Description: If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the desert. Hayato and Terry are both manly men, with fiery souls, but even they can get worn down by sustained, oppressive heat in the Arizona desert... particularly when combined with getting punched and kicked. Luckily Sakura is there to help keep them from overheating with a fire hose, once she figures out how to use it. (Winner: Terry)
The Arizona desert is... well, a desert. Almost unbearably hot during the day. Nearly freezing at night. And the drought hasn't helped the situation any--what little vegetation is around is dried out. Tumbleweeds are little more than potential rolling balls of fire. And yet...
... and yet.
And yet Terry loves the land--something about the desolate beauty of the desert, the isolation.. the wolves and the coyotes. He's actually been bike-touring the US so the assignment is timely; when he drives up to the venue--where only the stands are mist-cooled--he's already sweating. It's almost inhumane to fight in conditions like these but... He's looking forward to it. "Could be a great way to train Rock," he says, to himself, as he steps off his bike and walks over to the marked-out arena, ducking under the ropes and stretching a few times.
COMBATSYS: Terry has wandered into a fight here.
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Terry 0/-------/-------|
Japan isn't really much for deserts, so Hayato doesn't have much experience with them. Still, it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much. He's certainly worked up a sweat, but as far as Hayato's concerned that's a good thing. No pain, no gain, and all sorts of sayings of that sort. It does, however, mean that Hayato has shrugged off his red track jacket, leaving it carefully off to the side before stepping out into the area set aside for the fight.
The teacher swishes his shinai through the air a few times before letting it hang to the side, leaning forward to grin at Terry. "Well, looks like the SNF folks felt like giving me a challenge! Don't hold back now, and this should be fun!" His grin widens. "And maybe we can go hit a bar afterwards. I bet this is going to work up a good thirst."
Hayato cracks his neck, stretches his left arm behind his head, then grins as the announcement for the fight to begin goes out. He lowers his arm as he starts walking toward Terry, quickly building his pace up toward a charge. Eventually he leaps forward, swinging his arm back before slashing out vertically at Terry.
COMBATSYS: Hayato has joined the fight here.
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Terry 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
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Terry 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sakura has left the fight here.
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Terry 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
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Terry 0/-------/-------|
Its not just hot here in Arizona. It's a sweltering heat that leaves an obscuring brown haze hanging over the area, The heat waves distorting and renderings much of the scenery mott, not that theres a lot really to look at despite the vans, camera crews and gathered fighter.
Japanese summer just can't quite compete, in fact it barely begins to cover this kind of heat even for a schoolgirl used to hot summers days full of activity, and vigor.
"Hot, Hot, hot! HOT!"
Sandaled feets skips across the sand back to the refreshment van, Playing gophor for the crew and gravbbing people drinks and necessary equipment helps Sakura feel useful, far too much energy to laze about soaking up sunshine or cool off while everyone is working so hard around her. She wanders back and forth handing off a small mountain of beverages while elsewhere in the small camp other members of staff wonder where she is and are trying to get her on set and ready for the match. Still carrying a half armfuilled with drinks she is ambushed.
'Miss Kasugano, you're needed on set!'
Wait, shouldn't she get changed. Shouldn' she-
The baleful fight director gives the girl a once over rubbing his chin and then an enthuiastic thumbs up, good for the ratings. 'Nice!' The two piece swimsuit had been cool, her normal fight outfit sitting laid out back in her trailer. Ah well, she can roll with it! No matter how embarassing it feels right at this particular moment.
She notes both fighters already in their places and hurries over to where one of the crew is beckoning. He starts to point out how to operate the a large hose, push-pull, on-off. It seems simple enough and so she finds her attention wandering to the two fighters, offering a wave between lectures.
As the crewmember hands the nozzle of the hose to her and ducks his head to run off she finds herself asking.. was it push or pull for turning the hose on?
COMBATSYS: Terry blocks Hayato's Power Strike.
