WMAT B1 Kirito vs. Sakura Kasugano

WMAT B1 Kirito vs. Sakura Kasugano
Date of Scene:	22 June 2014
Location:	WMAT Arena - Spinach Wastes
Synopsis:	Kirito fights Sakura Kasugano in the B Bracket! Swords against fists! Be there!
Cast of Characters:	Kirito, Tomoe, 20, 127, 374
Tinyplot:	WMAT

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Kirikou (127) has posed:
(Posted for the log. WMAT channel hype)

All right folks, I hope you're as hyped for this fight as I am! Some fighting veterans here in Bracket B. B for BLOOD! Or maybe bruises, I guess. Coming to you live from the Spinach Wastes and on radio frequency 900.6, we're about to get this rumble started. Our fighters are both well-experienced. Sakura 'Crusher' Kasugano has fought in the WMAT before. Those who missed her match last year, let me tell you, don't be fooled by her size. This little girl's a top-notch bruiser. Facing her is the mysterious Black Swordsman. He may be a mystery to some, but I think I've seen him in action before and it wasn't pretty! So, enough of the hype, it's time to FIGHT!

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
It's been an interesting year since the last WMAT for one Sakura Kasugano. After her early exit last time, she's been...mostly incommunicado with Union concerns, mostly because she had to finish up school, at the behest of her parents. Sure, she graduated (barely, anyway), but...you know Sakura, her passion obviously lies in fighting. So rather than worrying about University choices or tests, she's here in the tournament.

Her peppy J-Pop theme played out on the PAs and over the radio, the schoolgirl giving a few shadowboxing punches as she walked out. She had done plenty of warming up before the fight, but even then, this is her first time on the big stage in a while, and those butterflies in her stomach remain even as she climbs onto the fighting stage. Her gloves creak as she tugs on them and adjusts them, making sure they're nice and snug on her hands. Smoothing out her dress, she looked over to the other side of the stage, waiting on her opponent. She breathed in, breathed out, measuring her breaths to make sure she was steadied. Even if she's been out of the game for a while, she can't let it intimidate her...

Kirito has posed:
Kirito's entry is just after Sakura's. The boy strolls out into the arena slowly and certainly, hands in his pockets. His short crop of black hair and identically colored longcoat both flutter in the wind, and a youthful face that many might consider a little girlish rises to gaze up at the distant Sakura Kasugano.

As soon as he's taken his place, however, the swordsman's eyes sweep up and down his opponent. Only the most perceptive would notice the way his tmouth twitches ever so slightly.

His opponent's a girl indeed. Now it's confirmed with his own two eyes.

The boy reaches up behind his back, grips his weapons tightly... and--

The arena's filled with the sharp rasp of swords being drawn. In his right hand, Kirito wields a black longsword with a sinister-looking knuckle guard, and in his left a crystalline-blue longsword of nearly equal length and heft.

"A martial artist. I have no intention of goig easy, even if it's the first match, you know." But even so, he's going to HAVE to be a little restrained. He doesn't WANT to inflict real injury on anyone, especially not a girl, and his Sword Skills don't know when to stop... this'll be tricky!

Kirikou (127) has posed:
Kirikou says, "Two gloved fists, two swords. As a fist fighter myself, I'm thinking this is a fairly even fight! Kasugano seems full of energy and eager to go. Kirito sounds determined though, and confident. Show the audience your spirit and determination, you two!"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe had been watching the match with Metta and Black Out on a small portable device? Well part of it was just to see an certain upper classman commenate, it was a good fight all around but now it's time to enjoy the match people might not know whom it is as the Iron Lily is not in the stnad no it's Sheena Armstrong, what you think she was going to waste a change to enjoy the conession stands?!

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano waits to see Kirito's entrance, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she tries to get herself settled. Fists tighten with a creak of her gloves as she brings her hands up into her iconic Ansatsuken stance. Her eyes focus on Kirito, his casual walk up to the stage, the reach behind him, and the sharp sounds of his swords being drawn. She swallows a little as she tries to settle her nerves again....and drops out of stance.

