Trial of the Dragon - TotD Round 1: Whip vs Sonozaki

Description: The enigmatic, open paradox of the Ikari, Whip, vs. the relative unknown 'tough girl' from Gedo, Setsuna Sonozaki. In this, their first meeting, impressions are formed--not only of each other, but in the mat. Ultimately, however, there can be only one. (Winner: Whip)



The crowds are gathered and the stage is set-- a by-now familiar sight to the attendees of the Dragon Arena, flocking to watch the opening stages of Johann Gallo's mysteriously-named Trial. His motivations appear to be true - and there's no denying the man has charisma - which gives the audience high spirits as they survey the scene, eager to watch bruises swell and blood pour in the name of good ol' 'charidee'. The fighters themselves carry an array of motivations, as they always do. And the woman known only as Whip, well...

Whip's not one to be over-protective, but her path to Sunshine City has been courtesy of her undying devotion and loving attachment to her favourite brother. His presence in the tournament is causing quite the stir - far more than her own, with her rather unstoried recent past in the fighting game, though as a former runner-up in the King of Fighters tournament, and as a /teenage girl wielding a goddamned bullwhip/ she has a modest collection of fans and well-wishers. All of which has prevented her being too quick to the stage.

By the time she arrives, it's at a brisk stride through the flashing cameras and roaring spectators, brushing back her hair - finally rid of the pink and blonde dye from her match with Hotaru Futaba - and stretching out her arms as she moves. She's breathing fairly deeply, not quite nervous but certainly touched by the scene; she's elected not to partake of any alcohol this time, and the lack of Dutch courage is showing.

Woe betide those who ever believe the Ikari is less than ready, though. As she springs up to the ring-ropes and swings her long limbs through to straighten up with a cool smile on the other side, she's got the confidence she was genetically-imbued with through a hundred thousand immoral experiments. Her khakis are crisp, and as she shakes out her precious Voodoo her wrist is almost as limber and fast as the weapon itself. She hauls the blue coils up in front of her following the motion, smile growing as a mischievous spark enters her eye...

It doesn't hurt to pose for the cameras juuust a little. This pro-fighting thing is growing on her!

COMBATSYS: Whip has started a fight here.

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Whip             0/-------/-------|


It's... she doesn't know why she signed up for this. Maybe because she recognizes that Sunshine City is having problems and, being a US citizen, and, furthermore, a citizen of Metro City, a city that was, not so long ago, under siege, she felt something. The high-school girl hasn't had -too- much trouble getting around Sunshine. Maybe there's just something about the eyepatch, or the way she's shut down just about anyone and everyone that tried to approach her since.

She's tried to remain focused, but there are things occupying her attention, and those things are distracting her. An unknown--her own 'fault', in as much as it can be anyone's 'fault', that fact, at least, doesn't bother her. She's still garnering attention as she approaches the fighting arena, whether due to her ice-cold aura, the super-serious expression on her eyepatched face, or the understated, elegant-and-rough mix of her fighting attire--to quote a song, 'silver spoon and a paper plate'.

By that, one means, she wears some pretty rough clothing--her 'fighting attire' changes a lot. Today? A spaghetti-strapped tanktop, black ribbed cotton, printed with an image of the logo of the Sex Pistols--and black leather wristcuffs, thick and heavy, studded with chrome studs. The shirt doesn't quite reach her waist, leaving just a touch of belly visible, the patchily-worn grey denim jeans featuring more studded leather, in the form of a big, heavy belt--and no-nonsense combat boots on her feet. Rough--but everything is finely made, not only durable but of good quality.

She gives the -appearance- of being cool, aloof, and unconcerned as she hops over the ring ropes to land opposite of Whip. Delicate-looking, a little, but for that hard aura around her... and the fact that her hands come up in a stance that is -very- reminiscent of the Special Forces, a stance that has more than a little boxing in it.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki has joined the fight here.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Whip


To get far enough through the qualifying rounds of the tournament to even be here marks any fighter stepping out under the bright arena lights as... something special. Nobody present can draw an easy line between these fighters and point to an immediately obvious winner or loser; after all, what has Whip done by way of a solo career? Several losses to opponents of a similar level to she, and not much more to write home about. Her own exceptional talents have been turned to other routes, and consequently she doesn't doubt Sonozaki is the same.

