Description: Another weekend, another charity match. Bringing attention to the city pound undergoing reconstruction following the war, Hotaru Futaba faces off against the bold combination of Brett Neuer and Kurenai Takayanagi. The two do their best in a long endurance battle to keep up with the agile Kenpo artist, bringing brawn and fineses to a fight that requires that and so much more. ( Winner: Hotaru )
As one of the fighters that has jumped right into the charity event, Hotaru Futaba eagerly made herself available for matches by anyone who wanted to take their shot to help raise funds for the event. A celebrity in her own right, she had the name to pull in sponsors fairly effectively and was willing to put that name to good use. A call to the event organizers indicated that she was free this weekend for a match if they could arrange for a challenger or two to take her on. After all, with SNF still shut down while undergoing a transition to the now even more famous hands of Ken Masters, the young fighter has a bit more time than normal to accommodate such things. And for a good cause to boot? That makes it a sure thing!
A few more calls were made around the city to find a venue to host the match. Without the funding of the Neo League matches, finding appropriate sites was a bit more tricky. Not everyone wanted to volunteer their property to possible destruction-by-fighter. Finally the Southtown dog pound volunteered and the event was booked.
Not much in the way of directions have been arranged for the match. The facility is still in the process of trying to rebuild and reopen after the war. The cages and kennels are all empty, having been opened sometime around when the last batch of employees fled to try and make their way out of the city several weeks ago. But the lights are on, a random shattered wall has been rebuilt, and the dust cleaned up.
Cameras were donated by the charity event itself and have already been set up in the courtyard in the center of the compound. Hotaru stands ready, dressed in pristine white and sharp, royal blues with golden ebroidery. Her hair is done back in a pair of pigtails, each tied off with a vibrant red ribbon, and her eyes sparkle with a certain anticipation for the opportunity ahead.
Yurika's charity event. It is probably one of the few events that Kurenai could actually just... /enter/. She could just be in it, and not have to hide her affiliation with Yurika. (Well, not completely.) She does, after all, go to Seijyun, just like Yurika, and everyone at that school has seen the two together, seen the young freshman's deferent attitude towards the senior.
So it's only natural that she would be a part of Yurika's charity event. The young woman jumped at the chance, actually, as it's right up her alley. Of course that means she's made herself available for the charity fights that are sure to pop up--exhibition fights where, no matter who gets KOed, -someone- really wins.
Perhaps it's a way for her to salve the conscience--as ruthless and amoral as she can be, maybe she -does- feel a touch of guilt for her role in perpetuating the war. Something that, no doubt, she will excise soon. In the meantime... she got the call, and then she went to the pound. Doggies. So cute. That is how the young fighter presents herself--chasing a cute puppy into the compound, her yardstick on her back, Seijyun uniform on her body, typical in every way--as she races past Hotaru, chasing the yipping dog, she leaps for the dog, playfully, and it scrabbles aside, forcing Kurenai to handspring back up to her feet.
"... oh!" she exclaims, looking around. "Guess I'm here already," she says, to herself, noting the spectacular vision of Hotaru, whom she turns to.
"Futaba-san," she greets, very politely--of course she knows of Hotaru, as a Seijyun student--one of the more famous ones--and as one of the better fighters there at that school...
God, Brett's just all over the place, isn't he? Seems like he's become one of the more ubiquitous names running around in the charity challenge at this point. And it always seems to involve some amount of cute girls too...why wasn't he this lucky back in the OHL?
Well, maybe lucky isn't the word, considering that he's found himself beat up by more than a few, and Hotaru Futaba is known enough to make Brett a little wary himself. And the empty pound?...it only makes him more wary, as it's not exactly a happy place to be fighting. "Geez...this feels kind of morbid, doesn't it?" he asks outloud, looking to the cameras, then to Hotaru. A smile to the vibrant, cute girl across from him.
And then to Kurenai, his partner. One he's not exactly familiar with either. All he can figure out is that she's a high schooler around these parts as well. A glance over the pink haired fighter, smiling and nodding to his partner as well. "Good luck. Oh...um...I'm Brett. Nice to be fighting at your side....I guess?"
One by one the two challengers arrive. It had been a while since the girl had taken on more than one /real/ opponent at once. There had been various practice scenarios at the YFCC from time to time with up and coming hopeful fighters, but they didn't really have much of a chance of dealing with the young Kenpo artist. These two? Well that certainly remains to be seen but they wouldn't likely be enrolled in the charity events if they didn't know something of what they were doing.
Kurenai's greeted with a friendly smile as Hotaru keeps her hands clasped behind her back. The bow is returned with a dipping of her head toward the younger student before standing up straight again. "Perhaps," she answers Brett, giving the young man a warm smile in turn. "But the center does provide a necessary service when it's up and running again." She was among those who had donated to it back during a drive a couple years prior, which was part of why the facility was so willing to accommodate the girl's match at all.
"It will seem better when it's running again," she offers with a hopeful edge to her voice. "Nice to meet you in any case, Brett." the young fighter adds, looking the young man over. It seems both of her challengers have brought weapons along with them? Interesting... That perhaps gives her a slight clue on how they'll fight. The details will remain to be seen once the action begins though.
A glance around to the cameras shows that they're rolling and ready, and then the girl glances back to the other two. Stretching her arms out to her sides, she brings her hands in front of her, palms parallel, feet slipping a little bit apart. "All right then. Here we go!" She bounces lightly on her toes and then she's off. Brett is the first target for the young Kenpo artist as she bolts for him.
It's from a yard away that she slides into a low stance, feet seperated, one beneath her, another out in front of her, as if she was tensing up for a stronger hit. It comes immediately after as the girl springs into the air in a low, horizontal cartwheel, aiming to strike Brett with two passing feet, touch down on her right foot, then push right off into a second cartwheel to finish the combination at up to four possible strikes all together if he's not careful!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Brett has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Brett 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Kurenai has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/-------|
Brett gets a brief smile and nod; Kurenai certainly seems like a bright and cheerful young woman. As Brett speaks, she looks him over--largish young hockey-based fighter. Relative newcomer; she hasn't seen or heard much about him. She'll have to watch for him--get some data. "It's nice to meet you, too, Brett-san," she says, recalling his name from the phone call; as she turns forward, to face Hotaru again, she draws her weapon--the unmistakable yardstick, the tip rounded just a touch, the grip end wrapped up... and she's already moving to one side.
