SNF 2008.12 - With a Corncob Pipe - Hayato/Ayame v. K'/R.Mika

Description: The Blizzard Room. Snow blowing, icy temperatures, it's a veritable winter wonderland. Two teams enter, only one will be victorious. Will the other team freeze to death or wind up standing next to Frosty during the next holiday special? Find out, only here, on another holly jolly SNF! (Winners: Hayato and Ayame)



One might think that there might already be unpleasantly chilly weather, mountains of snow, and sniffles a plenty in the dead of winter way up in Metro City. The people who built the Blizzard Room felt otherwise. They felt more cold, more snow, and more sniffles were needed. And so they set out to bring the arctic north straight to the denizens of the States. All the misery of being lost on a floating ice burg right down the street.

At least, that's how Ayame sees it. The environment is almost impossible to believe without seeing it. A massive, indoor, cement-walled structure. All the lighting is done in shades of various blues. Glass windows from the 'safe' hallway along a wall allows one to look into the freezing cold environment without actually being in it.

"This is pretty much terrible." the teenaged fighter muses, arms folded loosely over her. "Some kind've /warning/ would've been nice." she continues, griping as she stares through the glass into the miserable looking place. Dressed up a bit warmer just due to the location of the fight, "Why didn't they tell us to bring high mountain survival gear?"

Long, strawberry-blonde locks trail just a little behind as she shakes her head in disapproval. With a jacket, tights to warm her legs, and a stocking-styled cap down over her ears, she at least isn't going to experience /immediate/ death. "Say," she starts to argue as the door in front of her is opened up and a helpful staffer begins pushing her into the room, "I'd really like to turn this around someday, and have the organizers enjoy the harsh condi-" her voice is cut off as the door shuts behind her, leaving the girl standing in shin-high quite real snow with even more drifting down from the snow-makers built into the ceiling high above.

"-tions for a change... This is ridiculous."

Strains of a loud voice singing can be heard from behind a mountain of snow.

"In the meadow we can build a snowman! And pretend that he's a circus clown! We'll have lots of fun with Mister Snowman, until the other fighters knock him down~!"

Were anyone paying much attention to the mountain of snow, they might see two rather large, blonde pigtails hanging out from either side. The sound of rolling snow can be heard as well, then a loud grunting noise as though someone is having difficulty lifting something.

All noises stop for a fraction of a second before a loud, "Aiiiiieeeeee~!" can be heard, and Rainbow Mika comes running out from behind said mountain of snow, with a giant snowball chasing after her.

"All I wanted to do was build a snow Zangief! How dare this ball of snow attack me!"

Whipping her head around to stare at the growing ball of snow, she rushes toward Ayame, narrowly avoiding the girl as she rushes to make a line for which the ball of snow cannot pass.

"NYAH!" This yelled at the giant snowball, which then surprisingly hopes OVER the line that was built, and barrels right into the wrestler-girl.

WHUMP.

"AUUUUUGH!"

And there Rainbow Mika sits, wearing a snow jacket, with her head sticking out of it.

The flight over to Metro had been a long one, and by the end of it K' found himself with more pressing concerns on his mind than mere subzero temperatures. See, he had flown over with Shurui, and when she'd noticed his fight card, she'd had a couple of things to tell him about this 'Ayame' girl.

K' had listened, nodded slowly to himself, emitted a token "I see," for Shurui's benefit, and then fallen into a deathly sort of silence for the rest of the flight. His sunglasses obscured most of his expression, but his mouth stayed visibly set in a hard, thoughtful line. The information assisted in banishing whatever doubts he had had about showing his face in anything that had to do with Geese Howard, quite so soon after the recent debacle with the Syndicate.

Geese was probably expecting him to come crawling back under his wing, even after all that. Here was a chance to show that that would not be happening, despite the consequences. This would, after all, be the first time he fought publicly without the aid of that heavy glove.

Though he's a little late, it seems K' isn't the last to arrive; Hayato Nekketsu doesn't appear to have shown up yet. Odd: shouldn't a teacher be punctual? Ushered into the room, K' makes it a few steps into the drifts of snow before he notices something he isn't accustomed to feeling: he's /cold/. Frowning eloquently, pulling absently on the fire in his blood to help stave off the temperature, he shoots a puzzled glance at his supposed 'teammate' as she tumbles by. His eyes, shortly thereafter, hood in irritation.

Rather pointedly trying to ignore the girl and her antics, his gaze flicks over to fix on Ayame instead. K' is not particularly known for being a pleasant or friendly individual even at the best of times, but in this instance his stare seems even more hostile than usual. Unfortunately, the young man isn't exactly being forthcoming with why he's staring at the girl the way most people would regard a steak. It seems that for now, Ayame will just have to play a guessing game.

It appears that before the fighters arrived, someone was playing about in this room. There's a large snowman sitting there, built in the classic style. Three large snowballs for the head and body, sticks for arms, eyes made of coal, corncob pipe, a scarf wrapped around his neck and even a black, silk tophat. Presumably not built by kids, because where are kids actually going to get most of that stuff? If one were to look more closely, they might notice some small holes pushed in the snow of the head, but they'd have to peer quite closely to see anything else odd about the figure. At least, until all the fighters get there.
The snowman begins to rumble, loose bits of snow shaking off of it. And then, suddenly, an explosion of snow. Clumps of snow and bits of coal fly everywhere, exposing a surprisingly (if one doesn't know him) hearty looking Hayato, with a corncob pipe that can now be seen to be clenched between his teeth and the scarf settling around his shoulders, and standing in a triumphant pose. He's dressed in a heavy red coat and similar pants, both of which seem well designed for being in the snow, along with some thick snowboots. His plan made perfect sense. Fighters meditate under all sorts of unpleasant circumstances in order to focus inward, right? Well, being packed in snow is both unpleasant, and allows for an energetic escape. Unfortunately, while he dressed well, he didn't account for two things. One, all the snow in his hair. This is easily dealt with by a brisk shake of his head. Two, the snow that managed to get down his collar. This is less easily dealt with, but it should melt soon enough. "Hahaha! Merry Christmas!"
Meanwhile, the tophat was sent flying up into the air, but now it begins to tumble down, only to be snatched by Hayato and planted atop his head.