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
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Terry 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Terry has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|
Terry's heard of 'The Burning Phys Ed Teacher' before, because he does keep up, somehow, with who's strong in the fight world. It isn't anything deliberate--it's just that words reach his ears. Rumors, results. Things like that. So Terry greets Hayato's proclamation with a grin of his own. "Hold back? Wouldn't think of it. I've heard you're pretty strong, Mr. Burning Phys Ed teacher, and I want to see if the rumors are true--so don't you hold back either!"
And it certainly seems as if he isn't, as Hayato advances into a rushing vertical slash. Sakura's entrance doesn't escpae his notice but he doesn't scope. She is, after all, pretty obviously underage and... well, anyways. Cute, but definitely not. Besides...
... Shinai. The powerful stroke of bamboo meets Terry's upraised left arm, sweeping upwards to not just block but to move the weapon out of line--for Terry to fire a body blow to Hayato's chest, a low hooking right that he'd follow up with a twisting backhand, a somewhat strange one-armed combination.
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Terry's Strong Punch.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/------=|
Hayato notices Sakura's entrance, but he doesn't have time to do much more than flip off a quick salute with his shinai. Not a proper greeting for a student, but what can you do? You can't take it easy when dealing with somebody of Terry's power. Hayato manages to twist away from the blow and take it on his arm and the backhand on his shoulder. It causes him to rock back for a moment, but he just shifts his weight back to lunge toward Terry once again.
He snaps out with his left hand, aiming to grab Terry by the jacket and pull him down, while swinging his right fist up to meet the descending jaw. If all goes well, it's designed to send the opponent tumbling.
A motor somewhere behind the vans and out of view starts up, the hose stirring to life as it fills with water under quite the pressure, the hose pushing her forward a little and strugging to escape her and fly about loose under its own power. Controlling it as best she can she focuses entirely on the fight, Hayato-sensei versus Terry Bogard, this should be a good fight. Enough to get her own blood pumping, she can ignore the cameras and even the crew.
Honest with herself , Sakura knows who she is really rooting for to win the fight even if she will do her very best to be an even handed Chaos Agent (though she wasn't particularly happy with that name.)
During a fight its the fighters themselves who take centre stage, as it should be.
Not even the heat beating down on all concerned dulls their appetites for battle.
Sakura fumbles with the lever on the hose nozzle and angles it towards the fighters, now.. there had been some instruction on what and what not to do but a little bit of hands on experimentation should see her through. To be fair her first instinct had been to encourage a much liked teacher and respected teacher, her sense of duty makes her feel a little guilt over that. Maybe start with Terry.
The Spray of water is much too tight and high pressure, its not so much a deluge of cooling water as a high pressure beam.
"Oh OH, sorry SORRY! I got it, I got it!"
COMBATSYS: Terry dodges Sakura's Thrown Object.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Terry with Power Punch.
-**- LUNATIC HIT!! -**-
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/----===|
The stream of water is dodged, instinctively--Terry ducks out of the way and shifts to his left, and though the edge of the spray catches him with a bit of a cooling touch, it isn't nearly enough to really abate the effect the heat is having on him. And then--
--Hayato. Terry is snagged, and punched, and he doesn't just go to the floor, he bounces a couple of times. But as quickly as he's downed--to gasps and cheers and jeers--he's back up, rubbing his jaw. Almost casually, he doffs his trademark denim jacket--the thick white cotton tee underneath is already showing through with sweat and the denim is just too much...
... and then he drops the jacket and grins. "Now -that's- what I'm talking about! You're startin' to get my blood all pumped up, Hayato!!" And with his blood up like that, there's really only one thing he can do. He reaches back with his right hand, clenches it into a fist, and then drives forward, flying along the ground maybe three inches up, leading with that gloved right fist, orange-yellow flaring around it. "Try MINE! BURN KNUCKLE!!!"
