Description: What better way to introduce a fledgling victor to the true challenge of the Saturday Night Fight event? Razor will be paired with veteran brawler Sakura, but can the two take down the beast that is Gato? Ah, but beware! The groundskeepers aren't going to let something like a televised fight get in the way of their pruning duties. (Winner: Sakura + Razor)
In the midst of the grass, surrounded by wonderful trees and beautiful vegetan, is a solemn figure in a cheogsam. Gato would look serene to most's first impression, legs crossed and head bowed forward, both fists resting on his knees. It is a pose of meditation, but there is nothing tranquil about it. Sakura, at the very least, would feel a dark chi boiling deep within the soul of the eldest Futaba. Someone who is flirting with a path of destruction, the same one Akuma himself went down and mastered. He has not yet committed, but the danger is there. Anyone with the slightest bit of experience in assessing chi will at the very least know there is nothing lighthearted and casual about this imminent fight. Gato is going to go all out... and none of them would have much clue what he is capable of in that state.
Around them, the crew that are tending the grass and shrubberies continue to hack and cut and mow, oblivious to the presence. They weren't told the timing was going to coincide with their groomings, so why should they be held accountable!!
Once again on Saturday Night Fight, Razor finds himself far from home. This place is probably one of the cleanest that he can remember ever being, and while it may be scenic and peaceful, it is also somehow alien - not to mention this is also his first main event match. As a result, he's still a little on edge in spite of the environs, idly cracking his knuckles and throwing a few practice punches every now and then to keep himself loose for the upcoming bout. He's chosen to go shirtless in this weather, revealing a muscular but scarred torso, a few bruises still lingering from his last match on the show.
"That guy looks pretty calm for getting put into a handicap match," he comments to his designated partner, whereever she may be.
They have to fight in the Botanical Gardens? Man. That's gonna be kinda rough on the plants, isn't it? Sakura'll -try- to hold back from searing anything with her chi. Try. That's the operative word, isn't it? As she arrives--wearing, in deference to her fans, her by-now traditional fighting outfit--she's looking around.
"What the. Why are the groundskeepers still here...?" Well, not her problem. For now, maybe? She walks into the garden area, and as Razor addresses her, well, she just shakes her head.
"If he is," she says, offhandedly, "then there's probably a reason for it." Sakura has her own ritual to go through, something that helps her get her mind in the right frame--she tightens her gloves down, checks the headband, crouches down to make sure her shoes are knotted, then stands up and throws a quick punch-punch-kick combo... then nods. She's ready.
Slowly, Gato lifts his head before his eyes open. His chi emanates outwards even stronger now, something dangerous and sharp, like the air was suddenly filled with invisible knives. A sense of danger that even the most mundane would feel; like an angry tiger poised to strike, daring everything around it that it considers prey. Slowly and fluidly the heavily built Japanese man rises upwards, and then exhales a focusing breath. Searching for the harmony within... using the destructive passion along with the harmony of his style. Groundskeepers here are obviously well-trained, as they don't seem to mind wandering around the man, even if one is coming disturbingly close. "Push me to my limits... or else!!" he demands, before stamping his feet and coming into a fighting stance. "When you are prepared... I will come at you!!"
COMBATSYS: Gato has started a fight here on the top side.
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Gato 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Gato 0|-------|-------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab has joined the fight here in the center.
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Gato 0|-------|-------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Razor has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Gato 0|-------|-------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
While not at all initiated to the ways and nuances of chi, Razor can feel that there is something off about the man that he and Sakura are facing down; something he hasn't seen in a person before, even amongst some of society's worst.
"I don't know, all these people with sharp objects puttering around a fight. Somebody could get hurt," he comments to Sakura. Then, after Gato's challenge, he adds in a low voice, "And I take back anything that I might have said about calm."
Dropping into his own fighting stance, he calls back to Gato, his tone even, "Ready when you are, princess." It's improbable that Razor knows who exactly he's dealing with.
Sakura is not the type to be particularly intimidated... just about ever, really. If she were, she wouldn't be where she is today, an internationally-known fighter, a young woman who practically bootstrapped herself up into the ranks, a fountain of natural talent backed by indomitable will.
But she isn't -stupid-, and looking at Gato, she knows, instinctively, that taunting him 1) probably won't work the way one thinks it should and 2) he's got that something, that literal killer instinct. It's woman's intuition, and she listens to it.
