Description: Ah yes, the onsen, centers for Japanese tourism throughout the country. With natural hot springs to cleanse the body and refresh the soul, is it any wonder that they should be such a treasured and beloved vacation resource... or that SNF should try to reap from the benefits? Of course it isn't. and if you thought it was, then you should most likely feel bad about yourself. And thus, SNF is proud to introduce it's very own -- Saturday Night Onsen! That's right, SNF has opened it's very own hot spring resort to the adoring public! And in order to christen this great event, Saturday Night Fight has enlisted Hayato Nekketsu, Hotaru Futaba, Mike Haggar and Kyoko Minazuki to hold an inaugural match right at the hot springs themselves. In a steamy match-off between manly men and girly women, will (relative) youth or experience trump all?! (Winners: Hayato and Hotaru)
There's no way Hayato Nekketsu was going to pass this up. It's been way too long since his last trip to a hot spring, and he could use the rejuvenation. In fact, it's a little hard to tell if he actually remembers that there's supposed to be a fight going on here. Sitting at the edge of the spring, his back propped up against a rock, Hayato is soaking up to his bare chest, with a folded towel resting on his head. His head is tilted back, and he lets out a loud sigh as he slides a little bit deeper into the water. One of the cameramen looks awkwardly at a producer, who shrugs. The fight hasn't started yet, and he /is/ in the proper area, so there's technically nothing wrong.
Best Saturday Night Fight EVER.
Not only was Justice High's Kyoko Minazuki given an opportunity to once again travel on someone else's budget AND dine (mostly drink, however) without fear of clogging the hell out of her credit cards, but they just went and made it even BETTER. The trip was going to be at an onsen of all places! Not some horrible pig sty or over burning coals or trapped in a pen with hungry lions or something dangerous. This was something relatively SANE and RELAXING.
Suffice to say Kyoko booked the earliest plane she could to get there. As result, she spent most of her free time with sake and sitting merrily on the woman's side of the onsen making the other Asian women both feel inadequate about their bust sizes and awkward with her laughing and raucous and boisterous nature while under the influence of lots of sake.
A FEW HOURS LATER--
"L-lady I don't think they're ready for you to go to that side yet!" a young man, blushing, insists.
"I don't care if they're ready or not, I have a fight I gotta get to!"
"B-BUT, MA'AM--!!"
The door to the men's side, also designated as the area wherein Team Haggar will fight against Team Nekketsu, bursts open. Rushing forward is none other than the Devilish Nurse herself wearing nothing more than a typical onsen-provided cotton towel.
"Hayato! It's been SO LOOONG!" she exclaims, racing clumsily to the edge of the hotspring before she bends forward, revealing copious amounts of cleavage. A crew member nearby passes out. Others hope she has something else UNDER the towel.
"Where have you been~! I've MISSED yoooou!"
SNF? What SNF?
The newly opened resort site is really something. Obviously already in the works for quite some time before this very match, it was a moment of marketing genius for Masters' people to decide to tie it into the newly aquired SNF franchise to garner world-wide attention. And now Hotaru finds herself invited to participate in the special inauguration bout. As a fighter interested in the athletic challenge, exhibition of sport and talent, and the challenge of pushing herself harder against talented opponents, the Kenpo artist quite prefers the more straight forward matches that let her demonstrate her talent uninhibited.
This... this isn't going to be one of /those/ weeks. The idea of an onsen setting for a match has its merits. Relaxing hot springs in which to rest and recuperate following the tribulations of yet another challenging bout. The service, the hospitality, the weekend reprieve from her house-rebuilding projects in Southtown. On the other hand, she just knew someone was going to insist on setting-specific attire.
She was ready at the appointed time, however, escorted through the men's changing area into the opening out by the spa presently being enjoyed by the Taiyo High instructor, Hayato. "...something a little longer," Hotaru is heard murmuring in passing to the official showing her to the intended fighting area. Clothed in a pink thigh length robe bearing the resort's logo on the right side and emblazoned across her back, she appears more ready to enjoy a night after relaxing in spas than engaging in a SNF match. But still, her hair is worn up in pig-tails with matching bright red ribbons keeping each one in place. Tugging at the bottom hem of the robe a little, she pauses to double-knot the cord around her waist before glancing up toward the hot pool itself.
Azure eyes widen at the sight of Kyoko leaning over Hayato, her cheeks blushing lightly before she looks toward the official askance. Is she supposed to be /seeing/ this?!
Before the match, Haggar attempted to get ready in the traditional way, as he's been told, sitting down in the dressing room, stripping off his shirt with the lack of hesitation that comes from an open mind, while old Japanese men gape open-mouthed at him and his... Haggartude.
A short conversation later, Haggar is convinced to forgo the usual public stripping and public soaking down and ushered right to the hot spring, ahead of everyone else. After that, well, it was so relaxing that he fell asleep, slipping beneath the waters before Hayato even got there. How long has Hayato been there? He's been underwater for longer, because fighters are /extreme./
The commotion of Kyoko's entrance wakes Haggar up, and hard-built instincts take hold. He comes to full awareness in an instant, exploding out of the steamy water in a tremendous blast, surging to his feet like some kind of goddamned Poseidon. When the splash clears, it is obvious that he is clad only in a 'traditional' loincloth with a twisted waistband.
He relaxes after not dodging a thrown knife in the next three seconds, titling his head to the side, and coughing out one spat of water. He blows more out of his mustache, leaving it bristly but not dripping into his mouth, and sets about tamping it down with his thumb, frowning.
"How long was... I fell asleep." He mumbles. He steadfastly ignores Kyoko's unclothedness in the memory of his dead wife.
Hayato hears the excitement going on, but it doesn't sound like anybody's getting hurt so he just ignores it for a bit. He's far too relaxed to worry about little things like that. After a while, though, the commotion starts getting a bit closer and he hears a familiar voice calling his name. He looks up... then down a bit... then back up before settling on a viewpoint somewhere in between. His 'rivalry' with Hideo over Kyoko is really just sort of a friendly game. But a fun one, which means it's perfectly okay to look. "Oh, Kyoko!"
The phys ed teacher grins up at the nurse. "It's great to see you, too." Oh indeed it is. "Isn't this a great place they've got her?" He briefly glances over at Hotaru as she enters, giving her a friendly, but brief, nod. "Hello Futaba." But there's really no contest as he turns his attention back to Kyoko. Although even she can't distract him from some giant monster rising up from the depths. Godzilla?! No, slightly less large than that. Hayato himself jumps up to his feet in surprise in a spray of water. Is he wearing anything for modesty's sake? Nobody can tell, because of a convenient breeze that sends thick steam from the onsen rolling across him, right at waist level. And a moment later he whips the towel off his head and smoothly wraps it around his waist and cinches it tight. But apparently there was no need for alarm, because the monster is just an American. "Ha! Well, looks like everybody's here!"
"Oh I was so worried I'd be SO LONELY here without a drinking buddy!" whines the Justice High nurse, who (thankfully) stands upright once more before she goes about hugging herself in self-sympathy. Pouting deeply, Kyoko draws her eyes to a close. "But thankfully the lovely young men and women in charge of Saturday Night Fights were looking out for poor old me!"
Opening her eyes, the woman hiccups slightly before her arms open wide. "If only Hideo were here, we could have a REAL party--" She hiccups again. "And, and--!!"
Distracted, Kyoko's gaze wanders over to Hotaru, who tries desperately to keep the hemline of her robe from raising a bit higher than it should. Wandering over, the woman simply opens her arms and invades the girl's personal space, giving her a BIG HUG in little more than a damn towel. "Oh, you're here too!? It's so good to see familiar faces, and adorable ones, at that! Lucky me! Lucky me!"
Somehow, in the midst of all this commotion, Kyoko seems too drunk to notice Haggar RISING out of the water in all his proud, loinclothed, muscle-bound glory. She spends a bit more time hugging Hotaru close before she gleefully holds the girl's pigtails up. "You are so cute!!"
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she notices Haggar.
"Well, I guess Hayato is riiiight!" the woman cries, stepping away from Hotaru (probably to her delight) before she pumps a fist into the air. "I guess we have to do that fight thing first before we can all party until dawn, right?!"
Clearly she won't be making the first move anytime soon!
