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"Kyoko vs Yang"
In a second-floor room, a few hours before his match was scheduled to begin, Yang stood before his mirror, psyching himself up. Okay. She's as fast as you, if not faster. She's also beautiful... to the point of distraction. But getting distracted and outmatched aren't my bag. Those are things that lesser fighters do... Almost ironically, it was just as Yang finished that thought that his older brother, Yun, burst into their shared hotel room. "You can't do this!" Yun grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him furiously. "Stop if you know what's good for you! Put your brain back in your head!" "Do what?" Yang asked nonchalantly. Yang was never the type to panic. Besides, whenever Yun got frantic, it was usually something quite trivial. "Your match today! Do you realize what happens if you fight Kyoko? Or even worse... *hurt her*?" Yang silently muttered. He knew it. "Yeah. I advance a rank in the tournament. At least, that's what the officials told me. And you. And everyone else competing." "You'll also be destroying one of the most beautiful things walking this earth!" "Oh. So she's a 'thing' now?" "You KNOW what I mean!" Yun sputtered. "Now, I know you. And if I thought you'd go easy on that beautiful face and figure for one *second*, I wouldn't even be in here. But we both know there's no chance of that." "I thought it was *Makoto* who you had the hots for," Yang said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Would you stop saying that? It's not like that! And this one's actually worth looking at! Now, I've got an idea." Yang shook his head. "I want no part of your crazy ideas. Whenever you have one of those, I usually end up suffering somehow." "Oh, just listen to me on this one, will you?" "No." Yang
continued to practice his fighting poses in front while Yun tapped his foot,
thinking of more ways to manipulate his little brother. After a few
seconds, Yun pulled out a small photo from his pocket, and shoved "Yaaaaaaang. Come on, bro. Even *you* have to admit. You don't want to see a hottie like this get messed up..." "Where did you get that?" asked Yang, staring at the picture. Yun ignored him. "And I bet her hubby wold be real mad, too..." "Like you care about that." Yang blinked, then looked at the photo of Kyoko again... who was wearing nothing but a bathtowel in it. "And this picture doesn't look like it was taken with her knowledge." "Do this one little favor for me? Pleeeeeeease?" Yun pleaded. "Or do you want me to tell Gramps about how you fawned over the Hello Kitty cosplayers at the anime convention?" "...I hate it when you do that." Yang sighed. "Fine, fine. What's your crazy plan?" Yun grinned. "Great! Well, I've got some people who owe me some favors and--" "Wait, wait, wait. Since when do *you* do favors for anybody?" "I'm detecting some cynicism here." "You don't say," Yang yawned as he stretched out on the bed. "Well, you're gonna look the age you act, bro." "You've been saying that for years." "Then maybe you should start listening--" The sound of Yang's fake snoring cut through his sentence. "All right, rest up. But when you wake up," an evil smirk crossed the elder brother's face, "get prepared for quite the change in plans, little brother..." Yun walked out of the room, to set his plot in motion.
The ClashDome "Wow! Can you believe that last match?! It was OFF YOUR SEAT ACT-SHUN!!!' Hiro cried. "And now we're coming to the final match of D Block!! Are we gonna have more off the edge of seat excitement?!?!" "It seems like the fans are still happy." Dai smiled serenely. Hiro gave his female partner an awkward glance. "Dai, your feminine side is scaring me again." "Did you say something?" Dai asked innocently. Hiro answered by dumping hot water on Dai's head. The then female broadcaster's bust shrank and shoulders broadened until she became a he. Dai smiled, totally unfazed. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen. As you can see, I am a living anime reference. Anyway, from the right, we have competitor Yang Lee." Yang stepped into the ring. The fangirls that made up half of the audience went wild, predictably. "And from the left," Dai continued, "we have competitor Kyoko Minazuki." The other half of the fan population - the fan*boys* - whistled and called Kyoko's name as she strode into the ring. In the bleachers, Hideo wore a sterner look than usual, and this look soon appeared on the Clashdome's big screen for all to witness. Needless to say, the commotion died down quickly afterwards. Dai continued, "And now for this match's facilitators. Say hello to a special guest, from the Mega Man node, none other than Roll Casket-Volnutt-Light!" "Hiya!" The small blond robot girl smiled and waved all around as she walked down the steps to the ring. "Lot of names there," Hiro observed. "Well, what girl doesn't like a little variety in her life?" Dai answered peppily. "I think it's great that--" Hiro produced another bucket of hot water and dumped it on Dai's head. "Yeeeowwwwwww! And what was THAT one for?" "Just making sure," Hiro answered. "Whatever," Dai grumbled. "Can I get a towel over here, please?" Hiro continued. "And here comes everyone's favorite karateka, Miss Makoto Rindou! I understand that she's volunteered to help the two current contestants carry out a special secret type of match!" Makoto punched a fist in the air and waved it around to general applause. "Hi-YA!" Hiro stood. "OKAY! Are you girls.. um, and guy... READY TO ROCK??" "JUST THROW THE SWITCH ALREADY!" Makoto cried. "Done." said Dai. The teleporter activated and the four people found themselves in front of a temple. "For this type of match, we chose the Soul Calibur node, because, as we all know, its aura protects its inhabitants and makes them MUCH more resilient to harm than other places." Roll explained. "I mean, where *else* can you take a sword swipe to the gut and not only not die instantly, but not even *bleed*?" Roll giggled. Makoto looked around. "Hey, nice choice. Wish I'd fought Sagat here. But is this match that dangerous?" "Well, it will be. At least for you." Roll took out a small handheld console and punched some keys. "Okay... Training Mode... Stand... No Block... there, that should do it!" "...huh?" Makoto suddenly found herself unable to move her limbs. At all. "What the..." she spat. