Description: Zach and Miu mix it up for the fans in England. Both fighters learn that they have more in common than they may have first suspected. (Winner: Miu)
Essex: The Arena Runway.
It isn't the most glamorous place in the world, but tonight, it is packed to the brim. Why? Because it is the slated location of a Neo League match! The challenge had been issued, and this place, mostly because it was cheap and the owners didn't mind a bit of redecorating, had been pegged as the location.
Miu seems bored. But then, it's hard to tell if she ever gets excited about anything. The young Japanese girl is standing, slouched, in the middle of the racetrack. Bright lights buzz a harsh electric glare down on the track, and make her squint uncomfortably. A single solitary crow has remained with her for moral support, settled on her shoulder as she awaits the arrival of her opponent.
Well, it beat another night at home alone, didn't it?
Zach Glen arrives with minimal pomp, but more than a few cheers. The crowd knows that this is going to be an explosive match at the very least. The young man blinks once or twice when he sees Miu for the first time.
This may be the first time he is fighting someone /shorter/ than he is. Well, he thinks, this will be a novel experience. He nods once to the young lady as he hands a longish bundle to one of the stage crew, along with a gauntlet freshly removed from his right hand.
Zach sets into a relaxed stance, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet as slight traces of psycho power ripple along his arms.
COMBATSYS: Zach has started a fight here.
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Zach 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Miu has joined the fight here.
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Miu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Miu gives the slightest nod of her head to Zach when he arrives. The young girl shifts slightly, and the crow flutters away with a squawk. Flying up into the sky and off, abandoning her to this fight, and whatever fate may have in store for her.
The girl doesn't say a word, but a slow trickle of black and white glowing feathers drift from her sleeves as she turns to face Zach more fully. She can feel the psycho power from here, which is interesting to her. She rarely got to fight other users of the energy. Perhaps she'd learn something from the experience after all.
Of course, the fact that she's giving off a soft, goodly aura of the energy herself might pique the curiosity of her opponent further.
It's something Zach would not have been able to notice a year ago, in fact. Back then, he would have had to taken a jolt of the stuff to realize it. He tilts his head to one side in appraisal. "Well," he says politely, "This is a rare treat." He considers for another moment as he settles into a more set stance. His lead foot slides forward a couple of inches.
Zach blasts forward, throwing a fast punch at Miu's chest, a psycho powered gauntlet rippling around the fist as the punch is thrown. There is a surprising amount of force in the strike, more than could be accounted for just with Zach's momentum and arm strength.
COMBATSYS: Miu blocks Zach's Jab Punch.
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Miu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Miu doesn't smile, though internally she's pleased. The punch comes in at her, and she brings her arm up to turn it aside. The girl isn't very strong, but it seems that Zach isn't the only one using his energy to supplement his physical abilities. The girl's hand gently guides the punch away from her.
Then, her other hand reaches out to grab him by the shoulder. She's much less subtle in her use of the energy, though. If she successfully grabs him, bright white energy will trail after him as she pulls him around, and into the ground. Psycho power burning into him as she aims to trip him over, and introduce him to the track. Only after the attack has been launched, hit or miss, will she deign to reply. Very quietly.
"Yes."
COMBATSYS: Miu successfully hits Zach with Quick Throw.
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Miu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Zach's eyes go wide with a touch of surprise as he finds himself slammed to the ground. The psycho power stings, but it doesn't burn like chi seems to. He lurches forward and rolls onto his feet with a bit of a grin on his face as he looks at Miu again.
He is taking note of her stance, the way she carries herself. There is a something of a cursory glance at the feathers, which is a fairly interesting visual effect.
COMBATSYS: Zach focuses on his next action.
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Miu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Miu watches Zach in turn, but, she doesn't want to give him the time to analyze her style in great detail. That would only end badly for her. Instead, after he gives her a look once over, the girl swings her arm around, and casts it forwards.
Despite her small size, Miu's power packs a mighty punch. Something she intends to demonstrate as a trio of feathers come shooting from her sleeve. Two glowing white, one dark black, they streak towards Zach in a diagonal pattern that aims to catch him across the torso, each one leaving a trail of sparkles, and each one would explode with a bright flash.
COMBATSYS: Zach overcomes Kakure Amagakeri from Miu with Pile Smash EX.
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Miu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Zach
Zach's brow furrows with concentration as the feathers come flying in. He quickly sweeps his arms upward, summoning three projectiles of his own. Rectangular sheets made of psycho power ripple into existance even as Zach brings his arms downward.