So she doesn't offer any quips to Gato, not yet, at least; she separates from Razor by about five-six yards, stepping off to her left, and then she brings her hands up, curled into fists, and she starts bobbing on her feet.
The groundskeepers are starting to figure something out--there's going to be a fight.
Gato simply stands there for a few moments, before he feels those present have been given enough time. He kicks off the ground; a sudden burst of kinetic energy sends grass flying in all directions, much to the shouts of anger from the present caretakers. He is heading straight towards... Razor. His leg is lifted high overhead, almost perfectly vertical, before he descends with a brutal kiai, bringing it down like a ruthless guillotine at the shirtless fighter's head. It is his absolute hardest blow, something that would kill a mundane person five times over... hopefully, Razor is up to the task!
COMBATSYS: Razor blocks Gato's Strong Kick.
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Gato 0|-------|-------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
Razor is ready to have Gato come flying at him, especially after his own comment. That was part of the plan, after all. What isn't part of the plan is feeling like his arm is about to snap when he raises it to block the kick aimed at his head. The force actually causes him to stumble back several steps.
"Goddamn," he breathes, but he doesn't stop to concern himself with the damage, but instead advances quickly, weaving in and reaching to make a grab for the other man and try to pull him out of effective kicking range, drawing back a fist with the intent to deliver a short series of fast punches to Gato's face before throwing him to the ground.
Apparently her partner is. Sakura whistles, lowly, then mentally slaps herself. Stop being -impressed- Kasugano, you're in a fight! The Ansatsuken Flower shakes her head, then lunges forward, taking a curving path around. It's almost accidental teamwork, really, since she didn't discuss anything with Razor beforehand--only remembers his name from the fight card she was given just before.
Still, it might work out for the best anyways. Her curving lunge takes her off the ground, briefly--no more than six inches--but it allows her, when she lands, to alter her path, converting the lateral momentum into pure forward momentum--and then she drops low, planting her hands on the ground, and kicking out with her left foot, looking to perhaps hinder Gato's movement abilities.
Suddenly, there's a brief storm of angry shouting--and the groundskeepers start throwing clods of dirt at the fighters!
COMBATSYS: Gato dodges Razor's Beat Ray.
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Gato 0|-------|-------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Gato with Medium Kick.
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Gato 0|-------|-----==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Gato dodges Groundskeeper Bab's Small Random Weapon.
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Gato 0|-------|-----==
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
It's clearly evident that Gato is a no-nonsense fighter. For someone as well-built as he is, he flows in an unnatural manner, weaving away from Razor's attempted onslaught. Sakura, however, is truly a trained fighter. Taking advantage of the moment he's already devoted, striking him hard in the leg. He lets loose a grunt, glancing a moment in rage down towards her, bobbing away from the thrown items as if they didn't exist. But his focus remains entirely on Razor!! "You are weak... I shall crush you first!!" And then he lunges forward, both of his arms snapping up like the arms of a praying mantis. Trying to wrap about Razor's neck, before whirling up to be sitting on his shoulders. Just with little things like oxygen and blood flow to the brain momentarily gone. Before he'd twist, causing a loud POP and hopefully sending Razor spiraling away towards a bunch of sharp, thorny roses!
COMBATSYS: Razor endures Groundskeeper Bab's Small Random Weapon.
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Gato 0|-------|------=
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Razor Toughs Out Gato's Mu-Ga!
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Gato 0|-------|---====
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
Razor grunts when Gato manages to elude his grasp. It's obvious that the other fighter is disciplined, and probably much more trained than Razor, who only has the benefit of brawling experience. When dirt clods start raining down on the fighters, he doesn't glance up, instead steeling himself against the barrage and in anticipation of Gato's next assault. And in the moment that Gato leaps at him, he realises he's got little chance of avoiding the swift attack. Instead, he braces himself, trying to keep his neck tensed and unexposed, holding his breath and trying not to faint before he's suddenly wrenched away, hurtling into the gardeners' precious rose bush and crashing clean through, dozens of thorns ripping free and lodging themselves in the skin of his back.
After hitting the ground and rolling sideways, elbows tucked in, he picks himself up. Already he's bruised and bleeding from scratches along his back where the thorns and ground ripped and burned away his skin, but somehow adrenalin is keeping him from feeling it. In fact, all he has on his mind right now is retaliation. To try and prove to this stranger that he's not weak.
