rather fast music. "HAHAHAHA! THE SHOGUN SHALL ONLY GIVE YOU THE TIME OF DAY, and his ATTENTION, at his whims!" He cries loudly but then to see as Cherry is assaulted by an ORBITAL strike.. it's an interesting one. But with Cherry going on about jewelry and all... Katana turns to face the other. What .. is this? No spirit either!? IT ACTUALLY SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE LOOSING SPIRIT. Katana is loosing them. HE MUST PUT ALL OF HIS MIGHT INTO THIS.
"Neither of you are listening.. LET THE SHOGUN CARVE AN ALREADY WEAKENED FIGHTER UP, TO SHOW JUST WHAT STRENGTH IS!" He bellows, following Nataya as she charges straight at Cherry. But as she charges.. she might notice the train of THE SHOGUN.
"Burning, CRASH STRIKE OF THE DAN KOOOOO CHAAAAAA! ERUPTION OF RISING WATERFALLS!"
He's almost sliding along the ground as she intends to bury his blades into Nataya's back.
Meanwhile, the background flashes once more, and the kimono's are covering the women once more .. this time. GIANT. FREAKING. LIZARD.
IT'S GODZILLA! And he's attacking the Pagoda! It's really just the head and arm, but hey. They can't make a FULLY giant Godzilla. "THE SPIRIT INCLUDES GIANT REPTILES!"
COMBATSYS: Nataya successfully hits Cherry with Four Noble Truths.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/------=|=======\====---\1 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/---====/=======|
Oh. My. God.
Cherry is ABOUT to respond to Nataya. She really was. But then she notices that her dress-wearing opponent is coming at her 1.) really fast and 2.) with a Star Trek-style energy shield. Grimacing -- and still in pain from the sword hits and that punch from before -- the Diva plants her feet and tries to at least deflect the shoulder ram a bit. She is, unlike her previous evasion, way too slow; she's also fairly light for being so busty and really, really goes *flying* after that. She goes flying out of the koi pond, PAST the sumo ring, and into one of the fake cherry trees, which splinters into the plywood of which it is made. Dramatically, a hand comes up and grips the remains of the trunk from behind a partially collapsed curtain, and then Cherry pulls herself out of it slowly. "Yeah..." she mutters, rubbing her head. "You too."
She also recovers just in time to see Katana leaping at her opponent's back with the swords, and something appears to snap. She doesn't run, or even charge. She *stalks* over toward Katana and Nataya, presuming that neither suddenly leaps at her before she can do so, and then says: "HEY. How about you put those away, Captain Ginzu?" she demands. And then she punctuates her demand by suddenly, and with amazing speed, bringing her palm upwards toward the bottom of Katana's chin... hard. Really hard. Really, really hard. "THIS ISN'T AN INFOMERCIAL FOR KITCHEN KNIVES."
COMBATSYS: Nataya blocks Katana's Deep Strike.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/=======/=======|
Nataya turns just in time to have on the blades scrape her across the back, and she lets out a sharp yelp of pain. Getting pummeled and cut constantly is starting to cause her considerable confusion. Ever since Cerry gave her a whallop on the brainbox, she hasn't been thinking quite straight even if Cherry whent rocketing back like a red headed firecracker.
So when Katana's blades draw blood, she pinwheels back, feet unsteady due to the constricting length of cloth. She slams onto her back and the wind's knocked out of her for a second as she scrambles about. Clearly, she's not really handling any of this very well, the calm composure giving way to just black faced automatic pilot.
The cloth rends, years, and falls away as she rips the dress in half, and her eyes flash a brilliant silver, making it look like she has two silver ball bearing sset into her head. She exhales once, finding her center, and turns to face Cherry, resolute that she may still be abe to face the deadly diva on her own terms. Her energiues well up as her beads take an offensive stance, snapping a network of silver lines between them. "One good turn de... de..."
A pause.
"Where'd you go?!"
Oh, there she is. Nataya's left sort of holding the bag as Cherry stomps off to give Katana the what for. Eyes that were formerly tense with concentration now narrow to small dots as Cherry goes to smash the shogun's face in, her beads sort of just hanging there. Nataya looks at the webbing, which seems to almost look back at her. She shrugs, and it gives a little rattle as if to agree.
"Um."
And with that, she projects the net of beads and energy at Katana, which fans out broadly to catch the Southtown shogun in a cage. Should it connect, the net will constrict around the man, crushing him and sending powerful bolts of force through his body as she tries to knock him senseless.