Alone for a moment in the room, Ayame exhales softly, watching her breath linger as vapor for a moment before vanishing. Hugging herself again, drawing her jacket a little tighter, she mutters something unintellible beneath her breath. Her brown eyes fix on the pig-tailed fighter speeding her way with a lumbering snowball in fast pursuit. Rainbow Mika zips by her as Ayame steps to the side just in time, turning around to watch her go, seemingly oblivious to the tumbling doom careening her way.

Unphased, the teenaged menace crouches down, adjusting the red and black striped legwarmers she's wearing up over her knees, exhaling softly as the giant snowball bounces right over her and directly into the other girl. Standing up slowly, she glances at Rainbow Mika, one narrow eyebrow raised as she studies the other 'sidekick' for this match. "Great. Bunny leagues. Someday I'll get billed as something remotely serious." she sighs, whirling around to face K' as he enters.

She's never seen him before. Not in person, at least. But there's something about him that goes beyond just 'unpleasant personality'. She's an expert in that area after all. Question is why? She gives K' a sort've awkward smile. It's feigned, of course, intended to be disarming perhaps, before she looks away nervously, attempting to appear disengaged. Her right hand slips beneath her left wrist guard, pulling out a small throwing knife. She's getting bored.

The snowman in the room looks like a good target. And as she draws her arm up, taking aim for the side of his head, she wonders if she can throw the knife hard enough to get it to come out the other side. "Hmm..." This snowman won't have any of that, however, for just as she's about to throw the knife, it comes to life. It's just like the cartoon. If the cartoon included a Burning Spirit instructor in it, that is. Eyes widening just a little, the girl lowers her hand, no longer intending to throw her knife.

"You again." It's hard to forget the guy that left you to chill in Alcatraz after all. "Well, you'll no doubt be happy to know that I took your words to heart and have completely reformed my ways. I sure am looking forward to being your partner today," she continues, her voice more chipper by the second. "Could you do me a favor and keep that guy away from me? He looks creepy. He might need a bit of your inspirational speech!" She, on the other hand, makes no move, content to see how this plays out...

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

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ayame            0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Ayame calculates her next move.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ayame            0/-------/-------|


"Huh," says Rainbow Mika, peering at Ayame as she bursts from her snow jacket prison. "I guess my pigtails DO look like bunny ears." Tilting her head from side to side, she makes a most valiant attempt to shake the excess of snow from her head, shoulders and torso. The snow removal action almost looks like an odd sort of jerky dancing, but eventually reveals that she's very scantly clad for such a freezing room of doom. After a moment or two of peering around the room, she reaches down and extracts a set of white earmuffs from the snow and plops them around the pigtails and down onto her ears.

Adjusting the earmuffs, she glances at the others, wondering where the fourth is. As the snowman in the center of the room explodes, she leaps up and points an accusing finger. "That... THAT WAS A GREAT SNOWMAN! It wasn't a Zangief snowman, but it was still great! You ruined it!"

To show her ire at such a thing, she starts balling up a bit of the snow in her bare hands. "Grrr! You had a perfect snowman! Probably didn't attack you either!" The snow in her hand keeps growing and growing until it's a little bit larger than a snowball.

It's not Hayato that is her eventual target of the snowy, icy ball. Her attention turns to the girl who says she's not serious. She may be a bit of a goof sometimes, but she does take every match quite seriously thankyouverymuch! So it is that the snowball in her hand goes careening toward Ayame's face to show the other girl just how serious she can be!

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

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ayame            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           R.Mika


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

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ayame            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           R.Mika
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0               K'


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

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ayame            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           R.Mika
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Hayato           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0               K'


K''s expression doesn't alter in the least when Ayame tries to disarm or throw him off with a smile. With an unsettling directness, he just keeps pinning that direct, penetrating stare on her a few moments longer... and then his eyes flick away. The corner of his mouth curves briefly into something half a sneer and half a smirk. So this is the girl who handed Shurui over to be tortured.

Of course, Shurui-- fair as always-- did say that Ayame was also ultimately the one who pointed the GK rescuers in the right direction. But in K''s opinion, that one 'good deed' can't erase the original crime. He's a self-centered bastard himself, and so he finds it all too easy to reach the conclusion that whatever the girl did to 'redeem' herself was not, in actuality, out of altruism.

That and she deserves a little lesson, just on principle.

But for whatever reason, he doesn't immediately follow up on the distinct malevolence he aims Ayame's way. Perhaps he knows that the essence of intimidation is unpredictability; perhaps he's just waiting to do it when she's not expecting it, so it'll /really/ hurt. But when he moves, it's towards Hayato, his indolent and careless stance transmuting to sudden movement in the space of an instant.

As is typical of the bred and engineered assassin, he makes little to no noise when he attacks. Well, except for this: "I've got enough of the inspirational speeches, thanks..." which is half-said to himself even as he leaves the ground and tries to plant a sharp strike in Hayato's throat: hard enough to disrupt his breathing for a bit, should it land.

COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Hayato with Knee Strike.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ayame            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           R.Mika
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Hayato           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0               K'


Hayato knew that he'd be a good influence on Ayame! He certainly seems to take her at her word that she's been completely reformed. His smile doesn't falter until Mika starts berating him for the destruction of the snowman. "But... I was the one who had it built!" Actually, he tried for a while to do it himself, but that didn't work out so well. And it's a snowball fight that the wrestling girl wants, eh? Well, two can play at that- oh, no. Looks like Ayame will get to have the fun. Hayato gets to deal with K', instead. And sadly, his scarf turns out to not be very effective armor.
There's a pained gurgle from Hayato as K''s knee slams into his throat, causing him to stagger back and the silk tophat to go flying off. But it's not enough to stun him. "Okay, we'll skip the speech for now!" Hayato takes a quick breath and snaps his head forward. With a quick burst of air he propels the pipe from his lips, sending it flying toward the younger man's face. That's not much of an attack of course, but it might provide a bit of a distraction, giving Hayato enough time to close in and grab K' by his jacket and violently shake him a few times before the teacher attempts to drive his fist into K''s sternum.

