Scene #4674: Boys will be Boys

Owner	Pose
Young Arthur	Arthur has asked the staff of the ring to help him set up a simple ring. Sandy ground, the wooden palisade of the ring has two openings. One left, one right. His banner hangs over his side, and an empty spot has remained open for Syaoran to place his banner. Surrounding the ring are raised seats, to allow any would be audience to take up their spot. The young king has already drawn Calibourne, the royal blade bathed in sacred brilliance. The blade's light so bright the weapon itself can scarce be seen. The younger of the two boys is otherwise blad in white, chain can be seen in the gaps of his tabard, and a steel helmet protects his head and face. On his left arm, a white enameled kite shield is strapped.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran stepped out, wearing his traditional green garments that flowed around his body. Despite the words he'd said earlier, he was eying the younger combatant seriously. If this Arthur was expecting Li to go easy on him just because he was younger, he had another thing coming. Li had been practicing since he was a child, he knew how dangerous one could be. He drew his sword in his right hand, slowly spreading his legs out, left foot towards Arthur with her left hand towards him, palm out. His right hand held the sword, horizontal and over his head, like a scorpions tail ready to strike. He waited for for the gong to go off... and then he took off. He didn't wear armor, in fact the only metal he had was his sword. A disadvantage, to be sure. But one he was confident he could overcome. He'd move in fast, moving to Arthur's right side, his sword side. making him use his full body to get the shield in the way. He then brought his sword around in a downward strike, aimed at Arthur's shoulder. But it was a feint. When his sword went out, his feet followed a moment later, aiming at the leg, an attempt to knock it from under him. Li's whole body was his weapon, not just the blade. And he wanted to see how this Arthur reacted to it.
Guest Vivio	The challenge had been cast. The stage had been set. The popcorn had been warmed. It was time... Although it was getting close to her bedtime, Vivio had convinced her mother to let her come down and see this little bout take place. So with permission, Vivio now sits amongst the raised seats around the ring, small bag of popcorn in hand as she calls out to the two duelists, "Good luck you two!"
Young Arthur	Of course as soon as the fight started, Arthur was already moving himself. Though young, his steps are with the practiced instincts of a boy raised for battle. When Syaoran's sword comes down, the squire-king doesn't even consider using his shield to block it, he knows that would leave him far too open. Rather than fall for it, he rushes inwards, raising his own blade to partially deflect the blow. It still draws blood when it connects to his shoulder, but it's mild. Before the kick can connect, Arthur uses his shield to attempt bash into his opponent's chest and destabilize him. When the kick does connect, it forces Arthur to take a step back to recover his footing. He smirks, looking to be enjoying himself.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran managed first blood, but was then hit in the chest. He managed to flow with it, making himself bend and mold slightly with the blow. He skidded along a bit, but almost instantly went into his stance. His sword was magical, but it wouldn't dice through that shield or that sword. The armor made it difficult, too. he didn't know his foe very well, either. But then, his foe didn't know him very well, either. Really, his only option here he could see was to knock him off balance. He ran at the man again. "Obey thy command! Water dragon, come forth!" Well, he wasn't going straight to lightning. Instead, water would swirl out from his hand, guided by his magic, to splash along the ground under Arthur, before turning to ice. Assuming this actually worked, he'd keep going in and then move to the right, toward's Arthur's shield side? Before his foot lashed out, attempting to hit the shield and send the boy toppling back.
Young Arthur	And sure enough, the ground below Arthur's feet is turned to ice, and the foot to his shield sent him toppling back. He rolls with it and recovers gracefully, and without delay he swings that brilliant blade. There's no way he should be close enough to be even at risk of hitting, except... Well that blade's light extends from the blade and forms a wave of light, a sharpened crescent that flows forth towards Li Syaoran, and in the cover of that Arthur gets to his feet, that smirk remains on his face.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran was charging at him, moving in. Then that light came out. However, before it even appeared Li was already in the motion of ducking under it. That third sense that his magic gave him still offered him a slight edge. The boy was fast on his feet and knew how to block attacks at multiple angles. On top of that, Li realized he couldn't just beat the boy down. The armor made that difficult. Li was faster, but it didn't mean much if he couldn't hurt the boy. He charged in close once again. His sword flashed out towards Arthur's sword side, once again. It was a low strike this time. He moved in swiftly, however and leaned low to the ground as he moved. He waited for that shield to come crashing out in another shield back. This time, he'd be ready. Should the shield come back, his own left hand would move out to greet it, slapping a talisman on it while he quickly leaped back. At the same time, as he fell back, two more talismans would be hurtled to the ground on either side of Arthur. "Obey thy command! God of lightning, come forth!" Aaaaand lightning! He'd have done that even if the shield bash didn't happen and he didn't manage to toss a talisman onto it.
Young Arthur	Arthur dashes to the side this time, allowing the low strike to cut faintly into his leg while he answers with his blade striking at the opposite arm, towards the shoulder, with speed and strength that speak well beyond his physical stature or age. Dodging low risks neck or head, while dodging to the side would reveal the blade's reach has been extended to be much longer than it ought to be. And on top of that, Arthur's body doesn't quite seem to respect that one ought to be built much wider and stronger to act like this. He jumps back from the lightning talismans when he sees them drop, but not quickly enough and lightning courses through, causing an audible gasp of pain. "You are certainly worthy of the title Wizard, Master Li." The young king compliments.
