(no subject)

[jonny_talbain]

Who: Jon Talbain and his Martial Arts students
What: Martial Arts class! Which has been happening weekly I promise.
Where: The Stadium.
When: Monday afternoon.
Warnings: Errybody was Kung Fu fighting.


Jon had everyone meet at the stadium and do all their standard drills. Five minutes silent meditation to contemplate life, the universe and Kung Fu. Stretches to get everyone limber. Then running, to get the heart rate up. Push ups, to invigorate the arms. Standing kicks to invigorate the legs.

Then came the fun part.

"Alright, class. I've a choice of two assignments for you today. You're to pick the one that corresponds best to your level of achievement. Keeping in mind that I've a fairly accurate idea of what each of you can do, so, picking your assignment is a test of character. Character is important in the martial arts."

Meaning: Pick the easier option just to slack off and he'd know about it.

"Option number one is simple. Pair up with an individual you think sits around your ability level and spar. No facial contact and no kicks below the belt. Body blows only and be advised that I will be watching you like a hawk. I want to see form, technique, adaptation and consideration of your opponent's skills. We are here to learn, not to injure one another. I will be providing pointers as we go. If you cannot find a partner, I will assign you a partner. If someone still has no partner, your partner will be Me."

So. Find a partner quickly.

"Our second option... is not for the faint of heart or those lacking in skill."

He pushed a few buttons and the stadium changed.

"This is something special. A cursed training ground."

He leapt to the nearest bamboo pole and stood there on one foot, arms crossed.

"Some of you are amazingly agile and I feel as though I've not tested you to the best of my capabilities. This training ground requires skill, yes, but most of all it requires balance. To spar here is to dance with the very real possibility that you may be cursed by the waters below, should you fall. Each pool has water I've imported from... elsewhere and is cursed. Land in a pool and you will transform into something else. What? I can't say. You've been warned. If you chose to spar up here, you can do so with a partner or against me. Your choice. Be also warned that I will not tolerate attacks against the poles themselves - try to knock anyone down by attacking the poles and you will be... disciplined."

He waited to be asked any questions before calling "Begin!"

[[OOC: So, yes, I did blantantly steal this idea from Ranma 1/2 but don't judge me. I'll fight you. Anyway, to add a little Smash Academy flare to it, I've changed the curses you can contract to something a little more Video Gamey.

Springs include but are not necessarily limited to: Spring of drowned Girl (Nyannīchuan), Spring of drowned Man (Nannīchuan), Spring of drowned Piglet (Tepignīchuan), Spring of drowned Cat (Bubsynīchuan), Spring of drowned Duck ( Pinnīchuan), Spring of drowned Panda (Pandarennīchuan), Spring of drowned Sasquatch riding buffamoo holding swanna and tynamo (OhgodwhattheheckevenisthatIdunnonichuan)

But you can take some liberties with your character's cursed appearance, of course! And if there's a spring you would rather use, this list is by no means exhaustive. Just try to keep with the theme and go nuts!

As per the standard for Smash Academy curses, they should wear off in about seven days. If you want it to last for less time or for longer, I'll leave that up to your discretion!]]

Comments

CURSED TRAINING GROUND.

[jonny_talbain]

Fight with a partner, fight with Jon, shadow box, mess around, go for a swim if you just want to get your curse on.

Again, expect Jon to pop in every so often to offer encouragement or pointers.

A battle for the ages; Two sole survivors duke it out!

[bunnyfears]

He'd already agreed to fight- there wasn't any backing out of it now, as Yarne heads towards the water, being very careful to not slip and fall into any of the pools. "So, uh. Anyone else gonna be fighting up here with me?"

The future of their respective species rides on this match! Except not really!

[monotreme_101]

"That'd be me, man."

Knuckles remembered this guy. Last of his species, right? Seemed fitting they battle on top of the poles. This should be a whole lot of fun.

"I'm Knuckles the Echidna. We spoke once before." he said, bowing in Yarne's direction in a respectful greeting.

[bunnyfears]

"Oh... Yeah. My name's Yarne, if you forgot."

Yarne didn't forgot! This was the other guy that was the last of his species- the one that seemed to handle it with a lot more dignity than Yarne felt he could.