That is because Hotaru is already moving--having announced her intentions--and Kurenai is considering her options. Her weapon is brought up to shoulder height, pointed forward, as Hotaru performs her stunning, acrobatic moves. "Wow," she says, offhandedly, "We might be in trouble."
But she doesn't sound serious, as she waits for Hotaru's second pass before the yardstick-wielding girl takes her own movement, stepping forward smoothly and aiming... aiming... waiting... until just that second when Hotaru's ending that second cartwheel to thrust her weapon forward, attempting to catch Hotaru in a thigh--a painful place to be struck, to be sure. It probably won't help Brett, buuut...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Brett with Medium Kick.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/--=====|
The former winger sighs. Just something unsettling about this place still, despite the potential Hotaru assuring him that it'll be much nicer in the future once more work is done on it.
In any case, he smiles and nods at Hotaru...and blinks. Perhaps she read up on who her opponets were today, something he failed to do. Not that he'd really know any more than he already does by just names. Coughing as he looks over to the cameras, he gives a reassuring node back to Kurenai, smiling before turning back toward Hotaru. Sinking down into his stance, he seems...well, he doesn't seem quite as focused or charged as he would be normally. That changes when Hotaru bolts straight in his direction, his inattentiveness costing him as she slams into him with those two successive cartwheel kicks, each one ringing off his helmet and sending him into a veritable whiplash. "GUhh...ahhghh....nnnnNN!!!" Reeling away, his face turns and sinks into something more menacing.
Game face: On.
He doesn't wait for Kurenai to go into action herself, sprinting off his skates for a beeline on Hotaru, hoping to speed past, and bring his stick up to hook at the young Kenpoist. The Aim: use all that momentum to leverage her down straight to the floor.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Kurenai's Medium Strike.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Brett's King's End.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/--=====|
One kick connects, then a second, as the blue-shoe clad feet of Hotaru pound into Brett's helmet, sending him reeling slightly as a result. Trying to slip an attack in while she was airborn would be tricky, requring terribly precise timing and no small amount of risk. Catching her as her feet touch down, coming out of the second of the spinning kicks, on the other hand, is a vastly more prudent option! As if aware of the threat from her side, Hotaru slams her arm down into the path of the stick, forcing it to rebound off of her forearm instead of landing a more tender point such as her thigh. Besides, she can't risk an injury that would slow her down and the intent of Kurenai's attack isn't lost on her. "Just do your best," she encourages softly.
She would turn on the yardstick wielding girl immediately, but Brett forces her to react to him as well. His burst of forward speed is met by Hotaru ducking down low to escape under the sweeping stick to avoid getting hooked to the ground and left a far easier target for the two competing fighters. An exhale slips through her lips, "Close," the pig-tailed fighter murmurs.
She's fast to retaliate, however, as even as she comes out of her duck, she's bursting for the swiftly moving Brett, aiming to slip in behind him before he can recover from his 'skate by' and hook her arm around his non-stick holding arm, twist her own body around such that her back is up against his then bend forward in order to try and flip him up right over her back and back down to the concrete courtyard floor!
Kurenai's weapon bends downwards, the path deflected; quickly, she withdraws her weapon, regarding the blue-haired Kenpoist. Quick, very spatially aware... that isn't going to be easy, not in the least. That just makes Kurenai smile. It's no fun beating up the weak, after all! The more she concentrates on Brett, the more free it leaves her to act--and so she shifts her stance, her feet separating wide, weapon going behind her, over her right shoulder.
She takes a few steps back--only to go forward again, gathering momentum for a leap upwards. Timing is everything, and Kurenai is betting on Hotaru exposing her back again, as she sees the blue-haired Futaba slip around to Brett's back.
She isn't sure what Brett will do, but she knows what she's intending--a falling, arcing slash, her pink-white aura flaring around her weapon as she cuts downwards, leaving a brief arc in the air.
It's not like she's unused to shouting--in fact, she's quite used to it--but she doesn't offer a kiai until she's just about on Hotaru. The strike has to be precise--if she's off, she could potentially hit Brett instead--but she's certainly trying to avoid -that-.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Brett with Medium Throw.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 1/-----==/=======|
Alas, Brett finds his attempted yank down a bit...faultering. HOtaru manages to evade his hooking, eyes widening as he looks around to try and go for another pass...until his arm is hooked by hers. Twisted about, he finds himself back to back with her, and then suddenly flung over, dumped unceremoniously down onto his head.
Thankfully, his helmet stays intact this time. His spine...not so much.
"Guhhnnghh..." he groans, slowly trying to pull himself up in a pained manner. Hotaru seems to be....a bit out of his league, especially when all her attacks are focused on him. Hissing in pain, he decides to try and play a save game. Keeping back, he cuts upward with his stick, an arcing blue wave of Chi slashing out toward Hotaru as Kurenai comes in to cut out with her...er..yardstick.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai successfully hits Hotaru with Power Strike.
Grazing Hit
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Brett's Shark Crest.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 1/-----==/=======|
Seishirou arrives from elsewhere.
A couple of years ago, trying to deal with two capable fighters at once was beyond what Hotaru was able to handle. But her life has been dedicated to improving that art of hers and that's bought her a chance to possibly deal with the two up and coming fellow teenagers. She rolls Brett over her back and drops him to the ground before standing up straight again...
Kurenai's dive-in was aptly timed, catching Hotaru the instant she's finished dropping Brett over her back. Even in that narrow space of time, however Hotaru makes a move to avoid the chi infused yardstick. She's fast, but not fast enough it seems, as the weapon grazes her shoulder, forcing her to flinch a little from the impact. The attack forces her to whirl around to protect herself, however, and in that moment she spots Brett - no, senses Brett sending a burst of chi hurtling her way. The leap happens quickly, the girl taking to the air like she belongs there, her trajectory taking her toward one fo the walls just as the wave of chi washes past where she was an instant prior.
Planting against the wall into a low crouch, the acrobatic martial artist spares a split second to survey the battleground that is the inner courtyard before *launching* herself off the wall at bullet-like speed toward Kurenai directly.
Her aim is far from simple as the girl tries to dive right into her such that her hands would plant against her shoulder even as she performs an aerial twist in the middle of her trajectory. If successful, the throw will have her flipping down such that her feet would slam into Kurenai's lower back, her hands pulling back hard from Kurenai's shoulders, as Hotaru literally tries to fall down and backward and send the yardstick wielding girl /flying/!
COMBATSYS: Kurenai just-defends Hotaru's Ten Ranku-Tou!