COMBATSYS: Ayame reflects Thrown Object from R.Mika with Midsummer Fantasy.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ayame            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           R.Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Hayato           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0               K'


Hayato explodes out of a snowman, and suddenly the freezing cold room is awash with activity. No time for mean staring contests, deriding comments toward other fighters, or really much of anything at all beyond keeping herself safe from harm. Her attention comes to rest first on Rainbow Mika, only to lose interest the moment it seems /her/ attention is on the snowman destroyer, Hayato himself. This gives her time to shift focus back to K', trying to identify just how much risk she is in /this instant/.

But for all the unsettling way he looks at her, the young man veers for Hayato instead, presumably to put a preemptive stop to any inspirational speeches. Ayame smiles faintly, glancing back toward the wrestler nearby as she sends a snowball flying her way with menacing speed! "If you want to be taken seriously,"

The girl sweeps her right hand out, creating a red, swirling discus of chi directly in the path of the snowball. "You shouldn't play kids games." The chi collapses into a sphere around the packed ice before the girl pushes her palm against the outer edge of it and sends the red-chi infused projectile flying right back at Rainbow Mika even faster than it had been thrown in the first place!

Calmly, the girl slips her left hand into a pouch affixed to one of her many belts, drawing out a six-inch long titanium tube that she begins to twirl lightly in her fingers, fixing the wrestler with an even stare as if daring her to make her best move. A flicker of a smile toys at the corner of her mouth, "Just some friendly advice, that's all." It doesn't sound so friendly.

COMBATSYS: R.Mika blocks Ayame's Reflected Thrown Object.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Ayame            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           R.Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Hayato           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0               K'


When snowballs start glowing red, it really means that the other fighter either doesn't really want to get hit with a big, clunky piece of snow, or they're busily making fun of you. In this case, Rainbow Mika is POSITIVE that the girl is doing both which causes a very loud, "H-HEY!"

"Turning the snow pink isn't exactly something to be taken seriously EITHER," she points out, her body twisting away so that the chi-infused snowball whomps against her shoulder doing minimal damage (though giving her a cold shoulder!).

The turn serves another purpose as well. The wrestler-girl isn't ignoring or snubbing Ayame, she's just quietly preparing another move. The girl wants her to show some serious moves? Well! She's got plenty of those, even if they don't look all that serious when being executed.

Back turned, there is only one thing she could possibly be doing. That one thing is flying toward Ayame butt first. "Aiiiieeeeeee~!!!" Hit or miss, when she lands there's a good second and a half where she rubs her behind before starting back to her feet.

COMBATSYS: K' fails to interrupt Power Punch from Hayato with Second Shell EX.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ayame            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           R.Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Hayato           0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0               K'


Hayato recovers... notably faster than K' thought he might. The young man is caught in a bit of an awkward spot when the teacher tries first to peg him with a pipe... and then, to do something a lot more grievous to his person. Landing a little unsteadily as he ducks under the projectile, K'-- even despite being off-balance-- tries to retaliate before Hayato can get to him. His right hand-- noticeably bare now, save for a leather glove that matches the one he's always worn on his left-- sparks in an attempt to gather fire.

It doesn't appear fast enough. The slower reaction time of his flames, without the glove to control them for him, swiftly throws K''s calculations off: the additional burden of the room's chill, which saps some of his energy towards the end of staying out of hypothermia, just makes it worse. The experiment's intended reprisal comes out a few seconds too slow.

Shaken like a misbehaving student, K' is too dazed-- and irritated at the treatment-- to properly defend himself when the subsequent punch comes railing in. Knocked back in a long skid through the snow, K' folds over slightly in an attempt to get his breath back, steam snarling past half-bared teeth as he regards Hayato with a narrow-eyed wariness.

Briefly, his gaze flicks back towards Ayame. The glance is quick... but then again, K''s gazes are penetrating enough she might sense him watching her, even if the duration of it is not very long.

Hayato follows K''s gaze. Something between the two of them, eh? Well, Ayame does seem like the kind of person who'd make more than a few enemies. But right now there are more important things to think about. Like how best to land another hit like that on K'. The teacher wastes no more time in following after K', churning up the snow even further as he charges in. His pace rapidly picks up until he's going just about as fast as he can in this snow, and then he leaps toward his opponent.
The Burning Phys Ed Teacher's right leg lifts as he leaves the ground, blazing orange chi surrounding his boot as he moves it into a position such that he'll be able to slam his sole right into the center of K''s body. Not a fun prospect when it's got the full weight of Hayato's flying body behind him. And he's focusing more on making sure he hits than trying to land well because, hey. Even if he falls, there's snow to break his fall.

COMBATSYS: Ayame blocks R.Mika's Shooting Peach.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ayame            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Hayato           0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0               K'


At Rainbow Mika's retort, Ayame's eyebrow twitches, right hand clenching, "Hey, I wasn't the one that threw it in the first place!" But the taller girl is already turning away. Maybe she's going to go dig up more snow to throw around, Ayane fumes silently. She'll teach her to turn her back! Her left hand flicks just a little, and the collapsed weapon expands out to its full six foot length in a blink of the eye.

Titanium, and already developing a layer of frost on its metallic surface, she's about to charge Mika and bash her around with the thing when she realizes, half-step forward, the other girl is actually /attacking/ back! Sliding to a stop, feet furrowing in the snow, the staff is brought to bear in a defensive way as Ayame braces behind it, turning with her defense to allow the other girl to slide off and land on her seat. "That's not being serious at all!" she exclaims. Her tone sounds neither irritated or cheerful, either, as if she's simply making a statement of fact as she whirls back around into facing the wrestler.

"I'll show you what I mean!" And with that, she's sprinting forward, not even careful to give the blonde enough time to get fully up to her feet if she's not quick enough. Her aim is to slip that metal staff in around her neck from behind, allowing her to secure it against her throat. Should she lock the girl in, her right foot will come up and be planted against Mika's lower back as Ayame pulls back hard, putting the poor girl in a strangling stretch-hold. "If you want to just give up and go back to the playground, I'll understand. But you'll have to speak up." she hisses.

