With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Walking beside her Captain as they entered the 2nd Division training grounds, Sayuri seemed to carry herself a tiny bit more confidently as she walked with Soifon. Idly she mentioned out of her slight increase in confidence, "I've gotten stronger, you know, Captain...", she is not near as so arrogant as to think she is on par with Soifon, but she believed she could do better this go around than last time.
Unraveling her white Gotei 13 sash with zanpakuto sheathed in its wrappings around her tiny waist, she dropped them both on the training ground floor as she split away from Soifon as they entered the training arena. While she is about as good in melee combat as she is with Hakuda, she prefers to utilize Hakuda more, and she saw no reason to use a weapon in a test of skill and ability.
Moving to her side of the center of the training arena, Sayuri stood in her Hakuda stance. A small smile forming on her face, it seems she only smiles when she is around Soifon, she was ready to spring into action the second Soifon says it is time for them to throw down.
Post by Rebel Raven on Aug 3, 2009 20:56:19 GMT -5
Soifon smirked at Sayuri as they entered. She stayed silent as she threw off her haori with the belt, and prepared to train with her subordinate.
"It's time to test..."
"You know, Sayuri, I'm thinking of promoting you," she said, then leapt in immediately after she said that, landed in a light crouch, then shot her palm out in a thrust aimed for Sayuri's chin. She didn't strike ultra hard, and she kept her speed down to about Sayuri's, but this was a test to see how well she could handle a surprise.
After the palm thrust, she pushed off with her right foot, spun on the ball of her left foot, wheeled about, and then threw a circle kick aimed for Sayuri's side.
She wondered if this was what it was like?
What it was like for Yoruichi when she trained her? Were they to mirror the relationship? Just how much ran parallel?
She wasn't sure, but she wanted Sayuri to get stronger. She wasn't going to think of the future here.
The girl's eyes widened the second Soifon mentioned promoting her, that was not expected - they were her to train not to discuss 2nd Division affairs. But a split second later she narrowly saw Soifon right there - right in front of her throwing up a palm strike upper-cut. Leaning back as quickly as she could to avoid - still the ridge of Soifon's hand scarcely caught Sayuri's chin. Sayuri weathered the hit - though it was a hit - fortunately it was not a full on it.
She took a step back, but it was in the midst of quickly attempting to readjust herself to block the incoming circle kick. The swiftness and suddenness of the combination, left Sayuri with her back to the wall and ill-prepared to weather the hit with the block. The kick knocked her off-balance, she staggered to a little bit taking a few steps tot he side, but immediately did a back-spring away from Soifon to regain her balance and create some distance between them once again.
The sparring session was already against in her in the first two most, she had to try and get things into her favor. In a test of direct skill she is no match for Soifon, so she has to combine her skill with such with her greatest skill. The very second she landed from her backspring she mumbled inaudibly, "Bakudo No.21 Sekienton", a burst of crimson smoke enveloped, a trick Soifon has seen Sayuri use before, though no true assassin uses the same method twice in a row that their opponent has had the fortune of seeing in the past, "Bakudo No. 26 Kyakko", another quiet mumble uttered the second the crimson smoke shrouded Sayuri, whose presence and reiastu then vanished vanished along with her visage once outside of the smoke concealing her completely as what the Kyakko spell provides it caster - complete stealth.
A second later the Kyakko spell fell revealing Sayuri with her arms out to her sides as she launched right for Soifon like a missile feet first from above with her feet together. She did not expect to hit Soifon, for her true goal was merely to try and shift the match to an even keel, as she rebounded off of the block into a backflip - mid-way through it she shimmered from sight reappearing in the next instance low to the ground at Soifon's feet attempting a leg sweep...
Post by Rebel Raven on Aug 3, 2009 21:58:19 GMT -5
"Good! You handled the distraction well!" She commented as Sayuri managed to withstand the barrage.
She watched Sayuri vanish, and smirked, "A common, but effective tactic, Sayuri. Don't rely on it, or else-" She braced herself, then caught the flying kick with her forearms which seemed to shut up Soifon.
She managed to stand u against Sayuri's momentum, and body weight as she pressed the kick, then rebounded off.
She saw her vanish after she bounced off, then seemed to anticipate the sweep kick as she somersaulted backwards over the sweep kick, "this!" Soifon paused her somersault in a handstand, then brought a foot down at Sayuri to try and deliver a kick from above.
Soifon's arms bucked, and bent just right to spin Soifon's body that swung her other foot towards Sayuri's side.
The momentum was used to swing out the leg form the first kick, and it made a third assault that followed the second kick roughly.