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Roll finally explained. "It's a showcase competition! Both our competitors thought a straight-up fight would be too boring, so they're going to show us different sets of skills instead. And you're our visual aid. Well, at least for now. There's still two more events to go after this, and you're involved differently in all of them." "So that's why you wouldn't tell me that this was all about before. This is the LAST time I agree to do any unexplained favors... who put you up to this?" Yang looked at Makoto, who was quite helpless at the moment. "You should be glad I'm not my brother." Makoto growled. "This is the
Combo Competition!" Roll quipped. "Each competitor's attacks will be
monitored by pain sensors which line Makoto's body. Results will be posted
on the main board." Roll gestured to a football-ish Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "The most WHAT?" "Are you ready?" a generic announcer called. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Kyoko smiled. "No pain, no gain, my dear." Makoto gave her a stare that was half rage and half shock. "SENSEI! YOU TRAITOR!" she screeched, followed by a brief mutter of, "'Reformed', my *butt...*" "Get ready." The announcer said. "I'LL TELL YOUR BROTHER ON YOU!" "He wouldn't be seeing your situation as bad." Yang replied. "Go!" Roll yelled. Yang stretched his leg outwards, carefully aiming. He casually walked up to Makoto, aiming again. "What the hell is taking him so long?!" Hiro cried. The younger twin dragon looked to the camera. "...comic relief." Everyone face faulted. "T-that's not particularly funny..." Hiro sweatdropped. "Hm." Yang
did a quick kick to the shins, straight into a rising slice kick to Makoto's
jaw. As he lowered his leg, he thrust it out in a side kick to Makoto's
ribs. His foot lowered, but his hands were raised to strike. "OW!" was all Makoto could let out. "And that's a finish!" Hiro cried. "What's the score?" A '43' appeared on the football-type scoreboard. "43! What a strong start!" Hiro cried. "Can the lovely Kyoko match up to that? Let's find out!" "All right then, here we go!" Kyoko jumped up, and dropped one leg from directly above on Makoto, making her *bounce* off of the ground. She then juggled Makoto with her spin-kick for 3 more hits, sending her flying backwards. "Ugh... sensei..." It took Makoto a few moments to stand up straight, but she eventually was able to do so. "Oooh, not bad," Roll said, as a "35" appeared on the board. "But Kyoko trails quite a bit! Does she have the power to come back?" "Hmm. Now I must extend my lead..." Yang went again, this time starting with two quick jabbing knifethrusts, a quick Mantis Slash, a stronger but slower one, and then finally, his Raishin Mahakken Super Art sent quick stabbing strikes to Makoto's body. "...gllkkhh..." Makoto wobbled, but remained upright, as none of the hits were really strong enough to knock an opponent down or even away. "...I'll get you two for this..." "Wow. That *had* to have hit a pressure point or two," Roll said. "And the judges award... 55 points!" Kyoko's eyes
widened. "Oh, crap....
um..." Luckily, the energy wasn't wasted. A "60" lit up on the board. "60! Great job! This could be anyone's match!" Roll said. "Okay! Final heat! Let's do it!" Yang
blink-blinked after seeing Kyoko's strategy... "Ah. Juggling. Well,
then." "Now." Yang jumped in with a light jab, a strong elbow shot, a roundhouse kick, and then... "HISSATSU! SEI'EI ENBU!" With Makoto slightly aloft from the Roundhouse, Yang juggled her to the edge of the playfield (being careful not to go out of the ring) with repeated jabs and Forward kicks mixed with Mantis Slashes over the next five seconds. The final second of the six-second Super was spent launching Makoto with the Senkuutai rising post-kick. Makoto landed directly at the edge of the ring, shaking as she saw the waves of the sea just behind her. "50 points, Yang! Final score... 148 points! Okay, last chance, Kyoko!" "53 points..." Kyoko said, almost as if it were a mantra. She landed a few Jabs on Makoto. "Gotta get..." She then switched to alternating high and low kicks, in both Makoto's face and stomach... three of them. The final kick was a Roundhouse, which began to knock Makoto back... "53... uh oh!" Kyoko RAN forward, and caught Makoto with one arm. Satisfied, she began to hold her close... and then twisted and snapped at several of Makoto's key joints, finally ending in a neck-crack. "It's the
dreaded Final Prescription Super Art, handed down through martial arts nurses
throughout generations!" Hiro screamed. "What a privilege it is to
witness fine techniques such as this here! But will! It! This "technique", when it was all said and done, pretty much left Makoto limp as a noodle on the floor. "...ow." "And the judges say...." A "60" lit up. "60! Kyoko wins the Combo Showcase!" Roll finished. "Close call, though... and a wonderful performance by both contestants!" Much cheering ensued, and a 'Kyoko' chant began. The noise took quite a while to die down... Facing Kyoko, Yang nooded, his expression blank. "Good match, Minazuki-san." He bowed briefly. Kyoko nodded authoritatively. "Thank you. It's nice to meet someone who knows how to be a gracious loser--" Kyoko stopped in her tracks as she felt a hand land on her shoulder, and traced the arm back to a *gi*-clad girl... who also had her other hand on Yang's shoulder. The girl had a look on her face that seemed to *define* the term "homicidal"... "I can move now, you know. TANDEN REKI!" Just as Makoto powered up, the feed cut. "Ehh heh
heh..." the voice of Iczel_prime in the control booth cut into the PA system.
"We'll have a short break before we begin the second contest."
He shut off the public address, and switched to the
intercom.
