View source for 3610/Epic Fight For Epic Lunch

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/01/05
|Location=Njorun Station - Ring of Philosophy
|Synopsis=Momoyo is starting to establish a reputation for sparring for the smallest reasons. Once again, she's broke, and trying to get Xiaomu to foot the bill this time! But things don't quite go as expected when the wily Sage Fox counterattacks...
|Thanks=
|Cast of Characters=20, 151, 391, 626, 705, 707, 867, 906, 928
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|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's not every day that somebody has the courtesy to *invite* Xiaomu to spar, rather than simply doing something within her range of attention which obligates her to respond with violence. It's even more rare than that for such a challenge not to take digital form.<br /><br />But the sage fox has finished eating (at one of Njorun's reasonably fine restaurants - not too expensive, not too cheap), and while she was digesting, she strolled on over to the Ring of Philosophy. From what Momoyo was saying, it's pretty much 'anything goes that the Ring prevents permanent damage from,' which is fine with her; she has her monk-staff, she has her handguns, and she's got a full tank of mana for using whatever magic seems helpful.<br /><br />All she needs is for her opponent to arrive.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Momoyo is a bit faster to move through the fortress the second time around. Once again, she could tell through the walls that her opponent was just as strong as anyone from her home city, and that made her even more excited. Likewise, no doubt, she could tell Momoyo's proximity as well.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The black-haired woman comes down the steps, as spectators scurry in on very short notice. Their red eyes met quickly, and surprisingly enough the manner of dress for both even complemented one another as opponents. Momoyo's school uniform jacket stayed attached to her neck, fluttering lightly behind her shoulders, but aside from that her uniform and skirts were all she wore. "Mhmhmhm~. I'm excited... and you look like you were bored too." she quips to Xiaomu, finally seeing her in person. She sets her hand on her hip on the opposite side from the blonde, tilting her head a little. "So you're fine with those terms, right? Same terms I fought Nero on..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another who is here to watch is Terry McGinnis, and he is not dressed as Batman or in the hunter attire for Beacon, that attire is do tomorrow. Today, he is wearing his normal attire and is sitting in the stands to watch this duel. He is a friend of Momoyo and is here to cheer her on, although, he wants to see if she does the same thing when she went against Nero.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One person who is here (person being a literal term since technically, she's a Gurhalian,) in her uniform is none other than Reina Kinney herself. Then again, even if she weren't in uniform, it's hard to miss her with that bright red hair with a huge ponytail. She knows Xiaomu fairly well, and plans to cheer her on as well. She sits off to the side, with a big grin on her face and eagerly staring at Xiaomu, hoping her favorite fighter will win this match!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Let's go Xiaomu, Let's Go!" She chants a few times, grinning.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although Ainsley often carries herself with a friendly, somber or lukewarm demeanor, she's here to observe Momoyo in a battle, someone that might be considered an opposite creature. She has found her own seat to relax on, her tail draped over her lap and her mouth pulled into a serene smile. She's here to watch because she has grown to idealize the passionate and powerful, even if she believes she does not belong in that category herself. She wants to enjoy seeing Momoyo get into a fight.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She holds up a little paper flag and waves it. It says 'GO MOMOYO,' in well-written Japanese.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Catching fights in the Ring is always fun, and it appears that Terry and Reina aren't the only ones who are headed off to catch some sparring. One of the next people to arrive is a certain young teenager, and it seems she's bringing snacks. Toph Beifong looks rather relaxed as she moves to flop down next to Terry with a bag of chips. Though before she gets to open it she can't help but narrow her eyes slightly, looking pensive before she seemingly shrugs it off and gets settled, kicking her foot down into the ground to raise part of the stands into an impromptu footrest for her small, dirty feet.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Maybe I should catch you for a sparring match one of the next days, Momo the second," she calls to Momoyo.