"i don't know why we're attacking you, but it appears that's what's happening next!" she says, the smile returning to her features as she finally feels like she has a handle on the situation.
COMBATSYS: Nataya successfully hits Katana with Noble Eightfold Path.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Katana fails to counter Black Cherry from Cherry with Shiraha Catch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/-======|
And then that's when Katana is suddenly UNDER SIEGE IN HIS OWN FORTRESS. As Cherry is pulled upwards.. and then Katana is suddenly under assault with a palm at his chin. REALLY HARD. The Shogun attempts to grab it with his gauntleted hands, but the strike is a bit too quick, and he collapses backwards, staggering from the assault. "GHH! YOU DARE STRIKE THE SHOGUN!?" It's not too bad actually. He seems to be doing quite we-WHAT IS THIS!?
This is of course after Katana crashes into Nataya's back, the blades drawing more than a little blood perhaps over the course of the fight.. but when the dress is ripped in half.. Katana's eyes behind the mask grow wide.
They are ruining it.
They are ruining it /all/.
He attempts to leap out of the cages way, of the net of beads an energy, but his sandal catches .. and then he falls with the net around him, armoring taking the blows as he's slowly scrunched more and more ..
And then roars, bellowing with force as he frees himself, the smoke of chi wisping off of him. "YOU CANNOT TELL THE SHOGUN WHAT TO DO... and the Shogun .. is angry at your blatant disregard for his show...... YOU WILL CONFORM, OR YOU WILL BOTH BE DEFEATED BY THE SHOGUN!" He bellows once again. "Fight, or you will be bested by Katana.. THE MAD GEAR SHOGUN!" He just said that.
"Put on ... that music... NOW! I COMMAND IT!" The screen changes once more, and there's something being readied. The back door behind the opera is being opened. It's a garage door.
Somewhere. A key turns, idly.
. "If you two wish to fight .. then you shall see the might of Japan.. BY YOUR OWN HANDS!" The music is pretty .. Japan-y at least. But it has a bit more sound to it than the J-pop. Like .. a definite purpose. And the mood of the set is changed.. how?
Gang members begin to flood the area, setting up a circle about the koi pond and infront of the trees. "Now .. We fight this .. ON MY TURF!" JAPAN, METRO CITY.
It's like she INSTANTLY looks happier once her fist smacks into Katana's face, Cherry does. One of the cameramen actually blinks at the alacrity of her change in mood from his vantage point, her >:| going to :) almost instantly. Of course, it's sort of ruined as Cherry shakes out her hand after the impact, grimacing. The man's got a chin like a bank vault door, that actually sort of stung all things considered. "Oh my lord," she breathes out, staring incredulously at Katana after his speech as the Mad Gear gangers start to make a circle. "What is this, fucking 'The Warriors'?"
Somewhere, the sound techs wish they were on a six second delay.
Inside, though, the Fighting Diva is torn. Nataya's a nice enough person, a strong opponent. She'd LIKE to keep fighting her and see how it turns out. That said, the fight's ALREADY been swinging back and forth thanks to Katana's interference... and all this razzle-dazzle animu stuff is starting to give her a big eyed, small mouthed Excedrin headache. Decisions, decisions! Keep up the WARRIOR'S BATTLE, or try to smack the stupid out of the guy with the swords?
A little shoulder Cherry pops up, perhaps added with CG after the fact. "What's the most drama, sweetheart? Drama!"
In deference to source material, Cherry slams her fist into the opposite palm and nods.
"Sorry about this," she directs to Nataya. Then she casually walks toward one of the fake cherry trees, *PICKS IT UP*, and walks back to Katana. "BANZAI, MOTHERFUCKER." Then she swings it at his head.
Once again, Nataya is left wondering. Wondering why every extra from "Escape from LA " has decided to attack the arena. Wondering why her former opponent is about ready to clobber a man with a tree. Wondering. It's a good mind that wonders, because a closed mind never really appreciates the total abject strangeness life can deliver.
"Okay then!" She says, callping her hands together. In a puff of smoke, she's near Cherry, with a smile on her face. "I've got your back!" she says, cheerily as she closes her eyes, starting to recite her mantras.
"We've got a lot of people here," she says almost absently as her mind drifts. "But kill the head and the body dies, yes? It was a good fight, and we're going to have to do it again, on our terms."
Her smile broadens. "If we get out of this alive, yes?" Bowing her head, she lets her energy flow outward and through her, cycling so that her power flows where she needs it to go.