Hands folded in front of her, she gives a bow to Kirito. "Good luck to you," she says politely, before popping back up into her stance, all signs of her earlier nerves gone, save a deep breath, inhaled, then exhaled. She's ready to fight as soon as the signal is given.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Seems Kilik isn't alone in the commentator's box as a familiar little figure barges in, carrying a huge bag of popcorn and some bottles of drink. "+radio wmat6=We won't know how even it is until they have gotten a few strikes in, Gloves! Now move over, I brought some snacks. Thought you needed some help commentating so you can do it properly. Huh, Kirito and Kasugano, huh? Don't know too much about them..." she comments, then shoos the twins away so she can plop down next to Kilik. Sure, she might have lost her fight, but she can at least help comment on the fights, right? Of course she can.

Kirito has posed:
"Likewise." Kirito declares, choking down his anxiety. He'd entered the WMAT to test his mettle and might, and maybe earn some awesome prizes, but he'd forgotten how nervous performing in front of crowds gets him. And it only takes a few glances around at the stands to point out how crazy this one's gotten!

Still, he deepens his stance, spacing one leg out in front to lower his center of gravity, lets one sword dangle near the ground out behind him at an odd angle, while extending the other out in front of him at a horizontal. It's a VERY odd stance, but it exudes a warrior's confidence. He has full faith in it.

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano takes another deep breath, waiting for the go ahead so things can start on. She bounces on her feet anxiously, feet tensing for a sign to explode out of the blocks and start the fight in earnest. She waits...and waits...and waits....watching Kirito take his own stance, very unfamiliar but still not to be taken lightly.

Finally, the signal is given, and Sakura shoots out, a quick dash straight toward Kirito. It looks like she's almost intent on barrelling straight into him the way she runs, but she manages to arrest her forward motion long enough to snap out two hurried jabs toward Kirito, testing his reaction before trying to hop along to the side and circle.

Kirito has posed:
THWUNK-THWOP! One of the fists Smashes right against the flat of Kirito's upraised blade. The Black Swordsman's eyes show a moment's surprise though, as the other fist meets his chest and pushes him back half a meter. He skids the momentum away and alters his guard however, eyes never leaving Sakura's form. In particular, he's studying her breathing and footwork, the signature telltales of any intent to strike and exactly how.

But at the same time-- "SEI!"

He lashes out with his OTHER blade at the same time as that blow's coming in. The flat of Dark Repulser aims right for Sakura's side!

Kirikou (127) has posed:
"Damn, they're fast! You seeing this, Toph?" Kirikou asks of his young co-commentator, reaching out for some of her supplied snacks. "Er... well, you know what I mean." he adds belatedly. Then, back to the commentary. "Kasugano lashes out with jabs, Kirito replying with a parry and sweeping slash. I *think* hits were given, but neither fighter breaks balance so the hits can't be bad!" he judges.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
When Kilik reaches out to grab snacks Toph moves the popcorn bag towards him before letting Fire and Thunder grab some popcorn as well. "Kirito seems to know that a good stance is a good basis. Though he could probably widen his stance even more, a rock to the face could topple him over easily," Toph states, the grin audible in her voice as she gets comfy. "But yeah, let's hope they are just warming up for some further action! The audience will want some solid punches and swings, you know? You gotta cater to the crowd."

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano is fast, but apparently not fast enough to catch Kirito before he can get a guard up, her gloved fists popping off the flat of the Black Swordsman's blade, then Kirito's chest before the street fighter is forced back. She has space to move with how far back he's been pushed, but it's not far enough to stop a counter attack completely. However, her speed is enough that when he lashes out with that other sword, Sakura's able to bring her arm in between it and the rest of her body. Deflecting the strike for the most part, she comes away with a sore elbow, but thankfully not much else as she's able to pivot away. It was a close call though, and clearly the schoolgirl is wary now of that range.

It doesn't keep her from trying to drive in though. After a moment to assess the situation, she goes in again, and she feints another jab, but instead goes low, a quick kick to the back of KIrito's leg followed by a real jab, then a duck down to thrust another kick straight at the front of Kirito's shin.

Kirito has posed:
Clearly, Sakura's able to handle Kirito's assault. Kirito would be relieved - if he wasn't being assaulted by a rather unexpected series of punches and kicks. He's unused to dealing with this kind of assault and it pulverizes him several times in a row. The boy's stance breaks at first, several grunts are forced from his mouth, and he executes a swift backflip to gain more distance and regain his footing. Landing with a thump, he has one thing to say.

"Those fists are like steel. They sure don't look like it. You must train really hard!" He's impressed. Impressed quite a bit.