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"YEAH!! GO XIAOMU!!" Kyra sits in the bleachers, one leg crossed over the other, clearly showing her preference pretty clearly. She'd be doing this regardless of whether or not Nero was here. In fact, she might even be more aggressive if Nero had been here due to the flirting of last time. "Beat Momoyo into the ground!!!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Anything goes that the Ring can handle, winner gets treated to lunch?" Xiaomu asks Momoyo, sizing the Kawakami heiress up. "Yeah, sounds good to me. And I wasn't THAT bored; you should see my day job." She grins briefly. "Hard to stay bored as a Shinra agent ... except when you're catching up on all the paperwork. I'm happier letting Reiji take care of the dull bureaucratic stuff, and the higher-ups like his reports better anyway."<br /><br />She twirls her staff briefly, perking an ear at the spectators; it sounds like she's possibly the favorite here, but it's hardly unanimous. All the better.<br /><br />In fact, after a brief glance over the bleachers, Xiaomu raises an arm to wave to her fans (and Momoyo's too), then plants her staff next to her - and a *poof* of gold-hued smoke erupts around her briefly, leaving Xiaomu in a women's wrestling singlet, colored black with some red and silver highlights.<br /><br />"Might as well look the part, right?" Xiaomu grins, swinging her arms back and forth to loosen up some more, then taking her staff in hand again. "Bring it on whenever you're ready, Kawakami!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Good, good... then I don't have to hold back." she replies with a grin. It was different from her smirk though, her grin was decidedly bestial and violent after her formal bow... and she already looked remarkably delinquent to start with.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Casually, now that the fight was signalled to have started, she begun to stroll toward the energetic blonde. She was slowly closing the distance, but it was a familiar testing maneuver. Everyone knew she wanted to get in close, but she wasn't about to tip her hand... in this state, initially, it was normal for an opponent to decide she had no discernible openings.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She was tense and even, humming to herself as she strolled closer to Xiaomu. It looked languid, but both opponents knew Momoyo was like a tense spring as she freely declined Xiaomu's offer to make the first move. She wanted to observe, first.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Xiaomu's stance stays casual and relaxed as Momoyo approaches; she's still sizing the Japanese girl up, gauging how she carries herself, trying to discern any hints that can be gleaned about her style. She hasn't watched any of Momoyo's other fights, and asking for pointers now would be foul play ...<br /><br />But if Momoyo's not going to actually make the first move, Xiaomu isn't going to waste a LOT of time waiting for her. The rings on Xiaomu's staff jingle a bit as she jabs at Momoyo - not really intending to hit, but to try and stir up a reaction from the dark-haired girl ... followed by planting the staff's butt on the ground and using it as leverage for Xiaomu to execute a vaulting kick, aimed at Momoyo's face.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The spring snaps, and she got the opening move she was hoping for. This was purely a test for both, but now they could see how the first exchange was going to go. Blocking the first jab of the staff, her speed seemed to be on par with the Sage Fox's. Twisting to the side, her hand grasps Xiaomu's ankle from the vault. It seems she was used to vaulting kicks from people around Xiaomu's weight and build.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:xterm93">"Musou Seikenzuki!!!"</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her signature move comes out, hoping the flexible vixen had no leverage to dodge. The force of that battleship cannonfire straightpunch forces her to let go in order to follow through with the move completely, but she had a straight shot for Xiaomu's gut. She was, however, dealing with a fighter who had literally centuries of experience on her...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Centuries of experience, sure - but there are still opponents who can surprise Xiaomu, and just the fact that Momoyo was fast enough to CATCH her in mid-kick like that was enough to put her in that rarefied category. Xiaomu rolls with it (so to speak) as well as she can, protecting her vitals and getting knocked away from her opponent by the force of the blow; she *still* gets the wind knocked out of her.<br /><br />And her staff is left lying on the ground, much closer to Momoyo herself than to Xiaomu.<br /><br />"Not bad," the sage fox wheezes, getting back to her feet. "A lesser mortal might stay down after a hit like that ... but there's the rub, see." She smiles, holding both hands out to her sides, flexing her fingers - and conjuring balls of eldritch flame in each hand.