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 1/-----==/=======|
Kurenai is caught--caught right out, still recovering from her landing when Hotaru springs at her. The weapon-wielding, pink-haired ninja -yelps- when Hotaru pounces her--she drops her weapon, but it dangles from a nearly-invisible cord around her wrist, and immediately, all her thought is put into just one thing. How to defend.
For Kurenai, it feels almost like slow motion--when Hotaru twists and flips, the possible angles of attack are almost literally visible to her; she goes completely limp when Hotaru's feet plant in her lower back, letting the suddenly-soft muscle tissue absorb the blow without appreciable damage.
First defense: Successful. That leaves the -second- problem of defense, that being, Kurenai is now a pink-haired missile, hurled in a long arc towards that newly-repaired wall. Fortunately, Kurenai is... resourceful. And quick-thinking; she accepts the momentum imparted by Hotaru and hurls herself into a precisely-timed spin. Just as she reaches the wall--she kicks her feet out and slams into it, all that force being absorbed as she literally squats against the wall.
Despite Kurenai's light size, some of the bricks shift--as she drops down, that energy all dissipated.
"What a trip! You could sell that at Dream Amusement Park!" she quips, as she drops--and then the moment she touches down, she's leaping forward, another transfer of momentum--tucking up as she returns to Hotaru in a flat arc. As she approaches, her weapon swings down--and she attempts to stab it into Hotaru's torso repeatedly as she bears down on the kenpoist. Sure, it won't actually penetrate, but it'll hurt...
Guh...this isn't going so well for poor Brett. All his attacks seem to be expertly avoided or brushed aside, leaving him in a rather....messed state, especially with how damaged he'd already been left.
Thankfully, her focus seems to have switched, long enough for him to formulate something. So while Kurenai gets flung outward, Brett charges in. While the attack has given him much success on the lower rungs...it's a chance to see if he can hit home on the bigger names. Thus....a charge, a flip forward, and a hefty heel drop with his skates snaps out, trying to drive straight into Hotaru's forehead. Right along side the rapid yardstick stabbing. Looks like the philosophy of fighting between him and Kurenai is on contrast right here.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Brett's Falling Star EX.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurenai's Pincushion.
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Kurenai 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
Hotaru's back lands on the ground as she drops down out of her controlled tumble intended to send Kurenai flying into the nearest solid object. By the time she's kicked back up to her feet and paused to brush the dust off, she notices that the pink haired girl has managed to defend herself quitee effectively, mimicking her own wall jump from a moment prior. "Clever," she apprises with a hint of a smile. She'll keep in mind that the girl seems to be pretty good at coming up with impromptu, split second defenses.
But when the two come back at her, Hotaru readies herself once again. Brett leeps in, skates leading the way, and the young fighter slams her right hand up, smacking it into the side of his foot to keep it from getting a shot at splitting her forehead with its blade. Her left arm swings up into the path of his stick, protecting the side of her head, the girl sliding back a yard before her feet find enough traction to regain control. "An interesting use of your tools." she observes, her voice just above the volume of a whisper. Crouching, she seems to not notice Kurenai in the slightest... But when she jumps, it's just in time to avoid the repeated strikes from the yardstick, suggesting that she was well aware of what she needed to watch out for.
In fact, she seems intending to turn it into an opportunity, as the very direction of her jump takes her up over Kurenai, where the girl does a half-pirouette that has her dropping down toward the yardstick wielding girl's back... which is when she snaps out with her right foot, aiming to drive Kurenai forward, possibly knocking her over all together. "Kya!"
COMBATSYS: Kurenai blocks Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Kurenai 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
*THUMP* That's the sound that Kurenai hears as she lands from her missed attack and turns--immediately, instinctively, bringing her weapon up in a vertical defense. Hotaru's foot impacts the flat of the yardstick,a nd the impact is still enough to send her stumbling back. The stumble is turned into a quick back handspring, on her left hand, and then she springs up.
"Yow," she says, shaking her left hand out, resuming her grip on her weapon. That was a hard impact, especially for such a fast kick; the math whiz recognizes that Hotaru is a very dangerous opponent, even in a fight that isn't really very 'serious'--which is to say, life threatening.
Still, she can't let up--against some opponents she might step back a bit, take some time. But they--she and Brett--have to keep things moving. If she isn't facing both of them, she'll probably savage the one she is facing... and it's with that thought in mind that she attacks once more, adopting a more measured approach, swinging around to her left and forward, then darting forward, attempting to shoulder-block the girl, reversing the grip on her weapon and subsequently aiming to hammer the butt-end into Hotaru's upper chest.
Well, at least Brett can say he hit Hotaru. Kind of.
Still, no doubt about it that his Falling Star ended up knocked aside by Hotaru. Landing and forced to make a loop around th face Hotaru again, Brett frowns. What to do, what to do now...Hotaru is turning out to be rather impervious at this point.
Well, for Brett, the decision is simple. And without any real rapport like he seemed to have with Hinata, the winger decides to go on his own tangent again. Charging in, the former winger tries to drive in, and just strike out with a quic slash of his stick straight across Hotaru's midsection. Nothing too fancy.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Brett's Medium Strike.
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Kurenai 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Kurenai successfully hits Hotaru with Armed Combo.
- Power hit! -
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Kurenai 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
Her foot smacks against the yardstick, forcing Hotaru into a sliding land backward from Kurenai, her left foot touching down first, her right landing a split second later. Whew! A glance to the side reveals Brett charging her at the same time Kurenai moves in from the other angle. Fenced in, the young fighter ducks and weaves under the slashing stick, left with a little bit of opportunity to move. The pink-haired genius on the other hand decides to get in even closer, leaving Hotaru with almost no space with which to defend herself.
The shoulder block knocks her back slightly but it's the butt of the yard stick jammed into her chest that provokes a soft exhale of pain as Hotaru is struck cleanly, reeling backward as a result of the blow, her cheeks flushing a bit from the sharpness of the pain.
Stunned but not out, she draws back, dropping into a lower stance, arms out at her sides, surrendering a bit of her mobility in order to better press herself off into her next attack - and it comes swiftly as Hotaru flies up, shoulder first, aiming to plow into Kurenai with significant strength and shatter her defenses. The second her feet touch the ground, she spins into a pair of windmilling palm strikes, only to finish by jamming her right hand out and forward, attempting to deliver one hell of a single handed palm press, into which she pours all her strength - legs, torso, and arm acting in unisen to deliver as much strength as possible. Her left hand jams out in the opposite direction to buy her a bit of counter balance. "HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurenai with Soushou Shin.