But now he's gonna get serious. He does something odd- he lowers one sword and shifts his stance forward, so that the blade is horizontal and pointing straight towards Sakura. He couldn't possibly be thinking of attacking from that distance, could he--

Elucidator charges up with a blue light, and a sharp humming sound accompanies it. SWORD SKILL!

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

... In the blink of an eye, Kirito zips PAST Sakura by a good several meters... and she might have just been slashed nastily across the side by the demon blade!

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano has to play to what she thinks are her advantages. After all, Swords have range, but that means it's much harder to handle rapid attacks within that range, much like someone who swings with looping hooks and full power straights. Not something she knows through theory, mind, something she seems to grasp on instinct, like so many things about fighting.

So perhaps that's why she expected trouble when she knocked Kirito further back than expected with her combo. THe unusual stance prompts an instinctual reaction to shore up and defend, but the sudden streaking sword thrust comes far too fast for Sakura to stop, the slice cutting through her side and knocking her flat on her back. "UWAAHH!!!" she cries out, stumbling before rolling back up to her feet.

Clutching her side, she desperately tries to get her eye back on Kirito before running in again. She doesn't simply charge in this time, however. Instead, she leaps, flipping in the air and seemingly readying for a diving kick to his body. Her arms outstretch over her head wide for balance, feet together in a dive...but she stops just short of Kirito instead, dropping down into a crouch as she instead whips out a tricky uppercut toward his chin.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
Through a mouthful of popcorn, Kilik says, "Hmmmm. Still a close fight. Kirito's faster, but I think Kasugano's tougher." He shrugs, peering down and clearing the popcorn with a gulp. "Yeah! She pounds into the little guy, sending him flying. Guess hitting him in the face with a fist's a lot like hitting him with a rock!" he says, grinning at Toph. "The Black Swordsman's taking a stance and ... ow. Man, that cut didn't go through ribs or anything, but there's blood on the field now. Give him hell, Kasunago! Show him what fists are for!"

Kirito has posed:
That pained cry sends is like a nail to the skull. Kirito's face scrunches up in a wince the moment his feet touch down again. It's unforgivable to make a girl cry like that, even in an agree-upon match, right?

This isn't FullDive, at least not for Sakura. It's real pain. Kirito clenches his teeth, but it turns out his worries are far from necessary. Just as he's turning around - "WUAH?!" Sakura's already coming down at him. He's amazed at her recovery speed, and is clobbered cleanly by an uppercut - right up into the air!

That, however, is when things get kinda strange. Black energy spreads from his back, forming into translucent dragonfly-like fairy wings. They vibrate up to speed with the sound of string instruments and he executes a few loops that bring him down to the arena floor again. Or rather... hovering a half a meter over it.

For a brief instant, it looks like he has something to say... but he clamps down on it, and instead speaks with his weapons. This time, there's no glow. He just ROCKETS straight at Sakura with tremendous speed not unlike the previous burst, and his two blades become a wall of slashes... at least, they LOOK like a wall of slashes.

He's using mostly the flat, to bruiser, and batter, apparently unwilling to inflict too many cuts!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Shaking her head, Toph keeps her feet down as the two fighters duke it out. "It's about endurance, really. These matches usually don't last long, but even so... Kasugano knows how to block, as well as keep up some strikes. Hah, keep up, Kirito! Keep that stance up! At least he gets a strike in... what was that really? Kinda tough to keep up with it when you don't have working eyes. Did he just /run/ past her? Or jump? Either way it hurts. But he's gotta be ready for some pain himself! Huh, he's charging at her again?" Toph asks.

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
The concern is a nice thought, but it's lost on Sakura for now, with the storm of steel that surrounds her in that surprising rush. No where in this match up did she expect her opponent to simply grow wings, fly, and torpedo himself straight into her. The surprise is enough to overwhelm her and even with her attempt to guard up, the hammering flat strikes bowl her over, leaving multiple bruises (and, despite Kirito's best attempts, plenty of shallow cuts) before knocking her over completely.

Groaning, she's much slower to get up at this point...and considering Kirito has the advantage of flight, much, much less willing to rush in blindly to push a supposed advantage.