COMBATSYS: Nataya enters a meditative state.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Katana endures Cherry's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
"THIS IS WHATEVER I WANT IT TO BE." The Shogun yells out loud! And then gets clobbered by the tree.. but no.. he does not truly immediately get clobbered. It is interesting, perhaps, to look at .. as the Shogun is assaulted through the use of cherry tree.. by Cherry. But first, let us pan to Nataya. Who is riding along with it, as well as taking care of what she certainly does.. which is quite a bit, actually! Just not enough to attract attention. She is a warrior .. but perhaps Cherry will have to fall before her. "Hahha.. to destroy the Shogun .. to wound him, ON HIS OWN TURF. What do you plan to do .. TO PREVENT THIS!" The Shogun bellows as the tree crashes into him.. knocking him to the side, as he continues his charge. It hurt so very much. But the Shogun refuses to fall back. Using the swing to get to a less defended side.
"Prepare... TO MEET THE STRONGEST ASSAULT OF THE SHOGUN!" The wakizashi being brandished and brought backwards, the Shogun that was struck .. attempting to bowl over Cherry and continue on, drawing his blades with him and trying to catch her with them.. and then SWING, launching her away!
"BEGONE, WARRIOR.. for Japan needs not those who are so strong headed they fail to realize the IMPORTANCE! I SHALL EDUCATE YOU BOTH FIRST HAND." Somewhere, the turned key... now begins to rev the engines.
Meanwhile, Katana is left here .. /alone/. With like 50 goons.
GOONS.
Katana says, "STRIKE OF THE FREEZING COLD VOLCANO YAAAAAA DOOOOKEN! CHAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Cherry dodges Katana's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
Apparently, Cherry's defensive skills are fueled by absurdity. She knits her brow at the yell for that attack, but she's not not not taking any more hits from bladed weapons in this fight, thank you. As Katana charges her she drops the fake tree and then does a standing front flip OVER the Shogun as he charges, landing behind him but facing away; by the time she gets up and turns around, any opportunity to strike that would have presented itself is long gone. "Yes. Freezing cold volcano. That makes perfect sense, thank you." She pauses, just shaking her head. "Raiden. Turn off the game console." What? She liked shooting people in that game. Don't judge me.
However, Nataya's comment is relatively cogent vis-a-vis hordes of goons, and Cherry gives a wild little grin. "Yeah, well. Backup or no backup, I'm asserting my national identity." And with that she... TRANSFORMS. In fact the music from Sailor Moon even starts to play right as she starts doing this. PSYCHIC SOUND CREW? Or COMPLETE COINCIDENCE?! You decide. Whipping the pink bow off her back, Cherry practically rips off her costume top, with only a black sports bra on underneath. The former bow gets wrapped around her (still kinda bleeding) midriff like a belly shirt, not coincidentally covering her cleavage but also lifting and separating. TAKE NOT, PROJECT RUNWAY CONTESTANTS. "I'm an American, god damnit! You can't educate us! WE REFUSE TO LEARN."
She said it tongue in cheek, but the crowd actually roars when she says it, which merely leads Cherry to pause, sigh, and pinch the bridge of her nose. "Oy vey."
COMBATSYS: Cherry focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/-------/=======|
Nataya's... not really as bombastic. Instead, clouds billow up and around, the seething mass destroys the uncomfortable dress, leaving behind her traditional robe and prayer beads srapped around her forearms. No flashy fanfare here. Nevertheless, it's interesting in it's own right. Free of the constraints that held her, she stretches her arms out, and flexes her fingers.
She swings around the side of Cherry, already calling her beads to the ready. Without another word, the energy screen Cherry's familiar with flares up in front of her, and Nataya goes charging straight through the goods. Bodies fly up into the air like grass being tossed aside by a lawn mower.
"Cover me, please!" She says as she steams down on Katana, eyes focused intently on the man. The silver sheild glows brightly as her legs carry her across the ground almost effortlessly.
She swings up, planting a foot along the back of one goodn, pinwheeling off the shoulder of another, and doing a front flip over a goon near Katana.
With a flip, she goes into a high arc and goes to slam the sheild straight into Katana's body, hoping to smash him clear so that Cherry can get a clean hit on him.