As if following the cue, the sheet closest to Zach slams down first, catching and obliterating the first two feathers. The second sheet answers for the third.
Miu will have to answer for the third sheet, which is still on a collision course for the young landy.
COMBATSYS: Miu negates Pile Smash EX from Zach with Amagakeri.
Glancing Hit
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Miu 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Zach
Miu's eyebrow twitches as her feathers are destroyed, but she's not going to let it get her down. Instead, she swings out her other arm. This time, just a single feather is shot out, but it is far more focused than the first three. It splashes against the third, intending to overcome and continue through to cause Zach some problems, but instead the display of power just causes the other to cease to exist.
She's sweating a little, and her eyes seek out Zach's underneath his cap. Silently willing him on to keep challenging her. Though she doesn't make a move herself, and she doesn't speak a word. The intensity is building, that's for sure.
Zach's eyes meet Miu's, and his response is a grin in acknowledgement. He jukes around a bit before closing in once more, psychic energy rippling around his body as he plants his left foot.
The right foot scythes in towards Miu's stomach, picking Zach off of his planted foot. He spins in the air, lashing his right foot out for Miu's chin. Both times, faint violet greaves shimmer into existance long enough to connect before vanishing.
COMBATSYS: Miu dodges Zach's Fierce Kick.
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Miu 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Zach
Miu moves in practiced motion. The girl leaves a faint trail of her own, which contrasts against the bright violet for a moment, but she manages to just about avoid Zach's blows. As he is coming down from the last, she is moving forwards.
The girl lashes out with one foot, the bright white trail coming with it, and aiming to hit Zach's side. Even as she is doing that, though, she's moving to wrap her arms around his neck. If she can manage this, she'll roughly jerk him down, and then, jump away. A trail of fluttering white feathers left in her wake.
"You have a lot of power." She'll murmur, either way. "It's, impressive."
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Charged Combo from Miu with Third Stance.
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Miu 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Even as Miu's kick catches him in the flank, Zach is lowering into a crouch. Grunting either out of pain or effort, a sword rips into existance in Zach's grip. It has a bit of a Gaelic look to it. He gathers his feet under him, and leaps upward at Miu, passing the girl with a wide sweep of the blade, catching her in the side as he passes.
He lands a moment later, the sword gone as he turns to face Miu. "Thank you," he says a second later. "I'm still a long way from mastering it, though."
Miu lets out a choking grunt as she hits the ground. The young girl pulls herself up to her feet only with some extreme effort, and as she does, she has to fix her ponytail up again, calming herself, and recovering her posture.
"It takes practice." She replies, "I wouldn't say that I have mastered it, either. There are still a lot of people out there..." A hint of a frown, an unpleasant memory, perhaps, "Who make me feel, weak."
COMBATSYS: Miu gains composure.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Zach
"It definitely takes a lot of that," Zach says agreeably as he looks at Miu appraisingly. She seems to be moving slower than what he'd think given the way the fight has been going. He adjusts slightly, setting into a slightly defensive posture.
"There's always a bigger fish," he then says sagely as he opens up some of the mental 'locks' he has placed on his power, bringing more of that energy to the fore.
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Zach
Miu certainly doesn't seem to be in any rush, it is true. But then, that's just her style, really. She doesn't rush things. She takes fights at her own pace, wherever possible. Preferring to let her opponents burn themselves out. When Zach begins to unleash his power, though, she seems to hesitate. Not entirely certain of what he's doing. It felt like his strength was growing even more. Had he been holding back on her? That was a disturbing prospect.
In a smooth motion, she's suddenly coming forwards again. The girl takes off from her standing start, and as she runs, her fist clenches. A bright glowing white feather melds around her knuckles, and she strikes out with it, aiming to punch Zach right in the center mass, a relatively simple attack, yes, but she's aiming to disrupt his attention with it, rather than do anything particularly fancy.
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Miu's Medium Punch.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Zach
Zach throws a forearm in front of Miu's fist, twisting at the hips to force the punch aside. Zach takes a deep breath before forming a large, heavy looking gauntlet around his right hand.
He lets out a loud kiai as he recoils from the blocking motion, throwing that heavy punch into the center of Miu's torso. Should the fist connect, Zach releases all of that pent-up energy to knock Miu clear!
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Miu with Burst Strike.