<br /><br />"You're not fighting a mortal."<br /><br />She winds up briefly, drawing her right arm back - and the foxfire ball in her LEFT hand just rockets forward like a mystical meteor, heading straight for Momoyo's face! Only after that does Xiaomu lob the ball from her right hand, flinging it in a high arc; Momoyo should be so distracted by the direct attack that she'll miss the indirect one. And if the gambit pays off, Xiaomu's going to rush in to reclaim her staff before Momoyo can get any funny ideas about using it against her ...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Ghh!" Had she known about the attack beforehand, she could have weaved through it, but she was forced to block the first ball with both her wrists crossed, and then the second. Her foot comes down a quarter of a second too late after Xiaomu reclaims her staff. "Damn..." she murmurs. "You're faster than my little sister Kazuko."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Still, she wasn't about to let the fox get her breath back, even if she had to take that punch head-on. While a staff user was virtually impossible to hit with normal attacks, the fox was winded and she had to keep the pressure up. Closing with Xiaomu right after she brings up the staff, her fists become a blur, movements very difficult to track by anyone who hadn't had martial arts or visual training of their own. Carefully, she keeps the blonde under pressure, throwing in a few rapid kicks for good measure. She was no longer testing but earnestly looking for the right opening to wrestle the staff or get ahold of the blonde's hair-tails. "You're good, but you need to be on the ball when fighting me, grandma!" she panted.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The jingling of the rings on Xiaomu's staff's headpiece is almost merry, in stark contrast to the focus with which the sage fox defends herself. She can't block ALL of Momoyo's strikes - the black-haired young woman is actually faster than Xiaomu is, and some punches and a couple of kicks get through - but Xiaomu is able to protect herself well enough to weather what she can't block, backing away from Momoyo's onslaught. It certainly looks like she's getting overwhelmed ...<br /><br />... at least, up until she learns Momoyo's rhythm well enough to find a slight overextension, and capitalize on it. The staff whirls around and up, in an effort to break open Kawakami's guard like a hammer striking a chisel and splitting a log in half - and then Xiaomu just reverses course, plowing *forward* into Momoyo with a fast punch of her own, trying to nail the other girl in the solar plexus and knock the wind out of HER instead.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry McGinnis has been watchign thew deul the entire time and is keeping notes in his head as he looks at Toph, "Sorry, keepign an eye on things and makign notes on how the two are fighting," he says simply and is completely obvious to any questions that was directed at him. And out of all of those here, only one knows who Terry is and if they know about Batman knowing everything aobut everyone he deals with, than Terry knowing can be both a good and a bad thing.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:906|Yang Xiao Long (906)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A new voice chimes in. "KICK HER ASS MOMOYO!" Yang crows as she comes into view and spots the fight going on. She doesn't know the sage fox, and she's being trained by the black-haired girl with the red eyes... so there's some bias.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Forced to block upward with her arms, Xiaomu certainly does slip into Momoyo's guard. The fist does sink into her gut reasonably hard for Xiaomu's frame and strength! "Nice try... grandma!" Like Momoyo's punch, trying to knock the wind out of the opponent required following through with the move.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:xterm93">"Kawakami Style, Ningen Bakudan (Human Bomb)..."</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The move causes ki to explode when in physical contact based on the amount of ki present and the surface area. Xiaomu's fist is most certainly in contact, and the move was so unexpected for her wind being knocked out, that the explosion surrounds her knuckles completely and possibly her wrist. Naturally, this wrecks Momoyo's waist too as she jumps back to create space and avoid further hits. "Restoration..." she murmurs, using a bit of her aura to heal the self-damage, considering the explosion was far more severe for the user than the victim. She breathes just a bit, but with any luck she turned that opening she left to her advantage.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There's a distinct disadvantage associated with calling your techniques.