(Commercial) And now, a public service message. *** (The scene: Tamagawa Minami High School, where Sakura goes to learn stuff. Students are outside, laughing and playing.) (The camera pans back. We see the back frame of a man, dressed in a white gi and carrying a white duffel bag, walking towards the school gates.) (Could it be? Yes! It's Ryu! And he can only be here to see one person.) Ryu: Sakura... your day has come. (Sure enough, Sakura's in sight, sitting on the school steps. For some reason, though, smoke can be seen wafting up above her forehead.) (Ryu happens up the steps and sees Sakura... but something's... *wrong*. Upon further inspection, Sakura can be seen... with a marijuana joint in her mouth.) (Ryu is, of course, instantly perplexed. Sakura? Into... *drugs*? Ryu thinks. This puts a damper on things... he decides to approach her.) Ryu: S-sakura? What is that you're smoking? Sakura: Huh? (Sakura looks around for a bit, then finally finds Ryu, a whole two feet directly in front of her. She tries to greet him, but in an exaggeratedly slurred, heady voice.) Sakura: Ryu it's you I'm so happy to see you what are you doing all the way out here-- (Sakura runs to hug Ryu, but Ryu simply backs away, causing Sakura to fall flat on her face.) Sakura: ...owie. Ryu: I came here because I thought you might finally want to train together. But no student of mine is going to be a *drug user*! Goodbye, Sakura... goodbye forever. (Ryu turns and walks away, leaving Sakura still knelt on the ground, and the joint still in her mouth. A voiceover bursts forth with a horribly sappy message to accompany equally sappy piano music.) "Drugs. Don't let *them* get in the way of *your* destiny." *** This public service message has been brought to you by SAD (Shotos Against Drugs). And now, back to the chlorophyll!
The ClashDome Hiro cheered. "And we're back! Wow! Amazing style on Kyoko's part. She won the first section, now can she sweep the Flurry Blue Dragon in two straight?" Dai sighed. "Hiro, the next contest is a chase on wheels. For our viewers who might be unclear on the rules, Section Two of this challenge is a chase battle. Makoto's job is to avoid the other two for as long as she can-- the section victory goes to the fighter who catches her first. You know Makoto's going to choose her scooter, and Yang will use his rollerblades... so unless Kyoko is secretly a champion stunt-cyclist and she gets a ten-speed, I don't see how she can even the odds back up. Frankly, while she's clever enough to have something in mind, I question her judgement in accepting this challenge..." Unfortunately, Dai's mike was on, and Kyoko turned to the camera near her and glared in, shutting Dai up briefly. Unfazed, Hiro took up the slack. "Annnd let's teleport our fighters and their quarry to the site of their battle! Those who know rollerblades and boards will recognize... Shibuya-cho, the first stage of JET GRIND RADIOOOOOO!"
In the Japan of Another World
"Right now, the streets are all abuzz, and the betting pools are skyrocketing. The GG's are holding a fundraiser match in their home turf of Shibuya-cho, featuring people from another dimensioooooooooooooon! They're not thinking of goin' the way of Goji, are they? Heh, just kiddin', you guys! Don't mobilize the ol' National Guard on the Professor's account, hey hey!" "So let's get ready to watch it go dooooooooown!"
Shibuya-cho, in the Jet Grind Radio node
An answer from the side startled her. "Be cool, babe. She's gettin' her wheels." Makoto spun about to face the voice, Yang following suit more calmly. "Who are you?" she asked the two people now standing before them--a punk kid with crazy green glasses and wearing a yellow shirt, and a girl wearing a stereotypical goth/biker getup, complete with skull-buckle belt. Both were in rollerblades as well. Back in the Clashdome, Hiro cheered again. "And there are our two guest referees-slash-announcers for this match, folks... two of the greatest skaters from their node, *BEAT* and *CUBE!*" Makoto,
hearing the reply, blinked and shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, Yang, you said I
get a fifteen-second head start. Are you sure you should give me that much?
My Hayate's nearly as fast as your Kaihou, and I've Beat broke in. "All right, you guys know the rules, right? The first person to catch this snazzy babe on the scooter wins it all!" Cube followed. "And... 'Makoto', is it? I think you'd better take that head start, because if I remember correctly, the person who's competing with this kid here," pointing a thumb to Yang, "is sportin' a--" Kyoko then ROARED onto the scene in a taxicab--a *Crazy* Taxi, to the astonishment of all present. Cube gawked. "...yeah. One of *those*. Wish I had *that* ride..." Makoto gaped, rubbed her eyes, and finally stammered, "W-w-w-what the..." Kyoko, for her part, giggled gleefully. "Oh, this is *so* in the bag..." Yang's expression crossed between solemn and serious. Such a poker face he carried into battle - any kind of battle. "We'll see." he challenged. Makoto finally recovered her senses. "Eep. Note to self: Grinding. *High* grinding. *Lots* of high grinding. Um, Sensei, please be careful with that thing, okay?" She frowned as she went on in a growl, "After the *first* round, I really don't feel up to getting hit by a *car*...." Beat interrupted whatever Kyoko might have said by waving one arm. "Five! Four! Three! Two! One! PLAYER ONE, JET GRIND RADIOOOOO!" Makoto
'eeped' again and took off, taking full advantage of her Hayate's leg-power to
go from zero to 40 KPH in a second. Zooming along the street on her