- Power hit! -
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Miu 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Zach
Miu's eyes go wide, and the girl does everything she can to get out of the way. Some sixth sense tells her that she really, really doesn't want to be here right now. But it is too little, too late. The explosion of energy is taken full on, and she is lifted off her feet. Sent hurtling across the racetrack, to crash painfully into the barrier.
She gets up, again, quite painfully, and exhales. Recovering herself for the second time, she has to wipe a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. "... Definitely very impressive." She murmurs, softly. "I don't think, that I've ever fought someone with so much, power. If you could learn to control it completely..." She lets the unspoken compliment hang in the air. She's not one to babble on and on about these things, but she's obviously surprised. It isn't often she meets someone with the same amount of psychic power as she has. The raw energy that bubbles forth and sometimes threatens to overwhelm...
COMBATSYS: Miu gains composure.
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Miu 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Zach
Zach looks at Miu with a curious look as she starts to speak. Something about the way she says it, though... She gives voice to that generally unspoken dream of his. There is, for the briefest moment, a look of longing on his face that is quickly shaken off.
Zach scowls at the slip in self-control that he tries to brings to his fights. The psychic knight blitzes forward, lowering his center of gravity as he thrusts a mailed elbow into Miu's midsection!
COMBATSYS: Miu dodges Zach's Aggressive Strike.
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Miu 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Zach
The girl steps to the side as Zach comes in for her, the girl is having to work very hard to keep up with Zach, but she doesn't seem ready to call it a day just yet. No, quite the opposite. She could still turn things around, so long as she could make sure that he doesn't manage to hit her like that a second time.
The girl's arm leaves a blazing trail of bright white as she spins on the spot, packing a far greater punch than she's thrown at him so far, she is curious to see what the reaction is... she's taken some huge blows this fight so far, it'll be interesting to see how he stands up to some power of her own!
COMBATSYS: Zach endures Miu's Shubatsu.
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Miu 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Zach plants his feet, the scowl still on his face as the strike comes in. He takes it full on in the chest. He seems to be irritated, more at himself than at Miu as he exhales at the strike.
He brings one hand back, summoning up a large sphere of psycho power, one of the first 'refined' techniques he ever came up with as he pours energy into the construct, which he quickly brings down on the smaller girl's head!
COMBATSYS: Miu blocks Zach's Impulse Flare.
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Miu 1/---====/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
The crowd are certainly being treated to a show tonight!
The sphere of energy catches Miu by surprise, and she brings both her arms up to fight against it, the psycho power flaring and splashing against her hastily constructed guard. When it passes, though, she decides that it is time to give back as good as she has gotten... if Zach was going to unleash his power, perhaps she should do the same!
Suddenly, Miu isn't just Miu. The power of the girl is called upon to its fullest extent, and she shines brightly. Pushing up from her kneeling position where she had buckled under Zach's strength, she comes up swinging.
One slash after another is thrown at Zach, cleaving bright white trails as she aims to slash him across the body again and again, after seven frighteningly potent blows, she turns on her heel, and lets everything out at once, just as Zach had done.
Unlike Zach, however, her power is more focused. A sudden eruption of bright feathers bursts like a lance from her outstretched arm, aiming to drive at and through her opponent. The burning feathers flutter all around her, as it fades away. It took a lot out of her to do that...
COMBATSYS: Miu successfully hits Zach with Psychic Secrets.
- Power hit! -
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Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Zach
Zach tries to turtle up, but is taken aback by the sudden ferocity of Miu's assault. He wobbles as he staggers back, bruises already forming as he regards Miu intensely. "You..." he gasps, "...are like me, aren't you?"
His own energy is rippling around him like fire. "More energy than you really know what to do with," he says as the psychic 'flames' seem to seep into Zach's body. He seems like he is in a spot, but that doesn't seem to stop him from fighting.
He throws a quick knee into Miu's midsection in an attempt to stagger her before snapping the heel of his right palm into his jaw!
COMBATSYS: Miu blocks Zach's Light Kick.
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Miu 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Miu is surprised that Zach can say anything, let alone fight back, after she hit him that hard. When he gets up, the girl brings her arm around to turn the blow again, bending over backwards to avoid the snap blow to her chin. She rolls to the side, keeping her thoughts to herself for the moment. She wanted to bring this to an end, then, she would talk to him.