Normally eager to show of her learned talent against more experienced fighters like the other three gathered, and highly respectful of veteran fighters who undoubtedly have years of gained wisdom or all kinds of practical advice or inspiration to provide... the youngest of the party looks like she'd much rather be just about anywhere in the world right about now. "...must have longer," she's in the process of mentioning to one of the SNF officials off to the side only to provoke an exhasperating grin and shrug in reply to which she rests her hand against her face for a moment. All right then!
Whirling around, she's just in time to turn into Kyoko's very... /very/ friendly embrace. Pulled in tightly, the already self-conscious girl blushes even more, "K-Kyoko-sensei," she stammers, getting enough of a smell of the woman's breath to know that she hasn't shown up to this match any more sober than the /last/ time they faced off. Arms pinned against her sides, she's rather helpless to do anything besides get hugged to death by the towel-clad woman, "I was definitely looking forward to meeting you again in a fight," she manages to state clearly, recovering her composure enough to default to her renown politeness.
Not that she's even sure the woman is paying attention as she seems to be more facinated with holding up her pig-tails up over her head, "Eh heh," the girl murmurs, her hands free enough to allow her to rub her finger across the bridge of her nose. It's then that she notices why Hayato has declared everyone present, her eyes coming to rest on Haggar at about the same time Kyoko notices him. The girl looks mildly mortified. She had always hoped to meet the world famous Mayor of Metro and incredible fighter of some fame, but... not with him dressed so, ah, informally as all this!
Free of the hug and Kyoko's immediate affections, Hotaru brings her hand up to wipe across her forehead. It sure is /hot/ here, she muses, at last resting her eyes on the towel-covered Hayato, managing a smile of enthusiasm as she regains more of her composure, "After all these matches, at last we work together for once, Hayato-sensei. I'll do my best!" she chirps, right fist clenched in confidence.
Haggar clenches his hands together, rolling his shoulders back in a kind of rolling wave of muscle, joints popping. And that is all the stretching Haggar needs, thank God, as he shifts down into his fighting stance. Haggar believes in handshakes after fights, not before. He gives a nod of recognition to Hayato, and then looks over to the ladies. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Futaba, and..." His patrician expression slips in the face of an older, RESPONSIBLE woman all soused and pickles, and asks with some dismay, "You sure you're up to this? I can get 'em to put it off, Kyoko..." He's not entirely disapproving, mind you.
Winners don't do drugs, winners don't smoke, but winners merely try to /drink responsibly./
Something in the Mayor tells him it's a lost cause right off the bat, and he resolves to keep an eye on her and keep her from passing out in the hot spring and being available to hold her hair up in case she has to vomit all over someone. "Arright, arright..." He settles into his wrestling stance, coughs once, and puts his serious face on again. He considers taking Kyoko up on getting a drink out on the town after this - strictly platonically, of course, because his wife is dead. Let's see if I can mention this every pose.
COMBATSYS: Haggar has started a fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Haggar
COMBATSYS: Hayato has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Haggar
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Haggar
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kyoko has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyoko
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Haggar
Hayato returns Haggar's nod, then twists his neck from side to side, eliciting a few popping noises. And when he rolls his own shoulders it's clear that, while he's not as huge as Haggar he's still no slouch. He reaches to a spot on the rocks beside the onsen where he was sitting, lifting up his weapon for the fight. Due to an unfortunate series of events (named Yamazaki), Hayato's shinai is currently undergoing repair by a skilled master artisan. As a family heirloom, Hayato takes it quite seriously. But he doesn't want to be without a weapon for this fight, and so he has brought along a bokken. It'd just feel wrong using another shinai. And while the bokken might not be appropriate for smacking students who are running a bit too slow in class, it's perfectly fine for a fight like this.
The gym teacher spins it around in his hand a few times, ensuring that his grip is still fine even after all that time spent in a steamy environment. It helps that his hands are actually taped up, even here... he was just careful to rest his arms on the side of the spring, rather than down in the water. And falling in briefly shouldn't be a problem. Which is good, as it's likely to happen. He grins at Haggar, raises the bokken up... then pauses, looks around for a moment, then looks to the camera. "Remember, kids, you shouldn't run or jump around at an onsen. Somebody could get hurt. We're all well trained." And then he turns back to Haggar and leaps through the air, water streaming behind him as he attempts to clonk the mayor on the head with his wooden blade.
"Oh I am so glad, then!" Kyoko happily replies while hugging poor defenseless Hotaru, who remains helpless to the drunken nurse's whims for the time being. "I wondered if we'd ever get a chance to meet again, and...well! Here we are!" It's just like their last encounter, except it is very likely that Kyoko Minazuki is more intoxicated than before.
Finally releasing the girl after much maternal-like friendly affection, Kyoko regards Haggar with a big smile. "Of COURSE I'm okay to do this," she explains to the Mayor, hand waving about dismissively. "Why on EARTH would you think I'm not capable of doing this!?" Puckering her lips, the woman acts like she's twelve when she puckers her lips and folds her arms under her chest. Sadly, this only emphasizes her cleavage. The crew member passes out again.
It's ultimately decided that they all should fight, and when Hayato takes up his replacement bokken into hand and looks to Haggar, Kyoko lightly pouts. "Awwwwww, that's a shame," the woman mulls, hands dropping to rest akimbo on her hips. "Well, this is a two versus two, so maybe I'll get a chance to spar with mister Nekketsu...oh!" Glancing to Haggar, the nurse lifts an arm and waves it toward the man.
"Do your very best, okay?! Don't get too hurt, 'cause that'd just make it harder for all of us to party after this is over, you know!?"
Black eyes turn to Hotaru then, a smile still on the woman's red face. "Ohhh, it's so WARM in here," she remarks, idly fanning herself before she drops her hand to the hem of her towel. "Wah, I really should just ditch the tow--"
"NO MISS MINAZUKI THAT IS AGAINST THE RULES AND REGULATIONS!!" the manager cries.
"Well, excuse me!" huffs the Justice High nurse.
"Please, engage the combatants already!"
"FIIINE."
Shifting her body into a stance, the elder woman pouts once again. "Sorry about this, miss Futaba. I'll make it up to you later, okay??"
With that, Kyoko makes her move, darting in close to Hotaru before she hops and twists her body, a bare leg whipping around in an aerial spinning kick to crash against the girl!
COMBATSYS: Kyoko successfully hits Hotaru with Kaishin.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kyoko
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Haggar
Okay, Hotaru tells herself, over and over, she can do this. She just needs to focus on the fight and do her best as she promised Hayato-sensei that she would! As he takes off charging after the very recognizeable Mayor Haggar in all of his theme-fitting 'apparel', Hotaru takes in a deep breath, seeking to center herself and put her mind to the skill needed to drive her dexterous style of martial arts.
Hands raised, palms parallel to each other, she's ready she decides, facing Kyoko and all of her matching lack of real clothing, eyes widening slightly when the woman threatens to ditch the towel all together. But before she can stammer a protest to the idea, the staff do so for her and Hotaru manages a quick smile of relief as the matter seems settled and the fight itself can get under way.
She remembers her previous bout against the woman well. She hadn't done so well, not handling the strangely unpredictable way Kyoko moved about the battle field. Depending on split second predictions and the occasional guesswork to compensate for a stature that can't take the kind of trade in attacks many fighters can, the lack of any rhyme or reason to the woman's movements leave her a difficult to read mystery to the girl and as the match begins, it seems she isn't doing any better in predicting.
As she is addressed, the girl shakes her head, repeating something she's quite certain she had spoken at their previous match, "You don't need to apologize for fighting your best, Kyoko-sensei!" But she can't really expect the woman to have remembered that, she supposes. And in an instant, the two are close together and Hotaru is forced to react. Ducking low, she tries to slip beneath the spinning kick, anticipating the woman spinning higher into the air than she ultimately does.
For her trouble, she gets clocked in the side of the head and sent reeling from the force of impact, eyes squinting shut, a gasp escaping her lips before she stumbles to a stop several steps to the side. Shaking her head quickly, she raises her hands once again to the ready, determined to learn how to read this unreadable woman better.