scooter, the urge to show off overcame her briefly, and she Behind her, Cube yelled out. "FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! PLAYERS TWO AND THREE, JET GRIND RADIOOO!" She then scrambled for cover as Kyoko accelerated hard and almost ran her down and Yang took off so fast he nearly vanished. Yang took an angled course, figuring to use his speed and maneuverability to cut Makoto off further down the road. Kyoko had a different idea. At the sound of crashing and tortured, twisting metal, Makoto risked a glance back - and almost shrieked as she saw Kyoko's Crazy Taxi literally plowing the guiderails underneath it - and *gaining* on her. Looking forward, Makoto saw a footbridge ahead of her leading to some elevated playground, and without further ado jumped, sliding *up* the stair rail and grinding across the bridge to the playground. Yang shifted course to follow as Kyoko skidded the Taxi around and began to simply plow up the slope to the playground, poor traction or no. Seeing her pursuers gaining, Makoto turned back forwards and headed for a large slide that was modeled into the shape of an elephant, added a bit of speed with a Hayate leg-kick, and went *up* the slide and off the far end, angling for the gap on the far side of the area--it seemed to be a deep, dry storm drain. Yang angled to follow her, but altered course at a sudden squeal of tires. Kyoko, a mere two seconds too late to catch Makoto on it, plowed the Crazy Taxi *through* the slide, more or less annihilating it. Yang pragmatically shrugged and hopped upwards, grabbed the top of the fence leading to the storm drain and vaulted it one-armed. At the same time, he landed on the ledge atop the drain and Makoto wall-ground to the bottom, which was shaped like a skate halfpipe. The Rindou daughter took a moment to crow. "Perfect! A good environment, lots of running room, and best of all, it's safe from Sensei and her..." A growing engine noise from the near end of the drain cut her off. Glancing that way, Makoto saw a stairway leading up - to ground level or even the playground, perhaps. "No. No way, she *couldn't..*" The engine noise grew, and headlights shone down the stairs, the lamps themsleves coming to the bottom, and Makoto kicked into motion, headed the other way. "EEEK! She can't DO that, the sewer's too-" The Crazy Taxi finished its turn, driving at a 45 degree angle with one set of wheels firmly on the wall, and came after Makoto, Kyoko cackling madly behind the wheel. Above them on the maintenance ledge, Yang thought, 'She'll have to come up sometime. I'll simply let Miss Minazuki flush Makoto out for me.' Makoto, meanwhile, finished her thought. "-narrow... CRAAAP!" she yelled, bringing her Street Fighter abilities into use for the first time with a superjump. Landing on the ledge a few yards ahead of Yang, she saw him, 'eeped', and jumped again, this leap landing her on the railing of a street bridge that passed over the drainway. Yang smirked amusedly at the balance Makoto showed. "Not bad, but not good enough," he mused, leaping to the bridge rail himself. Below them, Kyoko's voice had taken on a crazed edge, as it often did behind the wheel of a vehicle. "You think skittering around like some cornered ants is going to stop me?" she spat, then spun the wheel over and slammed the Taxi into reverse, then forwards again, sending it up the sewer wall like a skateboard up a half-pipe... and flying *over* Yang and Makoto to land on the bridge, Kyoko cackling like a maniac the whole way. With a "....!", an "EEK!" and a pair of worried sweatdrops, Yang and Makoto scattered as Kyoko spun the car in a 180 to face them. The teacher had no objections to Yang moving *away* from their mutual target as she spun the wheel again to pursue the scootering girl, who was trying desperately to stay ahead, bouncing off rails, carts, and awnings as she did, wailing "Craaaaap!" fairly often. Only a moment passed before Yang realized what he was doing and reversed course. "I let myself be distracted." he berated himself while mentally hitting his head. Seeing a ramp that led to the roofs, Yang hit it, Kaihou'ing up and turning to follow the lopsided chase from above. Kyoko, meanwhile, was yelling at some pedestrians who hadn't had the sense to leave the area as she drove around the bus station corner after the grind-and-bouncing Makoto. "Out of the way, you little... no, I'm NOT taking any fares! Move it!" Then she hit the gas and plowed an awning down - one that Makoto happened to be standing on. The karateka let out a shriek as her footing went the way of the dinosaur, and flipped the scooter out from under her feet and lashed up, snagging the handle in a windowledge and stopping herself from falling. Kyoko shrieked in turn, a curse in her case, as Makoto's dangling form was barely a foot out of her reach. Frantically the teacher worked her seat belt so as to be able to stand up and end the match, while Makoto scrabbled and climbed up her own scooter to the window, then got a foot on the ledge and leaped, bouncing off a telephone pole and reaching the roof... ...where Yang was waiting for her. "Now it's over-" "It's not that easy! ACHA!!!" Makoto cried, ZOOMing off along the rooftop ledges at full Hayate speed, struggling to stay in control. Yang shook his head, more at himself than anyone. 'This is no time to fool around. I won't let even you beat me, Rindou-san.' Kyoko merely let out a few choice cuss-words as she spun the taxi about to follow the two from the ground. Makoto was cursing too, if a bit more politely. "Damn! I can't keep ahead of Yang on speed alone!" Looking ahead, she saw the ramp Yang had used... and the buildings arranged like a semicircle around it, leading back to the park where she'd leapt into the sewer... and got an idea that *might* let her shake off the rapidly-gaining Lee brother. Dropping to a lower ledge and then to the ground, Makoto accelerated as hard as she could towards the ramp, Yang in hot pursuit and Kyoko's car not far behind him. Performing a rail-grind on the way just for the hell of it, Makoto hit the ramp, but instead of going to the ledges, she intentionally jumped hard and low, hitting the wall and wall-skating *around* the curve of the buildings and back towards the park. Yang followed grimly, determined not to be shaken, but Kyoko was less calm about the sudden reversal. "DAMMIT! @#&*%!! $*%@&%#&*!!!!" she howled as she hit another 180 and tried to make up lost ground. Makoto hit a ledge to stop wall-grinding and build speed again, angling for the park. Yang surveyed the surroundings. 'She can't outjump me here - the height and distance are dependent on speed...' Makoto smirked, since Yang couldn't see it, as if she was reading his thoughts. "I don't need to outjump you-" she began as they hit the end of the ledge and leaped into the air, "-I just need to *surprise* you! TSURUGI!" she yelled, her midair ax-kick carrying her straight down while Yang passed over her head, looking for the first time as if he'd like to curse. Makoto cheered as she touched down. "Hah! I showed you-" she stopped as an all-too-familiar screech of rubber was heard. "CRAAAP!" she finished, leaping straight up and letting the Crazy Taxi pass under her. "Aaaarrrrgh!