<br /><br />When Momoyo starts *speaking* while Xiaomu's burying her fist in the other girl's solar plexus, the sage fox doesn't even wait to hear the full technique name; she reverses course, trying to get away without leaving herself totally open in the process - and ALMOST makes it.<br /><br />You know that old saying about 'close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades'? .... yeah. It could have been substantially worse, but Xiaomu is left looking rather singed and has a rueful smile on her face. "Lots of fancy little tricks with your chi, huh?" she says. "Bet that means you've got plenty to spare." She plants her staff next to her, grasping it firmly with her left hand and raising her right hand in front of her, fingers splayed.<br /><br />"<span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ hy">DAKKI NO KATA!!</span>"<br /><br />Those words herald Xiaomu's attempt to actually start leeching energy away from Momoyo - and for what feels like once in her Multiversal career, she's NOT worried about the energy she siphons turning out to be unpalatable. Of course, she also has to go easy on Momoyo; the Ring might not know how to safeguard against energy draining.<br /><br />But that's still no reason why Momoyo should be allowed to recuperate at will and deny Xiaomu the chance to recover.<br /><br />Xiaomu doesn't keep the draining up for long: half a dozen seconds, maybe, just enough to take the edge off (so to speak).<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Xiaomu gets the upper hand (for now anyway,) Reina goes into cheering mode again. "Go Xiaomu Go!" She hoots and claps her hands a few times. If Laia were here, she'd probably be getting a stern glare from her, but she's not, so Reina has nothing to worry about.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry watches and makes a mental note, and looks at Yang who is cheering for Momoyo and smiles, "Come on Momoyo, you can do it," he comments as he looks at Toph, "How are oyu doing?" he asks her finally as he watches the duel. . o 0 (I will have to try sparring with both of them sometime.) he thinks to himself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "This has been tried before, foxy. Ask the audience!" she grins gleefully, completely unexpected reaction for being countered properly. It was true, energy siphoning was one of her weaknesses, but Momoyo had a habit of outputting far more energy in large bursts than most siphoners could contain as a desperate counterattack. So she closed the distance again.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:xterm93">"Forbidden Move: Fuji Smasher"</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With Xiaomu's staff still in the ground when that leeching attack occurs, not only is she open for another unbelieveably fast attack, but the sudden surge in energy risked breaking the staff or causing all sorts of havoc. This was, after all, how Nero lost, and could even raise the hairs on Kyra in the stands. The strength of the attack itself is still nearly unknown as a result, but dodging it was difficult and blocking would require a runway's worth of space... A vicious overwhelming counter rather than trying to target the staff to stop the drain.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra shoots up out of her seat, "Xiaomu! Watch out!" she waves her arms, which, frankly, is not really good for an attacker that needs to do things. Like figure out how to defeat overwhelming super attacks like the Fuji Smasher, "That's the thing she got Nero with! Don't try absorbing it, that doesn't work!!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>There are two mistakes in Momoyo's response to the Dakki no Kata.<br /><br />One of them is in assuming that the staff is the key to Xiaomu's draining technique; it may well LOOK like it - which is part of the point - but Xiaomu's actually drawing energy from Momoyo, through the air, into her upraised hand. The staff is just braced there, if anything, for the OPPOSITE purpose - to help ground out stray energy from Xiaomu. But that's not the big blunder.<br /><br />Telling Xiaomu that draining energy from somebody is a bad move is enough to get her to abort the leeching, her hand closing and lowering - and the leeching just STOPS, which could mean Momoyo's going to run a power surge through her body's chi paths and NOT have it go anywhere. It gets worse, though ...<br /><br />Because when Momoyo charges at her like that, Xiaomu lets go of her staff completely (it stays standing on its own, at least for a moment) and tries to intercept the fighting schoolgirl's momentum, redirecting it up, over, and down in one of the most straightforward suplexes in the history of the maneuver.<br /><br />Fuji Smasher? More like Fuji Smashee, with Momoyo committing herself bodily to a move like that and not anticipating that the sage fox might not be as vulnerable as she looked.