"Crush me? You're only making me angry!" Razor rushes right back over the crushed roses, aiming to grab Gato's shoulders and force him down to a clinch, before slamming his knee into Gato's face again and again. He'll feel the pain soon, but hopefully, so will his opponent.
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab successfully hit Sakura with Small Random Weapon.
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Gato 0|-------|---====
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
As Sakura is rising to her feet... a clod of dirt smacks her in the back of the head. "_What the_," she says, discombobulated for a half-second, and then she shakes it off. They're trying to protect their gardens, she can't blame them for that, not exactly. Besides, taking her attention off of Gato, even for an instant, could be literally fatal. Not a good idea.
But particles of dirt are finding their way under her blouse and that's irritating, making her shimmy for a moment in frustration, and then she slaps her palms to her face. Right. _Focus, girl_, she tells herself, and then she shakes her head. Gato wants to focus on her partner? That's nominally fine with her--if she can keep putting the damage out.
And there's definitely a way for her to do that. Her hands pull back to her stomach, energy springing to the fore, welling up quickly--and then exploding into life, a blue-white sphere compressed between her hands. She lets it build for a moment more before she flings her hands out, like she were making a palm strike, unleashing a spherical projectile of that energy, aimed for Gato's torso.
"HADOUUUUKEN!!!" is her sharp cry, as the dazzling projectile leaves her hands, an invisible, sudden wind rippling her clothing.
The groundskeepers, undaunted by the fact that they throw like the proverbial girl, start throwing more things--clods of dirt, smallish rocks, dull-bladed implements of gardening...
COMBATSYS: Razor successfully hits Gato with This is the Angry.
- Power hit! -
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Gato 0|-------|-======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Gato with Medium Hadouken.
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Gato 1|-------|=======
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Sakura 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab successfully hit Gato with Small Random Weapon.
- Power hit! -
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Gato 1|------=|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
This is an interesting situation. It's not every man in the world that can successfully tough out having mighty thighs wrapped around your face. Gato was completely unprepared for Razor to leap up like one of those punchable balloon clowns and attack him again. He's caught in the headlock, and as he begins to get punched in the face, just an absurd amount of pain is inflicted on him. There's no real ability to avoid the hadouken in this situation, exploding on his back and sending charred fabric flying; the bottom of an ungodly scar is seen as a result. Furthermore, the rain of sharp and pointy things impacting him is even MORE unavoidable.
"RRAUGH!!" Gato suddenly explodes upwards, breaking free of Razor. There is... it is not quite murder. But it is certainly a killing intent. Shifting forward, he places his palm nearly against Razor's chest. Before whipping his entire body around in a savage movement, every little whipcord of muscle and flexing joint building up the power as he tries to SLAM his palm into the shirtless man, aiming to send him to the ground with his second greatest technique...!!
COMBATSYS: Gato knocks away Razor with Mou-Ko Kou Hakan.
- Power hit! -
! VENGEANCE !
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Gato 1|-----==|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab successfully hit Razor with Small Random Weapon.
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Gato 1|-----==|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Razor
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
There is a moment of clarity for Razor as his grip on Gato is broken, a moment where he can see the look in Gato's eyes as he spins into the palm thrust, a vengeful look, a look that says 'You probably shouldn't be standing where you are right now.'
And then suddenly he isn't - the impact against his chest probably cracks ribs, if not much worse, smashing right through Razor's guard and sending him flying through the air before slamming hard into the ground.
"GHRNH!"
The attack is enough that he nearly blacks out instantly - but the adrenalin is still there, and with great effort he forces himself off the ground, thinking that if he doesn't act now, it will be the girl who gets it next. One arm cradling his ribcage, he takes a deep, wheezing breath, before letting go and making one last charge at Gato, swinging a hard body blow toward the man's gut, teeth clenched as even that motion wracks him with pain. If it connects, he'll grab Gato's head and swing his knee into Gato's face twice, before spiking an elbow into his back to send the man to the ground before stomping on him as many times as he can before the inevitable crippling pain causes him to collapse.
COMBATSYS: Razor can no longer fight.
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Gato 1|-----==|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/----===|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab successfully hit Sakura with Small Random Weapon.
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Gato 1|-----==|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
Another clod of dirt, another smack to the head. _This_ time Sakura turns and -glares- at the middle-aged groundskeepers. They glare -right back-. If this were a just world, Sakura would walk over and just bash them in the face for throwing dirt at a lovely young woman. Alas, Gato will just have to endure their insults by himself.