Her eyes seem especially blue against the pink tint of her cheeks as she focuses back on Kyoko and begins to circle the woman from a few yards out, watching her own steps to keep herself at an even distance from her opponent for the moment and to buy herself a second to get the ringing out of her head from that solid hit.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kyoko
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Haggar
COMBATSYS: Haggar fails to counter Power Strike from Hayato with Hammer Thru.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kyoko
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Haggar
Haggar takes one step back as Hayato charges at him, lifting up one forearm with a grin. "Heh... don't worry, we'll make sure we're---" He steps forward, battering his arm like a club at the bokken.
So of course he underestimates Hayato! Hot spring water explodes out from where he's standing as the thing cracks against his arm, and he holds his ground for a moment before the force twists his upper body to the side, confident grin turning into a calculating frown. One leg spins up around him in a surprisingly graceful movement - then the other foot leaves the ground, the water rushes back into the spot, and Haggar is sent spinning with tremendous force into some rocks right by the divider into the women's spring.
Ratings pop up, then slowly trickle back to normal, in disappointment.
Haggar drags himself out from the rubble he just made, an angry red welt across his arm, and blows into his mustache again. "...we'll be fine." He finishes, lamely.
There's a massive splash as Hayato's blow sends Haggar spinning off into the rocks, and then Hayato himself crashes down into the water. Waves ripple across the surface of the spring, splashing water up and over the sides. And although Haggar might seem to be the greater concern, Hayato suddenly turns to look in another direction as Kyoko says something about ditching a towel. But, alas, it turns out to be a false alarm. And the delay gives Haggar a chance to pull himself back to his feet.
But hey, it's not much fun beating on someone while they're down, anyway. Hayato shifts his stance, holding the bokken at a higher angle than is usual for him, due to the fact that he's currently standing in water. Trying to swing the sword from a low angle would be somewhat problematic. It also makes moving the lower body rather more difficult, although Hayato is still able to charge toward Haggar... just not at the maximum speed he'd be able to achieve on land. He brings the bokken slashing down toward the mayor's shoulder, then follows up the blow by twisting to lead with his left side and ram his shoulder into Haggar, slamming him back up against the rocks.
"A-are you sure??" Kyoko stammers and lightly slurs, before she makes first move against the young Kenpo fighter. Swifter and possibly unpredictable in her state, the woman pierces the girl's defenses, striking her hard and causing the young woman to stagger in response. Frowning, the woman very nearly cries 'ARE YOU OKAY??' before she realizes and remembers that:
A) This is a Saturday Night Fight match and,
B)She has a teammate.
So, rather than say anything, the elder woman offers a small apologetic look as the girl recovers from the blow and begins to circle Kyoko, who instead holds her ground. Briefly, black eyes turn to the other 'match,' watching as Haggar recovers from the attack.
Grinning as her gaze slides back onto Hotaru, the woman tips her head lightly before she dashes off again, bare feet pattering against smooth stones as she rushes in, seeking to clutch poor Hotaru by her cute pink robe's collar and, with a sweep of her ankles and a fierce shove, tries to push her into the stony ground!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Kyoko's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kyoko
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Haggar
And with Hayato's charging strike at Haggar getting the match under way, it's no time at all before the outdoor spa-side match has exploded with chaos. The esteemed Mayor of Metro is sent crashing after the Taiyo instructor's first strike while Hotaru buys a few seconds to clear her head after taking a jarring kick from the woman who had already demonstrated significant ability the last time she fought her.
The circumstances don't lend themselves to a match to be taken with the most seriousness but punches, kicks, slams, and bokken strikes still hurt all the same. Besides, she isn't going to treat this opportunity to fight alongside the inspirational Burning Phys-Ed teacher of Taiyo lightly. By the time she's finished a complete circle around Kyoko, the girl has recovered significantly from the kick to her head, seeing clearly, and feeling a bit more sure of herself.
The nurse's apologetic look is noticed but Hotaru doesn't focus on it for more than a moment - the woman is in the business of mending sick and hurt kids, so these matches must be somewhat of a conflict of interests for her. But Hotaru learned from last time that she's every bit a capable fighter however reluctant she may come across about it! The Kenpo artist takes in a breath as Kyoko closes distance. Respecting the difficulty with which she has had in learning to read the woman's style, she plays it safe when Kyoko's arm sweeps in, ducking low early rather than cutting it close, dropping into a lower stance, arms out at her sides, feet further apart. Whether she avoided another strike to the head or some other tactic, Hotaru isn't certain, but she isn't going to pass up the perceived opportunity to deal a significant attack in return.
It happens in one smooth motion, the girl dropping low beneath the sweep only to lunge right back up into a short hop, sweeping her arms up into a spinning, windmill like strike pattern in the process. The hardest hit would come the instant her feet touched the ground, however, as the slight fighter would pour her all into a single point of impact - a palm strike with her right hand bearing all the force she can muster in trying to knock the Justice High nurse back some ways. "HAA!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar endures Hayato's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Kyoko
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Haggar
Haggar realizes what Kyoko was saying after he cleared the fog from his face - while Hayato's head snaps toward her, Haggar's twitches resolutely away, mouth locked in a tight line, face arranged into a carefully diplomatic show of noninterest - because his wife? So dead. BUT HE IS TRAGICALLY FAITHFUL. It's an extremely sad story that can ironically pull in the ladies like nobody's business.
But his wife is dead. No more ladies for Haggar.
Oh Hayato is coming back! Thank God, something else to focus on. With a 'hrrrumph,' he shoves himself away from the rubble, surging forward at the charging Hayato, meeting him on the edge of the hot water. The bokken slams down on his left shoulder, makes a loud crashing noise, and then... little else. Haggar's head tilts over, his heavy skull locking the weapon there. One eye half-shut in a wince, he grins fiercely, his arm reaching out for Hayato's shoulder.
Should he get a grip, his other hand snaps to his thigh, pinning the towel instead of letting it fall free when he stamps his feet and /lifts/, hauling Hayato up out of the water until he's vertical, feet pointed for the sky. He holds him there for a few seconds. The crowd loves that stuff.
"Hoooyeahh!" He will then release just long enough to shift his grip, hopping up and wrapping Hayato up for the suplex, dragging him down fron the air to slam him, belly-to-belly, on the ground. Haggar's insanely firm rear points directly at the camera, leather flap up, revealing the twisted cord of leather doing all it can to salvage decency.
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Haggar's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Haggar
When his bokken is suddenly trapped by Haggar's meaty neck, Hayato knows that he's in some trouble, but it's too late to stop. And so he ends up slamming into Haggar's chest, putting him right in the perfect place for Haggar to grab him. Decency is saved by the position of Haggar's hands as Hayato is lifted up into the air, and once the position is shifted for the suplex Hayato is suddenly being pulled downward at such a high speed that the towel doesn't have a chance to fold over. But the ground is coming up awfully fast, and Hayato has only one chance. As he's about to hit he slams both hands down toward the ground, relaxing his grip on the bokken so that he can spread his hand out fully, and the muscles in his arms bulge as he pushes back against the stone, fighting the power of Haggar's drop. It's a losing proposition, of course, especially since he's /also/ supporting most of Haggar's weight at the same time, but he is able to slow both of them down before impact, and winds up just bonking his head on the ground instead of possible being driven into a new hole there.
After the impact Hayato collapses to the side, but he's quick to close his grip on the bokken and lurch back up to his feet. "Perfect, that's the stuff!" Oh god, he can't feel his arms. That's probably temporary, right? Oh, wait, he can feel them now. That would be pain. Maybe going for the showy defense wasn't the greatest of ideas, but no time to complain about that now. But to give his arms a break, this time when he lunges at Haggar Hayato leads with his right leg, flaming chi surrounding his foot as he attempts to drive a kick into Haggar's chest at an upward angle.
COMBATSYS: Kyoko blocks Hotaru's Soushou Shin.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Haggar
"Wha!?"
When Hotaru ducks and weaves, Kyoko momentarily finds her body stumbling forward, arms whipping forward and clutching only emptiness. Immediately the woman's black eyes dart down, keeping a fleeting eye on the Kenpo fighter's movements. Despite her apparent inebriation, the elder woman seems coherent enough to manage in the middle of a fight.
That takes talent. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
It comes seconds after the miss; the girl hops and swings her arms, pinwheeling sharply in one swift and fluid gesture. Startled, the elder woman draws her arms up, bracing her weight against one bare foot as her arms swing and summarily strike palm-first. That palm hits her forearms. Hard.
