Neo League 951 - #957: Zach vs Shinobu

Description: Shinobu returns to fighting after a long absence, and her comeback match is against the explosive Zach Glen on BEAR MOUNTAIN. Which fighter will be victorious? Which fighter will end up bear food? (Winner: Shinobu)



Daybreak

BEAR MOUNTAIN

On one side, spectators watch and skiers fly downhill, jumping off ramps with one eye on the battle to come. And on the other... bears, as if summoned by the fighting spirit on display... or maybe waiting to eat the loser? Who knows what goes through a bear's mind?

The ground is covered in artificial snow, though dry enough to be more scenic than slippery. And despite this cold, Shinobu is in her uniform, crouching as she does leg stretches, alternating legs before springing up and swinging her arms. She grins to the crowd, doing a few punches before looking around for the other fighter. Raising a hand, she clears her hangs away from her arms. "C'monnnn where is heeee?", she whines, wrinkling her nose in mild annoyance.

Zach emerges from the area designated as 'his corner', shoving a hood back from his face as he grins slightly. Purple hair shakes loose while he stretches himself out. "I'm right over here," he says finally. It's good to breathe free air. It had been a while since Zach had been in the States, now that he thinks about it. Christmas at the latest. He shuffles his feet against the snow, the grin widening. He grew up with the real stuff, the lake effect snows that blast the Great Lakes region. He settles into a stance, fists in front of him to provide a bit of protection while he starts to bob his head around.

He waits for the bell.

Shinobu grins, waving over gaily. Reaching down, she grabs snow, packing into a ball. "Hey, great.", she says, tossing it from hand to hand. But then, suddenly, she tilts her head, as if a strange notion just struck her. "Um... are you who I'm supposed to fight?" Toss, toss. "Are you sure?"

Folding her arms, she leaves one hand free, tossing the ball up and down. "I was sure I was going to fight some Yeti or skifighter...", she says, with seeming sincerity, before laughing. "That'd be pretty cool, huh?"

*ding, ding!*

COMBATSYS: Shinobu has started a fight here.

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


COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Shinobu          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0             Zach


"Fairly sure, yeah," Zach replies, "Though I've heard of dudes fighting bears for bragging rights." The bell rings sharply, and Zach doesn't wait terribly long after that. He takes a long step before dashing in close to Shinobu. He knows... pretty much nothing about the young girl in front of him, save that she goes to Seijyun. Which is home to a lot of female fighters in that age bracket.

Not that it matters /terribly/ much. Zach lashes out with a quick left jab, psychic energies wrapping around his fist in purple contrails as it sails towards Shinobu's face!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu endures Zach's Jab Punch.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Shinobu          0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0             Zach


Shinobu just stands there, blinking, before being hit. Touching her cheek gingerly, she leans in on Zach. "Hey, you must really be the fighter! So-" She makes a fist with her left hand. "- here come the punches~!"

And with her left arm, she flurries out a close-range attack, leaving her vulnerable, but... well in Zach's personal space. "Yayayayayayayayaaaa!", she calls out, throwing out maybe a dozen punches. They're practically unaimed, but make up for it with numbers and speed... before she totters a bit forward, flailing clumsily.

COMBATSYS: Shinobu successfully hits Zach with Rumble Punch.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Shinobu          0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0             Zach


Zach gets pummeled by the dozen punches, staggering back under the assault with a growl. He takes a hop back, gauging the distance as he snaps his right hand by his hip. A sphere of soul power spins into existance around the open hand as Zach starts his charge.

He brings the glowing ball of destruction up and behind his head as he closes before slamming it down on the young lady hard enough to clear the snow around the two fighters for a couple of feet!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Zach's Impulse Flare.

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Shinobu          0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0             Zach


Crouching slightly and holding her arms up, Shinobu takes the blast, sliding back through the snow. "Glowy!", she retorts excitedly, before gathering up her chi her palms, an aqua-blue, flowing energy. "Have some back!", she sas, shaping into a ball with a twist of her wrists.

Then, she flings it forward. It wobbles through the air, before spiking and then /detonating/, the watery chi popping out... and freezing slightly, chilling on impact. "Version B!", she calls out, for no obvious reason.

COMBATSYS: Zach overcomes Petite Pop from Shinobu with Warning Shot EX.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Shinobu          0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0             Zach


COMBATSYS: Shinobu dodges Zach's Warning Shot EX.