Yarne returns the bow, before turning over to the pools and poles, taking a deep breath. "I guess we should get started, then..." He then leaps over the water, and grabs onto one of of the poles, climbing up and then standing atop it. "Nnnn... I still can't say I like the idea of fighting up here, though!"

[monotreme_101]

"Yarne - right! I'm Knuckles."

He grinned at the other combatant before following him upwards on his own bamboo pole. It wobbled a little under his weight and he didn't have the greatest balance once he reached the top.

"I kinda hear you, there. Like, I never shy away from a challenge, but man - these things were NOT designed for weighted shoes."

He stuck his arms out to help him balance and seemed to manage it.

"Just so you know, you can kick my head. I know he said nothing above the neck but I got a kinda small torso. Seems sorta unfair."

[bunnyfears]

Yarne, meanwhile, was barely wobbling at all. He clearly had some excellent balance.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting my parnter to be so, uh... short. But I'll try to avoid it if I can! The Taguel fight with honor! I think." He always feels a bit awkward whenever he talks about what the Taguel do. Yarne's only half Taguel after all, and he's never met another one. All he has to go off of is stories.

He takes a deep breath again, obviously readying himself before he leaps off his pole, landing on another one closer to Knuckles, and sighing with relief when he manages to stick the landing. "On the bright side, being a rabbit's starting to pay off! Hopping around like this is a little easier than I thought it'd be!" Yarne chuckles awkwardly, trying to relax himself by making light of the situation.

[monotreme_101]

"Echidna fight with honor, too."

This wasn't exactly a LIE. But Knuckles' ancestors had been plenty honorless. Conquering, warmongering and invading other nations at one point. Even killing innocents to claim what they wanted.

However, that had been the species' demise, really, and Knuckles was the only one left. And he DID fight with honor. So, ergo, saying Echidna fought with honor wasn't really a lie.

Knuckles threw a few mock punches in Yarne's direction. Immediately, he was at a disadvantage because he had very little by way of reach. Yarne's legs were roughly twice as long as Knuckles' arms. He was going to have to do a LOT of jumping.

"You got an advantage over me, guy - Echidna burrow. We don't hop."

[bunnyfears]

"Well you could always forfeit! That way neither of us will end up getting cursed!" Yarne doubted that would be the case. Despite his advantages, he's still not really sure he can win- and is still half convinced he'll end up going extinct through some stroke of bad luck.

Whether Knuckles agrees to surrender or not, Yarne still puts his hands up, trying to ready himself for a fight. He's holding them in a defensive position and just standing there, apparently unwilling to make the first move. Partially because he still doesn't want to fight, but mostly because he finds it kind of weird to go from having a semi-friendly conversation with someone to trying to punch their lights out. The things he's used to fighting don't really ever talk back.

[machomonotreme]

"Heh - Echidna fight with honor and we never forfeit."

He did a few practice jumps on the pole before launching forward at Yarne, swinging a wide punch in the rabbit's direction. He had a lot less by way of reach and maybe he wasn't made for jumping like Yarne was, but he had masses of brute strength. He punched boulders in half for fun, so, hopefully he could land at least a few hits early on and win back an advantage.

[bunnyfears]

"Yeah, I kind of figured you'd say that..."

Yarne wasn't exactly going to make it easy for him, jumping back with a loud "Yikes!" when he sees a blur of red throwing a punch at him- which, on the bright side, left Yarne's pole open for Knuckles to land on. He manages to land on another pole behind him, having taken the time that they were talking to try to remember the position of as many of the poles as possible. Being quick and nimble and dodging attacks is one of his strengths after all, and he can't exactly do it very well if he can't move. He'd apparently done a pretty good job of memorizing them too, since he manages to dodge the next few punches Knuckles inevitably throws the same way.

[machomonotreme]

"Heh! You're quick on your feet, man!" Knuckles said, leaping after the rabbitmin in a much less sure-footed progression. One advantage he did have, though, was the ability to glide. He jumped into the air and soared over Yarne's head to land on a pole behind him and try to launch an attack from there.

