WMAT B3 Staren vs. Sakura Kasugano

WMAT B3 Staren vs. Sakura Kasugano
Date of Scene:	19 July 2014
Location:	Papaya Island - Stadium
Synopsis:	The boy genius fights the martial arts prodigy!
Cast of Characters:	Staren, 183, 374
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2014

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Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "Welcome one, welcome all to yet ~another~ thrilling fight of the Martial Arts Tournament of the Wooorld~! Where world means 'many worlds', and where that word should come before 'Martial' because I got bored of saying things in the same order every time~! But... that aside. This afternoon, we will bear witness to the potentially fiery and most certainly fabulous feud between the Boy Genius with more gadgets and gizmos than you could shake an atomically-powered rod at, Staren, and the eminent martial artist with nerves, fists, and most likely feet of STEEL, Sakura Kasuuugano~! In suspense? Fear not! Simply tune your radios to frequency 900.8 or join us at Papaya Island's very own Stadium~! ... and I do mean it this time. The Stadium is, unlike -some- places, not a desolate wasteland."

Staren has posed:
The Papaya Island Stadium! Normally, Staren prefers more interesting arenas... but today, he's expecting a close-in martial arts fight, so exotic terrain wouldn't matter as much as in another run-and-gun like he had with Alicia. Perhaps that's why he walks out onto the field dressed not in armor, but in his WMAT fighting outfit -- A military-style white coat and black pants over his usual red T-shirt and with white-and-red boots. His usual bandana is around his neck, the tied ends in back fluttering dramatically in the wind. He waves to the audience with a smile, and nods in greeting to Sakura. "I'm a in a robotic body again today, so you don't have to hold back, just don't vaporize my head with an energy blast or anything and I'll be fine."

In the stands, a greying-haired cat-eared man in clothes similar to Staren's sits with a similar-aged human woman whose fashion sense seems to be stuck in the 80's. They wave back and smile when Staren waves to the audience.

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
It's nice to be in a stadium for once, rather than having to fight in a random field or a desert or such. It's not that Sakura isn't used to fighting in non-stadium areas, but...there's always something different about fighting in a proper arena. Maybe it's just her having too many fond memories of watching wrestling on TV as a child.

Either way, Sakura Kasugano finds herself in new ground as she made it to the third round of the tournament. Walking down the aisle leading to the fighting platform, the peppy J-pop tune she'd been using as her theme echoing around the stadium as she walked up, shadow punching in the air as she approached. Climbing up, she pulled the towel draped over her head and let it fall aside at the edge before looking over to her opponent already waiting on the other side of the platform. A smile crosses her lips as she gives a polite bow, hands folded in front of her. "Good luck to you...and thanks?" she says, faltering a bit as Staren's insistence on not holding back ends with a hope that has the complete opposite effect he hoped, a flash of worry on the street fighter's face even as she takes up a stance...

Staren has posed:
"And I had my main weapons turned down to stun, so..." He drops into a basic fighting stance, left foot pointed forward and left arm raised to guard, right foot ready to brace and right hand ready to throw a punch, or draw a weapon. He watches Sakura for a moment, trying to pick up any indications of her first move...

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "And there is Staren now... and looking surprisingly dapper! Last I saw him, he was dressed like a ~pirate~! But I do think this look suits him. Don't you, my audience? ... a-ah, but that's not important right now, is it? You have to appreciate the showmanship, though! Look at that -- a wave! JUST for YOU! Er, most likely. Either way, viewers, show the intrepid invetor-explorer-kitten YOUR LOVE in return, won't you~?" Mizuki raises her hands up high, and the audience roars back at her! There's... a sufficiently eardrum-rending series of applause, screeches, and flag waves. Might there even be some cowbell out there? Regardless, much of this would probably be audible even on the radio.

"Buuut not far behind is his competitor, SAKURA~! Just like before, her reasonably flavorful and ABUNDANTLY cheery personal song BLARES out of the speakers! ... but ah, this does not mean that she is not every bit as tactful as a warrior of her merit should be. She approaches Staren and gives him a graceful bow to start things off. Would you look at the HONOR, my friends? The PASSION~? The very things this competition is built on are showing themselves in abundance, and the fight itself has yet to even begin...!" Mizuki rests an arm over her eyes, in just the most dramatic way she can muster. This time, the crowd needs no prompting - there's a repeat round of applause and yells of all kinds, and if she's listening she might just hear a 'We love you, Sakura~!' emanating from the western portion of the stadium. Ah, the fans~.