As Razor goes down, well... Sakura isn't surprised, per se. After all, Gato had focused his attacks on the young man. He served as a useful meat shield. And he did do some good damage. A good partner, even in this ad hoc teamup. But now?
Now Sakura has to fight Gato all by himself, and the sense she gets is that the damage he's taken isn't going to make him easier to fight. It's going to make him -harder- to fight. That thought...
...makes her smile. Grin, really, the clod of dirt momentarily forgotten, as she centers herself, resetting her stance, and then driving forward, her legs pumping as she leaps into the air--and then hurls herself into a descending, spinning kick.
It's a little ironic that this is a much better imitation of the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku, at least the aerial version.
The groundskeepers care not a whit, as dull-tipped, short-handled dirt rakes are hurled next, along with colorful invective in the Hindu language, by the groundskeepers.
COMBATSYS: Razor successfully hits Gato with House of Suffering.
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Gato 1|--=====|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab successfully hit Gato with Small Random Weapon.
[ ]
Gato 1|-======|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Gato endures Sakura's Shunpuu Kyaku.
[ ]
Gato 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-======|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
By the time Sakura presses forward, Gato is already defeated; Razor manages to somehow attack in spite of his severe damage, the blow to his stomach doubling him over slightly. A long enough stun to tear into him, knees impacting his face; although he doesn't go to the ground, instead falling to a kneel as the rain of kicks fall upon him!! It's like pounding a boulder, sheer quantity throwing him over the edge. He can feel it. The blackness... the blackness he only knows from defeat. His face is bloodied, head tilted slightly forward. Before as Sakura rushes towards him, his eyes snap open. Sakura would feel now that she is rushing forward into the mouth of a demon.
Raising up to his feet, pelted ruinously, he then turns his shoulder towards the prodigal panty-flasher of Ansatsuken. The blow hits him, but again he has become a mountain. And then she would feel it... the rush of his ultimate technique. Every ounce of his form, every ounce of the burning anger within, building up like a dragon's roar. To all eyes but Sakura's own, it might seem like just a simple palm strike; but it is more then that. It's something close to a forbidden technique; one that could destroy someone from the inside out.
Regardless of whether Sakura is in the way, a huge wall of grass and dirt goes flying out in a wave. For a few moments he remains standing, before collapsing down, breathing heavily but still conscious...!
COMBATSYS: Gato can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-======|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Groundskeeper Bab's Small Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-======|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Gato knocks away Sakura with Ten-Ryuu Retsu-Kiba.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
It's like being the gong that gets struck by the bellringer made of the redwood that was two hundred years old. The 'simple' palm strike impacts in the middle of her stomach... but that, that isn't the real damage. The real damage is all internal, and Sakura staggers back, spared being flung backwards... only to drop to her knees and vomit.
It isn't a pretty thing at all--there's a definite color to the expelled material that suggests that internal damage is likely. It's a strike that would certainly--almost certainly--kill a lesser fighter, and would certainly reduce an untrained man to ntohing more than a loose pile of bone fragments, sloshing about in a bag of skin and blood and pulverized guts.
After Sakura loses her lunch and some blood, though... she rises back to her feet, her body visibly trembling but bolstered by her spirit, which burns invisibly but brightly all the same. She wipes her mouth, as much to clear it as to make the gesture, and she says, voice made harsh and rough by the pain and injury, "... I'm not crushed yet..."
Razor is not so lucky. For all his efforts, he has been, at least physically, crushed by the might of Gato. The first sign was a sudden jerk that caused his foot to slip as he was trying to stomp Gato down, before he wrapped his arms around his middle, stumbled backward and crumpled onto his back. His torso is already covered in deep, dark bruising and a thin trickle of blood accompanies a last hacking cough before sweet oblivion claims his consciousness before he can know that he and his partner have claimed victory.
And suddenly he's swarmed, before the medical personnel can get to him, by a trio of gardeners, dragging him off of the flower bed he just crushed with his fall, yelling angrily at each other about all that blood staining their lawn.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has left the fight here.
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Groundskeeper Bab0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Groundskeeper Bab has ended the fight here.
Log created on 15:45:20 07/28/2012 by Razor, and last modified on 20:17:53 07/28/2012.