Barring anything preventing it, she'd swing her legs to put her in a crouch, then she'd leap over Sayuri to try and put some distance between them.
The first strike coming at her shortly after her attempted leg sweep was narrowly blocked and redirected as she tried to get to a better, more solid stance. But she was blind-sided by the incoming swift second kick at her knocking the wind out of her briefly as she staggered in her steps, and the third served as a strong finisher knocking her back tumbling on the arena floor.
Panting heavily Sayuri was not entirely out yet, as she popped back up to her feet just as Soifon landed on hers. With the distance now between them, Sayuri reverted right back her attempted surprise attack methods, "Bakudo No. 26 Kyakko", she recited quietly, the light bending around her concealed her entirely once again as it shrouded her presence and reiastu. In the next instance the spell fell unveiling Sayuri mid-way into a high-kick in the air to Soifon's left. Though, it was immediately followed up with another though switching from her initial right foot high-kick, to spinning around into a flying roundhouse kick with her left foot, but then near instantly followed that up with a flying axe-kick with her right foot - all three in rapid succession.
Despite the failure of all three of those to have failed in landing an effective strike, the second the third kick was done - she shimmered from sight with her Shunpou reappearing to what is now Soifon's right side. Her hand extended with her palm facing Soifon as she quietly muttered, "Hado No. 1 Sho", a small transparent light blue wave of kidou spiritual energy flew right for Soifon...
Soifon watched the soft arena floor for indentations as her student vanished again, and she watched the indentations for positions of kicks.
Soifon wasn't holding back as much now. Sayuri enjoyed being invisible too much, and she needed to learn not to rely on it.
Sayuri appeared, and Soifon went into action. Her forearms clashed roughly with Sayuri's first kick with the thinnest side in an attempt to make the kick hurt Sayuri. She silently leaned back, and dodged the roundhouse which flew close enough to her face that the cloth of Sayuri's pants sapped her on the cheek.
Her arms crossed over her chest, and she pushed upwards as she rammed the thin side of her forearms into the ax kick.
Soifon watched the woman vanish again, and her attention went to the floor again to read her location.
Soifon likely surprised Sayuri as she shouted "HADO 1! SHO!" and canceled Sayuri's kido with her counter kido.
"You overuse your invisibility, Sayuri! People will catch on, and adapt!" she lashed out with a thrust punch at her sternum, then leapt at Sayuri as she attempted to drive a knee into her.
"But, excellent form! I'm certain it would have worked the first time you used it on a stranger," she said with a hope that Sayuri could adapt her tactics as she landed from the knee lunge. Of course she didn't say how she saw Sayuri. She needed to learn how to figure out how people figure her out.
Sayuri's eyes widened at the sudden explosion of Kidou energy that burst between them from their two spells colliding and negating one another. Finding herself gagging and gasping for air in the next second from a strike to her sternum, and being knocked completely back from a knee that smacked her in the head. With a rough crash and roll on the arena floor.
A little more slowly this time Sayuri picked herself up in a three point squat. The left corner of her mouth was bleeding as was her left nostril, feeling the warmth of her blood on her face whisked it once with left hand. As she still bled she looked at the blood on her left hand before flicking it off nonchalantly gritting out the pain - she was not going to look weak in front of Soifon, besides it was such a feeble and minor wound such things happen when sparring. Rising to a stand as she wiped a bit more off her blood from her face with the back of her hand, she was far less concerned with that than the conundrum of Soifon reading her movements so well, even when cloaked with Kyakko. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed back at Soifon, she was not as a gung-ho but more cautious at this point.
"Bakudo No. 26 Kyakko", she mumbled, though the second she said it she kept her eyes on Soifon, and did not attack only watched her Captain as she walked a wide quarter-circle around her until the spell fell off of her revealing her once again. Sayuri smiled - as she then used Hohō taking a step a foot into the air as she were stepping up on to a stair. Now standing a foot in the air, she faded from sight utilizing her Shunpou, glimmered back into view low leg sweeping at Soifon's feet. Though, knowing that simple move would be easily dodged, she quickly went to into a high kick to force her Captain further into the air. With a swift rapid succession high kicks each like the first, they were not intended necessarily to strike Soifon, but more an attempt to get her in the air, which Sayuri closely followed with each kick.
Whether or not her ploy worked, Sayuri stood in the air before Soifon, she smiled a little, "The only tell-tale sign I'll leave now will be in the wind."
Post by Rebel Raven on Aug 4, 2009 21:12:16 GMT -5
"I'm noticing a trend here, