This one would be different!Most of the fighters were better than average for tournament fighters. Even better he sensed a stronger than normal ki. It was of good strenght and though its focus was weird that to was solid.
He was called to the ring by the announcer. 'Damn, this one ain't too much.' thought Ranma as he sized up his new opponent. On the plus side it wouldn't take long to get to the ki user with lesser foes!
*****************************************************
Sakura felt something strange. There was a strong fighter here. But why did they feel so different!
Sakuras' ki senses weren't as developed as Ranmas due that she was largely self taught, so, she couldn't tell what was different. She couldn't discern that Ranma used emotion based ki techniques rather than the will based ki techniques that she was familiar with.
The next match was up. A guy only a little older than her was facing a guy in a gi in his late twenties. The handsome pigtailed youth dispatched his opponent by KO with a powerfull straight punch in the face. ' It was him.' Sakura exclaimed to herself 'That guy is what I felt!'
A smile made its way across Sakuras cute face. This would be good!
*****************************************************
A few relatively easy matches later....
Ranma entered the ring to be faced with a cute, spirited girl wearing a fuku of blue and white with a white headband tied around her short cut brown haired head.
' A school girl?' was Ranmas incredulous thought. Then he sensed it! This girl was the source of that strange ki. Suddenly taking the fight more seriously he carefully looked her over. Though she looked thin, almost awkward, her lean muscles were tightly packed. He could tell even if it didn't show. The girl had taken a stance. The fight was about to begin.
Ranma rushed at Sakura who came forward, dropping to a crouch as a powerfull low kick swung out from her. Good bthing Ranma had leapt over her as the move was being made.
As Sakura spun to face him Ranma already turned about before he hit the ground launched his own sweep cutting her feet from under her! The paniced look on her face as her arms flailed for purchase, like a meatball headed scout we all know, before she fell on her butt was priceless.
She hopped back to her feet after blinking up at Ranmas smirk and assumed her stance again. he leapt at her again. This time Sakura smirked using her imitation of Ryus' SHO RYU KEN ( or more properly SHO RYU REPPA ).
The girl dashed forward and launched an uppercut spinning her entire body into it from below him. BAM!!
That hit on the chin reversed Ranmas movement in the air and Sakura wasn't done with the move yet, spinning forward to launch an even more powerfull rotary uppercut! This time it impacted his thigh and chest before powering hyome into his face! All of which came at stunning force. It was rather like taking Herbs hits!
Ranma landed roughly on his back. His left leg announcing itself dead. Ranma ignored it and pushed himself to get up. There was no way he'd lose this easily!
Covering the ten feet of distance Sakuras blow opened between them in a flash Ranma unloaded a quick two punch combination. Her evasion and block ending those threats respectively! A quick snap kick hammered her left side. A straight punch was returned and dodged.
Ranma decided to get a little more dynamic. He opened with a palm strike at her face and immediately turned inside her guard to launch an elbow at her breast bone and a snap kick at her legs. Sakura parried the palm strike, that played into the elbow. She avoided the fuu force of that with a partial dodge. The kick struck solidly at Sakuras left knee causing her to stumble back a step hands still up. He still hadn't paid her back for that uppercut combo of hers!
Sakura made an offensive launching a thrust kick with her right foot and an overhand punch from her left. He shifted and kneed the offending leg, his right fist cocked to slam her to the ground! The strong overhand ruined that forcing him back even though it didn't connect solidly on his head as she planned.
Both jumped back to concider their opponent. Sakura had taken a hit to her ankles, a partial elbow to the solar plexes and a shot to her left knee. Oh and a knee to her right thigh plus a kick in her side.Ranma four powerfull blows from her SHO RYU REPPA ripp off that had to have hurt his left leg, a powerfull shot to the ribs, a rising uppercut to the chin and the final strong shot to the face bruising his face. He'd also escaped most of an overhand punch to the head, most of.
Ranma decided to take things further by firing off his ki projectile.
" MOKO TAKABISHA!"
As soon as Ranma began his ki attack Sakura began hers hands circling to cup at her side. Ranmas eyes widened 'There! She's using her ki and ki from somewhere else!'. Her ki attack was announced.
" SHOU OU KEN!"
The two flashy attacks cancelled each other out. Ranma could tell though, Sakuras ki attack packed more punch than his.
" Okay again!" shouted Ranma building another ki blast. 'Let's see her handle this!'.
" SHOU OU KEN!" was launched toward the anything goes practitioner.