Slippery little..." Kyoko cursed as she watched her quarry sail overhead,
and drew on the powers of her vehicle, performing a Crazy Drift, a sort of
powerslide on crack, to 180 yet *again,* and then Makoto ignored her, yelling the the refs instead. "HEY! If I touch the car, does that count as a tag, or does it have to be her!?" {Maybe I can wreck the engine or something...} Beat paused. "Um, I think it does... Cube? Help me out, babe..." Cube nodded. "Yup. Otherwise, the babe'd have to pin you somewhere and get out." "Damn!" Makoto cursed, then thought fast and kicked a board up into the air. It hit the hood of the Taxi and skidded back until it lodged against the windshield. "Huh-?" was all Kyoko had time for. "HERE GOES NOTHING!" Makoto yelled. Hopping her scooter into the air, she touched down on the board, on the turboing Taxi, and then superjumped off of it, using the Crazy Dash's own speed to catapult herself on an *incredibly* high arc to the rooftops. Kyoko gaped, then barked at the refs. "HEY! She hit the car! Don't I win?" Beat shook his head. "Sorry, cool babe. She hit the board, not the car." Kyoko let out a curse-string that blew speakers back in the ClashDome. Finishing, she went on, "Arrrgh! Well, if *that*'s the case, there is *no* way I'm going to be able to catch her!" Then a sudden thought struck her. "Unless..." Swinging around, she headed back to the sewer and launched the Taxi along the half-pipe again. As she got to the point she was looking for, she unbuckled her seat-belt, and yelled, "Hey! Refs! Can the folks out there in TV-land hear me on this thing?" "Loud and clear, hospital lady!" Cube answered. "Good!" Kyoko shot back. "At this point I'd just like to say, if any of my husband's pupils are watching this broadcast, I urge you not to try this at home!" "Huh?" Beat managed. Kyoko then hit both gas and turbos, launching the Taxi far higher than before, and bounded out onto the hood, superjuming from there towards the rooftop where Makoto was only now dropping to. She missed by inches.... ...but managed to grab onto a cornice and pull herself up to the ledge in a daring feat anyway.
ClashDome Bleachers Satoshi Kurenai, from his position in the awestruck crowd, snorted loudly. "Oh, right. Like I'd ever try *that*!" "Just be quiet and watch," said Hideo, who was sitting next to him.
Jet Grind Radio "HA!" Kyoko crowed as she reached the roof. "Now to.." She then stopped dead as she saw Makoto, her upper arm firmly in Yang's grip. Kyoko's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide, then she began to sputter. "....oh, come on! All of that, that that, that..." she gestured wildly to emphasize her points, "THING with the *board*, and the leap, and the flying on the roofs and the pissing me off, and you get caught by him in *five seconds*? Give me a break here..." Yang gave the teacher a stone-faced look. "A talent for anticipation is vital in a mobile fight." Makoto, sheepishly, began to explain. "I don't know how, but... but somehow he was *right* *there* when I landed. I got to spin about ninety degrees, and then *bam!* I didn't have time to take a step!" Beat whistled. "Daamn, the spiky-haired dude's got a knack." Cube nodded. "And some speed to get to the roof so quick." Makoto, hearing this, blinked, then wrenched her arm out of Yang's grip and spun to face him. "HEY! I get it now! You didn't 'anticipate' me, you Kaihou'ed here while I was still in hang time! You fibber, talking about 'anticipation'...." But back in the Clashdome, all was cheering and rejoicing.... ...and marking out. "WOW! AND AN AMAZING FINISH FOR PART 2!" Hiro yelled like a bullhorn. Dai shook his head. "Poor Kyoko, making all that effort and coming up short. Well, now we're starting Part Three with the fighters holding one point apiece. The winner of the Surrogate Combat section will advance to Round 2." "But first," Roll said, "a word from our sponsor..."
(Commercial) Coming soon to the Multiversal Television Network... *** You've seen her in the Street Fighter
tournaments... "SAKURA... THE OLYMPIAN!" (A profile of Sakura is displayed as fireworks sparks dance around her.) Training to be a Real Japanese Hero! It's True, It's True! *** THRILL as Sakura does road work! (Camera pans on Sakura running, and Dan Hibiki driving sowly by her in a car.) Dan: Hup! Ich! Ni! San! C'mon, Sak-chan! Feel the burn! Sakura: Can't I... *huff* rest... *puff*... just a second? We've been doing this.... since 7 a.m.! Dan: Yes, and it's only 7:15! Sakura: Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! (Sakura huffs and puffs.) Street Fighting never went *this* slowly... Dan: Stop talking! Talking makes you lose breath! Breathe! In! Out! In! Out! Sakura: Can I have.. *pant* some cake after this? Dan: NO! From now on, it's NOTHING but sugarless snacks and vegetables for you! Sakura: Noooooooooooo! *** MARVEL as Sakura lifts weights! (Camera shifts to Dan standng over Sakura in her backyard, who's trying her darndest to lift a really heavy barbell.) Sakura: Hnngh... hnnnnnnnnnnngh... arrgh! I just can't do it! Dan: Ha! That is because you're not as strong as the Invincible Dan! That barbell is but a piddly weight to me! I put it together myself! Sakura: How much *does* this thing *weigh*, anyway? Dan: Um... enough... Sakura(reads the barbell): Hmm. 35, 35, 35, 35, 35, 35.... DAN, THIS THING WEIGHS OVER TWO HUNDRED POUNDS! Dan: Um... whoa, does it really? I thought that was just 105 on both sides... to make it equal, you know... ehehehe... Sakura: But... but Dan... the weights ADD to themselves--and you've been having me try to lift this for three hours! We... we took a *lunch break*! Dan: Oh yeah, we did, didn't we? Tell your mom she makes *really* nice food-- (Just then... Sakura's eyes glow red. Her skin darkens. Dark Sakura's here... and she's pissed.) Dark Sakura: THAT DOES IT! (Sakura picks up Dan and holds him high abover her head. Dan: Okay, I take it back, you're strong, you're strong-- Dark Sakura: SAVE IT! (Sakura throws Dan into the next town.) Dan: But I just wanted to heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp... (Dan flies off. Sakura flashes back to normal.) Sakura: Hm? What just happened? (looks around) Dan? Dan? Oh well. Guess I'm going to need a new trainer... (Sakura skips off.) Sakura: Oh, Ryuuuuu... *** Catch the wacky hijinks of a Sakura in training every Friday
this fall, on "Sakura: The Olympian!"