Instead, the street fighter racks her brain, trying to figure out a way to knock him down and KEEP him grounded. There are plenty of ways, but.... "HAaaaaaaa...." The one she falls back on tends to be her old reliable, cupping her hands together at her side, and summoning up a ball of crackling blue energy between her palms. With the distance as it is, and speed on Kirito's side, she has one real good way to keep that distance while still staying on the attack... "-DOUKEN!!!"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
"It's his weapon, I think." says Kilik thoughtfully, both for his co-commentator and for the radio audience. "Glowing with power and humming. Might as well be a teleport attack." he explains. "Kasugano replies with a hell of a punch. Kirito goes flying! Oh... er, literally. Yep, dude's got wings now." He shakes his head. "Swordsman flies in with a cage of steel around him. Sakura's down, hammered flat! She's not out though! She's half up and... oh, now she's glowing too! This's gonna be good!"

Kirito has posed:
"not good." Kirito mumbles to himself unwittingly the instant he sees Sakura take a really weird kind of stance. it's just like one of those fireball moves in fighting games, isn't it? Could it be a bluff?! The boy's swordsmanship falters with a split-second of hesitation.

"WHAT THE HECK--" And he eats a FACEFULL of Fireball. Hadoken to the everything! He's hurled backwards, and tumbles for ten meters before landing again. there's a MASSIVE red mark all over his front where the Hadoken made contact... a really weird grid pattern, really. And it's fading, like a bullet hole decal on a wall in a First Person Shooter.

"No way... a real ki blast move!" He's gaping, if only a little. There's definitely no underestimating Sakura. This changes EVERYTHING.

"I thought that kind of trick only existed in fighting games. Thanks for proving me wrong." Kirito grins slightly, a tad chagrined over the matter.

But then...

"HRRRRUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" Belting out a ferocious battle cry that would make the Norse Gods proud, the Spriggan foregoes flight altogether and CHARGES straight for Sakura. Again he lowers the blade into the motion for a SONIC LEAP, and it glows blue. He bursts into motion and goes skidding-- but it's exactly to Sakura's left. the instant his feet touch down his OTHER sword has already taken up a strange blue glow all its own, and Kirito dances about Sakura in a decisive array of slashes that send four waves of light out in every direction when the motion completes, forming a short-lived square symbol!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Toph frowns slightly. "Glowing? Is that supposed to mean anything?" she inquires, paying close attention to the vibrations she picks up through her feet. When Sakura flings a fireball at Kirito however, her eyes widen. "Woah. Kinda like firebending, huh? And there Kirito goes, repaying the attack in full as he goes into a rapid flurry of swipes!"

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
As surprised as Kirito is at her Hadouken, much the same could be said for Sakura faced with Kirito's swordsmanship. Sure, it's not anywhere near the first time faced with swords in a fight, especially since joining up with the Union. However, Kirito's swordsmanship is on a whole other level, especially with his wings. Sure, the so-called prodigy managed to knock him out of the sky with her fireball...but the way he lept toward her like that, swords drawn and glowing, it's far beyond what she's used to. "Wha...."

Before she can muster up any kind of evasive maneuvers, Kirito's glowing blades are slashing out, the blinding light searing into her along with the pain of the glowing sword slashes. "GYAAAHHHH!!!"

Falling back, clothes torn up from the slashes, Sakura looks up to Kirito, panting as she holds a hand over one of her arms. "Your swords are...really strange...." she groans, managing to push herself back up to her feet. While she doesn't have the same kind of grin Kirito has at the strange kind of fight, there's more than enough determination on the young girl's face to show she's not anywhere near giving up at this point.

In fact, she cups her hands together once more. "Haaaaa...." She keeps them together....then breaks for Kirito once more, hoping he fell for the fake Hadouken. Instead, she's going back to the well, trying to get into his face, spinning with a leg extended in a flash of rapid spinning kicks as she flies toward him. "SHUNPUU KYAKU!!"

Kirikou (127) has posed:
Kirikou frowns. "Glow's like the heat of a fire. A lot of energy in one place spilling out." he explains. Hey, not a bad analogy for a blind girl, in his opinion. "And these fighters have a LOT of energy! Kirito takes a face full of soul blast - nice technique that - and now he's retaliating. Damn, he IS fast! I never thought one guy could surround someone all by himself! He cuts at her, and Kasunago's reeling! Not down though, not out. She's calling her energy again!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Somehow Toph looks amused when she feels Sakura begin with a feint attack, able to tell it's not real. "Just keep on watching, Gloves! You seeing people can't catch everything that's going on either, no matter what you think! I just gotta warn Kirito to not trust his eyes too much!" All in all, she seems rather pleased as she lounges, munching popcorn and hogging the bag.