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Settling into her stance, Sakura regarded Staren, watching the catman careffully as she tried to get his attempted reassurance out of her head lest it psyche her out too much. Trying to get more and more comfortable, she slows her breathing, just letting herself get settled and waiting for the alarm for the start of the fight to sound. Waiting...waiting....

Soon as it goes off, Sakura rushes out, trying to breach the distance between her and Staren. Leaping a few feet from him, she snaps out a quick kick aimed at his shoulder, before following up with a sharp back elbow aimed at his stomach, hoping to get things started on a quick clip even if the attacks themselves are fairly light.

Staren has posed:
Sakura's foot snaps out and hits... Staren's usual forcefield, though the translucent amber sphere of force looks much thinner this time since Staren's not wearing a whole emitter array. (Truthfully, he expected the forcefield to be basically useless in this fight, except maybe against chi blasts) Indeed, Sakura's kick just breaks right through it, the entire thing cracking and then falling apart into amber sparkles as Sakura finishes her jump and elbows him in the gut! "Oof!" Staren is stunned for a split-second, then remembers that as a robot he hasn't /actually/ had the wind knocked out of him, and turns to deliver a powerful side kick to knock her away!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "And THERE ~ IT ~ GOES~! The horn BLOWS! The battle BEGINS! Before that, Sakura had been looking pensive - trying to prepare herself, no doubt! - but as soon as she heard the signal, she was off~! She rushes Staren faster than my eyes could hope to follow, delivering a swift -KICK- to his shoulder, shattering Staren's force field! O-Oh...! Dear friends, I fear that I might've heard a crack from -here-! For an opening blow, that was rather DIABOLICAL! And she follows it up with another forceful jab of her elbow to his stomach. Robot double or no, that looked like something that could knock the wind out of anyone! Or anything! Truly, an opening combination fitting for our martial master... but of course, Staren takes it in stride! How will he REPLY, dear viewers...~?"

"As tenacious as ever, Staren shakes off the shock and jumps right back into the fray! He -SPINS- about to return Sakura's kick with one of his own... and it connects! It didn't look like it had the same power as Sakura's, but it certainly did its job! Sakura is repelled, even if she comes out mostly unscathed! But what will happen -now-, dear friends? Will it be Staren or Sakura who collects themselves faster?" The noise in the stands is still considerable, but an unusual quiet pervades the area. Everyone - Mizuki included - waits for the next round with bated breath...

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Thankfully, Sakura does seem to have the advantage in close-range fighting. She didn't expect the force field, but at the same time, she seems to put in enough force to get past it anyway. And when Staren tries to follow up on her attack with a retaliatory sidekick, she's able to bring her arm down to block the shot, grabbing his leg and holding it up against her side to keep him in place. It's...an awkward position, Sakura knowing something like this from judo in passing, but not exactly knowing enough judo to know how to follow up with it.

Instead, she just reels her other hand back, opting to fall back on something karate-based instead, aiming a thrusting punch straight at Staren's chest to try and knock him back.

Staren has posed:
And then Staren's /grabbed/. He does /not/ look happy. Grappling and really close-in fighting is like, his elemental weakness or something. Sakura uses it for a fairly straightforward punch though -- Staren twists his body to turn it into a graze, and Sakura letting go lets him step back and regain his balance. "Alright," his right hand reaches under his coat to pull a thin cylinder off his belt -- with a *VMM* sound, a two-and-a-half foot beam of purple energy springs forth, the 'blade' of the plasma saber. Normally this is superheated ions held in place by an energy field and pretty darn deadly, but magitech has somehow altered it into a stun weapon for today. "Enough of that!" he tries to stab forward with it, aiming right for Sakura's center of mass!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "But Miss Kasugano is not so much as PHASED by Staren's retaliation! She swivels around to block with her hands, and... -grabs hold of his leg-! With strength that would make some random Roman and Greek heroes quake in fear, she manages to hold him in place! ... for the time being. Taking advantage of the opportunity she has made for herself, she lets go and delivers a swift punch to Staren's chest! Ooohh... but this time, it appears the prodigal tinkerer was prepared! Just in time, he twists out of the way, somehow managing to land upright as he finagles his freedom! W-Whomever knew he was so acrobatic? That was incredible...!"