Lost in the moment, K''s glance is forgotten, except for a lingering warning in the back of her mind that warns her to be more wary of attacks from other angles...

COMBATSYS: R.Mika fails to interrupt Blackmail from Ayame with Fast Throw.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Hayato           0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0               K'


"Was too," Rainbow Mika replies. It's done in such a way that you can almost HEAR her sticking her tongue out and saying NYAAAAAAAAAH along with it, even though she doesn't quite stoop to that level of immaturity. As she rubs at her behind, she begins to realize how cold it actually is in here. Dressed as she is, it's a wonder she wasn't feeling frozen during the failed attempt at the Zangief snowman. There's a moment before she gets up where she shivers, teeth chattering.

That moment is about to prove her undoing.

Choked by the weapon, she makes a grrrrk'd noise which was probably another failed attempt at a witty retort. Both hands reach up to draw the freezing metal from her throat, her body jerking forward as she tries to throw the other girl over her and into a snow pile. When this fails, she starts to flail her arms and twist her body to force Ayame away.

"Aaaack!" It takes a great deal of struggling before she can wrench herself free, and when she manages to pop the frozen titanium away from her neck a little she chokes on the intake of air. Sputtering she shakes her head. "Y...you're really RUDE! I'm n-not going ANYWHERE!"

COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Devastation Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Hayato           0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0               K'


By the time Hayato has thrown himself in a charge at K', the young man is already looking back to study the attack. Traction isn't a problem-- his heat has melted the snow around him already, meaning he's got a firm stance. Alertness isn't a problem-- he's already rising in an attempt to meet the incoming attack head-on, even as it comes for him. What is a problem is the fact that when Hayato leaves the ground, the upswipe of his kick flings a rush of snow into the air.

The result is that K''s vision is blocked, just at the crucial moment he needs to know just where to set up his guard. The teacher crashes bodily into him as a result, spending the young man tumbling through the drifts in a long trail of hissing snowmelt and steam. This not being the first time K' has encountered Hayato, K' has the basic gist of the man now... and he has to wonder-- as he picks himself out of the snow and shakes it from his hair with a growled huff-- how any of Hayato's 'students' survive his tutelage.

The squabbling between Ayame and Rainbow Mika is mere background noise as far as K' is concerned... except where it indicates that Ayame is rapidly getting more and more annoyed with his 'teammate' for the fight. Resurrecting out of the snow with a last snow-shedding shake, rubbing at the back of his neck, K' takes a minute to glance over the state of the room as a whole. And to try to warm up after his tumble, while he's at it.

COMBATSYS: K' focuses on his next action.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Hayato           0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0               K'


Hayato lands on his back after planting his foot on K'. This could be bad, but it turns out that K' has trouble of his own to deal with, giving Hayato a chance to sit up and then climb back to his feet. Good thing he's wearing water resistant clothes, though! Wearing that gets soaked with cold water is really unpleasant. And while K' is looking around, Hayato is closing in. If Mika wants to come over and start beating on him, he'll find out when it happens. No need to worry about it right now!
K' might be trying to warm up, but Hayato is having none of that! The teacher runs at him with his shinai held out, then ducks in low as he closes in. He sweeps out with the weapon, but he's not going for a lightning fast strike. No, he's just trying to apply pressure to K''s legs, preferably on the back of the knee... because he doesn't actually stop running, but continues on in an attempt to bodycheck K' right back down into the snow.

It takes a little bit, but at last Rainbow Mika manages to pry herself away from Ayame's little choking trap. On normal ground, this wouldn't bother Ayame in the slightest. But standing in snow, her traction unsure, she ends up slipping backward the moment she's no longer able to use the wrestling girl for leverage. "Gah!"

A stumbled step later, she catches herself, jamming her staff into the snow for support, before glancing back toward the girl. The accusation of being rude provokes a feral grin from the misanthropic rebel. "Am I?" She twirls her staff at her side a little, starting to realize just how miserably cold it's getting. The early action staved it off a little bit, but now she's not feeling so certain after all. The slippery footing is bothersome to boot.

Sparing a glance over her shoulder toward K' and Hayato, the girl frowns softly, noticing how the ground around K''s feet has been cleared of snow. Her expression shifts slightly. What a good idea! Taking in a breath, she shifts her attention back to the blonde, both hands going back to gripping her staff, grimacing a little as the exposed skin of her fingers freeze to the surface a little. That's not going to do at all!

Concentrating, jaw tightening, she begins to draw upon the chi of the environment around her. Red, swirling energy begins at her feet, building up into heated whisps that rise up immediately around the girl, "I think it's just that you have a problem with the truth." she finally decides, addressing Rainbow Mika directly, the snow at her own feet being pushed back, melting a little and receeding. Better traction and a lot of energy to borrow to boot. Hard to go wrong with that!

COMBATSYS: Ayame gathers her will.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Hayato           0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0               K'


Melting snow can be a good thing. It creates puddles, which under normal circumstances would probably mean mud. In this deep freeze of a room, it just means puddles for a moment with a very high probability of there being ice immediately thereafter!

The potential ice might come in handy later, but at the moment, while Ayame is very much distracted, Rainbow Mika doesn't say a word. She's fairly certain she has no problems with the truth. She loves the truth! Provided that truth has something to do with Zangief and not overly rude girls that were choking her just moments ago!

That line of thought makes her think... WWZD?

He'd certainly not be sitting in the snow waiting to be attacked! He'd find a bear and wrestle them!

There's a distinct lack of bears in the room. Ayame will have to do.

Tiptoeing on the snow, and falling through in a few places, she starts to slink behind Ayame. All this slinking and Rainbow Mika style subterfuge means that she's going to try to pop her head up under the other girl's shoulder, forcing her up off the melted area of snow. That in and of itself could potentially be very disturbing, but that's not all she does. Should she get Ayame lifted off the ground enough her knee juts up so she can drop the girl's tailbone upon it.

COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Quick Throw.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayato           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0               K'


K''s mind doesn't seem to be on Hayato. His attention appears split, the young man apparently having some different agenda-- something else riling his temper-- than fighting the teacher out to the very conclusion of things. With his mind divided between modulating his fire in this hostile environment, handling Hayato, and keeping tabs on whatever else he seems intent on doing, he's slow to recover when Hayato gets around his guard.

Swiped to the ground, K' remains there only a moment before he twists back to a tense crouch, hesitates a moment as if in brief deliberation-- and then abruptly flickers out of sight in a sudden warp of speed. It's not immediately clear, either, where he's gone-- up until a waver of black against the snow, right near Ayame and Mika, answers the question.

Coincident with Rainbow Mika's attempt to seize Ayame, K' surges out of his rushing lunge. He's uncaring if Mika actually succeeds her hold on Ayame; he'll just bat her clean out of the girl's grasp if that's the case, his entire weight thrown behind the sudden snarling, fire-ridden swipe he claws upwards at the girl. There's something beyond his usual unrepentant force behind the attack-- a sort of blatant vindictiveness that burns his fire just a little hotter than usual.

For the time being, he still doesn't explain. He's not close enough yet.

Under normal circumstances, Hayato might try to protect his partner from someone as angry as K' charging toward them, apparently intending to tear them to pieces, incinerate them, or both. Under normal circumstances. Ayame, though, she's not one that Hayato is really going to rush to help. He does start making his way over, though. Not slowly, but with a measured stride, holding his shinai up against his shoulder and lightly tapping it there. He's grinning, and as he walks waves of orange chi begin to radiate off of him. K' may have picked a different target, but Hayato's not about to stop fighting... and once he reaches one of his opponents he's going to have some damage to dish out.

COMBATSYS: Hayato gathers his will.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0               K'


COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Ayame with Crow Bite EX.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Ayame            1/-======/=======|=====--\-------\0           R.Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1               K'


COMBATSYS: Ayame interrupts Medium Throw from R.Mika with Final Sunset.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Ayame            1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1           R.Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1               K'


Ayame may not be paying close enough attention to Rainbow Mika's attempts to slip in around her, considering she's just become aware of K' switching focus to barrel toward her. The furrow in her brow is hardly one of surprise. She suspected something like this would happen. It's one of decided concern. This isn't just a fight to him, there's another level to this. And that she doesn't know why is starting to eat at her.

Still, she's going to have to make a sacrifice play, it seems, one way or another. The energy swirling around her feet is gathered up quickly, coursing along her metal staff as the wrestling girl starts to get a hold of the other teen. Hefted up into what's going to be a most unpleasant drop, Ayame twists her left foot quickly under her tailbone - the moment she's dropped, it's the side of her foot that takes the brunt of the impact instead of anything more sensitive!

Her right foot slams down to the ground at the same instant, buying her a split second time to spin within the blonde's hold, bringing her staff around with her, with all that pent up energy. Kicking back a step, the long haired girl unleashes the entire swath of it directly into the other girl at practically point blank range while she skips backward herself...

Unfortunately, it was the best she could make of the situation, for in that instant, K' descends upon her with his fiery fist. She barely turns toward him, attempting to bring the staff up into the path of his strike, but even though her positioning is surprisingly accurate given what she just accomplished, she doesn't have nearly the strength to muster a simple defense and not enough time for a more stable one.

The explosive impact is decisive in its effect, the featherweight taken clean off her feet, a pained grgl of a cry escaping her lips as all the breath is forced out of her lungs. She sails into a high arc, body consumed by the furious heat. One might joke that in such a cold place, that might feel a bit nice. They'd be full of crap. Her mouth open in a silent cry, she lands hard on her back, the snow on the ground vaporized into steam as the lingering flames melt a significant portion of it.

Slowly sitting up, the damaged girl winces. Her jacket is torn, an angled gouge across it, marking the path of K's flaming claw. The extra padding of the material is probably all that spared her an even worse injury, she muses, trying to detatch her thoughts from the agonizing pain coursing through her body. She's not so quick to get up this time, merely sitting in the snow, panting for breath, staring back at K' now, brown eyes widened. There's no guarentee he won't be back again. Gritting her teeth, she notices wetness at the corner of her mouth that can't be blamed on the snow.

Wiping her jacket sleeve across her lips, she smears away a little blood as her lungs learn how to breath again, "What is it with you anyway?!" she snaps back at him, hand reaching for her staff at her side. She's going to need it to get back up.

Rainbow Mika will never admit it to the rude girl, but she's impressed with her quick thinking and protection of her tailbone. Not many people she knows think to do something like that with an atomic drop. The girl-wrestler is less impressed with the staff sends a whole WHUMPs worth of energy toward her, which sends her careening backward into a snowdrift.

Some of the softer snow floofs up around the downed girl, only to fall right atop her again burying her in a coffin made of snow.

This does nothing to warm her up AT ALL!

'Buck up', she tells herself as she lifts out of the snow. 'Zangief fights in SIBERIA in skimpier clothing than what you have on, and he survives! You can do this!'

Whether she can do 'this' or not, she's not going to let the cold get her down any more!

Moving with alarming speed, she lunges forward tossing out a backhand at the other girl. This is followed by a low side kick, an ankle kick, an elbow smash, a headbutt, and a slew of swift jabs and a knee strike. As she finishes up with all of this, Rainbow Mika turns her back on Ayame. Then she suddenly launches toward the girl with her buttocks once more.

Her reply to Ayame's question that isn't directed at her at all?

"Maybe he thinks you're rude too."

K''s heavy breathing snarls audibly, in and out, as he stalks towards the fallen girl. Snow withers in his wake, the heat of him ensuring none of it lasts long in close proximity to him. The anger in his gaze far outweighs whatever satisfaction he might derive from having hurt her as much as he just did. He barely even seems to notice his teammate, sent spiraling off into the snow some distance away.

Waiting this long to attack Ayame-- waiting this long to even bother to explain what his problem is-- was K''s way of nettling the girl, depriving her of the control and certainty that most people so desperately treasure. Forcing her to exist in a state of apprehension. It's an apprehension which doubtless finds itself dispelled now that K' has finally turned to discharge the bulk of his hatred on her person, though one highly doubts the sensation that comes in its wake is one of relief.

