Neo League 951 - #954: Zach vs Ibuki

Description: Zach and Ibuki kick the new Neo League season with a bang! (Winner: Ibuki)



Maki arrives from elsewhere.

The Ruined Temple stands as it has for years now, broken, defiled, and decaying. The heavy rain streams through the shattered roof and makes the ruined floor a mire of broken wood and thick mud, the whole place smelling slightly of moldy decaying wood. The entire place resounds with the sound of the heavy rain and the metalic pinks as some of the drops strike the temple's ancient metal bell....then there are those crows perched above on the ruined roof. The place gave off an ominous and creepy vibe.

Ibuki was glad the Neo League crew was here, she was so glad, this place was about as bad as the castle and the lonely cabin for creep factor. It's not that she's afraid it's just she gets a skin crawling sensation here and that bothers her. Shaking her head she goes back to her warm up routine taking care to get used to the sticky and swampy mud hole that formed the ground of the fighting area. A few more swift kicks and a spinning elbow shot to her shadow's face and she's finshed, "Alright!! Let's do this!!" She enthuses cheerfully.

A moment later the NL crew finish their set up and make it clear that as soon as the two fighters were ready they could get their match going.

Zach walks in slowly, taking in the... ambience of the scene. He mutters to himself, something either about how creepy it is, or how Miu would probably dig this place. He shakes the feeling off, adjusting an oblong bundle slung across his back. He looks across the way to Ibuki, who... doesn't seem to have that ninja solemnity down pat just yet. No matter.

He bounces lightly on the balls of his feet, throwing a few classical boxing punches as he warms up. He's just waiting for the signal, apparently.

COMBATSYS: Zach has started a fight here.

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Zach             0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Ibuki has joined the fight here.

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Zach             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Ibuki


COMBATSYS: Ibuki equips Wood Miraiin.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Well it seems her opponent had arrived! Ibuki gives Zach a quick once over, "Well lets give everyone a good fight okay?!" Again her tone is energetic and bright not the solemness one would expect from a ninja at all, "Please don't hold back at all against me, cause I won't against you." Her body posture suddenly shifting into a fighting stance and her eyes while still giving the impression of a carefree attitude also get an oddly determined set to them at the same time a piece of paper glowing slightly in her fighting gauntlets.

Without any further ado she leaps forward to close the distance and start the fight off with a proper attack! Which is why she tries to spin kick Zach in the Chin to pop him up into the air so that she could then leap up and use his head as a springboard before sending him back into the ground hard.

COMBATSYS: Ibuki successfully hits Zach with Tobizaru.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Zach             0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach's eyes narrow. Something about that piece of paper is naggingly familiar to him. It's distracting enough that he catches the kick right in the jaw! Ibuki shows off her agility, and sends Zach smashing into the earth! He's here to see something, actually, but the paper was not it. He reaches back with a flash of instinct, and yanks his wakazashi free of the bundle containing it.

Purple runes slide across the blade's surface as Zach leaps towards Ibuki with a fierce yell to show his own determination. He closes the gap quickly, his leap augmented by the fantastic powers that run through him. The young man swings his sword once as he passes, the blunted edge screaming towards Ibuki's midsection!

COMBATSYS: Zach equips Violet Miraitou.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Zach [E]         0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Ibuki with Aggressive Strike.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Zach [E]         0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Things start off well enough as Ibuki hits home and springs away from Zach, she makes a smooth landing and is already turning to face him again when he's already leaping upon her already wielding a weapon with glowing purple runes. She tries to slip to the side of the blunted edge as it is driven towards her gut but she doesn't quite manage it and is knocked backwards with a rough "Guah!" as she hits the mud and slides a bit further away.

Hopping back to her feet smoothly she shakes herself and gives him a bemused look as she thinks swords always seem to give her problems, "Nice hit!" She enthuses before two kunai drop into her hands from apparently nowhere, she takes the blades hurling the first one to go low and the second one, the one charged with her chi, flies straight at Zach's chest.