"But he isn't finished! Stepping back to put space between himself and his opponent, he pulls -something- out of his prim couture! A... metal cylinder? What, is that a bo --" There's a brief pause. "N-No, my friends, it's some sort of futuristic sword! Several inches of bold purple! Before anyone up here can -THINK-, and certainly before Miss Kasugano can react, he thrusts it forward! A-And... it's a direct hit! The blade... erm... sinks? into Sakura's torso! I can hear electrical current, but I don't... -believe- that I see any burn marks. Still, that was horrific...~!" 'Less horrific and more astonishing', say the wild cries of the audience. They're loving this.

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Well, that's a reminder of one of the few things Dan actually taught Sakura that made sense: going for one big attack, considering her size and physical strength, won't be as effective as racking up several successive hits where you can. Then again, it would've been a lot harder to hit multiple tipes holding onto Staren's leg like that, but the lack of force she was able to impart with that punch tells the tale, and it leaves Sakura at a disadvantage when Staren's able to pull out a plasma saber, within range easily enough to stab forward with it and drive it into Sakura's central mass.

Even if it's on stun, it stabs deep enough that she can feel her body trying to shut down as if taken by an electric shock. "GGGHHhghghghghg...." Pulling away and gasping as her lungs stop seizing, she pants, mind reeling to recover. That blade is going to be even more of a problem than the ones she faced against Kirito and Asuna at this rate.

Coming upon a plan, Sakura pushes off the ground, leaping above Staren again. This time, she tucks her legs in together, then thrusts them out and down like a spear, dropping faster than she rose as she tries to slam her feet into his chest. She doesn't stop there though, trying to quickly follow up with a sweep behind Staren's ankles, and a punch to his chest, preferably on his way down to the ground.

Staren has posed:
Staren's eyes widen in pleasant surprise at how perfectly his stab hit. He whips the sword out and raises it for a follow-up attack, but Sakura leaps in and he's too slow raising his left arm to block. She kicks him over (and might feel something buckle slightly inside him) and he already starts falling, so the leg sweep does little more than turn him slightly. The punch pushes him down to the ground with an "Oof!" though! "Nngh... nice..." If he'd been human, he'd have broken bones and other serious injuries by now. Hence the robot body. Although, how beat up it's getting is a bit harder to see with clothes in the way...

Still, he's far from done! From the ground he sweeps his legs, and then suddenly translucent orange energy wings appear at his back, providing thrust that allows him to right himself without using his legs while winding up for a horizontal slash with the saber, and then he turns his left shoulder towards her and, between pushing off with his legs and a burst of speed from the wings, tries to RAM her with his left elbow. Whether he hits or not, he's probably flying several feet forward!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "Just ghastly...! I would -NOT- want to feel how Miss Sakura must be now, my friends. She looks as though she's been struck by lightning! But, miraculously, she rises again, standing tall! And then she takes to the sky, soaring over her opponent's head! She comes down hard, landing square on Staren's chest! A-Ah...! These up close fights are rather grueling, aren't they...?" Aside from the radio, Mizuki heaves a sigh... before her head snaps back to watch Sakura dish out even -more- pain. Blink blink. "B-But she isn't finished yet! She attempts a sweeping kick, but luckily for her opponent, it doesn't connect as well as that last strike! Ah, but her final hit does... for the most part. Creation's Boundless Artistry, the elegant brutality...!" Gulp.

Blink. "But if this competition has shown me one thing above all else, my friends," She raises a finger to compliment her words. "It's that flashy comebacks are best served with sparkling wings~! Staren is no exception to this rule either -- he leaps from the ground, and from his back emerge two beautiful, gleaming orange wings! First, a slash from his sword, no less impressive than the first! And then, as he passes his opponent, a slam with his elbow powered by the force of those elegant sunsets that hold him aloft~! And then he just continues to fly onwards." Under her breath, Mizuki mumbles the old cliche, 'Float like a butterfly, hmm...?'