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After the dust clears, Xiaomu has a few bruises but otherwise still looks peppy. There's a large crater in the ground where Momoyo was forced to unleash all that energy that she was in the center of after that suplex, enough for Xiaomu to reclaim her distance advantage. She staggers to her feet, finally looking worse for wear. "Hmhmhmh~..." her shoulders quaked as she breathed heavily. "Hmhmhhahahahaah~!" She certainly looked a bit winded, she certainly staggered like she was, as her red eyes met Xiaomu's similarly crimson gaze.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:xterm196">"I LOVE IT!!! GIVE ME MORE FUN, XIAOMU!!! EARTH SPLITTER!"</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It certainly put Xiaomu out of the danger of trying to absorb way too much energy at once, but now she's psyched the berserker up. It seems like Momoyo was finally hitting her peak, her eyes crazed. Sure, she was absolutely pissed about getting countered. Punching the ground, she causes all sorts of spidery cracks between her and most of the arena Xiaomu could use. It created more dust, but her intent was to force the fox into the air and leap after her. Getting hit like that merely incited the sort of fury most only saw in Berserkers and the associated loss of rationality, and increase in unpredictably reckless behavior.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the most of the fight it appears that Toph has been satisfied with being quiet and merely observing the two fighters, though when Momoyo calls out one of her attacks, she can't help but let out a snort.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"... what's she calling an earth splitter?" she mutters to the others. Trust the earthbender to take such things seriously.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sitting out among the bleachers is someone who has TOTALLY BEEN HERE FOR HOURS. He most certainly was not NURSING SOME KIND OF TERRIBLE HEADACHE THAT ONLY JUST CLEARED UP. He is, however, munching on what appear to be thin strips of chilled, fried tofu, because apparently fox-ness is contagious. "Hmn, she's getting reckless," he observes, then shrugs. "That is a bad place to be around Xiaomu."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Reiji explains no more than that, remaining ever the cryptic observer. But maybe it has to do with Xiaomu's... affinities. Or at least, the ones that exist in Reiji's uniquely elemental worldview.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry McGinnis looks at Toph, "um... I do not think it is a pillar of Earth she is calling," he comments as he sees the attack, "Or just just punched the ground and it split opened......." he comments as he too noticed that Momoyo is getting reckless and this can be a bad place for her to be in, especially if she uses all of her Chi like she did against Nero.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Somebody who just got suplexed like that shouldn't be LAUGHING about it. And you don't survive for over seven centuries by ignoring or shrugging off an enemy who's acting strangely.<br /><br />So the sage fox is already putting some extra distance between herself and Momoyo before the Earth Splitter is unleashed. That's not enough to get her entirely out of the upraised cloud of dust, nor is the growing web of cracks something she's going to avoid so readily - but the Ring of Philosophy SHOULD have relatively solid 'ground,' right?<br /><br />At any rate, charging into close combat again seems like a really bad idea - particularly given that berserk rage is also generally accompanied by an increased dependence on brute strength. So Xiaomu keeps her wits about her, brings her right hand up, and instead of sucking energy away from Momoyo ...<br /><br />Sends a batch of it back, in the form of shadowy 'laserbeams' projected from the sage fox's fingertips. They don't cut or burn like actual lasers, but they're sure gonna hurt ... and Xiaomu's raking them through the dust clouds before settling on a specific target location, to pin down Momoyo's location rather than assuming she'll still be where Xiaomu last saw her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:20|Toph Beifong (20)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I can split the earth open far better than that," Toph responds before she stuffs some more chips into her mouth, leaning back a bit more to get comfy. Somebody's relaxed! And why not? It's entertaining to witness.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Tch." it didn't work like she'd hoped, so this was going to take longer. That surge of energy would have to come out somehow... and it seems Xiaomu's set the new terms of the match. Ducking and weaving through the dust, she had to move quickly, especially as Xiaomu's sharp senses and ears could pick up on her new location and the lasers were more accurate. "Ghhh~!" there's a grunt. Xiaomu finally landed a solid hit with several of them.