COMBATSYS: Terry successfully hits Hayato with Burn Knuckle.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/-======|
Hayato's shirt and hair are already showing some sweat, too. While Terry is getting back up Hayato takes a brief moment to swipe the back of his hand across forehead. "Glad to hear it. Now give me all you've got!" And it looks like Terry is going to comply. Hayato stands his ground as Terry rushes in, but to a large degree that's because Terry crosses the intervening space so quickly that Hayato just doesn't have much /time/ to do anything else. He plants his feet as the glowing fist slams into his chest, and on the slow-mo replay you can see the brief moment where he resists it, but then his eyes start to widen and he's blasted off his first, flying back and crashing down heavily on his back.
After a moment the PE teacher kip-ups with a grunt, trying not to wince at the pain in his chest as he rises back to a standing position. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" And then he's off running toward Terry once again! At the end Hayato slides in on one foot as he lifts his right leg and twists his body, then snaps out his foot in a straight kick at Terry's abdomen. Orange energy flares up around his foot, trailing back up his leg like the tail of a comet.
COMBATSYS: Terry blocks Hayato's Devastation Kick.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/---====|
Dialing the spray of water back by shifting the lever Sakura hurridely turns the harsh beam of white water onto a wider disperal, creating a heavy rainlike downpour. She angles the hose higher to avoid directly hitting one of the fighters and tracks after Terry, that had been an unintentional goof on her part. She can feel her cheeks heating and is a little more aware of the camera positions turing her head away form the closest one as she continues to follow the fights and shift the downpour of water.
As Terry doffs his denim jacket Sakura absently wonders how he could stand wearing the thing in this heat. These kinds of questions pop into your mind at the strangest times.
Terrys' burning knuckle closes the gap between both fighters in but a moment and the brief explosion of flame that sends Hayato sailing backwards his landing seeming quite heavy to Sakura. She swings the hose about to focus the rain of water on the spot where the Taiyo teacher landed, attempting to cool off the Burning Teacher.
The flaring kick meets both of Terry's forearms as he drops to a knee, and the Burning Wolf finds himself feeling that impact despite having defended it. SO far, Hayato is just as advertised--strong, bold, powerful. Terry likes it. But he's not gonna make it easy. That wouldn't be him at all. With Sakura finally controlling that firehose and certainly seeming more of a Hayato partisan, Terry's got to step the game up or he'll get swamped.
Pushing back up from the crouch he dropped into, he takes a single lunging step inwards--and looks to do to Hayato what Hayato did to him. Namely, he looks to grab Hayato by the shirt, haul him up, and deliver unto him a tremendous uppercut to send the man flying. Turnabout is fair play, or so its said. The heat is really starting to bite now, and Terry knows that a protracted fight is not going to do -either- of them good.
And a beer sounds damn good right about now.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Hayato with Fire Hose.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Terry successfully hits Hayato with Grasping Upper.
>> Decisive Hit!! <<
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Terry
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Hayato 1/------=/=======|
The water from the hose definitely feels good in this heat, but it /is/ still coming out of a high powered hose, and it's a bit distracting. Hayato starts moving to step out of the flow, but then he's yanked forward as Terry gets a hold of his color. He can see what's coming, but can't do much about it. His descending jaw meets Terry's rising fist, and then his body starts moving in the opposite direction as he gets blown right off his feet. He crashes down again, once more landing heavily. Although at least time he's still got some water dripping down, fighting off the worst of the heat.
Shaking his head, Hayato climbs to his feet once again. "That's some punch you've got there!" Of course, Hayato still has some tricks up his own sleeve. He leaps toward Terry, kicking off the ground as he does so to send himself into a spin. His shinai is held out at front of him at a 90 degree angle, turning into a blue as he rotates. A blur that turns orange as Hayato's chi blasts out around it. And the spinning actually makes it feel like it's a little bit cooler out! Not that it would be a good idea to stand there and experience that for long.
Sakura shuts the hose off, the last thing she wants to do is mire both fighters down in heavy sticking sand. The heat of the sun overhead is oppressive like a physical force pushing down on her head and shoulders. Sweat beats on her brow as she struggles to keep the hose under control while feeling the full weight on the sun.
But things are much harder for the two men fighting out there, The cameraa are rolling and individual crew members no long with jobs to do stand back behind the cameras swinging their fists or pumping their arms overhead rooting for their favoured fighters.