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
It's an odd way to get up, and not something Sakura was expecting from Staren, but now that she knows to be wary of his saber, she's able to twist and turn herself away from the first slash. The follow up shoulder slam finds her chest but she's able to pivot enough to take some of the edge off, though she's still forced into a spin onto the ground, landing in a painful looking roll.

Wincing as she watches how far Staren traveled with his attack, she's forced into another run after him to try and close the distance. She can't rely on her long-range alternatives just yet. Sliding in just before reaching him, she quickly pushes herself up into a crouch, hands clasped together. Rising up, she tries to snap a double-fisted upper into his jaw, hoping to send him off balance enough to keep pressing her attack.

Staren has posed:
After shooting past, Staren lands and turns around and then there's a sickening *CRUNCH* as his chin is pounded and Sakura's fists compress synthflesh and deform metal, leaving a slightly bloody mess with bits of gleaming metal here and there, and /still/ Staren's head snaps back from the force of the attack as he's knocked back and stumbles from the blow! That probably surprises Sakura long enough for him to fly back a bit, to keep several feet of distance between them, left hand reaching up to pull his bandana up and cover the crunched lower half of his face. "Nicely done. The fighters of the Multiverse are truly powerful..." His voice is slightly muffled and tinny, and his mouth doesn't even try to move as he talks. Probably a speaker somewhere inside him.

Suddenly he draws his laser pistol and snaps off a couple of shots at Sakura to try and keep her on the defensive before charging in for another saber slash! "But I'm not weak, either!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "In light of Staren's strikes, Miss Kasugano is sent flying! Sh-She hits the ground a number of times in a rather nasty forward roll before she finally comes to a stop. I can only imagine the inner fire that must be burning inside of her now, though, my friends! Peeling herself off of the ground, my friends, I feel compelled to make an observation - while Mister Staren may have the strength of lightning at his beck and call, Sakura has its SPEED~! She sprints to her opponent, effortlessly closing the distance and sliding right next to him! Before he can react, she puts her hands together, and -- h-haah~!" She bats her eyelashes several more times, fetching her oriental fan and putting it to use. "... I believe I heard a crack there too...! She pummels the genius's jaw with a nigh cosmic uppercut!"

"... and his head explodes in a gruesome display of blood and... erm. Metal! I don't know about you, dear viewers, but I am rather glad that Staren himself didn't come here to fight today. Better metal than cranium, yes?" Did she... just wince a little? Yeah, probably. After a brief pause for her sanity, though, Mizuki comes back with vigor: "DRAW~!" She claps her hands together. "Pistols at not-quite-dawn! And traditionally they don't fire lasers, but details, details~! Staren fires a flurry of shots from his gun! All but one bear into her, scorching her... but at least it wasn't as -shocking- as the saber! Or at least, it didn't appear to be." Quietly, 'Perhaps she's just becoming desensitized to it as this goes on...'

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
That was...not what she expected to happen with that punch. And after his earlier assurances of not needing to hold back, it's definitely a jarring thing for Sakura to see Staren's jaw deforming bloodily like that. "Wahh!!" she cries out...at least until she sees him still talking and flying away from her to give himself some distance. It's a reminder for her that he's robotic enough that this isn't as...bad an injury as it might be on someone organic.

It's still unsettling though, and it keeps Sakura off guard when Staren starts snapping off laser shots at her. SHe tries to dance around the shots but enough of them strike her to sear through her uniform as well as burn at her body, one on the shoulder and one along her side. "NNNnn...."

Reeling back, she frowns, noting the distance difference now. Looks like she'll have to dip back in that well now. Cupping her hands together, she starts to summon up that familiar blue chi between her hands. Not a large amount, just about the size of a softball before she thrusts her hands outward, projecting that fireball straight toward where Staren hovers. "HADOUKEN!"