"Oh oooooooooow," the woman whines, dropping her arms and staggering back, shaking them loosely. "You hit so hard, miss Futaba! How impressive!"
Pausing briefly, the woman's attentions turn toward Haggar. "Yoo-hoo! Hey, mister Haggar! Hey! It's me, Kyoko Minazuki!" Hopping briefly, she waves an arm toward the muscley mayor. Somehow, her towel stays on her. "I'm a doctor, you know! If you're hurt or something, please let me know! I can fix you~!"
Looking back to Hotaru, the woman grins. "Okay, now where were we. Ah!"
Crouching swiftly, Kyoko suddenly leaps into the air, flipping head over heels before she brings both legs out and feet down, literally attempting to headstomp Hotaru before she bounds off and away. Don't look up, Hotaru!!
COMBATSYS: Kyoko successfully hits Hotaru with Shinshin.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Haggar
With an exclamation, Hotaru slams her hand out, but Kyoko's guard is certain, the woman having read the attack for what it was rather than being distracted like most tend to be by the initial windmilling strikes. The youngest fighter present blinks, perhaps a bit surprised to see how well the combat medic weathered the attack, before snapping her arm back. "Thank you," she murmurs softly only to notice that Kyoko's attentions are on Mayor Mike instead for the moment.
Exhaling, the girl draws herself back into a more ready stance, left shoulder forward, arms raised, preparing to fend off whatever move Kyoko might make next. Unless, of course, the next move happens to go completely over her guard like the high leaping flip ends up doing! Trying to step back, bringing her arms up again, Hotaru finds herself unable to defend against the high vector attack and Kyoko's bare feet end up stomping right atop the head as intended.
A small grunt of surprise accompanies a backward fall to the ground as Hotaru lands in a seated position in her distractingly pink onsen robe, her left hand going to the top of her head with a wince. Grimacing, she aims to pull herself together, shuffling her feet back under her and lunging up at an angle back to standing, her left palm leading the way as she aims to deliver a stunningly hard strike with her left before twisting to the left and landing a second, even harder strike with her right. "Ya.. yaa!"
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Haggar with Devastation Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/------=|=======\====---\1 Haggar
Haggar's loincloth flops back down over those taut cheeks - yes, the same cheeks his DEAD WIFE admired so - as he straightens, backing away from Hayato and immediately spreading his arms, ready for the next attack. He rolls his shoulders, and is nothing but focused.
Until Kyoko /baaasically/ hits on him. Scandalized, Haggar slowly creaks his head over, his face a stone mask, and he acknowledges her with a small wave over his shoulder. A blush blooms into his cheeks, bleeding down from the edges of his stache. "I'll... keep that in... mind, Kyoko."
deadwifedeadwifedeadwifedeadwife
So distracted, he doesn't realize he's about to be kicked until he hears the flames of a jealous suitor (maybe) explode around Hayato's foot. "Crrr--!" Haggar begins a soft swear, pivoting around and trying to cross up his arms, but the kick slams a furious red burn across his chest. The Mayor growls in pain, staggering back several steps, almost falling to a knee. Flames continue to lick around his chest for a while, and he pants for breath. This isn't going well. Unless he gets downright bombastic, he's in trouble. His hand slides surrepetitiously over, grabbing onto a toppled bit of bamboo. The plant creaks as Haggar's hands clamp down onto it.
"CLENCH YOUR TEETH!" Haggar shouts, exploding out of his kneel and drawing the long bamboo pipe back. His arm cracks out in a swinging motion, hurling the shoot right... past Hayato's shoulder.
WHAT A TWIST!
Haggar breaks the other way, trying to just brute Hayato off his feet, wrapping his arms around the teacher's waist and flinging him upward.
"Roll the dice!"
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Haggar's Gamble Slam.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Haggar
Somewhere, a very depressing horn refrain plays.
Now, it's true that Haggar is destroying onsen property. But Hayato really has no room to speak when it comes to causing damage to his surroundings in a fight. Besides, the place belongs to SNF, so it all works out. Now Hayato has to worry about onsen property damaging him. Or so he thinks. He ducks to the side as the bamboo goes flying past him, only then realizing that it wasn't going to hit him anyway. And /that/ means... Hayato whips his head around to see Haggar charging toward him, and swiftly slams a foot down in an attempt to switch directions. A good plan, but he's barefoot and the rock floor is wet. Haggar's hands just brush by him as Hayato slides backwards, hits the edge of the spring and topples over into it, vanishing into the steaming water with a huge splash.
A few moments pass, and the water has just started to settle down when Hayato suddenly surges back to his feet, sending more water spraying all over the place. Even more than he normally would, as a fiery aura surrounds him. "Raaaaagh!" The intensity of this display is somewhat diminished, however, by Hayato then using his left hand to rub at his eyes. Getting hot water in your eyes is really quite unpleasant.
COMBATSYS: Hayato gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Haggar
COMBATSYS: Kyoko counters Fierce Punch from Hotaru with Katayoku no Kamae.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Haggar
A cursory glance in spare as Hotaru offers a soft thank you. Kyoko grins distantly, acknowledging that, yes, she heard the girl, and that she appreciates her strength. Though she is years younger, she is on the same level--if not more--than a woman older than her. That is admirable.
But the fight is far from over. However graceful yet unorthodox the attack may be, Kyoko lands atop the girl's head with the majority of her weight. Fortunately, Kyoko is trained enough that--while painful, yes--the maneuver is far from lethal, and Hotaru's neck is spared from nasty and potentially fatal injury. Using the girl's head as a momentary platform, Kyoko leaps off, flips and lands in a slight crouch.
Yes, the towel is still intact. Kyoko is /that/ good.
Pivoting on her heel, Kyoko is treated to the sigh of Hotaru shuffling back onto her feet and making her charge. The second her first strike shoots out the woman whips aside, narrowly avoiding the strike. When the follow-up strike comes--
Kyoko snaps an arm out and stops it cold.
Not even a second later the woman draws Hotaru toward her, drawing a leg up at the same time. With a swift snap she kicks it out and stomach-level to the young Kenpo fighter, pulling the girl into her leg before she swings it AROUND her body and delivers a quick kick to the girl's backside, to send her stumbling forward while releasing her arm.
With a sigh the woman's attentions turn to Hayato and Haggar. "Hayatooooo," she calls. "Don't be so mean to the mayor!"
The girl watches Kyoko slip around her left hand. A minor set back, to be sure, but she doesn't hesitate to carry out her intended attack, executing it as planned. Perhaps the woman won't be so quick to avoid the second hit- As it turns out, she isn't. But it doesn't thurn out any better for Hotaru as her arm is caught, her hand extended, leaving her wide open to the two kicks that follow. The stomach-level hit provokes a gasp and the follow up kick to her backside sends her staggering several steps before she falls forward, catching herself with her hands against the ground, releasing a soft grunt.
Again the woman's vexing ability to avoid, defend against, and counter every attack she throws seems to be getting the best of her. Shaking her head, sending her pig-tails flapping, Hotaru shoves herself back up to standing, whirling around, hands raised at the ready to defend herself from any follow up strikes if needs be. Normally carefully to stay abreast of what her partners in team fights are up to, she remains perhaps blissfully oblivious for the time being about what is going on between Hayato and Haggar, and any flaps, twisted leather cords, or the integrity of towels being threatened with whatever those two are up to.
Instead her sharp, azure eyes stay fixed on Kyoko, not intending to give the woman a break if she can manage it. Though with how things are going, she isn't sure how much longer she can keep pushing herself either. Taking in her breath to regain her composure, Hotaru bolts forward. From a yard out, her right foot crosses over mid-step as the girl twists herself into a horizontal cartwheel designed to deliver a quick, sidways kick against Kyoko's side. Her left leg would touch down post-spin and she would use the last of her momentum to deliver a second cartwheeling kick just like the first before the young fighter would spin to a stop a little ways past Kyoko all together!
Haggar latches onto nothing, whirls around, and throws absolutely nothing vertically, stabbing one finger into the air.
It's a little embarassing.