A Control Room, Somewhere... Makoto seethed. She was going to outright *destroy* whoever was behind this. It was bad enough that she was forced to take hits without being able to defend herself, and *then* get hunted like a rabbit. Now she was stuck inside a giant bowling ball with the craziest girl she'd ever met in her life--some tiny little pink-haired ball of hyperactvity, she swore.... "Cheer up Miss Karate Girl this isn't so bad and I heard everything that you were thinking because you said it all out loud without knowing I'll have you know that this bowling ball's name is Bolon, thank you very much and I'm Pollin I said it was nice to meet you before but you were all mad and stuff so I don't think you heard me..." "Oy," Roll said, coming in from the side. She knelt next to Makoto and whispered. "So help me, if we didn't need her to pilot this thing..." "Who's behind this crazy match anyway?" Makoto hissed. "I honestly don't know," Roll said. "Dr. Light just asked me to help out here so I could stay out of trouble..."
ClashDome "And it's the Surrogate Combat match, folks! This bout will decide the winner!" Hiro said. "That's right, Hiro. Two mechanical fighitng units, chosen by the competitors themselves, will compete, in a knock down drag out fight to the finish! The *only* way to win this match is if the mech is destroyed... by *any* *means*! They'll have to be extra careful to make sure they're not cheated out of a win!" In a large city in the Tech Romancer node, two mechas warped in, and a third one--the big bowling ball--approached from the distance. Needless so say, the populace scattered any way they could. "Competitor Yang has chosen the Pulsion unit from the Tech Romancer node... or rather, a pilot-operated replica of one whipped up by Doctors Light and Tatsumi. We have to thank them for working with us on such short notice..." Yang's unit, now shown onscreen was a white elongated humanoid mech which looked like it could bend in any way it wanted, and bore an *extreme* resemblance to a certian *other* famous mecha. Some of the geekier people in the audience immediately began wondering if Asuka Langley was anywhere in sight. The other looked more like a magical girl than anything else, a slim mecha, female in appearance, with heart designs adorning it, and a small beam saber. "... while Miss Kyoko has chosen none other than... 'the Defender of Beauty And Justice, Diana-17!'" Hiro finished. "Hey, why do we have to say the whole name?" "Because we couldn't use the mech without getting sued otherwise," Dai said. "Thanks once again to the miracle of dimensional travel, both fighters are already proficient in the mecha that they have chosen! How, you ask? During the small break between matches, Kyoko, Yang, and their contraptions of choice were teleported to a node where time passes for them, but not for us! For our heroes, an entire week has passed, but for you, dear viewer, only seconds!" "Wow! Holy time tripping, Dai!" "Hiro, I *hate* it when you do that." "*What*?"
In the ClashDome's Control Room...
"I... *hate* this thing," Racewing said as he picked the receiver up. "ClashDome, Racewing speaking... *what*? No, no, Miss, don't worry, we'll take care of everything! You don't need to sic anyone on us. That's a promise." Racewing hung up the phone, and turned to Iczel_prime and Jowy, two of the Darkfighter Tournament's organizers. "Iczel. Did you do exactly what I told you when I taught you how to work the dimensional warp machine?" "Yep," Iczel replied. I just ran a search for dimensions furthest from us on the space-time array, and sent the mechs there. Anything wrong?" "Dude, you sent them to *Narnia!* The White Witch just called, and she wants damage charges. Apparently Kyoko blew up her castle and called her a bitch." Racewing, Iczel, and Jowy all took this information in silently for a few moments. "...y'all are finding this funny, aren't you?" Racewing asked. "Yup!" Jowy quipped. "Honestly? Yes." Iczel smiled. Racewing did as well. "So do I."
Justice City, Tech Romancer node "Yay!" Pollin squealed. "I've never been able to referee a real fight before just be in them, and stuff, and then my little Bolon always gets scratched and I have to take him to the supermegadeluxe ball-shiner and the guy who works it is starting to finally catch on and charge me more and more these days--" Roll sighed. "Okay, instead of waiting for her to finish, I'm just gonna say--may the best mecha win! FIGHT!" "Let's make this quick, shall we?" Kyoko said, taking the initiative. Diana-17 rushed in before Yang could even blink, and began kicking at Pulsion furiously. "Yes, let's," Yang replied. Dodging the kicks, Pulsion grabbed the invading mech by the leg, spun her around, and let go, launching the Diana unit high into the air. "Eeeeeeek!" Kyoko yelled as she flew. "Come on, come, on, which one's the thrusters on this thing again... got it!" She pushed a button--and Diana-17 SHOT back down to earth, almost as fast as she had been leaving it. "Yeow!" Yang was calm. 'While you were busy making trouble in our practice node, I was busy becoming one with my fighting machine. This is where we see the fruits of *both* of our labors!' With that, Pulsion demolished a nearby building. Picking up a beam gun power-up from the wreckage, Pulsion did its best to shoot Kyoko out of the sky. "This would be easier for us both if you would just hold still," Yang said. "Nothing doing," Kyoko said. "So, you want to play rough, hmm? Take THIS!" Kyoko pushed one of the BIG buttons, and the Diana-17 formed a large pink ball of energy in her hands, which soon was flying toward Yang. Kyoko flew down after it, and landed just after the big ball exploded directly to the left side of Pulsion. "Drat!" "Nice shot.