COMBATSYS: Katana endures Nataya's Four Noble Truths.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/------=/=======|
As Cherry drops the Cherry and flips over the Katana, the Shogun spins around to face them.... both Cherry and Nataya .. JUST IN TIME to see Cherry transform. It's quite interesting, you see .. and with Cherry whipping the bow off her back, and putting it on .. and then pause and take it all in .. well.. it may not work all. "Hahahah! Yes, do what you will.. but the Shogun shall NEVER FALL BACK!" His roar is mighty, his call is loud, and his Japan is strong.
Yes. His Japan. IT'S IMPORTANT. Without a strong Japan Katana would truly falter.
But then comes Cherry's 'defense'... "I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU!" He cries, booming, before Nataya comes forwards. Clouds billow and destroy the dresses. The final straw. No more dresses. HE WORRIES NOT ABOUT THEM ANYMORE. "You have both angered the Shogun greatly..." And then as the silver shield glows.. Nataya running in, Katana charges back at her, leaping into the air and meeting her head on, body burning from the chi. "GHHHH. YOU.. WILL NOT.. MOVE ANYWHERE!" His body as meaty as it is, at least stops hers.. he's not being forced anywhere.. and why is he so DEADSET in keeping them in one place?
Right.
"Hahahha.. it's over now.. THE SHOGUN ... IS VICTORIOUS!"
And then the back of the Opera House suddenly is crashed into, people beginning to scream as they flood out. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Flipping backwards, and onto the truck, Katana proceeds to ride it .. as it honks it's massive horns, intending to run down both Cherry and Nataya.
"You ... have ruined it despite my warnings .. AND NOW I SHALL RUIN YOU!"
There's only so much a Shogun can take till he CAN'T STANDS NO MORE!
COMBATSYS: Cherry dodges Katana's Run Your Ass Over.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Nataya 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Nataya blocks Katana's Run Your Ass Over.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/-======|
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat the fuck. Or rather, what the truck.
"Oh. My. God. *What*," is all Cherry has time to say, once Nataya is at her side and the Shogun unleashes his mightiest of assaults. Which is to say he just drove a truck onto an opera house stage. As the thing bears down in the distance, the Fighting Diva is surprisingly casual about it. "Parking in this city is a bitch," she says to Nataya conversationally. "I guess I can't blame him."
And then the other girl is on her own. Why? Cherry just leapt up. STRAIGHT up. When she comes down again, it is on TOP of the truck, standing there and, incidentally, looking FABULOUS since the speed is making her red hair trail out to the side. "HEY, BABY!" she shouts to Katana over the din, bringing her fingers to her mouth and kissing the tips. As she pulls her hand away, a roiling burst of flame erupts in her palm. "I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOU GETTING A HOT KISS FROM ME ON YOUTUBE!" She then reaches back and PUNCHES the fire with an open-palmed blow, sending the burst of flame spiralling toward Katana in an unpredictable pattern.
Then she settles in and surfs the truck to its final destination. Probably the orchestra pit; the front row is already evacuating.
The truck's final destination, unfortunately, is Nataya. Though Cherry's able to dodge the oncoming tons of fire and steel, Nataya's not as swift. So there's only one thing to do. And that's... stop the truck.
Nataya is strong for her size and in certain situations can get even stronger. Emergencies, for example, and you don't get any more emergency than a truck coming at you. The first thing she does, is opens fire with an entire salvo of beads. The tiny objects slam into the truck's grill over and over again, attempting to shatter the engine block or grind into gears or somehow slow down the monstrocity barreling down on her.
However, the truck is fine American engineering: there's no way a few pellet shots are going to stop the machine. That is, until a few errant shots blast at the tires.
The explosive hiss of air reaches Nataya's ears, and her eyes go wide as the truck treatens to jacknife with Cherry on it. With a lurch forward, Nataya sends a message to her body. That message? Four sheets to the wind.
The relatively small woman crashes against the grill of the truck with a shockwave that spreads out from the point of impact, and the damage Nataya takes is tremendous. Joints strain, ankles twist, shoulders buckle as she strains at the weight of the vehicle, hands sinking into the metal of the grill. Her normally serene face is clenched into a grimace of sheer pain as she attempts the impossible.
And then, the truck stops.
Nataya lets out a gasp, and slams to both her knees, her body keening for air as she takes a gulp, and then another. That wasn't fun, and she doesn't expect to recover from that any time soon. The whirling mists about her, however, have other plans. Boiling with apparent agitation, the power helps her to her feet, allowing her to lean against the side of the truck. Barely able to concentrate on the target, Nataya raises a hand, and shakily points it at Katana.