COMBATSYS: Zach fails to slow Kunai from Ibuki with Pile Smash.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Zach [E]         0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach thrusts the sword forward, reaching for his power in a familiar way, despite the... boosted feeling the sword gives him. Three sheets of psycho-kinetic energy form, and slash downward to attempt to intercept the incoming kunai. The first two sheets miss completely, while the third is simply demolished by the lead kunai.

The first blade catches Zach in the arm while the chi-infused one slams into his midsection with almost explosive force, sending the psyker flying across the arena!

The kunai doesn't quite hit where she'd aimed them but he's attempted to block with some sort of weird energy field, though given her relatively recent fights with Miu and Alma it looks somewhat familiar as well. Either way, she's happy his counter attack seemed to have failed and she breaks through those defenses with her hit.

Trying to capitalize on her stong offensive opening Ibuki rockets across the swampy arena with her full speed practically leaving a vague outline of herself where she'd started her sprint, as she closes in she stops dead in her tracks pumping chi into her legs, she launches a powerful roundhouse kick right at Zach's gut where he'd taken the chi-infused kunai a moment ago, but then whether it hits or misses she launches another at the same location using the momentum of the first to make the second that much stronger...trailing streams of bluish white chin in the wake of each kick.

COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Tsumuji from Ibuki with Third Stance.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Zach [E]         1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach twists aside, letting the first attack slice by him as he thrusts forward with the sword in his left hand. A wide slash of soul power sweeps past Ibuki harmlessly as the next chi-powered kick batters Zach senseless.

The force is enough to slam him into a temple wall, which he then slides down slowly into a sitting position. His breathing is ragged, but he is also 'bleeding' a lot of that purple energy. It seeps off of him like a miasma, but some of it also clings to him as well.

Ibuki's follow up kick is what saves her from the slash of soul power that rips towards her, had she not gone into that second kick she'd most likely have been standing right in the way of that attack and it looked like it would've hurt had it landed. She doesn't allow herself to dwell upon it for long though as he goes slamming into the temple wall.

Giving chase again, Ibuki draws another kunai from her on her person then uses her speed to propel herself into the air for a small leap that she spins along her axis to gain even more momentum to try and slam that kunai as hard as possible into Zach's shoulder...it seems she's focusing entirely on his body at the moment.

COMBATSYS: Ibuki successfully hits Zach with Aggressive Strike.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Zach [E]         1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach lets out a yell of pain as the kunai gets /buried/ in his shoulder. Blood splatters the grounds as Zach twists to try and get away from the ninja girl. He lets out a growl as he continues the spin, bringing the sword low.

The blade erupts in a veritable storm of purple energy as Zach brings the sword around frow low to high, raising the weapon above his head before bringing it down towards Ibuki's head with enough force to create an oblong crater with the impact!

COMBATSYS: Ibuki blocks Zach's Burst Strike.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Zach [E]         0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki feels the bladed weapon imbed itself into Zach's shoulder as the blood splatter barely misses hitting her in the face. She whips herself around in mid air using the kunai as a fulcrum to jump away, but the follow up aimed at her head comes faster than she expected. Ibuki can't dodge easily in mid air so she does what she can and brings up both her gauntleted arms and runs as much of her chi through them as she can, it hurts and she can feel the energy biting deeply into her arms as it hits, but thankfully her cross block holds and her head remains uninjured as she is thrown away from Zach.

Flipping over in the air as she comes to land she grits her teeth underneath her mask, as another kunai appears in her hands, she again charges it with her chi and hurls it at Zach, but it's not aimed at him, not this time at least. It's aimed at his shadow and should it hit, Ibuki will use her massive speed to run back and forth around Zach and using another kunai she drew to engrave some cuts all over his body.