Hayato sense is sent flying by a powerful throw turned uppercut, the japanese schoolgirl can't help but wince, her teeth even ache a little in a sympathetic pain yet she adjusts the spray a little to centre upon Terry Bogard. It was a smart move to deliberately cool himself off in this heat. She shifts the focus of the hose to centre him more in the heavy rain of water but cuts of the stream before both fighters can re-engage. Grinning despite the heat she calls out to both fighters, still lively and full of energy.
"Hayato-Sensei, Terry-san. Ganbar"
She is legitimately rooting for both fighters now even if she knows one much more closely than the other. You can't help but like and respect these two guys.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Terry with Fire Hose.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Terry interrupts Burning Windmill from Hayato with Power Geyser.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/--=====|
That splash of water was -just- what he needed! The water--not the high-pressure projectile of moments ago but a gentler stream--cools Terry off, revives him, just as it did for Hayato. And just in time--as Hayato starts up that spinning attack. It reminds him, very much, of another man's whirlwind attack... but this isn't Krauser. Terry takes a quick blow from the Burning Windmill--but it's a grazing hit, because he's already dropping down to one knee.
"You got too close, Hayato! POWER... GEYSER!!!" The energy flares in his right hand and, when he slams that fist to the sand, the world local to Terry and Hayato absolutely erupts, as what Terry shouted becomes (brief) reality--a geyser of pure chi, Terry's chi, erupting up out of the ground to blast the Burning Phys Ed Teacher away from the Legendary Wolf.
Terry remains on one knee, briefly, but rises back up. This is a worthy opponent--Terry reins in his natural urge to be a little cocky, and just waits. Because he knows that's not the end, not for Hayato. Give all he's got--the mindset both men have.
There seems to be a bit of a theme here, as Hayato goes flying away once again, this time with even more force than before. He tumbles through the air before coming crashing down. And for a few moments it looks like he might not be getting back up. But then he begins to stir, pushing himself up off the ground and then eventually back to his feet. He's looking a bit bloody and battered, but he's still got a grin on his face. "Now that was a good hit! But can you pull it off again?" Asking for it? Perhaps.
But it takes more than a little explosion in the face to stop Hayato. Well... maybe. His vision blurs for a moment as he starts heading back toward Terry, and he looks pretty wobbly, but then he shakes it off and keeps going. The heat sure isn't helping, though. He lashes out with Terry, using his remaining energy to bring his shinai swinging in at a variety of different angles in quick succession, trying to slip blow after blow past any defenses Terry puts up.
Sakura shields her eyes with a forearm as a gust of damp sand whips at her and camera crew alike. Terry’s counter-attack, the power geyser had repelled more than the barrage of sand that stung bare skin. It takes little time to locate the PE teacher, on the ground a short distance away. As the teacher begins to stir and starts to rise Sakura suppresses the urge to cheer like mad and show her support. She scratches the back of her head and can't help but smile as they keep goading one another. This is one of the politest and most furiously competitive fights she has seen in a good long time and it's almost just been a slugging match between two die hard fighters.
Working the lever she starts the hose once again, setting it on its widest dispersal it begins to pain the entire arena area with the patter of raindrops. The light coloured sand immediately turning darker, but the wind favours the Burning Teacher this time around and gusts a majority of it his way.
Wether that is in his best interests or not...
COMBATSYS: Terry interrupts Scolding Slash from Hayato with Rising Tackle EX.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/=======|
The Legendary Wolf knew that Hayato wouldn't go down easy. He recognizes the signs. So he's ready, when Hayato comes coming back at him, flurrying a storm of slashes--it's very much, in some ways, like facing Joe Higashi's Exploding Punches. Terry sets himself and, as Hayato comes in... throws himself forward, onto his hands, his arms torqued, and even as the first slashes are hitting...