Three beads break off her swarm, gaining in size and speed as they hurtle towards the shogun with nary a sound save a short hiss as Nataya slumps back on the side of one of the tires, just trying to get air into lungs almost screaming with pain.
COMBATSYS: Nataya successfully hits Katana with Three Gems.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Cherry successfully hits Katana with Burning Love Breakdown.
[ \ < > ////////////// ]
Katana 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Cherry
[ \\\\ <
Nataya 0/-------/-======|
As Cherry sends a burning 'kiss' towards Katana, the warrior looks on. That roiling burst of flame comes towards him, the burst of flame spiralling in an unpredictable pattern! This means there's only one thing for Katana to do. He can see it. He can almost ( ew ) taste it.. but the Shogun on the truck watches it.. and well.. he's already ON the truck and then Cherry is RIGHT THERE. Meanwhile, Nataya slams small objects into the grill. Then goes for the tires.. and then she even .. takes it and 'stops it'. The truck must have been slowed in some way for it to have stopped.. but Nataya was able to stop it once it is slowed to such a speed. As Nataya then points a hand towards Katana, the beads breaking off and then hurtling towards the Shogun, he sees something simple. There are small burning objects of every kind flying at him.
So Katana attempts to leap over the darned thing. THE SHOGUN LEAPS.
STRAIGHT UP.
And then gets pinged to death by the projectiles... launched upwards.. the shogun is struck through projectile after projectile.. and then comes crashing down.
But he does not go quiet into that night. OH NO.
"FINAL ... SHOGUN .. METEOOOOOR!"
Nataya is getting the blunt of it, of course.
COMBATSYS: Katana can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Cherry 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Nataya
COMBATSYS: Nataya dodges Katana's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Cherry 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Nataya
Katana crashes into the crater.. BUT DOESN'T MOVE. Oh no!
"What?" Nataya can't really understand a word Katana's saying. With eyes full of tears, it's hard to see, and her ears are ringing like the dickens. What she gets sounds like an old Japanese Godzilla movie being run through a cheap speaker through a wall of solid Jell-O.
She can. however, still see the giant, meaty figure of the Southtown Shugn falling down on her like the Hand of God. Her jaw drops and she immediately starts to scramble. Lurching forward at the dead last second, Nataya heaves her body out of the way, slamming on her side and rolling. Normally she'd scrape to her feet immediately, but the pain and fatigue is starting to get to her.
She grunts once, pulling herself up. Her body is sore and she's in pretty terrible shape, but she's still looking for Cherry, who /was/ on top of the truck.
"Hello?" She asks, leaning on the truck cab as smoke rises, goons scatter, and her beds all retract to her arms, as does her silvery mists.
It looks like the end of some bizarre war movie in the arena now, and Nataya's just wandering around the destroyed remains, picking about to find her impromptu teammate.
It's a little tough to keep your footing on a jackknifing truck that happens to be on uneven terrain. Of course, Cherry's specialty is footwork, so he makes it look easier than it is. She's about to say something when Katana goes, uh... sailing over the side. leaving the Fighting Diva to walk toward the edge and look over, giving it all a very action movie feel. She even delivers a Chris-Tucker-in-Rush-Hour rejoinder: "Ooh, shoulda buckled up."
The American hops down from the top just as Nataya emerges from carnage, giving her a little wave. The *set* is a disaster. The orcestra pit is a disaster. The crowd is currently clown car-ing into the back of the auditorium, not entirely sure how to react. Cherry, for her part, just glances around and then makes a clucking sound with her tongue before turning back to Nataya and saying, casually, "Why don't we just call this a draw?"
There's a beat after this suggestion, and then part of the lightning frame crashes to the stage behind the fighters.
There's a crash, and Nataya jumps, as she's wont to do whens he's tired and not on the ball. Her smile is small, but it's there, and she extends her hand out. "Thanks. I'll owe you one if that's the case."
She lets out a cough from all the smoke, and tries to shake the vertigo from her head. "Hey, after I've gotten myself taken a look at to make sure that my spleen hasn't migrated to the left part of my brain, how about you let me get you something to drink, my treat?" She tugs on the robe with a smirk. "I just dress like this. I'm not allowed to be a monk, according to the order."
She flops back to the ground, sitting as the paramedics show up. "I hope these aren't always like this. I don't think I can take it."
COMBATSYS: Nataya has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cherry 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Cherry has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:46:50 08/30/2008 by Katana, and last modified on 00:09:42 09/04/2008.