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ibuki's Yami Shigure.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Zach [E]         0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach is already leaping clear as soon as it becomes apparent that Ibuki is not face-down in the dirt. The kunai misses his shadow, he is gone that quickly. The psychic skids to a halt several paces away from the ninja girl, eyeing her warily as he does something that may or may not surprise her, giving what she might know about him.

Zach sheathes the blade as he catches his breath, taking up his boxing stance again. The relic of Taizhou won't help him at this point, and will only get in the way.

COMBATSYS: Zach unequips Violet Miraitou.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Zach             0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Zach             0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki tsks under her breath as the psychic manages to not be where she expects, but more importantly his shadow isn't there either. Thus she swings her head until she spots him and then smirks though her eyes do show half a second of confusion as he puts away the sword, "Just because you put that away doesn't mean I'll go any easier on you."

With that she springs forward again her steps tapping on the pieces of wood 'floating' on the mud as she goes before she is in front of Zach again and this time she pivots slightly as she swings her leg up and forcefully towards Zach's beat up sternum.

COMBATSYS: Ibuki successfully hits Zach with Light Kick.

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Zach             0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach takes the kick cleanly in the torso, grunting with the impact. "Who said I was asking you to," Zach asks, perhaps more confidently than the tempo of this fight would suggest. The psychic plants his feet in the mud, gaining a surprisingly firm stance as he twists his whole body to plant a single devastating punch into Ibuki's liver. A gauntlet of pure energy forms around the fist as he does so, adding to the impact.

He does not stop there, however, using his right hand to grab Ibuki's arm and leverage it into a over-the-shoulder judo-style throw to slam her into the ground next to him. Zach plans on finishing the combination with a massive sphere of psycho power in a hammering arc!

COMBATSYS: Ibuki effortlessly dodges Zach's Charged Combo.

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Zach             0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki smirks as her kick connects and then he tries to punch her in the liver, but she's just not there not at all and his hand that was going for her arm? Well it probably felt a bit odd as she was standing on his wrist, the whole combo safely dodged with a single maneuver and flexing of her full speed. She then winks at him before leaping immediately behind him!

Reaching back behind her Ibuki swings her fist forward a small blue ball of chi cupped in her fist, "Tora!!" She roars as she tries to slam the ball right into his exposed ribs, should it land he'll find a blade of chi stabbing into the organs housed in his chest then she releases the chi explosively to blow him away from her.

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ibuki's Raida.

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Zach             0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Except Zach is not there when the chi-blade arrives. He saw that move when he watched the fight the ninja girl had with Rust. Plus, that whole blur behind you and try for the back attack is /so/ overdone. Zach simply throws himself forward and rolls to his feet.

He turns to face Ibuki purely as a matter of courtesy as he starts to get his engine going. Purple light splashes across the arena, with Zach being its point of origin!

COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Zach             0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


He dodged her again, that had been annoying, Ibuki narrows her eyes as he slips away from her. She leaps backwards to get some distance at first expecting a counter attack from this guy but he doesn't do that and she raises an eyebrow as he again surprises her. Then she smirks, "Good job!" She encourages him as he seems to be gathering his energy. She won't let that happen easily though...

Jumping behind the sunken bell, Ibuki focuses her chi, it swirls around her body as she charges a ball twice as big as her prior attack, she leans back, and then springs forward to strike the bell with as much force as she can to send it flying straight at Zach, "Heads up!" She yells at him.

COMBATSYS: Zach negates Huge Thrown Object from Ibuki with Pile Smash.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Zach             0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach whips his left hand up across his chest and sweeps it back down quickly with a yell of determination. Once more the not-quite-legendary Pile Smash, which is not to be confused with the slightly more legendary Kasane Ate, rips into existance. Zach slams the soul construct into the bell with thunderous impact.

When the mist, mud, and smoke clear, there is only the two fighters staring at each other. Zach's breathing is fast and rough, and he is looking a little rough around the edges...