[bunnyfears]

"W-wait, what?!" That. Definitely wasn't something he'd been expecting. This wasn't a dragon or a crow, he didn't have any wings. How was he doing that?? Yarne's so thrown off, that by the time he wheels around to face Knuckles again, he's getting hit right in the gut, and man, that little guy can hit a lot harder than Yarne thought! With the force behind it, Yarne's barely able to keep himself from stumbling back onto thin air- though he's quick to retaliate, countering with a punch of his own, crouching down so he can hit Knuckles midsection more easily.

[monotreme_101]

"Woof!" Knuckles barked as Yarne's fist made contact.

"Geeze - You hit harder than the regular Human lookin' guy, huh?"

He didn't look mad, though. If anything, his grin widened.

"Guess I better stop pullin' my punches! You can probably take more punishment than the average Human too, right? Let's go!"

He leapt forward at Yarne again, fists swinging wide. This was starting to get FUN!

Waiting for Jock

[vela_nova]

Blaze knew Jock already. She'd never fought him, but she knew he was... exuberant. Excitable. Maybe a bit off. But she was going to give him a challenge, to be sure.

No need to wait.

[flamejock]

Jock jumped up on top of the poles where Blaze was waiting for him. This was weird -- why did she get to stay as a pokemon while he had to be a people? Weird.

"Are you ready?" he asked in his sternest voice, because fighting was serious business.

[vela_nova]

She would have to remind him of the difference one day. But that day would not be today. She leaped up, triangle jumping between poles to reach the top, balancing perfectly on one foot.

"I'm ready," she said, watching him. "Let's begin."

[flamejock]

No time like the present! Jock did what Jock did which was act first, think second. Or third. Or perhaps a distant fourth. At any rate, Jock did a thing.

The thing Jock did was use E X T R E M E S P E E D to attempt to slam into this Glameow. Pew pew pew. Wait, this doesn't involve projectiles. Uh........ whoosh. Whoosh.

Jock leaped off of his bamboo pole and aimed a somewhat-fuzzy foot with the greatest of speeds at Blaze's midsection. It was like martial arts in that he looked like a guy in a kung fu movie that he saw once.

[vela_nova]

Blaze was prepared for his attack, waiting for him to make the first move. And when he rushed her, she leaped off of the pole, using a burst of flame to launch herself at the pole where he once stood and land on it, turning to face him again. So the big guy was fast as well as strong... Good to know.

[flamejock]

That totally wasn't fair -- who knew that she knew Flame Charge?

He flew past the place where she had been standing and he grabbed into a pole several poles behind where she'd been, then swung around like a badass (he was a badass) and used his momentum to leap on top of another pole closer to where she was; he studied her for a moment.

[vela_nova]

Blaze raised her hand to beckon him. She was ready for him, watching his posture. He had great power, and he had control, but that moment of recovery told her what she needed to know.

She waited for him to attack again, ready to spring out of the way or deliver an attack of her own.

[flamejock]

Jock leaped back at Blaze, aiming for her face with his fist.

He wasn't going for elegant, he was just going for 'hard.'

[vela_nova]

Blaze responded with a strong leap up off the pole and into the air, nimble enough to avoid his wild hard swing. She responded with a swing of her own, coming down on him for a kick.

[flamejock]

Jock decided to take this one by opening his mouth and shooting fire out of it at the cat that's coming down to kick him.

Maybe not the smartest move, Jock?

[vela_nova]

Not when your opponent was a pyrokinetic cat. Jock's flames seemed to part as Blaze came down on him with her drop kick, like she was willing them to make way for her. In fact, she was. He may wield fire. She controls it.

[flamejock]

It's fine. This was all a part of Jock's really stupid plan. Really, really stupid plan.

She was too fast to hit easily. She used fire, so fire probably wasn't something that would hurt her much. This left Jock with few distance options. And so the only thing he could do was lure her in and take the hit. That's how pokemon battles went, after all; you have to be able to take the hits so you can dish them out again. He was only a glass canon when it came to Special Attacks and a number of elements that this cat couldn't do anything with, and this was a foot, not a jet of water.

Jock shifted slightly and took the heel to his chest, and as it connected, tilted his head, leaned forward, and CRUNCH'd her pipe-cleaner leg with his better-than-normal-human-but-not-pokemon-teeth-thankfully jaws.

This probably looks really awkward.