Lacking the deeper chi-bound instincts of other warriors, the former assassin is forced to use her eyes along to draw further conclusion than that, watching over the furled coils of Voodoo as the younger girl takes her place, lifting into that solid, implacable stance-- it's a good one, there's a reason that the art of boxing has never lost a place in the basic training of any martial art worth its salt. Whip herself has stepped through the ropes for the drawn-out, wearying multitude of rounds that the sport is known for, and the posture alone lends itself to a thousand other things. There's no real clue there, then...

Save that she still shouldn't take her opponent less than one hundred percent seriously.

"Gedo High, right?" Observes Whip lightly as she lowers Voodoo to her side, the coils tightening with a press of her gloved digits as she allows the weapon to ride at her hip. One foot teases forward, the weight sinking into her back foot as she stretches her other arm languidly forward. "That explains the look. Love it. Not too frivolous but it suits you!" She especially approves of the boots, but doesn't elaborate on that, just letting a friendly grin flare upon her lips a moment longer before she beckons with her extended hand.

"Show me what you can do. And don't hold back! I've taken a hit or three in my time."

And so has the younger girl, to judge by the strength of her positioning and that eye. A tough teenager who dresses for the practicalities of a street fight, bar a little midriff-baring goodness, and doesn't spare many words? Whip likes her already.

Setsuna is giving Whip the eye. Literally--she only -has- the one eye. It's a pretty obvious flaw, whcih probably means she learned to compensate for it... if she's made it this far in the fighting world. The raven-haired girl sees a few things, immediately, that she'll have to contend with; the whip being the most obvious. It should've been obvious from the name, of course, 'Whip', but who knows, maybe her parents were hippies of a very strange or smoked-out bent.

Whip's question gets a long silence before she nods. "Yeah. Gedo. So this is like, y'know," she says, her voice a somewhat raspy alto, "... lunch hour. Except for the whip," she adds, offhandedly, "and the hordes of guys who are a -little- more handsy than the typical Gedo punk..." Then again, she's definitely 'trained' the Gedo kids not to put their hands on her like that. Anyway. That's neither here nor there.

Half to herself, she murmurs, "guess we'll see how this goes..." She's got to close in. That whip offers too much advantage at range, and she's not familiar with the uses of said weapon, at least in the details. She bounces back and forth on her feet, once, twice, and on the third bounce the Gedo student launches herself forward, drawing her right fist back and hammering it in as she attempts to land right in front of the Ikari, aiming a solid, right cross for Whip's chin.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki successfully hits Whip with Medium Punch.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0             Whip


As it happens, it's entirely possible that Whip's parents are indeed quirky tree-huggers living in a commune somewhere; she's only aware that she remembers a lot of crying and heartbreak from a very long time ago, the mists of time holding only snatches of memory that give her some hint as to her past. Namely, that she has one. It's not much to go on admittedly-- it's probably best if everyone assumes she picked up the name from NESTS and has a very real and sensible name on some crumpled-up birth certificate somewhere.

Given the /actual/ truth, it's certainly better for Whip to assume that.

In the present, safe in the knowledge that she's a Real Girl (tm), the Ikari lets out a breezy laugh at the younger girl's return comment. She's not actually been to the infamous delinquent highschool, but she knows it by reputation - and the status of its more successful exports into the fighting world. Daigo Kazama in particular; a man of nobility and honour who could give any of her unit a run for their money. Perhaps even K'. It's as undistracting to Whip as it is to Sonozaki, however, and when the cyclopean brawler moves...

So does she. Directly into the incoming punch, her own rush forward accompanied by a ducking motion that's supposed to carry her clear past, her legs spreading long and Voodoo coming up in both hands before her for a close-ranged, stinging slash. The plan is reasonable; but her execution is off, she fails to predict the obvious adjustments the Gedoite has made to account for her lack of depth perception, and the fist thuds home if against her cheek rather than her chin. It spins her through a hundred-eighty degrees, which she neatly turns into a full spin to prevent her losing melee range, dropping low as she presses Voodoo's coils downward.

And from a single point of balance, using the same momentum gifted by the punch, she swings out one long leg to bring a polished leather boot into scything contact with one or both of Sonozaki's own pins. Her free arm spirals through, maintaining a guard about her face and body as it crosses past her neck. Despite her daredevil evasion attempt, she's certainly not poorly-versed in the basics herself.

"You're quick!" She says - quickly, as it happens, breath a rush as she withdraws her striking leg.