As she comes up, another one of those glowing feathers is flung out in a swift burst. The feather aiming for Zach's right leg. She really wants to make him give up... preferably without knocking him out. It'd be irritating to have to wait for him to regain consciousness to continue the conversation.
COMBATSYS: Miu successfully hits Zach with Amagakeri.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach had not even waited for his strikes to land before lunging in for a follow-up move. The feather, aimed at his leg, strikes squarely in his chest and knocks him to the floor. Zach is gasping for air, staring at the skies with wide eyes.
He stays down, giving the referee (who was not about to get close to this fight) to count the wandering psyker out. He signals for the bell, leaving Zach to lay there for a bit. He seems in no hurry to get back on his feet.
With that, Miu walks over to Zach. The young girl looks down at him with those maddeningly impassive eyes, and hooks her fingers in the belt of her skirt.
"I am like you." She confirms, after a few moments. Conversation, apparently, is not a strong point. "It was interesting to fight someone like me. If you'd like to talk about it, we could do that."
Yup. About as social as a brick, here. The chance to talk to someone so similar to her is genuinely exciting! But she sounds as enthused as if she was talking about the prospect of watching paint dry.
"I think I'd like that," Zach says as he sits up. He pulls his cap off, mussing his hair to try and get some of the dust out. There was, apparently, more of that violet hair under his cap than one might have thought. It matches the energy he was throwing around earlier. He pulls the mane into a tail of his own, in a very Terry Bogard-like style.
He regards Miu in a new light as he pulls himself to his feet. He notes the eyes, the bland look on her face, then the uniform. He's seen the cut before, but the coloration is, in a word, darker than any of the ones he has seen before. It helps him form an opinion or two before he continues. The stagehand returns Zach's gear, which he takes gratefully. The gauntlet goes back on, oddly muting his psychic presence even as he attaches the bundle to some clips on his belt clearly designed for the purpose.
"So what was it like when you found out," Zach asks. "About the energy, I mean."
COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|
Miu doesn't even seem to notice the crowd cheering, people going wild for her. It, doesn't really interest her very much. Right now, she only has eyes for Zach. The girl considers the question carefully. Though she might look like a stereotypical goth, even a 'bad' person, she's really not anything like that.
She still doesn't seem very excitable though. "It gave me what I needed." She says, simply. There's a moment where she considers how to explain, and then she continues. "I need to learn more about this type of power. My brother is..." And there, for the first time, is a real crack in her mask. She looks genuinely pained. "He's dying. I suspect it has something to do with it, but I don't know what."
COMBATSYS: Miu has ended the fight here.
Zach frowns at that last part. "I'm sorry to hear that," he replies after a moment. He scratches the side of his head in thought. Her first statement was cryptic as all hell. "The first time I found out about my energy, I leveled a house and put my roommate in the hospital for three months." He looks incredibly sympathetic.
"So I'm not really sure how to help you," he says. "I... There are people I know who might, though."
Miu shrugs slightly. "You didn't put him there." She says, simply. There's a few moments of consideration, and then she nods her head.
"I am lucky. I have always had a good amount of control." She looks up at the sky, then, as a crow flutters down to take up position on her shoulder again. Maybe it is the same one as earlier, maybe not. Who can really tell?
"If you know people, though, I would like to meet them. That's what this League is all about. For me, anyway."
"My power, my responsibilty," he says evenly. It is the one thing he would give just about anything to undo. He paid the guy's hospital bills once he had made some winnings. He scratches his head, thinking about it a bit.
"They're pretty hard to find," he admits humbly, "But you could start at the Youth Fighters Community Center, ask for Alma. And I think Ingrid Holmann goes to Seijyun, now that I think about it."
"Thank you."
Words that Miu doesn't say very often. But then, she rarely spoke to anyone at all. If Ingrid was at Seijyun... she didn't know. But she was hardly the most sociable, or popular, person there. People didn't like her, and she didn't bother to get to know people nine times out of ten. She'd heard of the community center in the past, of course. She'd just assumed it was a waste of time for people with powers as specialized as hers. Maybe she was wrong.
She nods her head once more, then, as a mark of respect to Zach, and turns to leave. "Maybe I'll check it out." Is all she says, as she walks off.
"It's no trouble," Zach says. "I just hope it helps. I get around a lot these days. I'll keep my ear to the ground." He waves as she leaves, and heads for the locker room. He needs a shower, at the very least.
Log created on 16:13:24 11/13/2010 by Zach, and last modified on 00:29:39 11/14/2010.