" MOKO TAKABISHA REVISED, DOUBLE!!" Ranma roared triumphantly, his ki ball splitting in two. One in each hand before being thrown forward.
Sakuras attack was cancelled in an explosion of blue and gold ki as it struck the first of Ranmas ki blasts! The second plowed through the dissipating ki to blast Sakura. In spite of her guarding crossed arms it still pushed her back six feet. Dragging shoes marking the floor. She looked up past her steaming arns and fuku with an innocent expression replacing a pained one.
" Cool!" she exclaimed with a big smile. While it was obvious the ki attacks evened the score Sakura wasn't down yet. No suprise. The ever ready bunny could take lessons in being energetic from the Kusanagu girl!
Ranma wanted to use a HIRYU SHOTEN HA! on Sakura but she wasn't emitting any hot ki. She wasn't angry, she was enjoying this lumps and all. 'Stupid technique. Relying on the enemy for power!' he grumbled 'Maybe that and the spiral movement was something he should work on?'
He didn't have time to think about it now. The girl he was fighting wasted no time in closing the distance between them, ki rising in her. Straight fighting her self taught techniques weren't cutting it. She had thought ki projectiles to be even till he pulled that double blast! Special attacks were the only area where she seemed to have an edge. So she put everything into one that her opponent hadn't seen yet!
Flying into her version of the Hurricane Kick full power sucked up a small whirlwind around Sakura and her victim.
The vaccum effect and the first blow had taken him off his feet spinning him in the disrupted air. The next couple blows pounded down his defenses almost simultaneously. His disoriented airborne body was blasted by more than half a dozen powerfull spin kick maintaining his dizzying rotations before his battered form slammed heavily to the ground!
Winded, battered and barely holding enough focus to avoid passing out Ranma struggled for the strenght to rise and continue this fght! Searing pain in his chest and trouble breathing made him aware of some broken ribs, well at least cracked.
Sakura looked to her opponent! 'No Way! He's getting up? After that!' She was amazed by Ranmas determination. Shaky or not he was standing. 'What does it take to keep this guy down?!' Thinking quickly she remembered something. If his adversary got up after SHO RYU KEN Ryu would finish with HADOKEN. So she began building her ki.
Ranma looked at Sakura in a dazed fashion. She was builing a ki attack. He blinked, snapping himself from his daze with willpower (and a little panic!). He had to stop her! Ranma sought out his confidence and ki. Too late!
" SHOU OU KEN!" cried Sakura before his world was consumed in a blue white fireball that engulfed his vision. Followed by a jarring impact as he struck and skidded along the ground!
His warped senses barely registered the referee's judghement. 'I lost. I have lost! I lost to a girl! No! She..' an image of Akane denying her loss saying " HE CHEATED!" when it obviously wasn't the case sprung to mind. An image of Fei Long after the battle he lost followed. Freindly, complimentary and accepting. 'Was he behaving like Akane? Or worse yet Kuno?!' Ranma questioned himself. 'No I will not act like that! Sakura beat me! I will show my respects and accept it.. till our next battle! Damn straght, the rematch will be mine!' that thought in mind Ranma let go and waited for the strenght to move to return to his body. It wasn't that long, perhaps twenty seconds, before he felt strong enough to painfully sit up. The attendants who'd been about to move him falling back in suprise.
'My first defeat! Wait! Was it really his first defeat? When he was younger he'd challenged and had his butt kicked by pops, then there was Ryoga with SHI SHI HOKODAN. Yes he'd been beaten before. Still he'd come a long way since then.' Ranma had something of an epiphany. 'Getting over my losses has made me stronger. I learn from my failures. So why have I denied my losses? Shame, well in Genmas case sure. Why? So long as he overcame it, it was something to be proud of.'
Ranmas introspection was broken by a young womans' voice.
" Hey, are you allright?" asked Sakura in a concerned tone.
Ranma opened his eyes to look up at her, the bright lights stinging his pained vision. He held his hand out to her.
" Yeah. My visions kinda blurry 'cause my eyes were open when I took that ki blast in the face."
A strong feminine hand grasped his and Ranma was pulled to his feet by the smiling Sakura. He flinched a little at the twinge from his ribs.
" Nice fight. Congratulations Sakura."
" Thanks. You were pretty good too!"
The two young people walked off to talk between Sakuras remaining matches. Exchanging stories of their battles and tips on a variety of moves. A new freindship born in the Art!
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(Posted Fri, 10 Oct 2003 04:40)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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