This wasn't what she'd expected. Rarely is a spontaneous hurricane what someone expects. Still, as the wind tore around her, apparently doing its best to remove her rather flimsy clothing (damn that Asukura), she did have to admit it wasn't the strangest thing that had happened to her. Top 5 maybe. Though she was still at a loss for how to explain this one. She'd known the moves, she just hadn't known what they'd do.
The spiral, the speed, the taunts... What was all this? Where was it coming from? It all felt so natural, so right, as if it was just some memory that had slipped her mind for a week or two while she was busy with something else, then come crashing back to her as soon as she returned to it. But at the same time she knew that she had never done anything like this before in her life. It was so... so... The storm ended before she could figure it out.
“Isn't this a little overkill?!?” Ku Fei yelled as she clung tightly to the ground with her one good arm.
“I don't think Evangeline-san knows the meaning of the word!” Setsuna replied from a few feet away as she struggled to keep a tight grip on both the iron railing and Negi's hand to stop him from being sucked up.
“How did she make a tornado without magic?!?” Came Chamo's voice, though no one was quite sure where he'd ended up.
“Asuna-san! This is way to much for her! Masters going to kill her!” Negi cried as he hung with all his might onto Setsuna.
“What about the audience? Are they okay?!”
“I can't tell, I can't see anything!”
“So, as you can see, the Mahora Engineering and Construction clubs designed the spectator areas with enough protection to withstand anything short of an actual orbital strike, in accordance with Chairman Chao's specifications,” Chachamaru calmly explained, her voice playing through the speakers dotted around throughout the completely intact stadium.
“Fascinating. It's almost as if they expected something like this to happen,” returned her co-presenter Kaoru Gotokuji.
“With a tournament like this, it never hurts to be prepared. But back to the fight. Just what sort of technique could do this?”
“Now that's a tricky question, but if you'll allow a little unconfirmed research, I think I may have an answer. There is a rumour of just such a technique floating around the martial arts community. It's been around for a good long time now, so I wouldn't be surprised if some of our viewers have heard of it. Apparently it's an ancient ki technique that's been preserved and concealed by a tribe of Chinese Amazons.”
A few seats to their right a bespectacled redhead was developing a facial tic. 'Chinese Amazons? Am I the only one who sees the problem with that sentence?'
“So not something you'd expect your average fighter to know?”
“Indeed no. In fact, until today I thought it was just a rumour, like the rest of that Nerima stuff.”
'Oh please don't let them get started on Nerima. This tournament is ridiculous enough as it is!'
“Seeing this is a real treat for any dedicated martial artist. I hope our audience realise how lucky they are!”
'To be in the middle of a hurricane? Seriously?'
“I'm sure they do. And now it looks like the view is clearing up, lets see who, if anyone, is left standing.”
Kazumi Asukura had not signed up for this. Sure she'd known magic would be involved in the fighting, as far as Chao's plan went that was the entire point, but she'd figured she'd be fine as long as she stayed back. This was apparently not the case she reflected as she disentangled herself from the outer ring fence where she had been anchored.
“Are you alright Asukura?” asked her concerned companion Sayo, the ghost of 3-A.
Kazumi nodded slightly, giving the spirit a quick grin before raising her microphone back to her mouth.
“Well, surprisingly I'm still alive, but what about out two cute contenders? Whatever that attack was, wherever it came from, both of them were caught in the heart of it! Did either of them survive? What will we see when the dust settles?!?”
A hush fell over the stadium once again as everyone attempted to peer into the centre of the ring, trying to make something out. Beside her Sayo was shaking nervously.
Slowly a lone figure came into view.
“I think I can see... yes! Alone in the ring, it's competitor Kagurazaka! But where's McDowell?”
The question seemed to rouse Asuna. She blinked, then looked around, alarmed. Seeing her face go pale as she found what she was looking for, Kazumi turned around to follow her gaze. She was just in time to see Evangeline hit the moat surrounding the ring with a loud splash and disappear under the surface.
“I guess that answers that question.” She stated smoothly. She watched the ripples in the water for a few long moments before uneasily adding “Uh, she can swim, right?... Was she even conscious?” Her answer came in the form of Asuna diving past her, hitting the water with a second loud splash and soaking Kazumi.
“Guess not.” She spluttered.
A few seconds later Asuna was back, pulling both herself and a clearly unconscious Eva out of the water and into the ring.
“It looks like the fearsome blond is indeed out of it. She has until I reach ten to snap out of it and stand up, otherwise this match is over!”
The count itself seemed to take forever, but Eva showed no signs of waking up. Apparently being caught in a hurricane was a bit to much for her in her current state. Asuna had won! And all it had taken was getting the crap beaten out of her and a minor tornado. Wonderful.
She started shaking as the stress of the match caught up with her. That punch had taken it's toll on her, and alongside the plain huge amount of ki she had used up her vision was beginning to blur and go dark around the edges. As the world began to spin under her she realised she was about to pass out. She could barely make out Kazumi's voice as the count was completed.
Suddenly she felt her arm being lifted as she was declared the winner of the match. She smiled happily, then surrendered to blissful unconsciousness. Her last thought as the floor rushed up to meet her was 'Kagurazaka Asuna don't lose'.
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(Posted Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:26)
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