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Kurenai 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/---====|
Kurenai's assessment of Hotaru's danger level is confirmed in a single epic moment; having landed her combination attack, perhaps she's just a touch cocky--or it can be chalked up to inexperience. She just wasn't expecting Hotaru the Whirling Dervish; she can't help but cry out as she's assaulted with the spinning storm of palm strikes, the final one knocking her back and end over end once before she thumps down. It was quite a bit of pain, to be sure--and yet she springs up immediately. Not that it didn't hurt; residual pain twitches across her features before she can school them properly, and she can feel the bruises forming already.
But she doesn't look daunted--properly wary is what her expression is. Wary and admiring. "Feels almost too early for it," she mutters, to herself--and then she shrugs to herself. Strike while the iron is hot, and all that--Kurenai charges for Hotaru once more, in an attempt to engage the kenpoist with a series of thrusting attacks with her weapon, intermixed with short kicks, no higher than her waist--almost alternating, several of each, the weapon briefly imbued with that hot-pink chi. The string of attacks ends, should she make contact, with a final, upwards thrust aimed to take Hotaru right in the chest, to drive her upwards with a final, needle-like release of that pink chi.
At least someone between them hit. THat's....good. Still, Brett seems to be strugging to find purchase and get an actual hit in on Hotaru, his attempted stick slash easily ducked underneath. A tch comes as he hockey stops and spins to turn back to the kenpoist.
Just in time to see those vicious palm strikes slam straight into Kurenai and blow her away. That's...not good. With a deep scowl, Brett comes in, trying to charge in with his usual modus operandi. with Kurenai coming from the front, the winger does for his own charge from the back, trying to drive in with a high cross check straight into Hotaru's back, all with full momentum.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Kurenai's Devil Dancing.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Brett's Power Strike.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
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Brett 0/-------/---====|
The power behind Hotaru's combination is simply stunning given the girl's stature. Discpline, training, rote practice have taught the girl how to force more from her strikes than anyone would expect simply by taking a look at her. Even as she draws her shaking palm back from the final hit, she's exhaling, refocusing her mind, preparing for the need to defend herself and planning her next course of action.
Kurenai is back on her feet quicker than Hotaru expected. The younger girl is tough, holding up every bit as well as her hockey-geared teammate. Hotaru realizes that she'll have to defend herself immediately from an attack of greater significance. She doesn't run, but rather braces herself, hands raised, palms forward... and then Kurenai is upon her and Hotaru reacts. Swinging her hands up to intersect the yardstick strikes, a thin glimmer of azure energy shimmering along her fingers as she does so as if to mitigate a degree of sting incurred by contacting the chi-infused yard stick.
The kicks are weaved around, ducked under, and finally escaped by jumping back ward, having nearly been trapped in a corner by her gradually retreating defensive pattern. But once distance has been obtained, she's safe for a spell. Which buys her in turn a chance to catch sight of Brett speeding in again, swinging aggressively for her upper back with enough force to possibly bowl the featherweight over in the process. Leaping forward, the girl rolls into a crouch, having evaded the stick swing by a narrow margin. Another soft exhale is afforded as she takes in both of the fighters one after another, her eyes settling on Brett. Though she managed to hassle him early on, he seemed to be regaining strength. A flicker of a smile accompanies her realization that a rugged sport player like himself must have far more endurance than she initially gave him credit for...
Bolting for Brett next, Hotaru ducks in low, collecting all of her strength before slamming upward, her left hand leading the way to deliver a staggering palm strike to his chest. Should she connect, she'll twist her torso to the left, bringing her right palm forward for a second hit just as strong if not moreso intended to bowl the stick wielder over! "YAA!"
Hey! There's -two- stick-wielders here. Despite Hotaru's successful parrying-defense of the combination of strikes, Kurenai doesn't let herself be discouraged by her failure to land a solid hit--of course, she does have in mind just how handily, overall, Hotaru has been handling the duo. It's clear to her that, even with Hotaru being so young, the girl is undoubtedly very experienced. The final stab having missed, she draws her weapon back, the tip bobbing up and down as she regards Hotaru.
"Most troublesome," she murmurs, to herself--and then she does what she felt she couldn't have done, earlier--she holds back. It isn't so that Brett has to take the brunt of Hotaru's offense--although that's a plus--it's so that she can more closely observe the girl, watch her movements. The ninja has a passing familiarity with Chinese kenpo, but there's always things to be learned from an opponent...
And she intends to learn quite a bit. So, she thinks, Brett will just have to weather the storm somehow; the real usefulness of this fight is in gathering information. And, hopefully, using that information to come to a better conclusion for the fight.
Her green eyes narrow as she watches, looking for possible openings. It isn't easy, fighting multiple opponents... there's got to be a crack of some sort, a hole in the defenses. She'll find it, somewhere. Somehow.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai calculates her next move.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Brett fails to interrupt Fierce Punch from Hotaru with Hurricane Check.
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Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 1/-----==/=======|
Stumbling forward when Hotaru leaps away from his strike, Brett finds himself going a bit too far to stop now....so he doesn't. He just keeps on, trying to chase after Hotaru and intercept her landing. He's not quite quick enoguh to take her out of the air, but when she hits ground, he's ready to act.
Just....not soonenough or powerful enough. As an elbow swings up and tries to crack out toward Hotaru, her thrusting palm slams straight into his chest. The following shot finishes what the first did, slamming him over and causing him to skid away, past her. A rather shameful smash into the wall is his reward, the hockey did finding it....probably prudent to stay there for a while and gather his wits rather than charge straight in again. "Uhnnnnnnnnn..."
And finally, for the first time since the start of the fight, Hotaru has a reprieve. Having weathered Kurenai's attack to some degree of effectiveness, the pink-haired genius is holding back. With her careful analysis, she'll notice Hotaru glancing her way, a knowing look in her eyes - she knows the girl is taking an opportunity to re-assess how to better contend with the speedy, hard striking Kenpo artist. But for the immediate moment, she's going to let her keep thinking on it.
Instead her attention turns back to Brett. Her stikes were hard enough to bowl him over, but no doubt his gear helped mitigate the pain to some small degree at least. The wall stopped his tumble, giving him support to try and catch his breath after the painful collision, but Hotaru isn't about to let up on the pressure. "I'm curious," she muses out loud as she speeds toward him again, a blur of blue and white. "Did you bring your hockey skills directly into fighting, or have you sought additional training to make the transition?"