Staren has posed:
Staren flying-charges, only a foot or so off the ground, pocketing his laser pistol. The (small) Hadouken comes in, and he tries to weave to the side again too late -- the energy strikes his chest, burning through his shirt and scorching the dented, beat-up metal underneath! "rrrrRRRRRAAAAAGH!" Staren roars as he attempts another elbow-tackle, trying to knock Sakura to the ground -- and then his bent left arm draws a /second/ beam saber from somewhere, and he aims to stab /both/ of them right into Sakura's body and pour electricity and stunning energy into the fighter!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "But it would appear we in the audience were not the -only- ones caught off guard by that grisly display! She cries out, giving Staren's volley of shots all the time that they need to connect! Sakura shall -NOT- be swayed, however! As Staren charges forward to strike with his short, Sakura leaps back! She... oh dear." Mizuki's eyes go wide, and she sets a hand down on the bar. "Is it...?" Pause. "Could it be...??" Pause... "It IS!" A bizarre, gusty sound echoes on the radio. "HADOUKEN~!" There's a distant clap. "Ahh, that never gets old~! My friends, it would appear that things are HEATING UP! Literally, of course, but if things were not getting more excited figuratively as well, why would Miss Kasugano have used one of her fancy NAMED MOVES~? The blue ball of energy rockets towards Staren, but it seems it was juuust fast enough to hit Staren's chest! Again! My, it's a wonder his midsection is still holding together..."

"Just LOOK at him GO, though! Rushing right through the agony, Staren lets out a powerful cry as he launches his elbow once again toward his foe! He knocks her down to the ground and pulls out -ANOTHER- of his wonky sabers, lashing out wildly! ... but perhaps a bit -too- wildly, as it gives Sakura the time she needs to avoid the brunt of the damage again."

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano manages to stop Staren on his charge in, and that gives her some breadth to actually advance. However, the sudden charge back in manages to take Sakura off guard enough to drive her to the ground. However, the two beam sabers only meet the floor of the arena as sakura rolls back, away from the twin stabs. It's not an easy escape, her uniform showing in the back where the sabers might have sheared through her had they not been set to stun...but it's still a lot better than being stabbed by them.

Rolling back onto her feet, Sakura isn't about to let the opportunity pass by her, hands up at her forehead with a quick collection of chi around her palms. Thrusting her hands forward, one hand in front of the other, she shouts "HADOUSHOU!!" as a blue explosion blasts out from her hands. Not as concentrated as the Hadouken, but with nowhere near the distance either: clearly a short ranged exposive 'spark' aimed straight at Staren's face.

Staren has posed:
"Rrrnghh..." Staren rises, fortunately beam sabers don't get 'stuck' in things if you miss with them. (Or hit with them, for that matter.) As he looks at her though, she's already gathering chi. He crosses his arms in front of his face to block -- the sleeves of his coat are burned away (they kind of melt a bit first, looking like they're absorbing a /lot/ of energy,) the metal underneath scorched -- his hair is singed, and his bandanna's lower edge and more of his shirt are burned to tatters. He crouches and goes for a lunging two-bladed stab, still keeping it simple. "Hey! watch it, I said no vaporizing my head!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "Soon, though, Miss Kasugano rolls, bounds, and leaps back into the fray! Then, her hands travel to her... erm... forehead? Oh, wait wait! This is some bizarre ritual, isn't it? One can never be certain, but my Authorial Sense is telling me..." Pause... "YES! Another of her famously infamous ~named techniques~! A 'Hadoushou' this time, dear viewers, but it doesn't appear to be that different in function from the may-or-not-be-trademarked Hadouken~! Blue energy hurtles toward Staren's face, and ~EXPLODES~!" A few more waves of her fan. "Earnestly, why is it always his face or his chest? A quirk of her fighting style? ... is she prejudiced against those body areas for some reason unbeknownst to us? ... most likely the first thing, I know, I know. But off the wall, mass speculation is my..." A familiar voice whispers, 'Um... job?' "... yes, indeed. My 'job'. Among other things."

"My goodness, though, viewers, Staren-bot is looking a bit worse for the wear! His oh-so-lovely suit is quickly falling to tatters, and... oh, his coiffure! The -HUMANITY-! As a reminder, my friends, he most certainly -did- advise against vaporizing his head. Unfortunately for him, though, it would seem things have come a bit close for comfort a number of times already. Still, no degree or amount of punishment will keep him back! As I said at the onset: tenacious! But intellectuals and fighters alike should be nothing else, yes~? He crouches now, holding his blade firmly... and delivering another electric thrust! Th-This time, like before, the effects are... significant. And readily apparent! Ah, just look at the sparks fly..." Quietly, 'Literally, I mean...'

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
This time the double bladed stab works, Sakura still recovering from her own Hadoushou to dodge away from it and ending up 'impaled' on both stun sabers. She can feel the same sort of shutting down her body did the first time around, like getting hit with a tazer. But rather than reel away, she tries to fight through it, aiming to push Staren's arms away by the wrists and pull those sabers free enough from her body.

At least, just enough so she can reel an arm back to her side, then snap it upward underneath Staren's chin, trying to knock him upward into the air with her version of the rising uppercut, or as she calls it as she sails into the air: "SHOUOUKEN!!"

Staren has posed:
Staren is shoved back, eyes widening at Sakura toughing through it like that. He wonders if she'd have been able to do that even with /real/ swords... and then her fist comes in and swings right for his chin under the bandanna!

The chin he, y'know, doesn't have anymore because Sakura smashed it the last time she did this. She clips the roof of his mouth instead, maybe knocking some fake teeth loose or something, but the lack of expected chin throws off the timing and means she doesn't hit with full force. His head is still knocked back slightly, and then she's in the air in front of him... He slashes the beam sabers upwards, and is about to go for a follow-up stab when he remembers how dangerous her feet are in the air -- so instead he presses against her gut with his fists, possibly grazing with the swords, and with a quick burst of acceleration from wings and rocket boots he SHOVES, trying to send her flying halfway across the arena before she can kick him!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki leans in to watch, her eyes growing wide again. "A-All the stars in heaven, ladies and gentlemen... these two truly give 'endurance' a new meaning. Miss Sakura takes another -direct hit- from Staren's shocking sabers... and goes to push herself away from Staren, and... -pull them out-. With her bare hands. Her bare. Hands! What manner of mad spell must she be under, my friends? Is an enchantment? A curse? Nay, it is BOTH at ONCE -- the unyielding magic of passion captivates her! She -MUST- go on!" Mizuki raises her free hand, and the crowd SCREAMS! Fists fly into the air, and various articles go flying! "Yes, let her hear you! Let your cries fuel the limitless combustion engine of her -SOUL-! But look, look -! In another, swift, fluid motion..." She clears her throat. "Shououken~!!" To the side, she whispers, 'Is it just me, or do all of these attacks end in 'ken'?

Ahem. "The uppercut doesn't really have anywhere else to go, though, my friends! It sails past the space where Staren's chin used to be," 'That must feel as strange as it looks,' she mutters, "and comes up to hit his... teeth! It doesn't appear that it hit quite as hard as she might've intended, though, dear viewers. As always, Staren capitalizes on the opportunity -- he attempts a few slashes with his sword before his ROCKET boots jet him into the air! Then he lashes out with his fists, accompanied by a wild flurry of his swords, before he dashes straight for Miss Kasugano and sh --!" Pause. "... er. Did he just...?" Pauuuse. "P-Pardon me, dear viewers! It would appear that, rather than pushing him into his opponent, they pushed him past her! Wh-What could this mean for the next round...?"

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano probably couldn't do a stunt like that with real swords, but perhaps she was able to grasp that enough to pull that off. Either way, she manages to hit Staren, but with that chin loose, it's not a solid enough hit to really make it count, and then she has the fall to worry about. When Staren rushes in this time, her eyes widen. As he tries to sail across the stage with her, she pushes off of him with her knees, trying to shove herself away enough to get loose from him It's a spur of the moment move, but she manages it somehow, landing with an unsteady crouch instead of against a nearby wall or far corner of the fighting platform.

Blessing her stars that she made that work, she races after Staren, lifting up with a double-knee strike against him when he's near enough. That's quickly followed by a sharp upward kick that sees her nearly do a vertical split, followed by an arcing kick with her other leg, trying to whip it downward at Staren to drive him down to the floor for good, knee first then the rest of her leg coming after.