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;...or so it appeared. As the dust clears, it seems Momoyo had left her uniform jacket that had been swinging about her neck all this time to be destroyed by those laser beams about twenty feet or so away. The jacket started to fall to the ground, singed and destroyed beyond repair.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It would be the only time Momoyo could attempt this gambit. Pressing her speed advantage, she moved fast enough to slink behind Xiaomu. Entirely quietly, she used an attack she didn't have to call first, since those ears were a serious liability up to this point. Instead, she tried to grab Xiaomu's arms, right beneath the shoulders using her monstrous inhuman strength.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:xterm196">"Left Hand, Kawakami Style, Roasted Meat"</span> <span style="color:xterm87">"Right Hand, Kawakami Style, Snowman"</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If she could get hold of her opponent, Xiaomu's endurance was such that one of those attacks was enough... but both would render her arms near-useless for an extended period if she could pull it off. However, that would depend on how well the dust covered her speed advantage and her sudden switch to a comparatively silent attack.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"What the - ?!?" squawks Xiaomu as she gets ambushed from behind, both arms being grabbed right where she can't pry Momoyo off easily - she hasn't got any leverage to break free with, and the crazy schoolgirl could probably keep up with anything short of a flat-out run ... and there isn't enough stable footing left for enough of a run to escape.<br /><br />What she does have is her staff; Xiaomu jabs urgently behind her, half-flailing to try and break loose before Momoyo's techniques can go off. She's really only got one trick left if she can't make Momoyo cancel out of the move ...<br /><br />Namely, to cut loose with Suiren's power - the water/ice elemental magic forged into her staff's hidden sword - and try to freeze Kawakami in a massive casing of ice, enough to help Xiaomu pop loose while she can still use her arms.<br /><br />This may yet boil down to mutual incapacitation, though.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Once again, Momoyo's match ends only in mutually assured destruction. This seems to be a pattern for her with equally strong opponents.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Now because of the Snowman technique being enhanced by Suiren and vice versa, all of Momoyo and Xiaomu are encased in ice entirely, with only Xiaomu's severely burnt arm to show for it. Once the crowd realized both were okay, neither was going to live this draw down afterward.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Luckily the Arena could keep both cryogenically frozen fighters alive until Reiji and Kyra decided to figure out how to best undo this mess... or any other magic users skilled in delicate operations nearby. Woops.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry McGinnis blinks as he looks at this, "I should have brought the suit," he says as he jumps down and lands on the cracked arena floor. Walkign over, he looks and knocks on the ice, "I take it that this is magical huh?" he asks as he looks around at his waist for somethign to help, like an exploding batarang.... which is with the Batsuit. "Anyone got a sun they can summon?" he asks.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:391|Reina Kinney (391)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By now, Reina is shaking her head in disbelief. "For Falz's sakes, cut it out! It's going beyond acceptable norms!" The latter term being very loosely used, since Reina's being very sarcastic now. "This was supposed to be in good fun, not destruction!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:626|Kyra Hyral (626)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Well that's...new..." Kyra says slowly, hopping off the bleachers to examine the fighters fought to a standstill. She walks around them, doing a little figure eight as she looks them both over from all angles. As she moves, she throws a quick Scan down to check vitals. "Hm. Yeah, I think it is magic, isn't it? If that is the case.." <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Kyra steps back, gesturing grandly at the pair, summoning forth her impressive white magic...! <br /> <br /> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No, wait. It's white magic-not even that, actually, but /antimagic/ as she lays down a Dispell on both of the frozen fighters as she attempts to mitigate the weird effects on both of them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Welp. That sure was mutually assured destruction. Reiji pops one more square of sweet tofu into his mouth before rising from his seat with a sigh. It's a good thing that he comes prepared for this sort of thing.<br /><br />Prepared with a sword.