"A girl called Shurui," he eventually intimates, too quietly for the cameras to pick up, leaning closer in a bid to smother the girl under his oppressive heat. Considering the cold, the warmth might be welcoming if its source didn't look quite so prone to murder. "You attacked her, overcame her, and kidnapped her by force. You gave her over to be tortured. Now, as I don't like people messing with MY shit... I figured I'm obligated to do something about it. Unfortunately, I can't kill you on international television."

The experiment attacks on the heels of his words in a savage lunge, blurring again with the speed of it, trying to snare Ayame by her shirtfront and bear her dizzyingly up to meet him eye to eye. If he should manage a grasp, he abruptly slams his hand forward from that point-blank, one-inch range: a flare of fire accompanying the vicious movement that is his entire lean frame translating force up into the strike. "But for now, I CAN make you feel what it was like for her."

It might also knock her in the direction of Rainbow Mika and her planned attack, come to that... but K' isn't really intending for that to happen, nor timing himself to coincide with her in any particular way.

Now, if K' had shared his reasons with the rest of the fighters, the remainder of this match might go rather differently. Hayato is in this for fun, and there are things that are more important than just enjoying yourself. However, as he doesn't know the reason why K' is so pissed off, the teacher has no reason not to try and interrupt his revenge. And while everybody has been ignoring him, Hayato has made his way over to the other three fighters and drawn within range of K'.
So when K' finishes striking Ayame, a moment later he might realize that Hayato is behind him, with both hands clasped together and bringing them down rapidly toward the back of K''s head. Hayato doesn't stop there, though, unless K' is going to be a spoilsport and fall to the ground stunned. The gym teacher takes a step back, then lunges forward with his right arm for a straight punch aimed at K''s back.

COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Ayame with Heat Drive.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

[                            \\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Ayame            1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0           R.Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0               K'


COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Rainbow Hip Rush from R.Mika with Final Solstice.
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1           R.Mika
                                  >  //////////////                ]
                                 |-------\-------\0               K'


COMBATSYS: Ayame can no longer fight.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1           R.Mika
                                  >  //////////////                ]
                                 |-------\-------\0               K'


With the vastly more likeable Rainbow Mika dealing with snowdrift hijinks for a moment, Ayame is left to a few precious, deadly seconds alone with the flame wielder. Her left hand clamps down over her staff. What was moments ago frosted titanium is now simmering hot, the ends of it still super-heated to a simmering red from her own energy unleashed against the other teen and lingering heat from proximity to K''s own flames.

The moment her fingers clamp down, however, the young man is already standing over her. Looking up into his face, there is no leniency to be found there. Whatever brings him to this point has left no room for negotiations. The snow all around him retreats, as if recoiling from a hostile thing, turning to mush first, water secondly. As he leans forward, Ayame stays put, left hand on her staff, right hand planted in the freezing cold water. A shiver runs through her veins, but it isn't from the cold, sitting on the ground. Trapped. No chance to escape.

A bead of sweat forms along her temple as he gets even closer, revealing the source of such malevolence. There is no spark of recognition as he utters the name, only a tense stare. He iterates over her list of crimes. Assault. Kidnapping. Probable accomplice to torture, and her complexion pales. The connections are made. Zach Glen had hinted at a similar experience at the castle Strolheim. And then there was that other...

Her mouth twists into a strange smirk of grim acceptance. "You should." she whispers back. "You have the power here. I can't stop your vengeance. Do it." She doesn't even see the hand move - the one that grips tightly to her clothing, pulling her right up off her feet, meeting him eye to eye. That expression is maintained. The look of one condemned who doesn't even seem to care. Dead inside, perhaps, he threatens to merely finishing what began long ago. "You're in control here... right?" She dangles in his grip; no attempt to defend herself, no struggle. Calculations, completed in an instant, make it clear to her that no act within her minds will pry herself out of what he believes her due. There is one minor preperation taken, however, her right hand slipping over to her left, fingers tracing over her staff the instant before he strikes, making one final preparation before the end.

The power behind his crushing fist - that strength alone would be plenty. With piston like force, he pulverizes two ribs. The explosion of pent up flame sends Ayame flying backward over the snow. Her trajectory comes to a stop with a bone crunching impact with the cement walls surrounding the Blizzard Room. The force is enough to spiderweb fisures out from behind her as the girl stays planted in place for several seconds.

Though her feet remain planted, her head his bowed, her hand going limp, dropping her staff to her side, as she looks just about ready to sink down to the ground as Rainbow Mika barrels toward her. Her jacket is burned away in the lower side, and her shirt beneath it, revealing wounded flesh seared then cauterized by K''s horrific fire. It seems there's fight in her yet, however, as her left hand snaps out toward her fallen staff, then flicks backward, drawing her weapon back up into her grip. If one doesn't notice the thin cable wire affixed to her wrist guard and staff it would almost look like telekinesis.

Her fingers grasping her staff tightly, the weapon flares to life with a furious shade of red flame-like waves tipped with violet and blue energy. Her head lifts, her eyes staring at Rainbow Mika - or almost through her, as if she can't really see anything at all just then. Six feet of titanium become a metallic hued blur as she slams the chi infused weapon into the path of each of the powerful girl's strikes - A crack against the backhand, a jab to intersect the lower kicks one after another; the middle of the staff to block the elbow, a glancing deflection of the headbutt that might leave a bruise... "You're right, I am rude. It's what I am. Which means no one should be surprised when I..."

As Rainbow Mika turns her back, however, Ayame retaliates, swinging her staff hard with both hands, twisting her whole body into it to deliver a crushing blow right for the other girl's tailbone, unleashing all of the pent up energy coursing over it into a singular explosion. She twists her body back around the other way to deliver a second crushing blow, every bit as punishing as the first, into Mika's backside.

There's no graceful recovery from that second bash though. The motion disturbed every injury imparted her by the relentless NESTs experiment, and the big mistake that was registers all at once as she stumbles out of that hit right back into the wall, colliding with it hard with her shoulder, a gasping grunt escaping her blood speckled lips.