Here's my version." Pulsion's batteries transferred all of its
energy to its front side, and the Diana-17 was instantly hit with a LARGE
stationary bolt of electricity. Kyoko jerked and spasmed inside
the "OOH! Isn't this exciting, Bolon?" Pollin quipped. "It would appear that Kyoko's met her match *yet again*," Roll said. "But the bout isn't over yet!" Diana-17 stood up, first on one knee, clutching its side, then pulled itself to its feet. The pilot inside snarled fiercely. "All right," Kyoko said. "That's about enough. Now, kid... I give *you* some schooling!" "I eagerly await it." With that, Pulsion and Diana-17 rushed towards each other and engaged in close, using nothing but punches, kicks, parries, deflections and sidesteps. Yang used the sheer knowledge of his unit to defend and score blows whenever the opportunity arose; Kyoko used pure adrenaline and anger to deliver as many strikes (and strike-attempts) as she possibly could. Shards of metal and paintjob fell to the streets as the two mechs clanged together repeatedly and frequently.
Inside Bolon, the Bowling-Ball Mecha "Oiiii! All the clanging! Pollin's ears are gonna BURST!" the small pink-haired girl wailed. "Even *my* auditory sensors are in danger of shorting out! Haven't heard anything this loud since that time I fought Haohmaru," Roll yelled, then looked to Makoto, who had a serene smile on her face. "Hey, Makoto! You don't seem to be all that affected!" "After all I've been through?" Makoto said. "This is heaven!" Roll *thought* she sighed to herself, but she coudln't quite hear it.
Back Outside "Okay, dodge *this*, you..." Diana-17 superjumped. "That again? Oh well." Pulsion pulled out the beam-gun and began to aim once again. "NOT THIS TIME! Okay, button, do something good..." Kyoko pushed the final big red button in the cockpit--and was pushed backward in her seat as her mech rocketed forward, on a dead-on collission course for Pulsion. "Yaaaaaaaah!" Diana-17 drew her beam-saber, and flew at Pulsion, slashing at it. It then flew back up, doubled back, and then did it again... then twice more... then the fifth time, it simply launched itself *and* Pulsion with a knife-assisted uppercut. All of this took about four seconds total, and by the time the unit stopped moving, Kyoko felt as if she would need a nurse *herself*. She was dizzy, and *boy*, did her stomach hurt... When she regained her vision (and the world stopped spinning), Kyoko was treated to the sight of Pulsion falling flat on its back. "...I take it back. This crazy mech's not so bad after all!" Kyoko stood over Pulsion and sneered. "You ready to give up yet, boy?" "H... hardly." Kyoko was surprised by a seemingly helpless Pulsion pulling off a rising torpedo attack out of *nowhere*, sending her pink mecha sprawling. "I intend to *earn* this victory." Kyoko landed, with a *thud* that crushed even *more* buildings. "...OW. You little... wait. What do you mean, *earn* this victory?" Diana-17 got back up on her feet, and faced Pulsion directly. "Something I should know, kid?" Yang used Pulsion to deliver a series of chops and kicks as he talked, and Kyoko deflected them all as she listened. "The previous round. Rindou-san practically jumped directly *at* me. As she had come in my direction similarly several times during the match and isn't normally so unfocused, I have to conclude that she was trying to give me the victory. I merely had no wish to void the challenges by saying so until after it was over." "...*What* did he say??" Makoto asked incredulously, while still watching from inside Bolon. "That's odd," Pollin said suddenly. "I'm detecting some really eeeeeeeeeeeeevilbad energy readings really close to us!" Roll rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's probably just her," she replied, thumbing to Makoto, who was, for some reason, beginning to show off a small hint of a battle aura. "A-haaaaa!" Kyoko said, chuckling. "You know, I *thought* something was a little fishy back there! Given what we both had to work with, there's no *way* she could have been *completely* objective in trying to avoid both of us, is there?" Makoto's battle aura rose a bit more. "They're saying... why... those... little..." "Energy readout getting larger! It's getting really un-happy-happy not nice nice now! Hang in there, Bolon!" Pollin wailed. "Agreed,"
replied Yang. "Rindou-san's action, while understandable, made my victory
less than earnest. Which is why I *will* defeat you here!" Again
Pulsion let loose with his Spark Globe super, catching Kyoko in
ClashDome Control Booth "Race?" Iczel said. "Yes?" "I'm, um... *really* glad you talked Jowy and me out of having the mech fight in a Dragonball GT stage." He pointed at the energy readouts for the fighters in the node. Makoto's, right now, was redlining. "Oh boy," Racewing said. "Aw! But I was making bets if Makoto could make Super Saiyan 2!" said Jowy...
Justice City
"...Yes?" Pollin squeaked. Makoto switched to a much calmer tone. "Please. Go there," she said, pointing to a spot close to Pulsion. Bolon did so--then Makoto super-dash-jumped out, clearing the space to Yang's mech, and langing with a soft *clang*. "What-?" was all Yang could get out, before Makoto ripped off the hatch... "YANG...NO...BAKA!!" Makoto charged Yang, causing her to wreck one of the controls when he dodged. "I was NOT cheating!! How DARE you suggest that!? YOU try and keep YOUR focus when you're being chased by a CAR! And a TURBOCHARGED car at that!! You are so DEAD!" Each one of her yelled words was accompanied by a rushing attack. Luckily, they were all undisciplined, unprecise attacks, so Yang was able to stay out of harm's way. However... "Ah... Makoto?" "WHAT?" Makoto went for Yang--and actually *hit* him this time. "Ouch..." Yang wheezed. "T...the controls...?" "Eh?" Makoto looked around at the crumpled metal, the sparks flying everywhere, and the red lights and siren going off. "...Oopsie!" Grabbing Yang, Makoto bailed.
ClashDome Control Room
"Um... no, it's not. It's really not," Racewing replied. "And that thing could probably take out the whole city. Iczel, quick! Punch in some coordinates and get that thing *out* of there! And have it land somewhere *safe*, for Roll's sakes..." "Erm... okay." Iczel thought for a second, and then punched a few keys.