<br /><br />A sword that is ON FIRE.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He walks boldly into the arena with Karin ablaze in one hand. In his other is... A handgun. Even as Kyra begins unweaving the magic holding the ice in place, he starts doing things the hard and dirty way: hacking at the ice with his sword! But... Why the gun?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's there to shoot the larger, less meat-filled sections of the ice cube. The people inside will probably be just fine! Probably.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry McGinnis looks at Kyra and Reiji and just blinks, "Right...." he states as he steps back and away from Reiji. He is not protected from anything like he is in the Batsuit and well, he has no special powers like the rest of the people have...<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Well.<br /><br />That was kind of embarassing, wasn't it?<br /><br />And Momoyo's fire-based attack (or whatever 'Roasted Meat' was supposed to do) didn't even have the good grace to be COUNTERED by that much ice magic; if it weren't for the Ring's safeguards, it would be a long time before she could use that arm for anything more than a demonstration of why you don't let fire-users get close to you. Fortunately, they have not only the Ring's safeties, but Kyra's and Reiji's cunning use of their respective magics to come to the rescue.<br /><br />Between Kyra's dispel and Reiji's impromptu de-icing combo, the ice is quickly reduced to cubes and puddles, leaving the sage fox shivering lightly and rubbing at her badly-sunburned-looking left arm. "Guess this means we have to buy lunch for each other sometime, or did you just want to call it even?" she asks Momoyo. "Also, if you don't mind my asking --" She takes a deep breath.<br /><br />"WHO TAUGHT YOU TO FIGHT LIKE THAT?!"<br /><br />The abrupt yell isn't ENTIRELY an aggrieved one; Momoyo pulled some impressive moves in that bout, and reminded Xiaomu that even with all her experience and training and her diverse options in a fight, she STILL has a few things to learn. But Momoyo's tactics beyond that were ... well ... crazy, not to put too fine a point on it.<br /><br />At least the sage fox isn't bearing a grudge .... probably. She wouldn't talk about lunch so lightly if she *were*, right?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:928|Momoyo Kawakami (928)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With both her clothing and Xiaomu's soaked, she sits up again and puts a hand on her shoulder. Like Xiaomu, she still was trying to gather her wits about her. "Ugh. Oh, is that your boyfriend?" she muses, peering at Reiji half-lucid. "I'm totally fighting him next."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She rubs her head, trying to prevent an oncoming headache as she starts giggling with Xiaomu. "Yeah... even among the martial artists here I seem to be really crazy. There's a reason I'm in the faction I am." she shrugs. "If you wanna learn all about it and you don't mind old martial arts teachers who may or may not have seen someone as cute as you up close in too long, you can visit my grandpa anytime in the Kawakami Dojo. His name is Tesshin." she staggers to her feet. <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Yeah, I guess we're just going to have to have lunch and rematch this later..." She starts to rub her wet hands all over Kyra's clothing, just as a gesture of good will and a fight souvenir. "You're not all bad, are you? If you managed to undo all that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:867|Terry McGinnis (867)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Terry McGinnis looks at Xiaomu, "Let me look at your arm, I have medical training," he says to her as he looks at Momoyo, "And let me look at you to make sure you are fine," he adds as he looks at the left arm of Xiaomu to see just how burnt it is.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:707|Xiaomu (707)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"This is my partner, Reiji Arisu," Xiaomu introduces Reiji with a reasonable semblance of courtesy. "I recommend not ticking him off, he's even more vicious in a fight than I am, especially sparring matches." The sage fox grins wickedly for a moment, "Ask Fayt if you don't believe me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:705|Reiji Arisu (705)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"She'll probably be fine after a meal. This place stops bullets from doing much harm." Reiji asides to Terry, before glancing back towards his partner. "Hey. I brought you some snacks." A pause- he takes a moment to sheathe his blade and holster his handgun. "If you need energy, I've some to spare too."<br /><br />Xiaomu introduces him to her opponent. Reiji inclines his head, "It is good to meet you. I am not as bad as she says." He is in fact so much worse.<br> <br>


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