Scene #7787: Smoke and Pictures

Owner	Pose
Miyamomo	Miyamomo really likes the Shrine of Adversity, so she arranges for the spar to occur there. Right now, the room is unmodeled, a technician walking her through the settings with all the air of a retail worker explaining the difference between an OLED and a QLED to a boomer during Black Friday. "Ah yes, I see, it's like that~" Miyamomo says, transparently not getting it. But eventually, she manages to mod the area the way she likes. It becomes an open dojo sparring floor, the ground covered in fresh tatami mats. A great wooden plaque stands at the head, declaring 'Nameless Style' with another plaque under it identifying the masters. Curiously, there are no characters for 'nameless,' but instead a blank space. And of course, the only master is Miyamomo herself, her name depicted in ancient characters. "Well, I suppose first strike should go to you~ Show me what you've divined about Smoke and I will show you how it truly looks." She assumes a strange, fluid stance, akin to capoeira. Constantly on the move, swaying her body, rotating her wrists and shoulders. Already building momentum for what is to come.
Go Shijima	Go comes in under his own power, but it's clear that might've been more difficult very recently. He wears a loose, breathable tee and gym shorts, kicking off his shoes when he enters the 'dojo.' There are welts and bruises along his arms and legs from the Mach Driver's force redistribution system. He approaches her, eyes tracking the swaying of her stance. What has he divined about Smoke? Fluidity allows for momentum. That's what I need... momentum. His way of picturing it might have been a little different. He's bouncing left and right, keeping himself limber. The first strike is given to him, but can he take it? Bounce, bounce. Bounce, bounce. Left, right. Left, right. Left- A right snap kick. Keep moving, don't stop. Use the momentum to make another--this one lower. Don't stop. His palm makes a knife edge strike, and at the lower-most point of the swing, he attempts then to strike her midsection with the elbow of the same arm.
Miyamomo	Miyamomo smiles and nods as Go begins bobbing and weaving. "Good. Your stance should be constantly shifting, always ready to dodge or strike in any direction. But there's more to it than just hopping left and right. Every little twist and turn the body can do can be nurtured into a might swing. The rotation of the wrist, the flex of the toe..." He strikes. That kick finds her side, but only sinks in for a moment. She pivots on her big toe, turning with the impact, when that second kick finds her leg. At the rate she's spinning, it just slides off, adding to her momentum. The chop and the elbow just seem to bounce off, her torque becoming an armor. And then she strikes, putting all that spin into reverse elbow strike aimed at Go's ribs. "Don't stop! Never stop!" she barks, eyes glinting.
Go Shijima	Blunting the impact of my attacks with centrifugal force... That's... ingenious! Then that means... It means never stop moving, just as she said. But if ever there was someone well suited to that, it's Go Shijima. His eyes meet hers as she makes that elbow strike, and he bounces right. It's about more than just that--he pivots on his heel as he lands, making a hook kick meant to catch her by the back of the neck. But rather than corral her, he instead uses the contact to spring forward and upwards, making a dramatic leap to get some distance between them. Don't stop. When he lands, he rolls forwards, legs kicking out at her twice as he springs onto his hands. Twirling on both, he extends his legs a second time to make a series of horizontal kicks like a human propeller, before finally springing back onto his feet with an agile flip. Never stop. He's not just bouncing on his feet, now--he's strafing, twisting, hands and feet constantly shifting along with his shoulders--looking for cracks in her defense to further exploit, like... Like smoke filling the air!
Miyamomo	Miyamomo lets out a satisfied smile as Go pivots with the force of his dodge, turning it into a kick. It lands on her neck, but immediately she's bending forward, tucking into a somersault, converting the blow further. She leaps to her hands and begins cartwheeling, dancing in between Go's kicks, letting their bodies turn like gears. "Now you're getting it! You might even be a natural!~ But remember, each blow will slow you slightly when they make contact. Don't be afraid to take the time to build speed for a single, overwhelming strike. Like so!" At the end of a cartwheel, she leaps into the air, spinning like a buzzsaw, before bringing her heel down towards Go's shoulder, the air hissing around her foot.
Go Shijima	When you're constantly in motion, it's easier to stay in motion. Go is a quick learner--but he's still learning. Keep moving he does, but in the wrong direction. When he pivots and twirls to the right, all it ends up doing is giving Miyamomo the opposite shoulder for that devastating attack. He's also quick to put her advice to use--as despite being knelt by the force of the blow, Go doesn't immediately counterattack. Instead, he rolls to the side, again to build up some distance, tumbling into a handspring and flipping back upright once more. When he lands, Go strafes around Miyamomo, hands up and shifting to try and deflect her probing strikes, but his feet shift such that he twirls. Once, twice--faster than the first time. A jump, a leap, and a dizzying midair spin. He makes a one-two kick aimed at her midsection the split second before he lands on his side, hands working to sweep his legs about defensively. No wasted motion... right?