Staren has posed:
Staren's shove misses, leaving him in the air for Sakura! He's kneed in the back -- again Sakura can feel metal giving a little under the coat -- and then kicks him up! He turns in the air with his wings, dodging the knee and blocking the leg, but he's driven back to the arena floor HARD, the arena cracking and crunching around his feet and the screech of metal straining as his body tries not to buckle. "Rrrghnnn!" he grunts incoherently. Ugh, he's losing at this rate! It's time to finish things! "Secret technique!" he calls dramatically, as he crosses his arms and turns his hands back to face him -- There's the whine of charging electricity, and then his arms are covered in arcing electricity and begin to glow. "Mizuki! Move name!" he calls, letting their enthusiastic announcer name it as he steps forward with a sudden burst of speed, perhaps having supercharged the robot body somehow -- his left arm goes for a stab, deeply, making sure the fist can connect and then there's the buzz of a downed power line and the light of a lightning bolt, making it hard to see what's going on as he follows up with a spinning power PUNCH from the other arm, again delivering all that focused electricity into her side as well as just hitting as hard as he can... and then when the light fades, he's left standing with his arms down. Panting because he's not thinking about it, although for a brief moment his body's recovering from the overload. His arms are steaming, or perhaps smoking.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki says, "Oh, GRACIOUS! She meets Staren in mid-air, but acting fast, she uses the strength built in her feet to -push- herself from his grasp! Her landing, while not exactly catlike, is clean -- and safe! She comes out mostly unscathed, and waits for him to come in close... before she hits him with a quick double strike with her knees! And then another foots sails through the sky, drawing a crescent in all of our imaginations as it comes it to strike Staren...! T-The acrobatics! The grace! The elegance and the finesse...! -I- am -reeling- here as well, my friends...!" Fan fan. "And then she comes around for another hearty kick, aimed downward and likely intended to slam Staren into the ground...!"

There's a long pause, and she watches to see if Staren will rise again... and when he does, there's a sudden surge from the crowd. "BUT Staren will NOT be defeated! No, no -- he has only just begun to fight, or howsoever that's meant to be parsed! He gets back up, crossing his arms in front of himself! They pulse with electricity! They /shiver/! I -- oh, pardon me a moment." Mizuki runs a hand over her head, locking her... hair... in a stasis field. Next she has the microphone to her lips, she giggles. "Couldn't have whatever this 'SECRET TECHNIQUE' is ruining my hair, you know? Anyway." There's a dramatic clearing of her throat and she raises her hands skyward. "Now, Staren! Dazzle us all with your... your..." Wait for it. Wait for iiittt...

"CATACLYSMIC BOY GENIUS SURGE! Or, or rather... your CONFLAGRATION OF ARCANCE SCIENCE! Or, or... bah, never you all mind. Staren's aura SURGES! His swords lash out like fire from a dragon's maw! Punch, zap, spin, spin...! You know, I've lost track of what is going on, but whatever it is, it. Is. IMPRESSIVE~!" Mizuki breathes heavily for a few moments before looking to Sakura - who is quite likely smoking herself - and rasping, "... c-could this be it...?" Breeaaattthhh. "H-Has he finished her, or...??"

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
The chained combo thankfully works, at least as much as Sakura could get away with. But with Staren not staying down for long, she ends up backing away, especially with that crackling electricity proving to be something she should be wary of. Sadly, it doesn't really help that much, as Staren's speed ends up catching her anyway, stabbed with the stun blade...and locked in place enough that the electric-infused spinning punch connects straight into her gut. She's felt electricity before, having fought and traveled with Blanka before, but this was....well, it was definitely a new experience, and when the smoke clears...

Sakura's lying on her side, smoking, looking almost dead still. Almost. A ragged cough escapes her as she tries to push herself up, looking terrible and lurching thanks to that impact on her side. She's not sure how any ribs are broken, but she's sure something there is, the way her breathing is. Not having much movement at this point, she knows there's only really one way she can try and finish this off: cupping her hands to her side again, she tries to focus all her energy between her palms. She nearly falters a bit as jolts of pain course through her, but she keeps it focused anyways, condensing it more, more, more....until it's just about overflowing from her palms. "Shinkuuuuuu....."

Finally, she thrusts her hands forward, screaming, "HADOUSHOUUUUUU!!!" as she thrusts her hands outward, a lightning fast blue beam, about the same size as a soda bottle around, screaming toward Staren. Anyone might recognize this from the Saiyans and many other fighters from this world, but it's taking all her concentration to do this...and even then, the collected energy is enough that she can't control it all, a final spark exploding from her hands as she loses control of it, flung back across the platform as the burst sails forth at the tail end of the beam.

Staren has posed:
Staren's been hiding that feature of the robot body for years. Sakura putting up such a great fight earned something special, and the finishing-move-ness of it all... it just seemed the right time to use it. Hopefully it was a crowd pleaser, too!