COMBATSYS: Whip successfully hits Sonozaki with Light Kick.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0             Whip


Gedo certainly does have a reputation, and an infamous one at that. Daigo might be a shining beacon of honor and a paragon of virtue, but he's one of literally hundreds, and that's a fight that few could win, especially on the stage of public opinion. Setsuna attends the school -for- that reputation, though, and while not every day is a magical adventure of gang violence, it's been interesting.

This, however, is going to be the real test--can she fight a complete unknown, in a completely neutral area, where her opposite number has more traction in terms of the crowd... The impact was not only solid, but a bit satisfying. She wasn't, however, expecting Whip to recover so well, and so she's caught a bit flat-footed as Whip's leg scythes around; her arms were up for a high guard, and the sweep takes her off her feet. Landing hard, she rolls backwards, tumbling neatly to pop right back up. "You too," she says, lightly. And speaking of quick...

Setsuna feints a lunge forward, actually literally jerking forward a half-step, before stopping herself, then continuing forward, shouting a cry as she takes a couple of long steps before leaping. Her leap is long, and low, looking to take her, it seems, right -past- Whip... only her left arm is cocked to snag Whip around the throat and, if she catches, she'll squeeze painfully as she bulldogs Whip down to the mat.

COMBATSYS: Whip dodges Sonozaki's Power Throw.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0             Whip


If Sonozaki and Whip have anything at all in common, it may well be that they crave this kind of testing; to push one's skills against a mysterious element is thrilling in a way almost nothing else is. To fight against odds that can't be discerned, to never know if around the next corner lies the sweet taste of success or the bitter sting of pain... or, for Whip, even death... it's an exhilarating, dizzying state of being. Which makes it all the more challenging, to fight that state and remain calm and composed in the face of uncertainty.

The opening exchange is too close to call; a blow for a blow, an eye for an eye (oh god I am so sorry). But as the Gedoite brawler moves in this time, she finds an opponent who has been able to take her first measure-- and extrapolate her reaction accordingly. It's a tricky style, she can tell that much; to lead off in such a linear fashion then go for a feinted leap? She's not fully sure what to expect even as Sonozaki takes to the air.

Which means her mind is made swiftly - she simply won't risk it. The Ikari takes a sliding step backward and then bends, sweeping her torso around and forward into what becomes a smoothly rebounding roll directly underneath the incoming girl. "Well, you know what they say," quips Whip as she rises with a lithe flexion of her khaki-clad form, raised arm slipping back from its warding guard - and taking the semi-conscious opportunity to preen at her dishevelled hair on the way. "In this business, there are two kinds of people."

The same hand continues back, until it reaches the nape of her neck, swiftly enclosing upon something stored beneath the exaggerated collar flap of her uniform. Shiny chrome glints as her arm snaps back around, the former assassin sighting down the intimidating length of a Desert Eagle. Her finger tightens on the trigger once, twice and a third time, the jerk of her forearm sending each bullet streaming through the charged air with a booming report to take Sonozaki variously in the shoulder, chest and stomach, if she doesn't move.

"The quick, and the dead."

Does anybody say that? Nobody says that, Whip. You just want to sound cool.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki fails to interrupt Desert Eagle from Whip with Slashing Wind.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0             Whip


She has to correct, really quickly, as Whip rolls underneath her; she forces her body to turn, landing on her feet, and one hand down to help slow her, bleeding off speed and ending in a rather picturesque three-point skid. The low posture is maintained, but not completely, as Setsuna starts running even before Whip pulls the gun... and she's already committed herself, her charge started and not abortable even as she recognizes the weapon.

The three slugs impact her hard--only her low stance helps, as the three bullets hit almost simultaneously, drilling her shoulder--but causing relatively shallow wounds--bloody, but survivable. The impacts cause her to falter, aborting the rush, white-grey chi forming around her right hand and then, as she is brought up short, it dissipates--and Sonozaki is left flexing her right hand, as if it went a little numb.

Hnh. Bleeding. She's bled before. But those wounds aren't going to go away quickly or easily... and she bets that if there is one weapon, one deadly weapon, there'll be more.

It only reinforces her thought--she has to get in close and -stay- in close, or she's going to get taken apart.

One of the foremost rules of war, and engagement in general:

There's always more.