He immediately drops back into his wrestling stance, stretching out his aching chest. The bruise from the bokken and the burn from the kick combine into a kind of hammer-looking mark of agony, and he groans as he flexes it out, slapping at his chest with one hand. The best way to block out pain is to flood yourself with it for a moment - it's not so bad after. That's more of that hard-earned GANGFIGHT learnin'.
You know, the gang that killed his wife, who is dead.
Even so, with Hayato walking all over him this fight, the Mayor grins. "Being mean? Hah! We're just getting started on each other!" His upper body already a mass of bruises, it's only a little bit of an empty boast, but he still has plenty of energy. "Don't think I'll let you stand around that easily, kiddo!" The Mayor runs up onto a rock bordering the hot spring and leaps at the 35-year old man he just called kid, balling up and soaring through the air. He slams his legs out at nearly the last moment, a little spiral of wind circling his legs as he spins rapidly at the point of impact.
COMBATSYS: Hayato Toughs Out Haggar's Drop Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Haggar
Okay, phew. Hayato finally got the water out of his eyes. And just in time to hear Kyoko calling his name. That's certainly a good reason to want to be able to see. He quickly turns to look at her. "Yes?" And then she chides him for engaging in manly battle! "Aw, c'mon Kyoko-" Wait a second. It's pretty hard for Haggar to move without being noticed, and of course he's not even trying. Hayato turns back to see a wall of meat flying toward him feet first. Well, the water means getting out of the way isn't really an option, and if he tries to duck Haggar will just end up falling on him, so maybe he should- and then Hayato takes two feet in the face.
He leaves a wake as he's pushed back by the force of the impact, the bokken slipping from his hand and into the water, but if one could see Hayato's face underneath Haggar's feet, they'd see him grinning. Because that may have hurt, but Haggar's right where Hayato wants him now! He reaches up with both hands in an attempt to grab Haggar by the ankles, and then begin to spin around, dragging Haggar in a circle before he can fall into the water. Spinning, spinning, spinning, churning up the water, muscles straining to sustain the Huge weight... and then suddenly letting go. There isn't really any thought of aiming, so watch out, anybody who happens to be in the vicinity!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kyoko with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Haggar
Making a face at Hayato as he argues otherwise, the woman lifts a finger and gently wags it at the Phys Ed teacher. How dare he beat up her teammate! What is he thinking? She has a fight to win!
Once Hotaru recovers, Kyoko turns her attentions fully onto the young Seijyun girl. While Haggar's predicament seems troublesome, she realizes that leaping to interfere would only be a hindrance on the mayor. Frowning slightly to herself, the woman purses her lips slightly as she regards the Kenpo fighter.
Eventually, even Kyoko's perceived 'luck' has to run dry.
The girl's fluid steps and grace are a bit disorienting; as result she's struck with each strike, the last cartwheel-like assault-into-kick crashing into the woman and knocking her back. She loses her footing, skidding across smooth flagstones as result. Somehow, be it sheer luck or MUCK rating or what-have-you, the woman's towel remains fully intact.
"Oh dear, that's what I get for not paying attention!" the woman offers, gasping deeply before she pulls her body back onto its feet. Stumbling lightly, the nurse grins sheepishly before she thumbs over a shoulder. "Your teammate is really a handful for the mayor, you know. I should probably help him at some point."
And as if prelude to 'the end,' the nurse dashes toward Hotaru, attempting to uppercut her into the air. And, should this prove successful, she'll LEAP up after her, grab the girl by an arm and leg before she drops with Hotaru downward, striking the Kenpo girl's back INTO her knee before she'll throw the girl up once more. Again, Kyoko will leap up after and follow, gripping the girl by both arms before she'll DIVE toward the earth with Hotaru, attempting to bodyslam her with one, painful, finishing blow. "YAA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru just-defends Kyoko's Naraku e no Hodou!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Haggar
Hotaru's mouth flickers into a hint of a smile as Kyoko chides herself for not paying attention. Were she fighting someone more her own age or perhaps a student looking for advice, she would probably add to the statement with some follow up advice or instruction... but she's not about to give the quite capable woman advice as if she knew better herself. Besides, if she had any advice at all, she'd suggest laying off the sauce before fights, but that would be impolite to point out! So instead she just offers a smile.
Having landed cleanly and spun back around to face the woman, Hotaru brings her hands back up to snap back to her ready position. She still feels ridiculous carrying out this match in a pink robe best suited for enjoying the evening after a nice soak in a spa, but the girl is determined to bring her best to her martial arts all the same. "Hayato-sensei is very powerful," Hotaru agrees, not surprised to learn that he's an equal match to the legendary Haggar. "I know he'll do his part if I just do mine."
And right now she /really/ needs to step up her game to make good on 'doing her part'. And right now, she's determined to make her part an act of keeping Kyoko busy so that the epitome of Burning Spirit bokken-wielder can keep the pressure on Haggar! As the woman charges her again, Hotaru decides to draw upon better defense than she had been. She's pacing herself too much just trying to stay even and it isn't working out...
When Kyoko closes distance to deliver an incredible uppercut, Hotaru leaps into a forward flip, meeting the impressive punch by flipping into it, palms first, a shimmer of blue chi appearing between her palms and Kyoko's fist as she allows herself to be smacked up into the air yet without suffering any injury from the impact. Thus it is that by the time the woman meets her in the air, Hotaru is ready for her, twisting around to keep her arm safe from the nurse's grasp, sparing herself the rest of the debilitating pain that the combination would have dished out on her.
The girl comes to a controlled landing a few yards off in a half crouch, eyes focused on Kyoko's landing point as she, herself intends to catch her right as she comes back down. The energy that was at one point her defense becomes her offense as she twists to the left, stepping forward and swinging her right hand out, unleashing that shimmering blue in the form of a sapphire shere of churning energy targeting the woman. "YA!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar counters Strong Throw from Hayato with Power Swing.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Hayato 1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0 Haggar
The mayor has to think fast - he can tell right on the impact that Hayato was more than ready for the kick, and keeps his wits straight when Hayato starts to spin him around. The high-speed camera catches a perfect shot of the Mayor's face pulling into a thin line - this is the giant swing. This is Haggar's /move!/ His eyes desperately dart around, trying to make sense of the whirling surroundings. Hayato gets one spin... two spins... then the wrestler lashes out.
Haggar's hands wrap a passing panda head, and his body emits, very briefly, a blue flash. Then, he makes his own clockwise spin, transferring the momentum, whipping Hayato right around just with his legs to fling him right into the wall with tremendous force. The wall that is serving to divide this hot spring, normally the men's, from the women's side. You see, since his wife is dead, he isn't as acutely aware of the forbidden barrier as most men are. Acrobatically, he makes one more full turn on the panda head, shoving off to somersault in all of his loinclothed glory into the hot, steamy water. He slams his right hand up, finger pointed up: "HOOYEAAAAH!"
This isn't how things were supposed to go at all! Hayato thought he had a good handle on the situation, but it turns out that this is a move Haggar is quite familiar with, and knows how to counter. So suddenly Hayato goes from spinning around in a circle to being spun around in a circle... and he was already getting a bit dizzy, so it's hard to do a whole lot but watch things blur around him. And then everything suddenly snaps into focus, as Hayato finds himself sailing toward that barrier that defends that forbidden treasure, the women's side of the bath. The teacher slams into the wall, which shudders violently and then, slowly, topples over and dumps Hayato into the water on the other side. Heaven!
Unfortunately, the SNF staff are familiar with the concept of personal injury lawsuits, so there's nobody on the other side for Hayato or the wall to land on. Besides, they've got Kyoko already, so it's not really necessary to have anybody there. (And Hotaru. If you're into that kind of thing.) Hayato pulls himself out of the water, coughing and sputtering, and hauls himself up to a standing position on the rocks near the remains of the wall. "Ha! That was a nice one!" And then Hayato leaps back toward Haggar, leading with his right leg, not noticing that his towel became loosened from his impact with the wall. He lashes out with one kick, then spins about in mid-air to lash out for a second kick with his other foot... and the action causes his wet towel to fly free and splash down into the water revealing... a red speedo. It seems Hayato was prepared for this eventuality.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kyoko with Hakki Shou.
"Ah, well, yes he is, but that Haggar fellow is pretty strong too!" chimes Kyoko, a hand absently waving in the air at her shoulder. "But even the strongest men need a woman's help from time to time."