When Staren hears Sakura start calling an attack, he starts turning to see what it is, then changes his mind and bends his knees to dive away in a DODGE... but he's too slow. The beam hits his torso before he can actually dive, battered metal melts and tears and then the beam blasts out the other side, and Staren freezes as his vision fills with warnings. There are secondary explosions and electric pops as things break and overload, and the robot body shakes a little, as if unable to get away from the beam impaling it. And then the end of the blast scorches most of his torso, burning away what's left of his shirt and more of his coat, and knocking the body over onto its side.

"You... win..." a stunned Staren croaks out of the speaker. "Good game. I'd shake your hand... if I could move. Congratulations." He tries to sound enthusiastic and not freaked out about all the CRITICAL DAMAGE and IMMENANT FAILURE alarms going off in his head. He'll be out of this body shortly, this is how the last WMAT ended for him too, but it would be rude of him to leave without saying anything!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
Mizuki blinks in disbelief as Sakura's body quakes, and emits a cough. "No..." She shakes her head slowly. Maybe even audibly! "Nooo..." Her eyes grow wider and wider as the may-or-may-not-be metaphorical camera zooms on to her face. Then, as Sakura -pushes- herself off of the crowd, she exclaims, "YES!" A clap! "SOMEHOW, Miss Kasugano has emerged from that crazed barrage with enough energy to MOVE~! But... what now? Will she conede...? NEVER! But... what will be her response? How will she...? What will she -- ?? Oh." Waves of energy pulse across the field, and straight into the radio to create rather bizarre sound effects. "And here it comes, dear viewers. Wait for it... wait for it..."

There's a sudden BURST, followed by static. Mizuki's voice is muffled at first, but gradually, reception recovers. "-re you seeing this?? She VAULTS her hands forward with a final... AH~HEM." Deep breath... "HA. DOU. SHOU! It isn't a ball this time, but a massive, merciless LASER! Er, rather... a BEAM! pours forth from the PALMS of her HANDS! I-Is that really a martial art?? No -- is that even /legal/?" That annoying voice chimes in one more time to add, 'Anything goes as long as you don't kill 'em. Says so in the --' "THANK YOU, Palora, but I was already -well aware- of that little detail. I'm just trying to be theatrical here...!" Cough. And... BOOM! There's another wave of indiscernable sound as Sakura's attack finishes, causing a literal EXPLOSION near her. "... Creation's Majesty..." Mizuki mumbles... as she turns with interest to look at Staren.

At this point, the entire crowd is silent. Everyone is staring at him, looking to see any signs of consciousness... or capability to endure further. After a few moments, though, Staren... concedes. Or, well. Admits that he can't move, rather. Mizuki gives a nervous giggle. "A-Ahaha... by the sound of those warning sirens, my friends, I would venture to say that we have ~ a ~ winner~!" She raises her hand, eliciting another rapturous ROAR from the crowd! People go CRAZY! Over the radio, too, there are some rather grating whistles to be heard! "Congratulations, MISS KASU~GANO! You are the victor this afternoon, and you. Have. Earned it! And to Staren: you, too, fought VALIANTLY, my friend! Truly, I must apologize for not being able to come up with an appropriately mythical name for your final attack. That was... astonishing." She heaves a sigh, brushing off her dress.

"This is the end of /THIS/ battle, my friends," Effectual pause. "but certainly NOT of the tournament~! I pray you all will stay... erm... what is that word Arthur uses? Oh yes. HYPE for future duels~!" A curtsey. "This is your less-than-humble commentator, Mizuki, signing off~."

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano is slow to get up after her Shinkuu Hadoushou, the force she's thrown back with jarring her broken ribs and nearly causing her to scream out in pain even mroe so. Tears in her eyes as she tries to pull herself back up to her feet, she's barely on hands and knees when she hears that the match has been called. She's not even able to make out Staren's form, with the hole clean through his robotic body, through her tears.

She hears the crowd cheer as the announcement is made, and she manages to lift a hand up in victory...but just as soon as she does, she nearly doubles over again, her body clearly telling her she needs to rest and get some medical attention now. She's at least able to give a wave to Staren, a silent thanks for the fight, but it's a consolation at best, she she's still looking like she might collapse on the way off the stage.