On this occasion, at least Whip is quick to stow her ordinance, the barrel still glowing with discharged heat as it finds its snug home in the concealed magnetic harness just below the Ikari's neck. It's a testament to her physical strength that she's able to keep such a weighty thing in that position, though for the moment there are probably bigger things to worry about than how much the deceptively cheery former assassin can bench. She's watching Sonozaki with those quietly analytical eyes as the highschooler reacts to being shot-- and what she sees is as impressive as everything else. She doesn't always break out the firearms on the public stage...

But this is a tournament. They're here to bleed for a cause, but they're still here to BLEED. Three .44 calibre rounds from a Desert Eagle are nothing compared to the raging fury of her brother's flame, the diminishing slice of Hyo Imawano's katana or even the soulburning blaze of Athena Asamiya's psychic flame. Whip doesn't pause to consider her actions any longer than Sonozaki pauses to scream about being shot.

Neither, as might be expected, does she remain at range, the coils of Voodoo still riding just above her hip as she seeks to close in a quick three-step dashing lunge. Her leading arm pumps once to give her added propulsion, before she's closing the last couple of feet with an outflung arm, the leather of her gloves creaking as she throws her full body weight behind a palmheel strike to the solar plexus. Her gaze, fixed over her attacking limb, meets Sonozaki's own for a brief instant, hard but rich with a warrior's respect...

Before she raises her whip-bearing hand to stabilize against the inward fold of her striking forearm. Thus braced, it leaves her presenting the elbow as she takes one last stride toward her hopefully-staggered opponent, seeking to follow up by plowing the rock-hard joint into her cheek.

The thing with being shot, is that blood rushes to the head. It's disorienting. She means to capitalize on that.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki dodges Whip's Strong Punch.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0             Whip


There are weapons and there are weapons. Some are natural; Sonozaki does not fear those. Fist, foot, elbow, forehead, these are the weapons with which she is infinitely familiar. Guns, knives, these things are foreign. That's why they rattle people--why they're so powerful, psychologically, even to some trained fighters, fighters who have toughened their bodies to resist such things.

With the Ikari putting the gun away, and intending to go toe to toe, this is where she can seize the advantage, if there is one to be seized. But first she has to survive. It's Whip's turn to come forward, her lunging palmstrike to elbow combination potentially quite painful.

The Gedo girl is not about to just take it lying down, though, or standing up, for that matter; her eye narrows a touch, and she sidesteps the incoming palm-strike, then drops down as the elbow followthrough comes, stretching her right leg out and putting her left hand down... and then pushing herself straight up again.

She doesn't like talking in fights, if only because it's more distracting to -her- than to her opponents--she's no good at patter. As she pushes straight up, she hammers first her left fist, then her right fist, upwards--two uppercuts, no waiting, though Whip is likely fast enough to have vacated while Setsuna was getting back up to standing. The blood -is- rushing to her head, her clothing stained with her blood already, but so far, she seems steady.

COMBATSYS: Whip fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Sonozaki with Zed.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0             Whip


To Whip, it's not about victory when life is unlikely to actually be on the line; she's in this tournament to meet interesting warriors, to sharpen her own style and hone her instincts against the very unknown that so thrill her in every situation. Which explains her immediate willingness to close with Setsuna Sonozaki and battle on terms closer to the Gedoite's own-- it also explains why she falls so short here, but it's a close-run thing, her hand still following through as if to clasp against her elbow as the other girl evades, but instead of remaining dormant, the coils of Voodoo are teased forth.

"Th--!!" Whatever she was trying to say as she pivots neatly upon her heel and brings the weapon's constricting blue halo around in a double-handed grip is lost as the first punch slams into her chin, jerking her head back and to one side as she turns with it. The second barely brushes her as she uses the recoil to her advantage once more, taking a hopping step away and turning her flank to Sonozaki with a sharp intake of breath.

"I'd repeat my earlier comment, but," she smiles, raising her whip in that same grasp but keeping it over her head now as she draws herself up on those long legs. Voodoo pulls taut with a slick twang as her hands tighten in their grip, the weapon prepared to strike or form an impromptu guard as required. It's the first time she's adopted anything close to a recognizable stance... if more like a lion tamer than a fighter.

"You're more than just quick. Adaptable, with brains besides. You've trained with Kazama?"

He's the only warrior in Southtown she knows of with a similarly brash but versatile brawling style. If nothing else, it's a compliment.