The question is one she's oft times pondered of athletes that bring their combat styles into the 'big leagues'. Of course, being curious doesn't mean she isn't going to try and take him down too as the girl weaves to the right at the last moment and brings her arm up to try and hook it across his chest as she passes. In close, she would lean forward hard, trying to shove him with her arm while her other arm swings down to take a chop at the back of his knees and literally knock his feet out from under him so that she can drive him down to the ground with a slam!
As far as reprieves go, it's actually pretty short; the pink-haired girl doesn't spend forever watching. She can get tape--well, Youtube clips--of Hotaru, later. The few moments spent observing -do- help, though, and Kurenai scrambles as Hotaru keeps her attention on Brett (mostly). Taking off at a run, Kurenai isn't going to make it there -before- Hotaru finishes her attack on Brett, but she'll be right on the girl's heels, so to speak--moving around towards Hotaru's left side, she attempts a three-strike combination--two shorter strike, followed by a larger one.
"Hup!"
"Hup!"
"HA!"
The three strikes are announced with the three kiai, but the last strike feels a little weird, if it hits--like Kurenai's full strength isn't behind it.
In fact, that last strike almost feels more like a push instead--and that's because she's using some of the momentum from the strike to power a quick backstepping manuever, to keep some distance between Hotaru and herself. Kurenai all-too-clearly remembers what happened the last time she remained in close with the Kenpoist.
COMBATSYS: Brett endures Hotaru's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 1/---====/=======|
Slow to get up, Brett finally manages to turn himself over and roll up to his feet. Not that he gets much reprieve, as Hotaru makes a line toward him after she gets her own breath back. As for the question....he really isn't in a place to answer it.
Especially not when she comes after him and hooks her arm across his chest. "Gurk." His legs are then swept out, dropping him onto his back with a pained down. But...not all for naught...possibly. As he hits the ground, his stick raises up, left in one hand as he tries to hook it behind HOtaru's neck, and then YANK. Hopefully right into a rising elbow strike with the other arm. AT least...that's the plan.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Kurenai's Random Strike!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Brett's Sir Stanley's Crush.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
Slipping in close to Brett, Hotaru manages to sweep him to his feet with a combination of forward momentum and a counter-momentum sweep of her other arm. To some degree, even as she engages in the attack, she gets the sense that he's planning to roll with it - that he wasn't actually aiming to defend himself from it if only to be able to secure an opening in her aggressive charge to counter-strike.
Unfortunately for the hockey-breed of fighter, the young martial artist the two are up against has been through hundreds of matches against all manner of styles and dispositions and her skill with reading the intent of those less experienced is a weapon in and of itself. Maybe it was with that thought in mind that she had made sure to take him off his feet to begin with, intending to slow him down to further facilitate her own response? "I knew you were going to do that. Need to work at being a bit less predictable," she notes even as she springs backward, spinning a 180 degree spiral so that the instant she lands, she's facing Kurenai directly, Brett's attempt to hook her with his stick managing to only barely clip her back before she's gone. "Weapons and armor will not compensate for that against an able opponent." Her tone is neutral, as if trying to instruct rather than demean. She has a year and a half of instructor's experience after all. Seeing up and coming fighters improve is a passion of hers.
Though she's addressing Brett, she's watching Kurenai, and it is agains that unorthodox yardstick of hers that she has to defend herself. The first swing is smacked aside with her left palm, and as her right hand lifts to deflect the next blow, a shimmer of sapphire energy manifests to absorb the impact completely, the girl operating on pure instinct and reflex with each step she makes, being kept constantly under pressure by the two. The third swing, however, lacks enough conviction to catch the pig-tailed martial artist, as by then Hotaru has already stepped back out of range.
A second step later and she's whirled back around to face Brett. What started as a pulse of chi to serve as defense turns into something far more menacing by the time she's completed her turn and brings her right hand swinging, fingers uncurling to unleash a burst of cerulean force speeding back at him like a bullet. It would leave no after effect as the chi lacks any elemental properties - but the impact would hurt as the ball of pure force threatens to crash into him or damage the wall behind him! "YAA!"
Kurenai can only shake her head in amused appreciation. Of course she's still in her infancy as a fighter, but finding out just how far she has to go is sobering--and uplifting, in a way. To know that there's such a wide world of skill to achieve... to even attempt to achieve... Kurenai's weapon is brought out of line--but it seems to be Brett that Hotaru sees at the larger danger. That isn't entirely unpleasant, in the short scheme of things, and Kurenai certainly doesn't intend to let a setback stop her!
She turns the rebound of her weapon into a smooth stance transition, gripping her weapon tightly with her right hand... and then taking a step back, then two, before coming in to close with the kenpoist. The two forward steps set up her momentum and then she's uttering a high, piercing kiai as she whips the weapon around in a diagonal from her right shoulder down to left hip--the weapon once again flaring with pink chi--but she doesn't stop there, continuing her momentum around into a spin and coming up with a cut from lower right to upper left. Not quite as flashy as the projectile, but the pink trails that are burned into the air, briefly, do form a picturesque 'X' as Kurenai wheels back around, a touch off-balance for a moment.
COMBATSYS: Brett blocks Hotaru's Hakki Shou EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/-======|
Well there goes that idea.
Alas, Hotaru spins away, his stick pulled back with nothing to speak of. Groaning, he finds himself struggling to get back to just even a sitting position. Slowly propping himself up to a crouch, he doesn't even get a chance to see her dealing with Kurenai's attacks, not even able to lift his head without a few seconds of rest. When he finally gets his gaze back upward, HOtaru's already on her again. Eyes widen, arms crossing to let gloved forearms and stick catch the glowing blue chi sphere that slams into him, pushing him back onto his butt. Better than nothing, but it still stings to freeze Brett in his tracks for a good long while.
"Ughnnn...." Gritting his teeth, he glowers, and charges in for Hotaru again. He readies a wind up with his stick as he plows forward....before dropping down again, instead sliding down skate first toward the pigtailed girl's ankles to sweep her out while Kurenai snaps out with her own hard strike.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Brett's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Kurenai's Heavy Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
[ \\\\\\ <
Brett 0/-------/-======|
The girl never stops moving. By the time her feet touch the ground and she's finished turning to face Brett, the projectile is sent hurtling for him with explosive speed... And the Kenpo artist, blue chi still spilling from her fingertips, is already whirling back around to face the pink-haired academic, shifting her focus back and forth between the two to keep from being surprised from an unexpected attack vector. She's been pacing herself well, alternating her moments of aggressive drive and more controlled attacks that give her a chance to recoup her strength. With her shifting balances of targeting, defending, attacking, and careful balance, the young fighter is managing to demonstrate what it means to fight at her level - where one stands in arenas occupied by the world's best and is expected to be able to impress all the same.