Kirito has posed:
Kirito shows a frown for a few moments. It's full of apology. He's clearly taking no pleasure in cutting up Sakura. But his gaze hardens further with increasing determination of his own too.

Fortunately and unfortunately, he DOES fall for the feint, but not in a way that decisively benefits Sakura. Reacting with the EXACT timing necessary to block were it real, he extends Elucidator, which this time glows crimson--

FWOOOOOOOSH. his wrist and sword blur together like a propeller on an old plane and spin so swiftly that a translucent black disk hovers out before him. It's the really odd 'Spinning Shield,' an unusual Sword Skill that's oriented towards defense.

Sparks fly when the Shunpuu Kyaku slams into the impromptu barrier, and promptly graduate into a full-fledged shockwave with every impact of spin against spin. red light flashes every which way and Kirito's forced back. Sadly, Spinning Shield's duration runs out before Sakura's own technique comes to completion, and a few spinning kicks clobber into Kirito's head and send him tumbling sideways like a ragdoll. "HWUGH!"

He hits the ground and scrambles to his feet... but there's no way that Sakura made it through that clash unscathed, is there?!

Tomoe has posed:
Sheena's been on the edge of her seat most of the match, or just cowing down on some of the vendor's food she watche as the fight is getting pretyyt damn nuts as she calls ou.

"COME ON BLACK SWORDS MAN! YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!"

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
The clash of leg and swords ends up sending shockwaves around the arena, and while Sakura managed to keep up the Shunpuu Kyaku enough to finally break through once the shield was brought down, it came with a definite price, her legs looking cut up like she had tried to stick them through an oscillating fan...because lets face it, that's just about what happened. Falling to the ground and clutching her poor, hacked at leg as blood started to trickle down it, she looked up to Kirito. "You're...really good. REally good....I'm glad I got to fight someone like you this early..." She says....determined still, however, from the gritted teeth and furrowed brow on the young fighter.

She may be conceding that this is a far more difficult fight than she had hoped, she's clearly not about to give up. But with her leg hacked like this, her mobility is going to be rather limited. Even as she stands up and tries to advance a little, it's clear she's hobbled for the time being.

...at least, until she drops down, her good leg extended and cut-up leg bent in a strange sort of crouch. "HERE I COME!!" she shouts, before she takes off across the arena floor, leg spinning out like a street sweeper as she makes a line straight toward Kirito. Clearly, it's a similar move, but there's the hope she can get underneath Kirito's defenses and batter him with the repeated sweeps and kicks before Sakura can spin no more.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
Kilik's nobody's fool, at least when it comes to combat. Whether or not he recognizes the feint though, he owes it to them to not say so. It benefits the fighters, making their strategies clever ones, or making them out to be wise in seeing through deception. "Kasugano cancels the chi blast, lashing out with kicks instead! Boots meet blades! Some of her shots are getting through, but that spinning blade defense parries much of it and seems to do plenty of damage in return. I think in this case, the swordsman's trusting in his eyes juuuust about right enough, wouldn't you say?" he asks, teasing his co-commentator just a bit. Then 'encouraging' one of the Twins to make an unexpected dive for the popcorn bag, carrying on a contest of sorts in the commentator booth.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
"Seriously, using swords as a shield like that? Nasty defense, really. And yeah, agreed. But at least he is playing it safe while at the same time doing some serious damage in return to Kasugano. Come on, girlie! Show him who's boss!" Toph yells in encouragement as Sakura charges at Kirito. "The fight's gonna be decided real soon either way!"

Kirito has posed:
"Likewise... you've got me on the edge! And... I hate hurting girls, to be honest." Kirito declares softly, with hints of embarassment leaking into his tone. Yeah, he knows it's probably quite sexist... still, it's just loud enough that at least Sakura can probably hear him. "But you definitely wouldn't forgive me if we just ended this here." Was he just asking Sakura to give up? Or implying that HE would?

Kind of hard to say. He mirrors her motions to a point, taking a low and defensive stance as she charges in, resolve building to take this and counter it.