Setsuna -is- interested in the victory, but not for the 'win' factor. Rather, she sees a win as a vindication of her efforts, her skills, the honing she's done to get this far. She wants to win to prove herself... -to- herself. She hasn't much cared about what other people have thought before, and she's not likely to, now, but she does need to validate herself.

"No," she says, briefly. Having rocked Whip with the twin uppercuts, she doesn't hesitate to pursue, following the Ikari's hopping step with one of her own, lunging in to match that step, wary of the raised weapon but not fearing it, looking to punch through the guard.

But she can carry on a -little- conversation. "Haven't ever met him," she says, swinging around to try and get to Whip's side, before driving herself into a simple shoulder check--or is it?

If she makes contact, she'll actually try to grab Whip around the waist and turn, throwing Whip back in the other direction, sacrificing her balance to make the throw.

COMBATSYS: Whip blocks Sonozaki's Medium Throw.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0             Whip


That confession is surprising, to Whip, her speculative opinion of Gedo High being that 'the boss' is as much a part of their lives as Commander Heidern is to the Ikari; but it's a naive expectation only an outsider could likely hold. How many delinquents are there loosely 'attending' the school? Many are going to be the problematic type who require mentoring and careful concern from the reportedly stern but fair Kazama, and if the life of a student-turned-gang-leader weren't already busy enough, he likely has his own inner circle of compatriots. Meet and greet tea parties probably aren't handed out freely at the gates.

"Shame," she replies offhand as the other girl comes in, scanning her approach with hardened brown eyes, gaze narrowing just a touch as the assault comes. Rather than attempt to evade or counter the motion with an offensive one of her own, Whip actually allows herself to be gripped, but rather than flung she's almost drawn into a rather aggressive dance, bending and flowing with the intended momentum such that - when she's in the air - she could well have intended to put herself in exactly that spot. "I hear he's quite the warrior!"

Her voice is somewhat breathless; a concession to the sting about her midriff, and the explosion of air leaving her lungs a moment earlier. The misdirection of the attack wasn't anywhere near as effortless as she makes it appear, but when she lands with a sharp clatter of the boards beneath the ring, she's at least got the presence of mind and certainty of posture to retaliate with absolute immediacy. Voodoo cracks forth.

If the lashing blue tendril hits, the intention - and aim - is for it to be around the younger girl's neck, no figurative punches being pulled as the former assassin hauls her namesake tight and firm for a momentarily-choking grapple. That tug acts as a fulcrum for her subsequent manuever, as she enters the dazing glow of the spotlights overhead in a tightly arcing leap, ending up stretched vertically above Sonozaki.

"And the best warriors always seek new ways to learn, don't they?"

With one boot extended to crack her firmly in the skull in the same instant as Voodoo releases her.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki interrupts Strength Shot - Yuuetsu from Whip with Slashing Wind.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0             Whip


"I don't run in those circles," replies the Gedo student, briefly. That is... amongst the Gedo kids, she doesn't belong to a gang, at all. A solo runner at Gedo isn't unheard of, but it is a bit unusual; the school practically -defines- the culture of school gangs, roving packs of boys and girls bound together as much for protection as for a common interest or friendship. She's shunned much of that, in part a deliberate effort to make things harder for herself. She isn't at Gedo for the education.

Once again, she finds herself low to the ground and rising, as that blue whip cracks out... and it does, indeed, loop around her neck, and painfully at that. But when Whip leaps upwards, having intended to crack Setsuna's brain in half with a bootheel, Setsuna decides that there's a different plan in mind.

She doesn't resist the tug of the whip, but, as Whip leaps, the Gedo girl doesn't panic--and just when Whip's leg is coming down, she ducks low again... and then pushes up and forward, scything her right arm out, stiffened into a knifehand, and surrounded by a seething nimbus of chi.

The sudden shift puts Whip's heel on Setsuna's shoulder--the one that got shot--and the girl grunts, but doesn't falter as she slams that knifehand right into Whip's ribs, the chi exploding off it in a icy, cutting swirl.

Energy. Whip hasn't got the senses of most her level, but she feels it coming as a faint prickle at the nape of her neck, albeit far too late to do anything about it. Voodoo still makes it free, but the weapon is knocked from her grasp along with the air from her lungs as she's quite literally blasted in the ribs. The distinctive chill numbs the body and brain both, but does nothing to stop the wear and tear from her body.

Nor does it help her when she's flung from the air an instant later.