Which is why Kyoko makes a mad dash for Hotaru, attempting to cleave into the girl's face with a mighty uppercut. But through some miracle or miscalculation on the mildly-inebriated nurse's behalf, Hotaru leaps forward and catches the punch with chi, absorbing the blow. Gritting her teeth, she attempts to press the attack /anyway/, leaping after the girl but to no avail. She's just too slippery.
When Kyoko lands, so too does Hotaru. But unlike the woman, Hotaru takes initiative, slinging a shimmering sphere of energy right at her. Blinking black eyes in surprise, the nurse's thin, bare arms come up--
But the blob of chi pierces her defenses, striking the woman hard.
Flying back, she hits the ground with a WHUD, her towel fortunately still pinned into place. Coughing a few times, Kyoko rolls to one side and slowly picks her body up, hands reaching up to dust off the singed front of her fluffy onsen towel. "Well," she surmises, "I guess I got a little too arrogant!" A laugh follows. An attack, however, does not; instead, the woman gives herself a moment to breathe. Owww.
COMBATSYS: Kyoko gains composure.
Whew, that was a turn of fortune, Hotaru muses to herself as she draws her hand back, the last of risidual energy fading from her forearm. Be it a flash of inspiration or a stroke of good luck, the girl is simply glad to be able to keep fighting for a while longer than she thought was going to happen with the way things were going. The successful defense and subsequent strike with her chi based followup leave her feeling a surge of strength and confidence.
A soft exhale does little to mask the smile of exhilaration that crosses her lips, the girl spending less and less time thinking about the strange circumstances of the venue and more about the spirit of competition to be found in the fight itself. Again she refrains from offering advice to the more experienced Kyoko, only dipping her head in a polite acknowledgement of having heard what she had to say on the subject of being too certain that she was about to finish the younger fighter off. There's rarely a sure thing to be found when it comes to competition at this level, Hotaru had oft times warned her own students.
Given a brief reprieve, however, she glances to the side to check on how her partner is faring, vaguely aware of some exchange of collosal attacks the likes of which might have significantly changed the Phys Ed teacher's circumstances. Only to blink upon noticing him rise back up from Haggar's attack bereft of towel. Her attention snaps back to Kyoko all of the sudden, a hint of pink at her cheeks, "You're right, they're both very strong." Hotaru admits. Briefly she toys with the thought of testing her skill against the formidable Mike Haggar but in the end decides to leave the two men alone for the moment. Her hands occupy themselves with re-tightening the belt around her waist while Kyoko gathers herself, but the reprieve comes to an end when she finally bolts forward again.
Mid-step, the girl sweeps low to the lower stance she had adopted at times before, before converting her momentum into a forward lunge. This time her right hand leads, palm forward, as if she aims to deliver another one of her forceful strikes. Only at the last moment does she seek to grasp a tight hold of the nurse's nearest wrist, allowing her to draw back and pull the Justice High medic forward off balance and trip her over her forward leg in an attempt to sweep Kyoko to the ground in one smooth motion!
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Haggar with Second Kick.
The Mayor presents his arms for Hayato to kick, which he does! Unfortunately, then Hayato kicks him /again/ after the first one punches through his block, snapping him hard in his granite-esque face. His mustache splays out radically, and in his steadily-worsening state, he's pulled right off his feet to drop to a kneel.
Kyoko's words cause him to remember him having to explain the birds and the bees to Jessica, which is normally a mother-daughter type of conversation.
Her mother is dead.
Haggar smooths out his mustache with the back of his hand, grinning as he drops face-first into the water, slamming one foot out for Hayato's shin just to slow him up, rolling over and posting to his feet, water glistening on his enormous body. More naked muscles than Japan has seen in a hot spring since Arnold Schwarzeneggar's heyday collide brutally as Haggar lunges for Hayato, clamping his arms down on him in a vise grip. "Look out, ladies..." he begins...?!
COMBATSYS: Hayato counters Market Economy Buster from Haggar with Burning Cross Counter.
After his second kick lands, Hayato flips away from Haggar and splashes down into the water, mercifully (some might say) being submerged to above his waist. Somewhere down there is his bokken, but he doesn't really have time to search for it right now, as Haggar moves toward him and vanishes beneath the water. Dun dun. Dun dun. dun dun dun dun dun dun dun... And then something brushes against Hayato's leg! And the monster of the deep explodes into view, Haggar's arms reaching out for Hayato with a crushing grip.
But Hayato is already lunging down to meet Haggar, his fist blazing with fiery chi and burning white hot at the center as he cries out. "Haaaaaaah!" His fist impacts with Haggar's rising face, and then a moment later there's a gigantic explosion as the two forces meet and result in a shockwave, showering the entire area, and obscuring the two men as Hayato continues to follow through on his swing to drive Haggar as far down to the ground as he can.
COMBATSYS: Kyoko blocks Hotaru's Quick Throw.
Wincing as Haggar is FALCON PUNCH'D by Taiyo's Phys Ed teacher, Kyoko cannot help but feel somewhat guilty. He needed her help before hand, and now he needs it more than ever. And here she is, taking a moment to just catch her breath. It's scandalous! It's terrible! She's a horrible teammate!
"Don't worry, mayor!" the woman calls after, even as the two practically cause the entire onsen foundation to rock when meat meets meat. Glancing aside to Hotaru, she offers an apologetic smile before she begins to tip her head. "S-sorry, give me one se--"
Before she can even excuse herself momentarily Hotaru comes at her, lunging toward the towel-bound nurse. Using one hand to intercept, Kyoko diffuses the palm strike with a wince, followed by a thrust of her hand toward Hotaru's forearm, redirecting the girl's grasping strike harmlessly away. She hops back briefly, putting distance between herself and the girl before she charges--!
Right past Hotaru with a quiet 'soooorry!' Where is she going?
Right for Hayato!
"Hayatoooo~!" the woman calls almost playfully, but her intent is anything /but/. She lashes out with a swift strike, attempting to stun him briefly with a jab to his clavicle before she'll try and maneuver around him, before HUGGING HIM FROM BEHIND. "I told you to go easy on him!"
With that cry, Kyoko will LIFT Hayato off his feet and bend her body backwards, to slam Hayato's poor cranium into the damn flagstones paving the onsen.
Hotaru's arm is deflected aside before the pig-tailed girl snaps her hand back, thinking it necessary to prepare herself for a strong attack back from Kyoko now that she's closed distance again. As it turns out, she's spared anything of the sort, but her hesitation leaves her unable to do anything about the fighting nurse slipping right past her to make her way over to Hayato. Dropping her guard the moment she realizes she's not being attacked, Hotaru whirls to keep Kyoko in sight.
Given a chance, her mind catches up with what must have transpired in the previous few seconds - the cracking sound of Hayato's powerful, chi-infused strike against his rugged opponent must have accompanied quite the hit from what she can tell at a glance. Maybe she should let Kyoko and Hayato just fight it out, she wonders, the two school faculty members clearly knowing each other.
But team fights are always a matter of supporting her teammate for the young fighter and even in this unusual setup, she decides not to deviate from that. "I can't leave Hayato-sensei to fight alone," the girl declares in the form of a warning before she gives chase after the licensed nurse. She can't do anything to stop the clever attack playing out before her eyes in an attempt to get /much/ closer to Hayato all of the sudden, but she's there immediately afterward, springing into a short hop, twisting her body into a single shoulder-level open palmed strike aiming to threaten Kyoko's balance should she not manage to defend herself in time. "HA!"
Her intent would be to finish her spin before her feet touch down, affording her an easy landing as possible!
The savage blow, not in the least aided by Haggar's own forward charging momentum, has dramatic effect. The Mayor's reaching arms freeze up, flinging themselves out to the sides as the fist explodes, the force shoving the water away from them in a widening circle. He snaps down, the back of his head slamming into bare springbed. A crack tears open in the ground, a gurgling sounding from deep in the earth.
The rest of Haggar's body slowly settles down, legs thumping hard against the ground.
The gurgling suddenly becomes a rushing torrent as a natural resevoir is cracked open, a geyser of heated water steaming in the air as it erupts beneath the Mayor's head, flinging him up like a force of nature. Blood drips down his back, an angry red burn covers most of his face, but his eyes have the blazing fire that has heralded the end of so many people's careers in criming and ganging. "So..." he says, voice ragged, "I hear you like team up attacks over here?"