She needn't, for example, stare at Brett to know that he managed to weather her well know, azure chi ball. The sounds bouncing off the courtyard walls tell her that much. No impact against stone, which means he himself dealt with it somehow and is coming in to attack her at the same time Kurenai makes her move. "What is your style based off of?" she asks of her fellow student. The yardstick seems a capable medium for Kurenai to dispatch chi based strikes like the ones the girl finds herself having to defend against again.
Both arms raise, crossing to meet the first downward slash, provoking a soft grunt from Hotaru as the force nearly drives her off her feet. Then comes Brett, charging in behind her, even as Kurenai whips her yardstick around for a second strike from low to high, forcing the trapped fighter to respond to both attacks at once. Pulling her feet up into a short hop over Brett's hockey stick, she slams her palms forward into the path of the second strike, catching the yardstick by the wider sides while exposing herself to a jolt of pain from coming in direct contact with the pink hued chi and the force of the defense sends Hotaru backward through the air.
Her feet land and slide a yard before friction reclaims its own and she comes to a stop. She would love to stop and shake her hands, trying to escape some of the pain from defending such a hard attack directly on, but there's no time for that in a fight like this. The skating Brett remains her focus as she bolts forward from her landing point to pursue the swift moving hockey fighter.
Her attack is simple and direct as she swoops in low before lunging up, slamming out with both of her hands in a bid to drive open palms into his upper back and send him flying if he isn't quick enough to defend himself! "HAH!"
"You know, I don't know really!" replies the girl, sounding all too chippe for this fight. "My sensei claims it was based on ancient manuscripts describing the tales of a pair of heroes in an ancient war in the underworld," she continues, as she comes back around from her spin, "but I think he was putting one over on me."
... and yes, she does say that completely seriously.
"I did do some research, and it does have some similarities to a couple of older sword-fighting styles, but sensei won't confirm if I'm right or not. He says it doesn't really matter--that the style is his and mine, now. I guess that's good enough for me," she admits, as she moves forward once more--again slashing at Hotaru with her weapon. This time, however, she manages a three-slash combination--a rather picturesque series of attacks--another diagonal slash from right to left, and then she shifts her grip, and aims a passing strike, a horizontal one, left to right, as she seeks to slide past Hotaru--and then turn around for the final slash, another horizontal slash, from right to left, this one employing both hands.
As before, she announces the strike with a series of kiai shouts, clearly aiming to batter through Hotaru's defenses--which have proved more than strong enough already.
But the flow of a fight can change in a single moment... and that is partially what the girl is banking on.
COMBATSYS: Brett interrupts Medium Punch from Hotaru with Shark Crest EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
[ \\\ <
Brett 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Brett can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Hotaru
Brett slides along on his side, his kick missing as Hotaru hops over it and leaves him to sail past. Hurridly, he flops over on his stomach, letting friction do the rest as he finally comes to a stop. "Nnnnn...." Scrambling to his feet, he gets his stick ready, just as Hotaru bolts in again.
When the palm strikes come out again, Brett doesn't waste time, swinging up and outward like he was trying to slapshot Hotaru away. The strikes plow into his chest, and blow him back, but don't stop the movement of his stick as a sudden cut of chi blows outward, just like earlier in the fight to slam into Hotaru. And...that's all she wrote, the hockey kid fallen back and sliding before he comes to a dead stop, groaning. Looks like that's it from him.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurenai's Hell Splitter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
While her hit connects cleanly against Brett, it isn't without its costs, the young man managing to pull of a parting shot burst of that chi of his to slam into the girl before he falls out of range of any further attacks from her. The impact sends her sliding back a couple of steps before she comes to a stop, whirling around to face Kurenai directly, having heard the words girl had to say regarding her style though struggling to keep up with it all given the slight ringing in her ears left by the chi burst of the hockey fighter.
The next sweeping series of attacks are a perfect example of the swordcraft that the younger student spoke of, giving Hotaru a fine demonstration of just what she meant by it being a style all of its own. "What an interesting history," the girl replies even as she is forced to defend herself. A chi infused hand lifts into the path of the first swing to direct it aside at just the right angle such that it poses no threat to her. When the pink-haired girl rushes forward, the Kenpo artist drops into splits, laying forward to let the attack slash through the air cleanly over her.
She pulls herself back up in time to roll forward, taking her away from Kurenai as the last attack swings out, leaving a trail of that signiture pink in the air behind its edge. She comes up a few yards away, whirling around to face the yardstick wielding girl again, hands raised to defend herself as she exhales, "It's a beautiful art," she observes. "It's wonderful to have one that you and your sensei can call your own."
A glance is cast over her shoulder to double check on Brett. Yeah, he's done with the fight, but he'll be all right. Snapping her focus back to the other weapon user, Hotaru breaths in then exhales, bolting forward again. She drops into the lower stance she had demonstrated throughout the fight before springing into another airborn attack.
Like the earlier combination she had launched against Kurenai, the girl spins into a pair of windmilling palm strikes. Only the attack lacks quite the punishment of the earlier technique and rather than strike out with her palm at the end, she simply drops right back down into her low stance to keep her defense options open.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai just-defends Hotaru's Enryuu Banda!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hotaru
"It is?" She hadn't really considered her art 'beautiful'... but it's a lovely thing to say. "Thank you. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear it." Actually, he'll scoff, drink some sake, and say that the point of it isn't to be beautiful, but to be effective. But Kurenai won't relay that part. Brett does his part--finally landing a clean hit, although the price he pays for that strike is paid in unconsciousness. In her estimation, the winning chances just dropped significantly...
... but she'll survive this moment. The spinning palm strikes are very familiar, at least in the body of execution, and that helps Kurenai; her movements are just as swift. As she steps back to maintain pacing with Hotaru, she uses her yardstick to deflect the incoming limbs--not knocking them away but placing them just out of line, twisting her body back and forth. She slips the last strike completely, then leaps up and back, drawing her right hand back--and then whipping it forward, hurling her weapon forward like a narrow missile.