The lithe Ikari hits the ring mat hard, raising a deafening roar from the crowd as the impact shakes the ropes and rattles the four outlying corner-posts. It's not that Whip is particularly heavy - she likes her a good steak from time to time, but the brutal momentum of Sonozaki's counterstrike was simply so well-timed. Fortunately this is a surface designed for such impacts, and though there's a small trickle of blood running from the side of her mouth, the former assassin is able to roll to a crouch without too much difficulty.

Regrettably, her weapon lies halfway across the ring - between she and her opponent. It's a fact that causes a small frown to brush her brow, but only for an instant. A narrowing of her gaze heralds further action, as she seems to begin rising only to flip forward into a dynamic tumble that ends with Whip upon her back, half bouncing and half sliding across the canvas, rising onto an extended knee as she passes Voodoo. A hand snaps out to secure a firm grip on the ergonomic hilt, but she's still skidding toward Sonozaki.

Her final rise comes with a barely enunciated 'hup!' as she flexes off the raised leg and rises in a swinging half-pirouette, leading upwards with the hilt of her namesake to catch the Gedoite with a healthy crack beneath the chin. Whether that hits or not, her left leg is already chambered and blasting into a heavier roundhouse-- seeking to either follow up what amounts to a feint, or add injury to injury as it cracks against the ribs.

"Good!" She offers in tandem with the second blow, "Cut your own path! Be who /you/ want to be!"

When she comes around she's grinning, eyes aflame and pulse quickened by the thrill of meeting a worthy foe.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki blocks Whip's Medium Strike.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0             Whip


Fading back after the strike, Setsuna has to reassess. It was a good hit, to be sure, and it's brought them about even... which is really only to say, 'it's still anyone's fight'. There's a tight smile even before Whip praises her, tight not only because she's focusing on the fight, but also because Whip was able to perform that complicated, acrobatic move with little apparent difficulty. Focus, dammit, -focus-, she tells herself, and maybe that 'hup' is just enough warning--

--the hilt slams into crossed forearms, just under the chin of the Gedo student, and she steps to her right, swinging her forearms to meet that roundhouse--which, blocked or not, still hits with the sound of a thunderclap, and Setsuna is hard-pressed not to lean back the other way.

"Have to," she offers, resuming her boxing-like stance, the spread of her feet and the way she bobs keeping it from looking too much like she's going to be boxing hard--until she comes in with a two-shot left jab combination, then shoots her right hand out--for Whip's throat.

That grip will be strong, painful, almost crushing, as Setsuna would almost... negligently, cruelly even, yank her right hand back and down, using the grip on Whip's throat to hurl her into the mat.

COMBATSYS: Whip blocks Sonozaki's Combo Grapple.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0             Whip


It's a good, solid defensive posture that Sonozaki uses to deflect the one-two assault, further testament to her ability at this range-- and further warning Whip that she should likely keep disengaging rather than remain at such proximity. With her blood up and spirit burning though, she's as liable to listen to that advice as she is to simply throw in the towel; and so she remains in position herself, the whip-bearing limb lifting with the coils resting against her forearm as she wards off the pair of jabs. They sting through the guard, raising bruises beneath the hard-wearing khaki of her uniform. But it's enough.

Enough that she can bring her other hand around when Sonozaki's right arm snaps forth, opening her guard to allow it almost to make purchase before clamping a vicelike double-handed grip upon it. Whip's fingers tighten alarmingly fast and hard; though not quite enough to constitute any actual damage, more than is required to keep the assault at bay, her teeth gritting momentarily with the effort, and then...

Then she makes a sharp tug toward her, twisting at the hip as she releases her grapple in an attempt to send the Gedoite stumbling past. Part of the same sweeping motion, her left arm lashes heavenward to send Voodoo striking like a thunderclap. She does it without looking-- and overhead, the blue tip actually finds one of the spotlights scouted in her earlier leap, wrapping fast and taut about the metal base securing it.

As Sonozaki staggers, Whip takes off like a rocket, soaring vertically only to come down even faster.

"Haaaaaaa--!!"

Once more, it's her heel leading the way; or more accurately, both of them, seeking to piledrive into the back of the younger girl's neck with no less cruel brutality than her own attack was intended to embody. Sonozaki knows as well as Whip; it's nothing personal, it's just the fight. It's giving it your all.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki blocks Whip's Assassin Strike.