Terry is pushing off, and a touch of his chi is enough to get him spinning. With his arms held out to his sides, fists clenched, muscles hardened and toughened, he whirlwinds upwards, carrying Hayato with him through the brief storm of fists. It doesn't last long--but it doesn't have to. At the peak of it, Terry's final revolution is tossed in with a little more torque, letting him flip over and land on his feet a couple meters away from where Hayato will land.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Hayato with Fire Hose.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Terry
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Hayato 0/-------/=======|
The cool water remains refreshing, but Hayato doesn't have much time to enjoy it. He's slashing at Terry and then, suddenly, he's being propelled up into the air. The teacher grits his teeth as Terry drives him further up off the ground, but the cumulative effect of all the impacts is too much. The teacher's head is swimming, and his body is starting to ignore what he tells it to do.
Before he falls, though, Hayato still has just a bit of fight left in him. He lashes out with his right foot, trying to give Terry a good, solid kick before he falls. He doesn't bother trying to hold back enough to help him stick the landing, either, so in the end he crashes down heavily. He groans for a moment, trying to sit up, but then falls back down.
COMBATSYS: Hayato can no longer fight.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Terry
COMBATSYS: Terry dodges Hayato's Strong Kick.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Terry
Hayato's relentless assault with the shinai (and it is relentless if allowed to continue) is enough to impress upon Sakura the passion and strength of the Taiyo PE Teacher even were she never to have met the man before. How much force and powers are involved she could only guess at but the other fighter is perhaps even more dangerous. Terry Bogard is a famous warrior for a reason, seeing him fighting in person has the same feeling it did when she first saw Ryu or Ken fight in person. Living legends, but also real people. Often they quite humble and strong people except in Ken's case.
The two fighters clash as Terry launched both of them into the air with the force of his blow, Sakura can't help but compare the effectiveness of his technique to the Shoryuken even if Terry's does seem to execute more strikes. Comparing one legendary fighter and man to another. The fighter in her watches fascinated, the kind hearted schoolgirl worries about Hayato, but the fan of fighting inside her is awed just by getting to see this battle in person. It. Was. Awesome!
Terry's already moving away from Hayato--avoiding that final kick is something of a formality. Once Hayato crashes down, though, Terry, like Sakura, is worried for his fight opponent; he walks across the sand, fatigue and pain forgotten, to help the man up.
"Damn good fight. I can tell that the Taiyo kids, with you spurring them on, are gonna be a real force to contend with in the fighting world." He grins, widely. "Can't wait. Tell you what, let the medics deal with the injuries you got and afterwards, we'll go get that beer."
Turning to Sakura, Terry throws her a grin, too. "Don't know if Ryu'd approve of the outfit, but my commendation on you going with your gut! I know you're a hell of a fighter already, can't wait 'til you're challenging Ryu for real."
There is the soft sound of fluttering cloth as a small figure descends into the arena the long white trails of her headband fluttering in her wake she appears solemn when studying the apparently unconscious Hayato but smiles ear to ear when rounding upon Terry Bogard. The Taiyo student suddenly grins ear to ear and holds up one of two soda cans she was carrying in either hand. Offering it to the long haired blonde
"Thank you, Mister Bogard. I hope I'll get the chance to fight you someday myself."
The comment about her outfit had been a low blow, she dimly hopes that Ryu-Sensei would not watch the fight, but then of course... Ken would, and then he just might show it to Ryu. She breathes out a little sigh of resignation and turns her attentions to hayato, kneeling beside him she presses the other can to his forehead cooling it somewhat while the medical team is still making ready. Sakura half expects the teacher will be back up on his feet before they can even get everything ready, he is that kind of person.
The entire time she is chatting amicably with Terry "That was a great fight, I had never seen some of those moves in person before. Seeing them on television or video just doesn't do them justice." It had been a great fight, everyone involved was pretty beat up. Even she was tired and she hadn't even been running around. This heat just saps energy out of you. Sakura shades her eyes , she really did want to fight Terry Bogard, someday and maybe someday after that, maybe even Ryu just like Terry had said. That makes her smile, Despite everything.
"Today was a good day."
Log created on 16:29:28 12/17/2011 by Hayato, and last modified on 16:34:55 12/18/2011.