Propelling himself with the exploding geyser water, Haggar joins the growing pile of fighters, all four of them slamming into each other in various methods. His arm seeks to lock around Hayato's head and shoulders (he can't really wedge those guns into the neck) as Kyoko is bringing him down, adding to the downward force of the throw. (and then, contingent upon not getting hamedo'd) After, he remarks, "I'll take it from here!" Still gripping Hayato, he hurls himself forward, adrenaline pounding in his ears, and starts whirling in a circle. The weird reverse backhanded grip on the face is extremely awkward, but it gets the job done, as Haggar pumps himself in a circle faster than Hayato could have hoped to do to him.
All at once, it breaks down, Haggar flinging Hayato away and dropping down to a knee, the water falling from the still-going geyser washing the still-flowing blood from his back.
CSYS: Haggar has targeted Hayato with Giant Swing.
COMBATSYS: Haggar can no longer fight.
Slowly, inexorably, Haggar continues to fall forward, face down. (un?)Fortunately, his backside is arced up, the flap of his loincloth indecently askew.
COMBATSYS: Hayato Toughs Out Kyoko's German Suplex!
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Haggar's Giant Swing.
Hayato takes a deep breath as he stands back up, then suddenly turns at the siren call. "Kyoko!" He's still grinning stupidly at her when he starts wobbling backwards from the sudden strike to the clavicle, giving her plenty of time to get behind him and yank him up off his feet. This is not an entirely unpleasant experience, at least up until his head is dunked underwater and slammed painfully into the ground. He's still upside down when Haggar grabs him, so there's not much he can do. He can't even breathe until Haggar lifts him up and starts spinning him around. But as he's sent flying Hayato wildly reaches out with one hand, grabbing a piece of a bamboo structure. This stops his sudden flight, but it puts an extreme strain on both his arm and the bamboo, the latter of which breaks, dumping Hayato to the ground and causing his face to slam into the rocks as he slips back into the spring.
With blood dripping from his nose the gym teacher hauls himself back up out of the water and assesses the situation. Kyoko and Hotaru both still look like they have plenty of fight left in them. That's good. He hadn't actually thought so far ahead as to what would happen if he actually had to fight Kyoko. So, um... "Keep up the good work, Hotaru!" And then a hearty laugh that is not at all forced, really. And at least there is one thing he can do. It'd probably be a good idea to prevent Haggar from drowning, so he moves to drag the mayor over to the side of the spring and haul at least the upper half of his body out so that he'll be propper up on the rocks. Fully lifting him is going to require a bit more effort than that.
COMBATSYS: Hayato takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kyoko dodges Hotaru's Aggressive Strike.
All at once, the onsen becomes one giant dogpile, with poor Hayato at the center.
Not that he really seems to /mind/ it, as he's gripped by the Justice High nurse. Though the hug is less sincere or loving or sweet and more 'oh god my back just broke in three places,' Hayato proves his manly muscle by TAKING IT and being dunked into the warm, soothing waters. That's about when Haggar makes his massive form known again, rising from the waters as Kyoko scrambles back onto her feet.
Somehow, that towel is still in place.
"Haggar, you're so strong!" the woman calls, watching as poor Hayato scrambles out of the worst of the mayor of Metro's assault. Surprised as he flies but catches himself, the woman claps. "And Hayato, you're still as strong as I remember!" But..?
"What? Why..?" Furrowing her brows, the woman seems perplexed as Hayato refuses to fight her as well? She was looking forward to seeing how well she could measure up to the Burning Phys Ed teacher! "That's so mean!" she pouts--but quickly realizes that the pitter-patter of Hotaru's feet draw near.
As result the woman spins around and leans, that palm-strike aimed for the shoulder narrowly missing the Devilish Nurse's body. A thin smile edges over her lips shortly after.
"Ohhh, I'm sorry I stopped fighting with you," she explains. "Haggar really looked like he needed help. And look how nice Hayato is, rescuing the man!"
Twisting on her heel rather suddenly thereafter, the woman spins sharply and, with a cry, swings a leg around, attempting to drive her heel into the side of Hotaru's fluffy robe--and the ribs!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru parries Kyoko's Light Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
Springing into action in an attempt to catch Kyoko off guard enough to strike her, Hotaru joins the other three fighters in a brief collision of all combatants piling into one location at once. Fortunately for her, she was just 'passing through' the danger zone, her short hop taking her into a safe landing about one step past ground zero. Sliding to a stop, she spins on her heel just in time to watch Hayato not only get a 'friendly' suplex into the ground but weather another storm of the mighty Haggar.
But ultimately, while Hayato is clearly able to still move, he's going to entrust the remainder of the match to her hands! Eyes widen slightly with a hint of surprise that passes quickly, the girl simply answering his encouragement with an audible, "Thanks, Hayato-sensei!" And with that, her focus is back on the bearer of the magical towel, Kyoko Minazuki. Standing straight, her hands forward, palms parallel in front of her, the girl adopts her ready stance.
"No need to apologize," Hotaru asserts again, but she doesn't sound too concerned about it. It seems the Justice High nurse really likes saying sorry, she's come to notice, and she can't worry herself over a mannerism like that. There's certainly worse things she's seen fighters say in the midst of battle. "It was a risky thing to do at that!"
But while she's speaking, her mind is busy. She knows from experience that Kyoko is quite capable and that while she's managed to survive her last couple of attacks, she can't count on being able to keep that up. She's going to need to make a significant move to keep up. Thus she commits to make her gamble the moment Kyoko moves forward with sudden speed.
Matching speed with speed, the Kenpo artist kicks out with her left foot, twisting into an aggressive deflection of Kyoko's leg to avoid the rib-bruising heel. With the same motion, however, she's already twisting down into a crouch, her arms out at her sides, a surge of that bright, azure chi exploding into existance as the girl drives herself up out of her crouch into a crushing back-flipping kick with both feet intended to plow through any attempt at defense on Kyoko's part. "Tenshou...!"
Hotaru's own momentum combined with a healthy amount of help from the fount of sapphire chi takes the girl into the air in a sharp arc. Only at the apex thereof would she flip forward into a dive right back down, aiming to tackle Kyoko to the ground. "Ranki!" To the misfortune of viewers world-wide, whatever happens next is lost to the cameras by a timely passing cloud of steam, leaving the only evidence of the conclusion of the attack limited to the sound of a significant chi detonation somewhere benhind the cloud!
COMBATSYS: Kyoko counters Ten-shou Ranki EX from Hotaru with Katayoku no Kamae.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
"It certainly was risky," Kyoko agrees, exhaling with disappointment while gently giving her head a shake. "But, well, I guess it's all up to us ladies now to carry the show. So I shall give my best, and I am more than confident in saying that you shall, too!"
And give Hotaru shall.
With a surprising, nearly impossible to follow burst of speed the young fight makes her charge for the Justice High nurse as she herself attempts to kick her. Offering a muted yelp of surprise, she watches as the young Kenpo fighter deflects the blow and immediately drops into a low crouch. That chi--!
Furrowing her brows, the nurse actually leaps into the air as Hotaru's feet snap out, attempting to pierce her defenses. Seconds after she sharply ascends as the woman falls back to the earth, black eyes snapping up to meet the girl. She's going to descend and attempt to take her down with a chi-infused tackle! She's seen this before on late-night SNF reruns.
Pursing thin lips, Kyoko shifts a foot back, steadying her balance. Just as Hotaru dives toward her the elder woman snaps a hand out, catching the girl by a wrist before she sharply tugs, literally catching the little firefly out of midair. In one, fluid movement she pulls her to the ground while lifting a leg high before she drops her heel down, right into the young Kenpo artist's midsection. "HI-YAH!"
Fortunately, the steam covers up whether or not she has anything under that towel.
Pulled out of the air, Hotaru's back hits the ground with a solid thud, the gathered potential lost to the air around her as her chi fizzles. Dazed by the sudden reversal, she's too slow to do anything about the heel driving down into her stomach and it connects with enough solid force to force the air from her with a pained exhale before she curls onto her side. Bewildered, but not out, she doesn't stay still for even a second, twisting over one more time to her hands and toes and kicking herself back up quicly to her feet.