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Sonozaki         0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1             Whip


She recognizes what Whip is trying to do a moment after the Ikari starts it, and instead of trying to stop Whip from forcing her to stumble, she actually goes into it, overbalancing but adding a touch of speed to the stumble--giving her the time to turn around, her arms up--just in time to take that impact from the heels of Whip, throwing her forearms up and out, as if her guard was just broken, but in reality flinging them up to further direct Whip's feet up.

Going that fast, there's no good way to catch her, so Setsuna... slows the pace. Or at least, her pace. But she isn't just going to stand there and let Whip come to her--she opens herself to the flow of chi, and she is limned with a greyish half-glow, chi energy flowing up around her like the beginnings of a whirlwind.

It does keep her pinned, so to speak--to move would break the flow of chi--but with the way the energy soothes the aches of strained muscles and fills her, when she looks up and meets Whip's eyes, Whip will see, in that single eye, the spark of the joy of battle that was hidden previously. Is it only now that Setsuna's been able to enjoy the fight? Not precisely. But it is only now that she allows herself to -show- it.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki gathers her will.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Sonozaki         1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1             Whip


As tactically sound a mind as she may have, Whip isn't keen on keeping a fight at less than breakneck rhythm - it doesn't play to her natural athleticism, and causes her some small upset in the analytical department. The former assassin simply operates best when she can continue moving, interpreting her opponent's by action rather than hidden intent, reading and reacting. Which is why - in what would seem a contradictory notion - she rebounds from the blocked strike into a tight somersault and lashes out with Voodoo again, upward.

This time she disappears into the blinding lights, using the cover of such brightness to take a stance upon the heated metal strut keeping the array in place. The clank of her boots is a telltale sign of her location anyway; but she's not so much using to hide, to lurk like some shadowy predator. Her acrobatics were designed with such predicaments in mind, and in a situation that demanded it... perhaps... but here, she's just lining up her shot. Lips smoothed in a calm smile, she watches the younger girl channel her chi just for a moment.

And then she's off, her namesake coiled at her side as she swings off into a freefall, legs stretched behind her. Seeming to swoop like a hawk down from the rafters of the Dragon Arena, she's actually already curling backward to turn it into a shooting star flip, twisting around and bringing her palms inward so that - when she's close enough to Sonozaki - she can press down upon her skull for an instant, driving her forward...

In preparation for both of her legs to swing out and down, slamming either shoulder in an 'x' position.

With all of her bodyweight behind it, the only likely solution is to simply /not be there/ when it happens--

But Sonozaki has surprised her several times already.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki blocks Whip's Alpha.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Sonozaki         1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1             Whip


She makes a rookie mistake--trying to follow Whip's leap up. It blinds her, unintentionally or not, and there's little she can do but... guess. Guess when and where Whip is coming down on her. The glare fades just in time--for her to see Whip's descent--and there's no time for anything except for riding out whatever the Ikari has planned--tensing the body, grunting, thrown off her feet but in a controlled manner--letting her land on her feet, kneeled down for a moment.

She's really feeling the pain now, all the little strikes adding up here and there, aches building upon aches, like a storm of echoes. But she's still moving, still capable, and right now, right here... she's finally pumped up enough. Her movement is fluid and sudden both--sudden in its immediacy, fluid in its grace, as she literally flies forward, a wordless, sharp kiai filling the air as she practially blurs forward, upon Whip in the next instant.

The storm is brief, but precise and powerful--hammering fists and knees, a hurricane of precise, heavy blows, short in arc and motion, compact and powerful, elbows introduced as well. It's a good, seven long seconds of pummeling, and, should it go unabated, she'll hop backwards, that chi flaring up her arms--both arms, and one after another, left right, she'll sweep them up, creating knife-like waves of that chi--only, knives that are as tall as she is.

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki successfully hits Whip with Divine Storm.
- Power hit! -

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Sonozaki         0/-------/-------|=======\======-\1             Whip


A rookie mistake that's amply covered for - and makes Whip's life that much harder. Such a ponderous manuever, as graceful as it was, leaves her incredibly open to a counter-assault if it doesn't hit clean; she's rebounding into a flip anyway, but with half the poise and optimal evasive placement she'd have if Sonozaki had hit the mat facefirst. The Ikari lands on her feet nonetheless, stumbling only faintly as she sucks in a breath, back arched as she watches her younger opponent steel herself and then suddenly, brutally strike.