The cord attaching the weapon to her wrist is elastic, of course, letting the weapon fly forward but allowing her to retrieve it as well, as she starts coming down from her quick backwards flight.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Kurenai's Needle Threader.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
While Brett brought rugged endurance and aggression to the match, Kurenai brought with her a certain amount of finese that has paid off at times against the swiftly attacking Kenpo artist. By the time Hotaru lands, she knows the other girl has managed to escape her attacks cleanly. Fortunately, her own lack of significant risk taking leaves her able to bring her arms up into the path of the flying yardstick and absorb the impact over her crossed forearms rather than get struck cleanly.
The need to defend herself buys Kurenai time to escape, landing back a little ways and snapping her 'sword' back to her by way of the attached cord. It's at that moment she speeds forward, closing the distance between them, aiming to close the gap that seperates them and slip inside Kurenai's guard. The girl has proven tricky with her defenses, but weapon users tend to slip up a little if one gets too close for it to be as effective. It's an experiment the Kenpo artist is willing to make.
She would drop low in order to slip to the side, possibly around a counter attack, while her hands snap out and she attempts to grip Kurenai's nearest arm and simply twist the other girl to the ground by leaping up and over her, pulling her arm up high and then back down behind her that she'll need to fall in order to avoid being hurt too bad. Of course, that requires that she gets a tight enough hold before she goes airborn!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurenai with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Hotaru
Oh, fall she will. Kurenai moves instinctively--that's good. What's bad is not moving quite -enough-... and her arm gets snagged by the Kenpoist. With a yelp, she does what she can to avoid permanent injury, but it leaves her open to being slammed to the floor, the air whooshing out of her lungs in a loud gasp of pain. To her credit, however, she doesn't complain, despite the tears that come to her eyes; her back is wrenched, her shoulder out of sorts... but she rises all the same.
She's sure that Hotaru won't injure her too badly... maybe... but it's still a risk. She -could- default now, give the win to Hotaru. She's thinking about it, even. And then she shakes her head. No, there's no point in that. She won't get better if she never pushes herself to her limits.
With that in mind, she bounces back to her feet, hiding the twinging pain in her back, and re-adopts her second stance. But she isn't just standing there for long--she whips the weapon around, in an uppercut arc, despite the fact that she's got some separation from the girl--the yardstick won't hit at all. But the hissing, knee-high wave of chi -might-... if Hotaru fails to notice it in time. Then again, it -is- hissing and spitting loudly as it races across the floor.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Kurenai's Hissing Serpent!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
Up and over then Hotaru lands again, releasing Kurenai's arm well before the threat of crippling injury would be reached. Over the course of the fight she's been able to notice that the girl is very smart on an intellectual level. While perhaps young in her fighting career, it's possible that she could grow to be quite the competator with some investment of effort and time. Whether she sticks it out or finds her time invested in something other than fighting thus curtailing her chance at making a name for herself remains to be seen of course.
The girl has some skill with chi use, it would seem, with her yardstick serving as an effective medium for it. A fact she demonstrates again by unleashing a wave of chi from a distance that would normally make her safe from retaliation. The Kenpoista doesn't hesitate for a moment. Now that she's on the offense, she's going to keep the pressure high. The wave almost catches her feet as Hotaru springs over it with just the precise amount of height needed to escape it as she wants to waste not a second in hoping to catch Kurenai before she can prepare herself better.
Hotaru's feet touch the ground as she lands right in front of her fellow student, hands snapping out to try and seize Kurenai's wrists to keep her from being able to defend herself from the ascending, rapid stomping kicks Hotaru transitions into, leveraging all that forward momentum into a fluid attack. "Ya, ya, ya!" The goal would be to spring from Kurenai's shoulders with one final stomp in order to recover from the aggressive, semi risky attack.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai dodges Hotaru's Shin-Jou Tai EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
It's definitely getting harder to maintain her composure, facing a superior fighter like this. All she can do, however, is do her best. Kurenai's hissing projectile is jumped over, and the moment she sees Hotaru's feet clear the projectile, she's moving backwards, two steps letting her gather just enough momentum to backhop away from the lunging Hotaru, whose hands grasp only empty air. It was a good avoidance...
But she definitely can't keep it up forever. And alone, she can't take a good moment to regain her focus--she'll have to get through this the 'old fashioned' way. On guts.
When she touches down, the weapon is raised up to her shoulder height again, and she kicks off, throwing herself into a long, low arc, drawing her weapon down to her waist. She thrusts out--but not for Hotaru's body--she's aiming to put the weapon -between- Hotaru's legs--and to use it as a lever to trip her up, using the ninja's body weight to force the issue.
It's a risky manuever, leaving her somewhat open on the recovery, but if it works, maybe it'll give her that moment she needs to recoup.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurenai's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
The other girl proves just fast enough to escape the aggressive charge on Hotaru's part, the Kenpo artist's fingers closing on air as she leans forward just shy of tripping over her feet. "Oof," she grunts, already starting to pull herself back into a controlled stance. Kurenai barely gives her time to do so, however, lunging the weapon out swiftly, intending to capitalize on the girl's briefly threatened balance by tripping her over the yardstick.
Even as the long ranged weapon just about threatens to tip her over, Hotaru springs into a backflip, landing on her hands, feet swinging up to avoid the yardstick, before she completes her evasive motion by landing in a crouch. As she had multiple times in the fight, Hotaru goes from escaping to speedy counter attack in one fluid motion as she rises out of the crouch and lunges in.
Employing a similar strike that she used on Brett earlier, the girl slams out with her left hand leading for a punishing palm strike. Her right hand follows suit, intending to completely bowl the other girl over should she not manage to escape the attack. "YAA!"
COMBATSYS: Kurenai auto-guards Hotaru's Fierce Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
Kurenai lands low, sweeping her right leg around; at least Hotaru's backflipping evasion means that there's no inteference in getting back up. Of course, she gets back up right into Hotaru getting right into her face--and her reaction is just as instinctive as ever, shunting the first palmstrike away with her left arm, and swaying back just as the second would make contact--meeting the palm with her own, absorbing the force harmlessly.
This is turning into quite the battle; Kurenai's proud of how she's done so far, even if she hasn't been able to really -hit- Hotaru in the last few exchanges... she's still holding her own defensively. Defense won't win a fight on its own, though; she has to start making headway -somewhere-.
Her attempt to do so comes with a close-ranges triple-stab; Kurenai takes a half-step back to give herself some room to work and then she's thrusting her weapon outwards, aiming for Hotaru's torso--three strikes in under a second, the weapon flaring with that pink chi again.