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran barely manages to weave around the blade, getting a tiny cut on his shoulder but managing to avoid most of it. Namely, the fact he has that extra split second to react is giving him a bit more of an edge. But not enough to really make enough of a difference. "I can't deny, you're a lot faster and stronger than I'd expected. Especially considering all that armor you're wearing. You must have begun training at the same age as I." He then raced forward. "But it takes more than physical prowess to defeat me! Obey thy command!" He was still charging, thrusting his left hand in. "Petals of wind, come forth!" He'd thrust both hands in. His sword would go to try and pin the other man's blade back, while his left hand tries to get in and BEHIND the shield. Why? To attempt to knock the man back, again. however, unlike the water, he'd keep pushing in, while the winds spun, trying to swing in under the shield and ram his elbow into the side of the king's face while simultaneously trying to move in enough to lock his leg with the king's and send it out from under him. It was a risky move, getting in that close. But against a foe like this, it wasn't like he had much choice.
Young Arthur	"The day I learned to walk was the day I first wore armour." Arthur answers Li, essentially confirming how early he started to train. The winds do push Arthur back, forcing him on the defensive for a while. When the king's opponent tries to get behind the shield, however, is when Arthur takes the opportunity to answer. One of the advantages of having a sword that straps to your arm rather than being merely held by the hand is the better distribution of weight, which allows for greater flexibility. With the swords locked, and that hand moving in, Arthur twists arm and shield to try to trap the mage's left hand, twist, and bash the boy's chest with that shield once more. All the while his right foot steps forward to deny the ability to stumble back without tripping. Once Li Syaoran is on the ground, Arthur's blade comes barelly down towards his neck, stopping shy only at the last moment, to deliver a tiny cut at worst while emphasizing what he could have done. His sword remains, for the moment, in place. "You fought well, but this duel is over."
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran is hit, knocked back, and trips. And then the sword was there. Pushed down to his throat. He urked, felt the small knick of blood. His hand clenched as he stared up. There was still one last trump card he had. And the anger boiling inside made him consider using it. But this was training. It was not the kind of magic you throw around. Slowly his fists unclenched and he sighed. "I... yield." It burned in his mouth. But there was no choice.
Sakura Kinomoto	Sakura, from the stands, cups her hands over her mouth and shouts: "You know you guys can't permanently injure each other here, right?!"
Young Arthur	"Well-fought." Arthur was about to move his blade when Sakura yells like that, and he answers. "It does not matter. He has yielded, and should he have the dishonour to consider going back on his word, my sword remains at his neck to finish him off." He sounds confident enough, and looks down at the boy he's fought, throwing aside his shield to emphasize that he considers this fight over. "Would you press the point, then, or keep your word?"
Guest Vivio	Vivio stands up to applaud the fighters, but then almost trips at Sakura's shouting from nearby. Vivio turns to look at the other girl with an amused expression. But the match is over and Vivio runs up to the side of the ring before jumping to a stop. She clasps her hands to her chest and expresses her admiration for the duelists, "That was awesome, you two!"
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran paled and his head whipped around. Sakura. Saw that. She saw that. He didn't even realize she'd come to see! He grit his teeth. "I said I yielded, that means I yielded," he muttered. He lifted his sword back, sheathing it. "Able to hurt me or not, were we able to kill each other here, I'd be dead. Or at least you'd have the opportunity. And no one gets stronger by tricking their opponent." Once the sword was removed, he would get up. The frustration and annoyance was evident on his face and his hand moved up to touch his throat. He'd... lost. He could accept that. What he couldn't accept was the fact sakura had seen it. She'd seen him get trounced. In his mind, the defeat was far worse than it had been and had been a humiliation. And she'd seen it. Were he a cryer, he'd have them in the edges of his eyes. But he wasn't. So instead he just looked... frustrated and annoyed. "Well fought. You're skilled with that blade and shield of yours." At least he wasn't a sore loser.
Young Arthur	Arthur pulls back his blade when his opponent reiterates that he yields and grabs the slab of stone nearby, a smooth piece of rock, three inches thick, six inches wide and three feet long. There is blemish or grap anywhere on the stone, and yet when the young king pushes the blade down the top, it sinks in easily, the bright bonfire-like light of the blade finally fading. "And you're skilled with your blade and magic. I look forward to fighting alongside you." The younger boy answers, picking up the stone like it weighs nothing and depositing it into a linen bag, which he slings over his back. "I hope you learned something from this duel, I know I did."
Li Syaoran	Li Syaoran nodded. "I learned plenty," he muttered, crossing his arms and, of course, scowling as he walked off. Well, Sakura saw that. It was done. He'd get better. He'd get stronger. He'd train all the harder. And he knew exactly where to go. This Yang spoke of her land. apparently there were monsters and the like there, as well as an academy. Perhaps he'd find worthy opponents there. People he could truly learn from. But for now, he needed to think. And plot. Find a way to defeat an opponent like that. But all he could think of was Sakura. Watching him fall. He'd trained for the last five years for her. To show her what he was capable of. What he was. and when the time came, he'd failed. He walked out of the room, slamming the doors open as he walked out.