There's really no point describing any effort to get free; the execution by the Gedoite is absolutely perfect, and the more experienced fighter is sucked into the storm, which is brief but crushingly effective. Each blow blasts the Ikari make as intended, elbows drawing blood as fists leave rapidly-forming bruises on her face and torso, the slicing energy only worsening what's already considerable punishment even to the stalwart Ikari.

But it is, to be fair, a pretty huge worsening.

By the time Whip is flung clean, she's breathless and dazed, trailing blood and sweat as she hits the mat and bounces once, twice, then a third time. On the third though, those keen instincts kick in, and her arms - one still miraculously bearing Voodoo throughout the assault - push her upright, a grunt of effort-filled pain leaving her lips. One eye is closed and gushing crimson, the thick ichor pounding down her face, staining her lips and drip-dripping onto her uniform. But as she stands there, her lips actually pull to a grin once more. She doesn't say a thing - not as such - because she doesn't damn well need to do. Both of them know how well-struck that was, how well-fought the entire battle has been, and Sonozaki's earned this.

She's earned the best Whip can manage in her battered, barely-conscious state.

"Haaaaaa---!!"

The cry builds as her earlier, airborne did, cutting off with a snarling gasp as the former assassin surges forward, exhibiting similar flash-stepping speed to the Gedoite as she closes in a delirious rush of motion, a flitting shadow beneath the glaring spotlights. Voodoo is brought up in a backhand slice, the tendril lashing out for Sonozaki's torso to cleave the way for many more - perhaps dozens, perhaps hundred, the figure-eight loop-within-endless-loop of Whip's arm carrying her into a storm of her own, her voice raising in tandem with each torso-searing strike, flaying through cloth to eat at flesh and even to the very bone...

"Nanananananananananana!"

She doesn't stop until she has to, throwing out one last, massive forehand slash to blast the tough schoolgirl away across the ring-- either onto the ropes, over them or possibly /through/ them if she doesn't manage to defend herself from the answering onslaught. Whip herself is sinking to her knees, breathing heavy and blood continuing to rush freely, her gaze and her head swimming, heart beating so hard she can almost taste it. No matter what happens in this final exchange, she'll be spending a sore and painful night.

And that means... whatever else is to come, this was worth it.

COMBATSYS: Whip successfully hits Sonozaki with Sonic Slaughter.

[                            \\  < >  ////                          ]
Sonozaki         0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0             Whip


Unfortunately, that assault pretty much took everything out of Whip's opponent. The Gedo girl is panting, bent over, left hand on her knee, and she tries to push herself back up... for naught. She can't just withstand the assault, because she hasn't the strength... but her legs refuse to move. The slashes rake across her body, the whip cutting her clothing, shredding it almost artistically--and doing the same to her torso, in short order.

It's almost a mercy when the last hit comes, lashing her away, hurtling her already-unconscious body towards the ropes--which catch her, bowing outwards, holding there for a pregnant moment...

.. and then hurling the girl onto the mat, with a forceful, meaty, final *thud*. She twitches, as if to rise, and then her body deserts her entirely. But Whip might be encouraged to know that she went, at least, knowing that she did her best...

COMBATSYS: Sonozaki takes no action.

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


COMBATSYS: Sonozaki can no longer fight.

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


In that moment, the entire area holds its breath. They're split down the middle at this point-- both of the young women have given it their all, and any prior fame or otherwise has been rendered null and void. Tonight was about a pair of warriors striving to understand one another, whilst simultaneously seeking to break each other down until only one could remain standing; as pure and honest as tournament fights get. No emotion involved but the desire to fight and better oneself, no anger or pettiness, nothing but the battle.

When Sonozaki finally hits the ground, and Whip remains kneeling, the crowd explodes.

A single-eyed glance goes to her collapsed opponent, the Ikari letting the roars wash over her and form a cacophanous backdrop to her own silently breathed offer of respect and congratulations to the downed girl. They'd not be able to hear each other now even if they were aware enough to speak; and even for Whip, the most she can manage now is to bow her head, her one unbloodied eye slipping shut as she honours the fallen.

It's going to be a few minutes before the audience realizes that she, too, is unconscious.

COMBATSYS: Whip has ended the fight here.

Log created on 20:14:07 06/18/2012 by Sonozaki, and last modified on 22:24:30 06/19/2012.