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Shinobu          0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0             Zach


"How about I don't," Zach says almost cheerfully as he snaps his hands up, palms aimed at Shinobu. They glow purple, pulsing rapidly as Zach builds a small charge before releasing the shot.

The blast, a rough sphere, races towards Shinobu's chi-blast before slamming /through/ the blast, much to Zach's satisfaction. Shinobu will have to deal with the blast as it sails toward her!

"Eee-", Shinobu manages before ducking into a roll. "Hey, and I was trying something pretty cool for the first time, too...", she says as moves back to her standing position, before reaching out to Zach.

As as she does so, trying to slam down sneakered foot on Zach's... and slam him off balance and down to the ground, trying to take the fight in close again. "Ha ha!", she calls out cheerily.

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Shinobu's Medium Throw.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Shinobu          0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0             Zach


Zach stutter-steps back, avoiding the whole mess altogether, a look of concentration on his face as the girl tries to keep the fight close. He slides to a halt several feet away from Shinobu, and decides to kick things up a notch.

Violet soul power swirls to life around him, scattering snow and ice at his feet. Camera crews pull their coats in close to keep the snow and cold out as the energy shifts to a sunlight yellow. "Let's give a good show!"

COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.

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


"Alright, here I come!", Shinobu exclaims, shimmying off snow and going into a crouch, making her hands into her fits. "You aren't going to get away from this one! Shinobu..."

Then, she brings her foot up before kicking off with enough force to send snow flying back, and then /rockets/ forward after kicking off, punching out in a midair as she tries to slam into Zach before he can react.

"- ROCKET!

COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Shinobu's Shinobu Rocket.

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


Zach curls up a peek-a-boo stance, catching Shinobu's flying strike on his forearms, twisting to allow the girl by. He shakes his arms loose with a slight wince, re-orienting on the savant with a bit of grim determination.

Zach pinwheels his right arm in a wide circle with a sharp yell. Three sheets of sunlight rip into existance before screaming towards the teen at breakneck speeds!

COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Shinobu with Pile Smash.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Shinobu          1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1             Zach


"Huh? What?" Shinobu is... not familiar with the attack, obviously, and is too late in trying to hop away. Blasted by them, she stumbles away, before swaying back and then suddenly towards. "Hey, no wizard spells! This is a fight!", she calls back, before swinging out with a fast punch, aiming straight rather than go fancy. Simple and efficient, certainly, compared to most of her moves so far!

COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Shinobu's Strong Punch.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Shinobu          1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2             Zach


Zach throws up his right arm to catch Shinobu's punch. He growls as he shoves the girl's fist away. That vibrant energy sweeps around him as he sets his aim. Zach launches towards Shinobu. "I know," Zach says. "Lemme show you how /I/ fight!"

Zach closes with the girl, throwing a rapid combination of crosses and hooks at various locations on the girl's body. After the fourth physical punch comes point blank torrents of soul power which look suspiciously like thrown punches.

Zach's last punch is a right straight laden with as much energy and body mechanic as he can manage behind it, and is thrown with explosive force!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu dodges Zach's Burst Strike.

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


"Okay- whoa-!", Shinobu, catching some blows on her arms, curling up as she springs away to the side. "Nuh uh!", she adds, rolling out of the way of the final punch, then springing up to dance from foot to foot.

"Sorry, that looked really cool!", she says, before bringing up foot up to slam it down, throwing out a fist as she takes a deep, sharp breath and exhales loudly. "Haaaa!", she adds, narrowing her eyes before adjusting her fists into a careful defense.

COMBATSYS: Shinobu focuses on her next action.

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


Zach doesn't adjust his stance, or his distance. "It's something I've been working on," Zach replies before taking one step forward and letting out a kiai of his own. He follows the shout with a short left uppercut. It hits absolutely nothing at all.

However, Zach has already shown he doesn't need to touch someone to bring the pain, as a short wave of bright energy splashes up towards the young lady!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu blocks Zach's Third Stance.

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Shinobu          1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0             Zach


Shinobu thrusts her hands out, 'catching' the blow and breaking it up, before then wagging her hands. "Owowow...", she starts, before quickly closing them into fists again. "Okay, enough glowy! You need to hit your opponent to win, you know!"