The attack -does- leave her close to Hotaru, but there's nothing to be done about that, really.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Kurenai's Demon Flurry.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
Another timely defense on Kurenai's part as Hotaru continues to pressure the girl. A flicker of a grin crosses her lips as she keeps trying to catch the girl only to find her defenses holding solidly. It seems when backed into a corner, the yard stick wielding girl can really hold her own. It's keeping things interesting to say the least as Hotaru is once again forced into defending the counter attack. She weathers the three strikes well, bunkering down such that they smack against her arms rather than leaning clean hits against her torso. Again she's finding her own defenses hassled by the determined girl, but that's something she'll just have to work with.
Now that the two are close together, however, she doesn't have to chase Kurenai around this time. The instant her tripple-jab ends and Hotaru is no longer needing to fend off the attack, the Futaba girl simply steps in forward, bringing both hands up, palms forward, and delivers what promises to be a punishing double-palm press. The short range her hands travel is deceptive, as if concealing just how strong the actual hit is, her left foot behind her pushing into it, her right foot forward, ready to be utilized by shifting back to defenses!
COMBATSYS: Kurenai blocks Hotaru's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
One advantage of the stance she's using is that she isn't, generally, exposing herself; after the third jab, the weapon is back at ready position, just in time to intercept the double palm-strike. At such close range, though, she has to use her left forearm as well as the weapon, the palms impacting on both--and forcing Kurenai backwards a step. A deceptively short strike indeed--Hotaru must have used some sort of transference to attain that kind of power in that short distance.
A pretty tremendous impact, but she isn't quite done yet. "Your style is really elegant," she manages to comment, clenching her left hand, trying to keep the feeling in her forearm, "I didn't think it could have such power behind it. You're really good..."
Once again, Kurenai finds herself backpedaling, to gain a touch of room--but then she reverses, and feints a high strike--only to fire a thrusting front kick from her back leg, aiming to tag Hotaru right in the chin. A slow, power strike, but if it lands, then she might just be back in it...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kurenai's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurenai 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hotaru
The fight has shifted in a variety of ways. From acrobatics to sprinting, from evasive techniques keeping distance, to trading blows in close with an intent to land a finishing hit. Both of the two fighters standing have demonstrated a remarkable capacity to adjust to the ebb and flow of the battle playing out. Several times, it would have been reasonable for those viewing to assume the match was at an end, especially when Brett made his last stand against Hotaru's strikes. That was minutes ago and the battle yet continues, having not lost a bit of its intensity.
"Thank you," Hotaru murmurs, accepting the praise but being quick to dismiss it just as readily lest it go to her head and distract her from the intense focus her Kenpo requires of her. "You are doing quite well," she adds as Kurenai steps back a step and the pig-tailed girl pursues. "Your sensei must be proud." The incoming kick is slow yet punishing, and Hotaru recognizes it for the threat it represents, twisting about quickly to the side to avoid it.
Like before, her revasion and counter attack are seemingly one and the same. Even as her turn takes her out of the path of Kurenai's foot and ends up turning her back to the other girl, her right leg is snapping out with crushing force in somewhat of a mule-kick toward Kurenai's sternum with an intent to drive the girl back hard and try to rob from her the ability to keep fighting. Of course, Kurenai's determination may have something to say about that. "KYA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurenai with En Bi Kyaku.
[ \\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kurenai 1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
The impact of that mule kick is incredible--and it catches Kurenai while her leg is still retracting. Once again, her breath goes out from her lungs in a massive -whoosh-; she stumbles backwards, her legs wobbly. She has... just enough in her for a single attack. Her hands and arms move by reflex, by training--her eyes are still open, still clear, for the moment, as she launches her final attack.
In that moment, she stands firm, the weapon ablaze with pink energy for the final time in this fight, slung across her back... and she steps forward, cutting a shoulder-high horizontal slash, much like the earlier slashes she's used--but blazing brighter... and then she steps forward again, slashing downwards, creating a brief, blazing cross of energy.
And then her knees wobble, and she looks surprised as she drops to her knees, like a puppet with its strings cut.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai can no longer fight.
> ///////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Hotaru effortlessly blocks Kurenai's Hades Return.
> //////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
And Hotaru's final hit does the job as she strikes Kurenai with a crushing blow with a single kick. The momentum of the strike spins her around such that by the time she snaps her foot back down, she's facing the other girl again. The long bout is just about finished. She could feel the impact doing its job to stop the skilled girl at last.
But she doesn't drop without a fight. A trait the Kenpo artist can appreciate, her eyes sparkling with the thrill of the challenge, her breath controlled, her strength still with her in spite the duration of the challenging match. Kurenai steps in to make one more big attack but Hotaru is in far better health with which to deal with it. Another azure shimmer brings chi to her forearms, coating her hands in a protective layer of energy intended to provide a degree of counter to Kurenai's own life energy.
The slash impacts the girl's palms with the first swing, and on the second swing, Hotaru slams her hands together to 'catch' the weapon for a fleeting moment. She only hesitates for a fraction of a second, as if evaluating if she needs to motivate the girl further with one more strike, but Kurenai falls to her knees and Hotaru releases her brief hold on the weapon, taking a step back.
A long exhale of relief escapes her lips as she comes to a stop in the courtyard. With viewers kept at distant by way of camera, she has no one to speak to directly, and the girl doesn't like addressing /cameras/ exactly. So she turns toward Brett and bows, hands pressed together in front of her, then toward Kurenai and does likewise. "You both fought well. I hope you continue to pursue your arts."
She lowers her hands to her sides and shakes them a little, the sting of having to fend off so many attacks resonating a little. But it's, as they say, a good kind've pain. The pain of a match well fought.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
Kurenai doesn't see how her attack fares--but she's not knocked out, so she can hear it. So, they failed--and yet she doesn't feel -too- bad about it. After all, it was a charity fight anyways... A few moments after the fight is called, she struggles to her feet, panting, putting her weapon on her back. "... wow. I wasn't..." She smiles, actually looking a little goofy.
"I will, thank you. This was--really excellent. I feel like every time I fight I'm learning a lot... and I feel like there's so much more to learn. Even though we lost... no, -because- we lost... I feel inspired to train all the harder." Finding some strength, she draws her weapon again, pointing it at Hotaru.
"So beware, killer Kenpo girl! Next time we meet, you won't survive!" A serious challenge, but there's a twinkle in the pink-haired girl's eyes, and she lowers the weapon.
"At least, I hope we'll have a different outcome...!" Then she smiles again, and turns to walk away, limping slightly just due to residual pain from the hits she took.
Log created on 22:11:03 06/27/2009 by Hotaru, and last modified on 19:23:31 07/05/2009.