punch a ninja

[blazinglizard]

Who: Char, Sheik
What: an spar
Where: stadium
When: right now
Warnings: quick and dirty action

Remember a few short weeks ago, when Char was actually in a pleasant enough mood to be vaguely tolerable? Yeah, that basically went right down the shitter as soon as Red's personal three-ring circus rolled into town. He went straight back to having Something

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[rulebywisdom]

Someone better would come along. Of course, when it came to Char, "better" was a bit of a crapshoot, especially when he was in a bad mood to begin with.

Though Zelda's week had been about the same as ever, Zelda's usual weeks were, by definition, somewhat stressful, and running around as a mysterious ninja boy always provided a strange sort of relief. Sheik enjoyed a weekly training session, even if it was just beating up an inanimate sandbag, so that's where she found herself this afternoon.

She didn't quite expect company, but the stadium was huge. It couldn't be that bad. Right? Char received a nod as Sheik picked up a Sandbag of her own, slinging it over her shoulder and walking it out to the other end of the stadium floor.

[blazinglizard]

Golly. How convenient that was.

Char didn't have the slightest idea who this newcomer was. Thankfully, he didn't particularly care. The only part that mattered was that this weirdo was here to practice, too. Surely they would agree that it was much more useful to practice on a moving target, right?

Not that he was going to bother asking. Char kicked his Sandbag aside, a low, ominous note rumbling up from his throat as he started lumbering towards Sheik. I mean... a friendly note. Yes. A happy, friendly, not-at-all-a-growl noise. And those teensy little motes of flame drifting lazily out from between those big, pointy teeth? Surely they were just a few passing fireflies. Of course. Nothing to be alarmed about, Sheik.

[rulebywisdom]

She was vaguely watching the giant orange dragon out of the corner of her eye, perhaps half-expecting somewhere in her subconscious that he'd try to pick a fight. Still, she was somewhat surprised to be approached with such aggression. She hadn't done anything to make him angry, at least not to her knowledge. With Char, you just kind of had to breathe wrong and you had a kidney full of Pokemon fist.

Had the Charizard happened upon the more princess-like half of the mysterious ninja boy in front of him, he may have been faced with some calming, diplomatic words, an effort to stave off a confrontation. Sheik, however, was noticeably more combative, and knew a fight when she saw it coming. Char was a fight. Instead of offering words, she abandoned Sandbag, locked eyes with the approaching Pokemon and settled into a defensive stance.

[blazinglizard]

Good. His newest victim wasn't completely clueless. It really was surprising how many people here would just stand there obliviously until you actually threw a punch. It was almost refreshing to throw down with someone who got the picture right off the bat -- no words necessary. Char paused for a moment, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

This was gonna be good.

Those powerful jaws snapped open, harmless wayward sparks suddenly giving way to a white-hot jet of flame. It might have been predictable for... just about anyone who'd heard of Char ever, but setting things on fire was one of his favourite openers. The simple route, after all, generally tended to be the most effective.

[rulebywisdom]

Things like this were only to be expected at a fighting school. It was, however, exciting to engage in something impromptu, go head-to-head with something other than an inanimate punching bag with eyes. The thrill of an actual fight with a tangible person--she had to admit, it got her blood pumping in a way that ordinary exercise couldn't.

Her reaction was instantaneous--it had to be, lest she end up barbecued in the first three seconds of the spar. Sheik leaped to the side, feeling the heat from the jet of flame. Once she'd gained her bearings, she hit the ground running. A fiery opener may have been predictable, but Sheik, having never fought Char, was still sizing up her opponent. Running a wide arc, she finally turned on her heel and sprinted towards the Pokemon, aiming a low kick but ready to abandon the maneuver should the flames get dangerously close.

[blazinglizard]

Okay, this guy was fast. No big deal. Char liked to operate on speed, too. Char cut the flames off abruptly, surging forward as if to meet Sheik's charge head-on. He had other plans in mind, however. He gathered his legs underneath him and jumped, wings working furiously to keep him airborne. If Sheik had been aiming high -- or just standing on her tiptoes, really -- then she would have struck Char.

Pleased with his narrow escape, Char gathered some altitude, executed a not-quite-graceful turn, and brought his wings scything through the air, launching a blade of wind in Sheik's direction.

[rulebywisdom]

Oh good. He'd stopped breathing fire.

Stopped breathing fire to dodge, apparently. Sheik hadn't expected such a large creature like Char to be able to respond that quickly. She skidded to a stop under him and turned in order to better gauge what he was going to do next.

He was too high to reach with a punch or kick, but not too high for her needles. Just as she was sliding them out of her sleeve, however, Char slammed her with a current of air. It was certainly unexpected--perhaps if she had known that the Pokemon could turn air into a projectile she would have dodged, but as it was, the attack flung her backwards into the stadium floor.

It didn't keep her down for long. Sheik turned the maneuver into a backwards somersault and ended on her hands and knees. From there, it was just one quick movement into another sprint forward, and this time she let her fistful of needles fly.

[blazinglizard]

If it hadn't been for the telltale glint of steel in the the sunlight, Char never would have even known the needles were coming. Even if he did manage to glimpse the oncoming attack, he was in no position to evade. Thus, an impromptu acupuncture session biting along his exposed underbelly

[rulebywisdom]

She knew the needles wouldn't do much besides distract--they weren't meant to be an incapacitating move from this distance, and would only prove to be a minor annoyance. In the meantime, she stood her ground.

It was perhaps risky to stay motionless as Char entered his dive and went rocket towards her, but she knew she was fast and she knew if she timed it right, she might be able to hitch a ride on the dragon and gain and advantage that way. That, however, came with its own set of risks, mainly heights and the potential to be rammed into things.

But Sheik decided it was worth a shot. She waited until Char was nearly at her before diving to the side and attempting to vault onto the Pokemon's back.

[blazinglizard]

Okay, he'd missed. No big deal. He just had to find his enemy again. Not that hard, as it turned out. The sudden weight dropping onto his back made it very clear exactly where Sheik was.

Maybe if Char had been a bit more accustomed to aerial combat, he would have had a better plan for this sort of situation. As it was, he had absolutely nothing. Roll onto his back and hit the ground? NO. BAD IDEA. Those fragile wings had been through enough abuse -- he really didn't need to add road rash to that. Besides, Sheik wouldn't be hurt by rolling off his back at that height. Ram into a wall? No, too easily predicted -- Sheik could just bail at any point.

So for lack of any better ideas, Char pulled up. And kept going up. And up. There wasn't much to smush Sheik against up in the air, admittedly, but the higher the drop, the more it'd hurt -- and surely if she had any sort of planning skills at all, she would be likely to think that it would perhaps be unwise to damage the only thing keeping her from splatting onto the ground below. ...