"So you better give it your all - I'm holding nothing back!"

Yeah, that's probably the best answer. And he takes the defensive just in time! The first wave of blows is parried not by any fancy manuevers, but by Kirito twisting his weapons around to absorb the blows. A few others he hops over... but this lasts only for a few seconds. She's fast. REALLY fast.

Soon the blows start connecting and biting into his HP! The swordsman grunts, chokes out slightly pained - more startled - noises, and is beaten back with strike after strike that knocks his balance completely off!

Until.

THWUMP. His left foot hits ground, and digs in, and he drops his guard by bringing both weapons down into a low, sweeping stance that strongly resembles-- ... a cobra, coiling up to strike?!

This time BOTH of his weapons howl and unleash light, a sickly and poisonous-looking green. Thankfully they don't carry any actual Poison, but they do lunge forward in a dizzying barrage of eight stabs and sideways cuts! "8 Strike Dual Swords Skill - SNAKE BITE!"

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
The nice thing about being so low is that you have a much smaller profile to hit. Even with all the drawbacks of being a smaller fighter, sometimes being small can be a boon. And while Sakura is not exactly big to begin with, her crouched state in the middle of her Haru Ichiban attack makes it a lot harder to strike at. Even with her lowered mobility, she's low enough to take advantage of Kirito's off-balance state.

So when the poisonous-looking strikes slice out, the schoolgirl martial artist just basically stops, drops, and rolls, trying to hastily evade the wild strikes and stabs. She's not able to avoid all of them, the slashes still cutting into her back and her sides as she tries to roll away. But thankfully, the much more lethal looking stabs manage to miss her, leaving her cut up, but much better for the wear than she would if she tried to stand up and defend herself.

'Better for the wear' being relative, as she's still got cuts everywhere and blood pouring down several wounds along her sides and legs. She barely looks able to walk at this point, much less run at Kirito to try and catch him with another attack. Huffing and puffing and clutching her sides, she hisses out in pain as she tries to think of a way to fight through this and see the match through. Looking up to Kirito, she tries to see how much life his own eyes have...and narrows hers, determination winning out once more.

With her leg bum as it is though, she opts for something...unconventional. Rather than try and walk herself forward, she pitches forward instead, tumbling and somersaulting toward Kirito. It's an awakward move especially with the multitude of wounds on her side, but she blocks out the pain as she comes back up to her feet. She blocks it out as her hands reach up to the sky. She blocks it out as she thrusts said hands back out, one hand in front of the other, a sudden spark of blue energy collecting before her palms. It doesn't look anything like her earlier Hadouken...but Sakura HAS learned plenty of tricks since arriving here, and she knows Gohan didn't mind her using an imitation Masenko when they sparred before...then again, this one is less a beam than it is a sudden firecracker burst. And rather than call it the Masenko, Sakura's called it something a bit different.... "HADOUSHOUUUU!!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
"Hey, some girls are able to take a hit or two, you know!" Toph interjects at Kirito's comment to Sakura, her own ears more sensitive than most. Why go easy in a fight like this? As Kirito works on blocking the furious kicks, Toph raises her voice. "Come on guys!" It's close. Really really close. The strikes from Kirito are no laughing matter either, but what will Sakura do about it?
"WOOT! Kasugano evades some of the strikes, even with an injured leg! Man, it almost reminds me of you last year, Gloves. I messed your leg up pretty bad... it doesn't look good, I bet. I can feel it with my two feet. What now? ... woah! Tumbling and somersaulting? Hey, whatever works, right? And she strikes...!" Toph's voice is rather loud, and she manages to spill popcorn all over the commentator box as she leans forward to place her feet down better.

Kirito has posed:
Oddly enough, Kirito's not showing any actual wear through the whole battle. Though if anyone stared at him hard and long enough, intently enough, they'd see a strange 'pop-up' next to him with a depleting HP bar that shrinks from green to yellow to red - chances are most people just aren't in the right mindset to do so in the middle of a match. But Sakura sees this when she stares so intently.

His expression wavers wearily, but there's no physical wear to match it. What there IS, however... is a mental weariness to match the thrill of this fight, and it's getting ever more clouded with uncertainty. He's never bloodied anyone like this. Even if he knows for a fact the medical care is extraordinary and none of his blows have gone to anything vital, his face is increasingly guilt-wracked.