Ibuki almost snaps her fingers in disappointment, but she doesn't do it nor does she give away her feelings about the bell not hitting him. All in all it looked cool and when people were watching it later it'd keep them on the edge of their seats, so she smiles while she considers her next action.

And after a long moment that action becomes quite clear to her she again charges him with that speed of hers and as she closes in she tries to use the momentum from her run and an open palm strike to the chin to lay him out for good!

COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Ibuki's Jab Punch.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Zach             0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach blocks the punch with the bottom of his fist, regarding Ibuki carefully. Two can play the quick punch game. He shifts slightly, to get his range before flicking his left hand out in a lightning-fast jab.

Needless to say, it is boosted by that energy he wields, forming it into a simple gauntlet one more time...

COMBATSYS: Ibuki dodges Zach's Jab Punch.

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Zach             0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki finds her fist blocked and then she is attacked in return by an energy shrouded fist, she turns her body and flatens her profile so that the fist just passes by where she used to be the energy ripping slightly at her brown gi. Then she turns back around so she's facing him directly.

"Here we go!" She enthuses as she shifts her weight slightly while being so very close to him, her right leg rockets upward with amazing force as it leaves a a trail of chi in its wake her foot will likely connect with his chin if it hits and the force is so great she actually rises up into the air with him for a moment.

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ibuki's Kazekiri.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Zach             0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach leans back, letting the kick carry Ibuki away. He hops back several feet, gasping for air as he waits for the ninja's next move. He's hanging on, but only barely. He's rather surprised with himself on that account...

COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.

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Zach             0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


As he leans back and away from her attack she flips backwards in mid air comes to land softly on the ground and she winks at him playfully as though she were having an amazing amount of fun in this fight. She then stands up properly and re-establishes her fighting stance as sche considers her next move.

COMBATSYS: Ibuki gains composure.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Zach             0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach frowns. Drawing this out is not going to favor him at /all/. The ninja has held the lead the entire fight, and he is needs to gain some momentum. Fine. Paths are only made by going /forward/.

Glen dashes forward, dropping low and to his left before springing up towards Ibuki, moving like a gazelle as he lashes out with another soul powered fist for the jaw!

COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Ibuki with Fierce Punch.
- Power hit! -

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Zach             0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki's focus is on her next action so much so that as Zach dashes at her she is a moment too late to react to it correctly...thus she's caught trying to dive to the side out of the way of the blow but finds the fist right there waiting for her. Slugged hard she actually gets popped up into the air and her eyes close for a moment as though she's unconscious....

While the blow had rattled her cage fairly well she keeps her cool and uses this tide changer for her own benefit, she whirls in the air, drawing kunai from all over her body, and begins to throw them in wave after wave of metal flying daggers each charged with her chi, it's now raining water and blades!

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ibuki's Kasumi Suzaku.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Zach             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach's eyes narrow as the combination of adrenaline and psycho power seems to have finally taken hold in his system. He steps lightly through the storm of kunai, weaving a path among the blades before closing with Ibuki.

He's not about to let her land.

Zach leaps towards Ibuki, leading with a thunderous kick aimed at the girl's midsection!

COMBATSYS: Ibuki dodges Zach's Strong Kick.

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Zach             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


He avoids it all...every single one of Ibuki's kunai, letting out a little annoyed grunt she waits for the predictable counter attack that is coming her way and as it does come at her she catches it with her hands still in the air, and leap frongs away from him before she lands a distance away from him.

Turning around she smiles, "You're doing pretty good." She enthuses as her eyes seem to take in every single motion of his body and she sets her stance readying herself for powerful attack against him...

COMBATSYS: Ibuki focuses on her next action.

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Zach             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach, for his part, smiles and nods. "Not doing too badly yourself," he replies earnestly. "But this fight is coming to an end quickly." He grins a bit as he realizes he is about to borrow a page from Alma's book. More soul power floods to the fore.

"Come! Let us swing our fists to our hearts content!" Zach flexes into a ready stance as his energy shifts color from purple to a bright, exuberent yellow. "Let us shine like the sun!"

COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Zach             0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki smirks, "I always give my all!" The ninja teen seems nearly unphased despite the recent turn of events as her eyes snap up to the him then they flick to parts of the temple above him, "I'm not sure it's my fists I'll be swinging!"

With that as he gathers his energy for most likely a massive attack on her she takes quick decisive aim and lets another Kunai slip from her hand as she intends to bounce the blade off part of the ruined temple before hit flies to strike Zach from behind!

COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Ibuki's Kunai.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Zach             1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach flicks a hand up, backhanding the kunai out of the air as he sets into an almost iconic stance. Shotokahners around the world have made the stance known to everyone, and Zach has borrowed the motions from them. He gathers all of that self-made sunlight into his hands, holding them like one might a basketball.

"I wouldn't expect any less of you," Zach replies as he looses a beam of energy upon the ninja prodigy, the force of the release creating a crater around the psychic as the five foot wide blast screams towards the girl!

COMBATSYS: Ibuki dodges Zach's Burst Stream.

[                         \\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Zach             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Well things weren't looking good for her, Ibuki keeps cool though as Zach's psychic sunlight whirls and whips around him and he prepares to take her down with one last massive attack her limbs are strong, loose and prepared so as the energy screams towards her she flings herself skyward, grabs onto a piece of the ruined roof and throws herslf at him.

Having litterally leapt over his attack, she lets the momentum of her fall build up the power of the kick she's going to attempt to connect with Zach's head!

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ibuki's Medium Kick.

[                         \\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Zach             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach shifts his weight back before pivoting on his hind leg. Ibuki sails past him. Zach has a hard time following his own movement, wobbling as whips together another basketball-sized sphere of sunshine into an open palm.

This is obligingly driven into Ibuki's back as she is landing. Maybe it will even work. Zach certainly hopes so!

COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Ibuki with Impulse Flare.
Grazing Hit

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Zach             0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Ibuki's kick sails wide and then she finds herself having to dodge but it's a tough one, she slams one hand into the open palm and leaps away though her knuckle burns for it and she takes in a deep hissing breath as she does so. Things haven't gone well for a bit in Ibuki's opinon as she turns and face him Ibuki tries to decide her next action.

Then it comes to her and she races at him her eyes focused on the prize so to speak as she leaps upwards at the very last moment and tries to use Zach's head as a springboard yet again!!!

COMBATSYS: Ibuki successfully hits Zach with Hien.

[                                < >  /////////                     ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0        [E] Ibuki


Zach's vision swims as Ibuki kicks him in the back of the head. He wobbles dangerously as he turns to face the ninja. His eyes narrow; he is not about to go down quietly. He wasn't just fighting this fight for himself.

Zach thrusts his left hand towards Ibuki, as if reaching for her. He roars, and one last burst of sunlight blasts forth towards the ninja girl as Zach tries, if nothing else, to take the young lady out with him!

COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Ibuki [E]        0/-------/----===|


COMBATSYS: Ibuki parries Zach's Third Stance!

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Ibuki [E]        0/-------/---====|


Ibuki reacts on pure skill and instinct as Zach's attack comes flying at her from behind it seems there is nothing she can do before she passes one of the temples main supports reaches out and swings around to fly back towards Zach avoiding his attack entirely and landing herself inches in front of him before he drops to ground had he still been standing she'd have totally taken advantage of it and hit him hard...

With the victory in hand Ibuki nods her head at her fallen opponent, "Great job!", she then turns to the camera, smiles beneath her mask, and waves, "Hope you enjoyed it everyone!!!" She enthuses before disappearing.

COMBATSYS: Ibuki drops her guard to recover.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ibuki [E]        0/-------/---====|


COMBATSYS: Ibuki has ended the fight here.

Log created on 20:41:05 01/20/2011 by Zach, and last modified on 12:00:18 01/31/2011.