Shaking her head in an attempt to pull through the pain, she focuses back on Kyoko, jaw set with determination while her eyes sparkle with a muted degree of appreciation for the woman's remarkable skill. The fastest attack she could bring to bear was unraveled into a punishing counter attack, the girl muses, left uncertain as how to move forward after something like that.
In the end, she decides she needs to make up ground by striking back hard as possible and with that goal in mind, Hotaru darts forward with no warning offered. It is into a low crouch she transitions only for an instant before she launches out of it, right shoulder first, like a tightly wound spring uncoiling with all its strength.
The aim is to drive her shoulder into the woman with enough force to send Kyoko stumbling... and if she manages that, Hotaru would finish the combination with one of her signiture one-handed palm strikes, attempting to pour the last of her forward momentum into that attack. "HAA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kyoko with Tanshou Shin.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
Quite expecting Hotaru not to be taken out so easily, Kyoko isn't the least bit surprised when the young fighter hops back onto her feet and readies herself. On the elder woman's face is a lopsided, almost sheepish sort of smile. Really--Kyoko enjoys fighting as much as the next fighter, but being pitted against the younger generation never really sets well with her. It's the look that meets that sparkling determination and appreciation in Hotaru's gaze.
Still, she herself does admire the girl's resolve and strength. For all she dislikes fighting 'children,' the girl has quite a bit of skill and strength within her. Smiling faintly, she seems pleased when the girl darts into action without a shred of hesitation. Sliding a foot back, the woman seems prepared to block, but second-guesses herself at the last. Though she attempts to weave aside at the last-possible second, it doesn't quite pan out; slammed by the shoulder and forced back by the driving blow, Kyoko exhales with surprise and pain.
The follow-up palm strike just makes it all the more painful.
Folding slightly, the nurse coughs a bit before she winces and looks up. "Th-that was pretty g-good," the woman compliments, utterly sincere as she grins. "I'm still impressed!"
Wounded, but not down quite yet, Kyoko breaks forward, dashing after the younger fighter. With one arm outstretched, the Justice High nurse will attempt to grab the girl and--should she get her in her coils--deliver a series of grappling strikes and swift locks!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Kyoko's Shi no Kaigo.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
Her hand remains extended for a moment, heel of her palm forward, hand trembling slightly as the impact of such exhertion quickly hits home. Finally she snaps her hand back, the echo of her shout dying out as suddenly as it was created. Kyoko expresses that she's impressed and Hotaru blushes lightly at the compliment, "Thank you, Kyoko-sensei," the girl states, but her sharp eyes don't stop paying attention for even one instant.
But for all her attention to detail, there's nothing she can do about the abject speed with which the nurse closes distance. Expecting strikes, Hotaru brings up her hands, preparing to smack aside whatever might come next so that she can counter attack... but instead she finds herself trapped by a vise-like grip astonishingly firm for someone with such womanly hands. Caught, Hotaru is pulled into an arm twist or two before being dropped to the ground. The true strength of Kyoko's close-in combat skill becomes abundantly clear in an instant as young Futaba struggles to pry herself free before she would no longer have the strength to defend herself!
In the end, she pulls a desperate but necessary move in the midst of such commotion and in a split second, the pig-tailed fighter is free, spinning up to a low crouch just to the side of the talented Minazuki. The secret to her escape becomes abundantly clear in an instant, as while she herself is free of the painful combination of close in strikes and grapples, Kyoko will be left with a tight hold on her pink onsen-robe now that Hotaru is no longer wearing it.
Clearly not having left such things up to chance, the Kenpo artist appears to have been clad in a blue swimsuit beneath the robe all along, though that doesn't keep her from allowing herself a hint of a sheepish grin at the trick. But there's no time to be feeling clever - she needs to attack back in an instant if she's to find an opening. From her crouched position, her hands plant against the ground as Hotaru suddenly sweeps her right leg along the ground, aiming to try and catch Kyoko before she might recover from her attack. "KYA!"
But a second attack follows if she gets the chance, as Hotaru pushes off with both feet into a rising kick with both feet out, aiming to deliver a follow up strike and then land on her feet on firm ground all in one fluid motion!
COMBATSYS: Kyoko endures Hotaru's En Un Kasou.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
Rather than offer a response to the young fighter, Kyoko just moves; dashing toward the girl, the nurse hopes to capitalize on the moment by catching her off guard and simply piercing through any potential or perceived defenses. Gripping Hotaru by her wrist, she manages a hold upon the girl, giving the arm a soft but painful twist to pin the girl in place.
Hotaru is, however, more resourceful than she'd given her credit for.
Twisting out of the woman's vise-like grasp, the girl frees her arm and body, avoiding being caught up in the Justice High nurse's fearsome grasps. A startled gasp escapes the woman, who now has in hand that fluffy pink robe. Wait--wait. Did she? Is she..??
Turning to face the girl with a horrified and apologetic look, she finds...the girl is prepared for just such an instance. There escapes the woman a sigh of relief before she simply tosses the robe aside. "That was pretty sneaky," the nurse observes.
Suddenly Hotaru is on the move again, and the leg which sweeps out strikes its target, causing the elder woman to stagger and flail her arms. But she holds her balance--even as Hotaru's feet kick out and strike the woman rather hard in the trunk of her body. A winded 'OOF' escapes her, but she does not fall. She holds her ground, and a hand moves out--!!
"You did very well, Hotaru," the Justice High nurse offers, ruffling the girl's hair a bit before she winks. "But this fight is over, I think. You and your teammate did really well! I'm impressed by the both of you!"
Half-turning away, the nurse stretches her arms overhead before she exhales contently. "Be/sides/, I'd rather go and have fun with everyone. I am pretty sure I saw a print club booth in the lobby and I am dying to fit in some karaoke and a round of drinks for everyone."
Content with her decision, the nurse begins to walk off, waving a hand. "I should get dressed and see if I can't help fix up my poor teammate. He must have had such a hard time against Hayato..." Exhaling and shaking her head, the woman mulls as she exits, "Ohh, I really hoped he would have been a little nicer!"
COMBATSYS: Kyoko takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kyoko
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Kyoko has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
The Kenpo artist can't argue with her trick being sneaky. Kyoko's words are taken as a compliment as she felt they were intended, but she also can't help but feel just a touch 'off' about the escape manuever. Usually focused more on proving out her talent with martial arts rather than resorting to situational stunts and grandstanding tricks. But... sometimes a little clever thinking can go a long ways in the right instant, such as trying to avoid getting twisted into a knot!
But there's no time to acknowledge any of that as the girl acts immediately to counter attack, wary now of giving Kyoko even the slightest inch to prepare herself. Hotaru's two step attack connects, allowing her to land on her feet, dropping into a low crouch in need of a fraction of time to recover her own strength after such significant exhertion. But then she's pushing herself up to standing, aware of Kyoko standing right behind her - this is it, if she gets caught again, she won't be able to pull free a second time and she'll have to submit, unable to take more of the pain the woman was capable of dishing out.
She tries to predict how to move, how to avoid the attack she can't exactly see coming...-! And then gets her hair ruffled. The girl freezes then hazards a glance up over her shoulder to catch Kyoko's wink. "T-thank you, Kyoko-sensei." She grins lightly, spinning around to face the woman directly now as the nurse declares the harrowingly close fight to be over in her opinion. The girl blinks, opening her mouth to ask if she's sure, before closing it again, deciding she shouldn't question the woman's assertion.
As she goes on to describe her likely itinerary, however, Hotaru perks up. "That sounds like a lot of fun," and a great way to end a weekend at an onsen resort. She'll pass on the round of drinks, perhaps, but karaoke? With someone as fun-loving as Kyoko? This woman is /nothing/ like any other school faculty member she had ever encountered.
"Yeah... Hayato-sensei is really powerful, but the Mayor seemed really tough too!" she acknowledges as Kyoko turns to walk away but Hotaru holds her ground, pressing her hands together and offering a very formal bow after the respected combatant. After that, she hooks the dropped robe up off the ground with her finger and slips it back on with a tired grin and shrug offered toward the SNF officials. Not every match ends the way anyone might expect and this one most definitely counts for one of those.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
Log created on 22:29:21 08/11/2009 by Kyoko, and last modified on 22:05:33 08/19/2009.