Still, he was really counting on that skill to win the day. He's still in a half-second stun time cooldown when Sakura raises her arms and gathers that power - "Crap--"

FWOOOOSH! He's caught in the explosion, thrown backwards...

That little HP bar finishes draining. His body tumbles towrds the ground, but... never quite reaches. Instead, black flames spontaneously erupt all about it and consume it utterly in under a second. Soon, a black flame with a whitish core, the size of one's fist, hovers a meter off the ground and slowly drifts to the ground. All that's left.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
"More like staggering and rolling!" Kirikou exclaims, heart in mouth. In truth he's more than impressed. Guts counts more than skill in his book, though of course someone with both is even more impressive. He's the last person to go easy on someone simply because they're a girl... because as oblivious as he might be about some things, he'd hate it if a person went easy on him because he was a kid, or because of his Weapons, or any stupid thing like that. "Girl's got soul!" he crows. "And the Black Swordsman's caught flat-footed! He's down, he's ... Wow, he's nothing but a little black flame now! The fight's over! Sakura Kasugano takes out Kirito the Black Swordsman, tumbling into him and unleashing everything she must have had left within her!" He reaches out, trying to snatch the last of the unspilled popcorn. "Looks pretty damn good to me!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
Woah, talk about a strong finish! Toph lets out a loud cheer! "Too bad, Kirito! And nice going, sweet cheeks! Good luck in round 2 and--- HEY! I want the last of the popcorn, Gloves!" She swats at Kilik's hand with a frown. "Better get somebody to heal up Kirito too... did he explode in that flame thingie?"

Sakura Kasugano (374) has posed:
Sakura Kasugano didn't think the 'Hadoushou' would end up that big, not as drained as she was. Then again, the attack doesn't behave like the original technique as it is, so...maybe it just needs fine tuning to be better controlled. Either way, the blast is enough to blast Kirito back and away...as well as Sakura, whose leg buckles enough to keep her from bracing properly. Tumbling back, she falls to a rest face down, groaning as she tries to push herself back up. Looking up, she finds herself looking at....nothing? Where'd Kirito go? Then she notices the black flame across in the direction of where Kirito was. "Oh no!" she gasps, unsure if that was because of her or because of something else...either way, that uncertainity isn't about to keep her from checking up on Kirito.

...rather, it's her leg injuries that do that, her attempt to rush toward the flame stalles short as her leg refuses to behave, nearly faceplanting herself into the arena floor instead. "Guhh!" Maybe...she'll let the tournament medics handle this...

Kirikou (127) has posed:
Frika comes out from the medical area, shooing back other rescuers. "Nothing to be worried about. That's how we get knocked out. He's not hurt!" she insists. "Well, not much anyways. No, she didn't kill him. Honestly..." she growls, and heads over to the remain light. "You owe me, Kirito." she says, opening inventory and revealing a small crystal phial. Snapping the top shard off, she pours the golden light of the Revive potion out over the Remain light. "Stupid sexist jerk. You should know better than to go easy on girls!" she mutters, obviously distressed over the loss and the injury despite her reassurances to others.

Kirito has posed:
The Crystal Phial full of 'World Tree Dew' does the trick, saving Kirito the humiliation of a 10-minute wait in the center of the arena... unless someone dragged the Remain light off. The moment that liquid touches the little black flame, it cascades upwards and outwards in the exact reverse of how it got there, and when the fireshow fades Kirito's standing there once more, his blades sheathed.

He makes a face at Frika, a rather sour one, but then just scratches at his cheek at her. Ah well, how's he supposed to argue with her? It never works. So he swiftly closes the mouth that was about to retort at her, and instead turns to look at Sakura. "... that's quite some skill you have. C-congratulations!"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is just about nail biting at this point with how the fight's going. She doesn't like how it's going and it looks likr Kirito is on the ropes, she frowns as Kirito goes down but there's not much more she can do. She won't be that one jerk in the stands.

"That was a heck of a fight..."

Kirito has posed:
"... Neither did I." Kirito admits, only to sprout a mischevious sort of smile moments later and turn away. But this brings him face to face with Frika - and behind her, Asuna. The boy blinks a few times.

"... Sorry Asuna, it looks like our match won't have anything to do with the tournament."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe calls out at this.

"It would still be a battle date, right? So whats your problem you two!"