"You're wrong about one thing though," Ayame speaks, lifting her face suddenly, greeting K' with a smirk marred by blood. "You can't make me feel what it was like for her. I'm not like that Shurui girl. I can't be hurt the same way she can." Ayame coughs, her face becoming more pale as the shock of her injuries settles in. "She has you after all... means..." She drops to her knees into a splash of slushed snow, "...she's got someone..." She falls forward into the snow, arms sprawled at her sides, a failed attempt at catching herself before she passes out.

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"

There's absolutely no way to overcome the extremely crushing energy-filled staff-bash to her tailbone. The anger, and power behind it both send Rainbow Mika head first into the snow again.

She's really starting to loathe the snow. Atop the fact that she's a Mika-cicle now, she keeps getting it in her mouth and up her nose, and that's never fun -- unless you're trying to dress up like a snowman and scare the living bejeezus out of someone.

Frozen fingers dig into the snow, but as she starts to push herself to her feet, the staff careens down against her again forcing her forward in a very ungraceful splut.

Were Ayame not already passed out in the snow herself, the wrestler-girl would probably have tried retaliating with something painful like a submission hold. Upon seeing that her nemesis is down and out (and possibly getting lungs filled with frozen water herself), she grins. A pained grin, teeth gritting, but it can still be deemed a grin.

A lot of care is taken to get to her feet. A slip on the ice that's quickly forming where everyone was melting things is inevitable. "I'm okay! I'm good!" The ice sends her sliding toward Hayato, arms flailing as she tries to keep herself balanced. Looking as though she's not going to stop, her boots finally make purchase on the ice. Then in an amazing feat of a leap, she hops up and grabs for the man's shoulders in order to attempt headbutting him over and over again, trying to dizzy and daze him so that she can toss him across the room.

Just as Rainbow Mika is about to hit the ground, a shower of glass bursts into the room, mixing with the snow and ice. When the glass clears, a golf cart can be seen planted into the snow.

"MIKA! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LEAVE SOUTHTOWN WITHOUT TELLING ME!" The ridiculously huge female driver of the cart reaches down and yanks on one of the blonde's arms. "YOU KNOW WHAT THE PUNISHMENT FOR THIS IS.... but now you must warm up and rest so that I can break you of your foolish habits tomorrow!" Yoko Harmageddon steps on the gas of the cart, sending snow flying everywhere as she throws the machine into reverse and back out the window.

COMBATSYS: R.Mika can no longer fight.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Hayato           1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0               K'


COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Fierce Strike.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Hayato           1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0               K'


Trapped with no chance of escape. Prey at the end of its rope. Yeah, let her feel that. Let her know what it was like for Shurui when Ayame descended on her. Let her get a taste of her own medicine. There won't be any recourse for Ayame: not here. Even if K' thought she'd grasped the error of her ways, he might well still have struck her just to discharge his own virulent, gnawing need to exact vengeance: a selfish, destructive need that demands to be met even if it compromises his ability to properly fight the teacher still out for his blood.

The fact Ayame encourages him doesn't bring him to pause, even if her sardonic talk about his theoretical control momentarily touches at the doubt seeded deeply in him. He isn't really looking for her to beg; his mind isn't really built towards psychoanalysis and the corresponding construction of appropriate punishments. It's enough for him, in the next instant, that he feels her literally break beneath his strike. Glancing after her, his expression betrays little past the mask of unremitting contempt, even when she rallies to deal with Rainbow Mika for a last time.

Too far distant to stop her when she suddenly breaks through Mika's attack, K' doesn't try. This is partially because he has a Hayato attacking him suddenly, the teacher's obliviousness to the larger issues here meaning he's not averse to catching the young man in the back. Still overextended from dealing with Ayame, there's nothing to stop Hayato from plowing into K'; the experiment is knocked forwards, his hands slamming into the snow to brace him. A hiss of steam goes up when his flames quench in the melting drift.

And still, when K' recovers-- a little slower, now, his state a living lesson in how the vengeful accept personal destruction as long as they get even-- it's to have his gaze turn back to Ayame's parting words to him. Though Ayame's trailing final words might have aroused pity in most, they do little to K'. In fact, the opposite seems to occur; a sneer threatens his expression, and he turns his back with the parting shot, "Maybe not. But then again, just this much might be enough for me."

His mind reroutes with the mechanical precision of metal and gears. K' came here to show he didn't need that suppression glove-- or Geese Howard-- to have some control over his fire. He stuck around for it, despite his eventual misgivings, to teach Ayame a harsh lesson. Now that those purposes have been fulfilled, turning back to finally pay Hayato the proper attention he's due is merely a matter of wrap-up formalities.

Huffing an annoyed breath, K' turns to fix the teacher with a baleful gaze that is only just starting to calm back into its usual indifference. "I'm done there..." he eventually informs the world at large, rolling a shoulder and cracking his aching neck without so much as another glance towards poor Ayame. Lifting his hands with a sigh, K' lets fire unfold down the backs of his gloves and along his fingertips as he states laconically. "...so let's finish this." It's a statement delivered with no small amount of sarcasm: in his current state, he knows 'finishing it' is unlikely to be a joint endeavor.

It's slower than usual, more scattered, and less fluent than it used to be; but it's a clear enough sign that K' insolently went and learned his flames outside of Geese's aegis. Concentrating a flare of fire in the air before him, K' throws a kick into the gathered flames, sending them spinning violently towards Hayato in a bid to get the other to back up.

COMBATSYS: R.Mika successfully hits Hayato with Rainbow Dynamite.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Hayato           1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0               K'


COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Hayato with Second Shoot.
~ Cruel hit! ~

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Hayato           1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0               K'


Hayato didn't think Mika was going to be getting back up from that, but apparently he underestimated her! He tries to step away as she reaches out to grab him, but all the snow that's been melting and refreezing has made the floor rather slick in places. The teacher's foot slips beneath him, provinding the opening needed to grab him and then follow up with repeated headbutts to leave him staggering. And then he's flung across the room, hitting a snowbank hard enough that the upper half of his body vanishes into it.
With a loud shout Hayato bursts up from the snow and spins around... just in time to get hit in the face by a fireball and sent crashing back down on his back into the snow. He lies there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling while a few clumps of snow drop down onto him. And then he begins to laugh. It's not the kind of laugh that most people would find disturbing. It's cheerful and full of energy. But under the circumstances it does seem kind of odd. A moment later he kip-ups back to his feet, looking at K' with a grin. "Time to wrap things up already? Not enjoying yourself?" Hayato apparently is. He's looking a bit battered, but still full of energy. In fact, so full of energy that it's blazing off of him, to the point that now /he/ is starting to melt the snow around him.