Miyamomo	Miyamomo advances after landing, constantly turning and testing Go's defences with tight elbow strikes, rotating her shoulders to add more oomph behind each one. Carefully, she watches as he deflects her blows. "Lean into them more! The earlier you intercept a strike, the less time it has had to build power! If they've become so overpowering that you cannot dodge or deflect them, this is the way to nullify them! This also allows you to control the point of impact, better adding to your stored momentum!" She demonstrates this immediately, rushing in and raising her arm to intercept the first kick, spinning, and doing the same with the second on her other arm. With the added force, she continues to advance, constantly slashing with fast chops of the hand.
Go Shijima	Don't stop. Never stop. Don't be afraid to build up steam for powerful attacks, and... Go's shifting stance allows him to deflect Miyamomo's attacks, but he's fighting too defensively. He's allowing her to dictate how the fight goes--so her advice is well-given. Hands and forearms in constant motion to turn aside her chops, he acts upon it. Her hand bashes his nose, but he leans into it. Slides past it, denying her the chance to build momentum with that strike by jumping in early. By flowing around it, like smoke. His momentum is channeled into a shoulder-check with the right side, to challenge her footing, his leg hooking behind hers to try and turn it into a full-on trip attempt, hips shifting to act as leverage. He twirls, trying to twist her into losing her footing, juking left to let his advancing foot hook behind her ankle. Never stop--as he twists, the opposite leg is brought up and crashing down in a decisively made axe kick.
Miyamomo	The check succeeds, meeting Miyamomo's built momentum, the opposing forces at a stalemate for a moment. But then he slips his leg behind hers, forcing her to stagger back, turning his hips to gain leverage. She lands on her back, unable to stop the incoming kick. So she doesn't. Instead, she slams her elbows into the ground to drive her up and meet it. Rather than absorbing pure downward force, she takes it on the shoulder earlier in its arc, using it to help push herself in between Go's legs. In passing, she lariats the one leg he stands on, attempting to topple him in retaliation, before pushing herself up into a handstand, converting forward momentum into upward momentum. As Go falls, she pushes herself into the air and comes down after him, all that force concentrated on her legs, her feet, which she drives into the small of his back. "Always be on the lookout for ways to convert momentum to different directions without slowing down! Your body is made of many thin whips! A small push in one place can alter the trajectory far away from it!"
Go Shijima	What happens next is one of those moments that kindles joy in the hearts of all teachers. It's one thing for a student to 'get' what they're being taught. Go grasps the basic idea of Smoke, but effectively putting it into practice means more than just a surface level understanding. Sometimes, students stumble into a further understanding. It's exactly what happens when Go hits the ground. Springing off of one hand the moment he hits the tatami mat, Go launches himself upwards and sideways. Miyamomo's foot crashes into his stomach and knocks the wind from him, causing his eyes to tear up--both from that, and from an injury screaming at him in complaint. But there's an imperative, beating at the door of his mind. Miyamomo's words, ringing clear: don't stop! Never stop! The force of her foot striking him, devastating as it may have been, adds torque to his spinning kip-up. Another strike will be the end of this sparring match for Go, but as always, he wants one more swing--as he rises, centrifugal force building, he hurls an uppercut and the way up, twisting at the wrist to add extra spin to the strike. He keeps moving, flowing, both feet on the ground for only and instant as, in one last-gasp attack, almost pure instinct fight-brain, he leaps upwards, whirling rapidly midair, to deliver a downwards hammer punch with the opposite hand!
Miyamomo	And Miyamomo sees it. She sees that gleam, that shift in the body. Having been through so many dojos in her life, she's experienced it, seen others experience it. The moment that the knowledge in the brain aligns with the body, all of it moving in perfect harmony. But it's the first time she's been the one to inspire it. And so she forgets herself. Smiles and stops, letting that drilling uppercut catch her in the chin, rocking her head back and sending her crashing on her back. She's laughing. "Oh heavens! You really are quite the natural." She titters as she pushes herself up with her tails, rubbing her jaw. "Let's call it there, and focus on that feeling you just had. Now that you've engraved it on your body, we can work on improving in areas. I have plenty of stretches to put you through, so that your body may become limber enough to do this better. And not to mention basic core strengthening so you can really put more into those turns!"
Go Shijima	Go didn't really stick the landing. Everything he had went into that attack on pure adrenaline, and so he's sprawled out on the floor when Miyamomo rises. He nods, without getting up, panting and gathering up the energy to do anything other than lay there. I'm... a natural? People have called me that, sure, but... "You're a great teacher," he says breathlessly. Go gets on his knees, but doesn't rise, instead turning around and bowing his head. "Thank you so much," he says, before finally getting back to his feet. "I'm looking forward to learning more from you... and I meant what I said." He swallows, frowning. "I'm in this for the long haul--like a job. Eight hours a day... maybe a day off or two a week, if you feel like I've earned it." There's a resolve that kindles in his eyes, however, and his posture straightens. "But I need to start pulling my weight, and Smoke might just be what helps me get there." There's a sigh. It sounds like relief. "Same time tomorrow?"