"And Miss Kyoko wins the round... and this ENTIRE MATCH! Mostly by default," Roll said. "Congratulations!" In the stands, the chant of "WE WANT KYOKO! WE WANT KYOKO!" was renewed. Kyoko simply basked in it. "All too easy, I tell you," she said, before getting warped back to the ClashDimension.
In the United States (and you had better *believe* that this is another world)... "All right, you pathetic Power Rangers, prepare to get destroyed, NOW!" the space pirate woman Divatox shrieked. Firing some "special" torpedoes from her submarine base, she hit one of her creations, who was at the moment, on land, fighting the aforementioned "pests". Five humans, who, at the moment, were wearing color-coded spandex and wearing helmets which looked like various car designs, gasped and backed away as the monster they had just been fighting (and winning against) grew to about 20 times its size. The five multicolored heroes, having been in this sort of predicament before, merely did what they always did around this time. They stuck their hands in the air (in tandem no less), and called out those six magical words.... "WE NEED TURBO MEGAZORD POWER, NOW!" At once, from their secret garage base, five giant-sized colored automobiles roared out, and the Turbo Rangers teleported into them. "You ready, guys?" the Red Ranger asked. "READY!" the others responded. At once, they turned the keys in their vehicles. As they drove through the countryside, the cars began to dissasemble, and shift, and come together, until, when they arrived directly in front of the Monster of the Day, they had assembled to form a formidable humanoid fighting mecha... with a wheel for a shield. The Rangers celebrated their new vehicle as they always did: "TURBO MEGAZORD, POWER UP!" And no sooner had the Turbo Power Rangers proclaimed their mechanical might, than a critical-overload Pulsion dropped in between monster and car-mech, via a warp field. The Pulsion promptly exploded, its blast radius stretching for miles.
ClashDome Control Room
Iczel could barely hold back his furious giggling. "What? The audience seems to like it!" He gestured out to the cheering crowd amidst his guffaws. Indeed, what had just happened had brought out a tremendous jubilated response. "That's not the POI--oh, forget it. I give up." Racewing threw up this hands, and then buried his face in them. "Man... and these are only the first rounds. This is not going to be pretty when this is over..." Just then, a knock could be heard at the door. "See?" Racewing exclaimed. "That's probably frickin' *Zordon* with a *summons*! Oy..." But the heads that Racewing saw when he opened the door had actual *bodies* attached to it. Rather nice ones too... "Makoto? And Sakura--no, wait, you're the eeeeeeevil one, right?" Sakura Yugure mock-glared at Racewing. "I'm not evil. You know that." Racewing chuckled. "Sure, sure. What brings you two in here?" He led them in. "I've got a request," Makoto said. "About this whole silly torture I just got put through in Yang's match. You see, Race-sama, I just *know* Yun put them up to this. Could you do something for me? Pleeease? Makoto looked at Racewing with her cutest face. "I had an idea based on a dream I had a while ago..." Racewing blinked at Makoto. "...dream?" "Don't even *think* it, Race," Iczel said quickly. "...I wasn't thinking anything of the sort!" Racewing laughed nervously. Makoto rolled her eyes. "Well, anyway, it was like this..." Makoto relayed her dream and idea, during which, Racewing's eyes became very wide. "Oh, *hell* no, girl," Racewing said. "I mean, that's just way too dangerous..." Racewing looked back at Makoto, who gazed back with puppy eyes, and strained visibly. "...Iczel, tell her we can't do it." Iczel cleared his throat. "Makoto, we--mmph!" "TAG! You're it!" Iczel suddenly found his mouth being clamped shut by Sakura. Giving a thumbs up, Makoto continued. "...pretty please...? I'll even put the 'Friendship' remake at the top of my calendar...?" Racewing sweated. "Jowy...?" "I'm staying out of this one. Yun's idea, not mine." Jowy muttered and walked out. Racewing balled a fist and muttered. "Damn that girl and her cuteness..." He punched some keys on the warp console. "Get out of here before I change my mind. And that should happen in about five... four..." "YES! Arigato, Race-sama!" Makoto pounched the air as she was warped out. Racewing sighed. "I *really* have to get a new line of work..."
In his dressing room, having just watched all of the carnage, Yun was laughing his fool head off. "Oh, that was too funny! Too bad little bro lost, though. Hey, maybe I'll get to fight the babe later on in--" Yun's sentence was cut off as he was beamed out.
A Wasteland Plain, An Unknown World
*whump* Yun rubbed his sore bottom, and looked around, to find... "Huh? Hey, good-lookin', what's goin' on?" "Don't give me that," said Makoto, who was directly in front of him now. "Your brother accidentally mentioned whose idea this was when I was hauling him out of the mech." She glared at Yun with a look that could kill. "Anything you want to say for yourself?" Yun laughed nervously. Stupid brother... "Well, hey, it was all in fun, right?" Makoto smiled. "Yup. Nobody got *permanently* hurt, even if it came close. I'm just... a *bit* mad, that's all. So I asked Racewing, who just happens to be a fan of mine, to beam us here so I can show you just how mad I am." "A fan of *you*? He is? Well, he's got good taste at least. So, where's 'here?'" Yun paused to think for a second. "...and, uh, how mad are you?" "'Here' is the Dragonball GT: Final Bout node. And *how* mad, you ask?" Makoto's battle aura went bright as the sun. "This mad. GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--HAAA!" *KABOOM!*
ClashDome Control Room "... I thought so." Jowy said.
Remy sighed. "It should figure that Yun and Yang become less competent when someone else is running the show."
"True..."
"Are you going to bail him out?"
"Yun did this to himself. 'Sides, he can take care of himself."
"True..."
"Oh, *crap*!" Yun exclaimed, beholding the yellow-haired and flaming form of Super Saiyan 2 Makoto Rindou. "Right, now, okay, hmm, how do you do Super Saiyan again?" "YOU GET MAD! KAME-HAME-HA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" "Graaaaaaaaaaamps!" Much yelling and screaming could be heard as the feed cut.
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