COMBATSYS: Hayato gathers his will.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Hayato           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0               K'


K' didn't think Mika was getting back up either... but she does, and her attack even times itself such that it helps his own connect. Looking slightly nonplussed, K' starts a slow, somewhat wary walk towards Hayato's personal ground zero in the snow, following the trail of that possibly-unhinged laughter that drifts up from the settling powder.

Not enjoying yourself? K' gets asked, when Hayato pops out of the snow like a crocus. The question seems, momentarily, to puzzle him. K' stops a few feet away from the teacher, looking at Hayato in bemused silence for a few minutes, blank and silent. And then, as if looking for a little guidance on what his current emotional state ought to be, K' looks back over his shoulder at the poor Ayame in the snow.

When he looks back at the glowing Hayato, he's smirking. There is a distinct air of self-satisfaction to the look that might be related to the knocked-out girl. "I am now," he allows in a rare moment of humor, perhaps having gotten used enough to Hayato-- from having encountered him so many times-- that he's willing to actually reply the man. And with that, the young man abruptly closes the last few feet of space in a sudden rush of flames, reckless and heedless of Hayato's braced preparations, heading low before abruptly switching high and sluicing a fire-trailing kick upwards in a projected path across Hayato's torso.

It's precisely what Geese always told him NOT to do.

COMBATSYS: Hayato counters Second Shell from K' with Burning Cross Counter.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Hayato           1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0               K'


Geese's reasons for telling K' that probably had something to do with the inadvisability of letting your opponent take control of the pacing of the fight. Leading with a kick is a step in the right direction, though, as it keeps your body a bit further away from the opponent, and it's not quite as easy for an opponent to actually /stop/. That does, not, however, bother Hayato in the slightest. Hayato would not be bothered if K' was leading with a sword that was on fire and shoots explosive poisonous bullets; he'd /still/ be ready, willing and able to step right into the attack. So when you've got two heedless men striking at each other at the same time, it all comes down to who connects first.
This time around, that's Hayato. As K' closes in Hayato starts bringing his fist around, with fiery orange chi surrounding it and flaring up to white near the anticipated point of impact. When K' is coming in low Hayato is aiming for his head, so when the younger man suddenly pops up Hayato simply adjusts to going for a torso strike. K''s leg swings up, but Hayato's fist connects first, and the force of the impact is enough to knock K' out of range before he can land his own blow.

Geese's reasons for telling K' that all came down to the fact that it's really really daft to attack somebody who's preparing or already prepared. Despite his recklessness at this precise moment, it's a principle K' actually knows very well; he himself uses the exact same sort of trick to lure people in almost constantly, when he's fighting.

The problem is, using a trick and acknowledging it in others don't always have to go hand in hand. And K' is usually just too impatient to just wait around passively when other people pull it on him; especially in situations where his life isn't on the line and he gets to go home at the conclusion of things.

He acknowledges Hayato's preparation, at the least, throwing an angled kick that by its nature is already difficult to preempt... but in this instance, it simply comes down to a matter of who's faster. And it's pretty common knowledge that a punch-- while shorter-range and riskier-- can get thrown a lot faster than a kick. Sent skidding uncontrollably when Hayato's full momentum crashes into him, K' collects a good deal of snow before he finally comes to a stop and rolls back upright with a dazed shake of the head.

K' frowns from his position crouched in the snow. He's way too tired to get up and walk all the way back to take another shot, but he's still got enough in him to do something else. Something as much for show as for actual attack. His bared hands flaming again with fire, K' cuts a swipe upwards to fling a snarling lash of flames back across the distance to Hayato, the roiling crescent of heat further destroying what snow wasn't already melted by his initial passage. It's a little wobbly, and far from the speed it'd usually be able to get up, but then again... there's a sheer surprise factor inherent in the attack, by dint of the fact that K'-- missing his glove and bone-tired-- shouldn't even be able to exercise that degree of control anymore.

That done, K' has got pretty much no energy left to keep on going. He's tired as hell, and his hands-- even gloved in leather-- hurt deep down in their blood from all the fire he's used. Flopping over in the snow, redirecting what's left of his energy towards keeping him from freezing in this godforsaken room, K' turns to thinking a little bit about how much -trouble- he's probably going to get in for this.

COMBATSYS: K' can no longer fight.

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


COMBATSYS: Hayato fails to slow Eins Trigger EX from K' with Large Thrown Object.
- Power fail! -

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


Hayato slowly lowers his arm after sending K' flying back, admiring his handiwork. But it seems K' has just a little bit of fight left in him, since the younger man manages to land in a crouch and extend a hand toward Hayato. It's not too hard to guess what's coming when the flames spring up at that range, so Hayato quickly runs through his options. And happens to notice a nearby ball of snow that someone was apparently preparing for use as the base of a snowman. And then Hayato has a brilliant idea.
He leans down and picks up the snowball, having to use both arms. He then twists around to build up some momentum and spins around, preparing to hurl the thing at the incoming fireball. However, while the fireball may be slower than normal, that doesn't mean it's /slow/. By the time Hayato manages to finish his turn and release the snowball, it's already there. And so a moment later there's an explosion of snow, from which Hayato is ejected at high speed, with trails of smoke curling off the front of his jacket. Once more he plows into a snowbank, although this time he just slams into it, rather than getting buried inside it. And after a few moments he sits up, shaking his head.
And the SNF staff are quick to call the fight at that point, since they were on the other side of the glass that Yoko broke through and it's getting /really/ cold out there at this point.

COMBATSYS: Hayato has ended the fight here.

Log created on 21:08:03 12/20/2008 by R.Mika, and last modified on 18:29:34 12/21/2008.