"Like-" She makes a fist, running forward, before blurring out with a group of strikes like she started the fight with. "Yayayayaa!", she begins, before her right arm comes up and she continues barraging. "Yayayayayayayayayayaaaa!"

Before, then, /both/ fists come in. "YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA-", she goes on, trying to batter down any defenses Zach may have before bringing her right hand in for a single straight punch aimed at the face. "ENTER!"

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Shinobu's Dragon Entry.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Shinobu          0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0             Zach


Zach does not so much put up a defense but flow around Shinobu's furious attack, weaving and slipping to avoid each punch as it comes in with a focus that comes from that mix of soul power and adrenaline that he can only find in a fight.

Zach throws out a single hand, grabbing the front of the girl's uniform before simply trying to hurl her over his shoulder. He turns to face the girl regardless, but if he throws her, he follows up the throw with a wide burst of energy to knock her further away!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu interrupts Power Throw from Zach with Strong Punch.

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Shinobu          0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0             Zach


"Hey, get back-", Shinobu starts, and then gets grabbed. "- oh, thanks!", she says with surprise. "Try dodging now! ENTER!"

And as she's flung, her fist comes out in a swift hok to try and smack Zach in the cheek. The momentum adds to her strike, though she's flung away and blasted all the same, though she manages to roll through the snow. Not exactly dignified. As she starts to stand, a bear is right before, her roaring, and she flicks her attention backwards before scurrying back into the fight.

Zach doesn't wait for the young lady to get ready for anything. While she's fleeing the bear, he is stepping in towards her at lightning speed. He drops low to his left before springing upward at the savant.

During his rise, Zach uses the push of his legs to assist in driving a soul power boosted uppercut at the girl! She may need to think fast to avoid this one!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu fails to counter Second Stance from Zach with Spin Crasher.

[                         \\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Shinobu          0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0             Zach


COMBATSYS: Shinobu has reached second wind!

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Shinobu          0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0             Zach


Shinobu tries to grab the punch, but true to his word, she catches it on her hand as it gets knocked aside, then her chin. She flies up into the air dramatically, before slamming back down to the earth seconds later, making a pained-looking snow angel. For a moment, it seems. He won?

Then, there's another shimmy as Shinobu shakes snow away, then kippups back to her feet. "Ha! Nice one! How do you make your fist glow like that oh well doesn't matter, you know, there's still a fight on!" She wobbles, before slapping her cheeks. "C'mon, c'mon!", she adds, swaying back into her stance.

Zach scowls. He had gotten some good feedback on that punch. He had thought for certain she was done. Not so much, apparently. Zach sets back into that bobbing stance of his again as he considers his options. He can slow down a little bit, and recover some of his flagging energy, or he can move in for the kill. "It's... just something I do," he says. "It's hard to explain."

He apparently opts for the latter, dashing in fast before delivering a right-handed punch that looks like something between a hook and an uppercut aimed at Shinobu's head. More of that bright yellow energy erupts from the striking point, hopefully blasting the girl to the ground one more time!

COMBATSYS: Shinobu dodges Zach's Fierce Punch.

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Shinobu          0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0             Zach


As Zach comes in, Shinobu leans back, practically matrix-doding her way out of that one before tumbling back and struggling to her feet. "Quit whining, legs, it's only hurts!", she admonishes herself, before straightening, if only for a moment. A moment, though is all she needs.

Lunging in, she curls up, before swinging up a mule kick, trying to catch the soul warrior in the gut. "Shinobu Kick, lazy version!", she exclaims.

COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Light Kick from Shinobu with Third Stance.

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


COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.

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


Zach sees the kick coming. He knows he can move to stop it, in fact. He does not retreat, instead stepping into the kick as he throws a fist at the swaying girl. The fist is a decoy, more of a mnemonic device, really.

One last blast of sunlight sweeps past Shinobu harmlessly and then the lights go out, the girl's foot buried in Zach's midsection. He grunts, and slumps to the side. He doesn't stand up again.

And Shinobu blinks as the bears start to move in. "Back! Back!", she says, waving at them, but then just moves to grab the fallen fighter by the hoodie as the bears... charge! People scream and panic.

And so Shinobu runs, dragging her fallen opponent away as she flees down the hill. It's only panic that gives her the strength to move on!

Cue freeze-frame and:

'This has been a Neo-League Presentation!'

Log created on 19:54:55 02/01/2011 by Zach, and last modified on 12:58:33 02/04/2011.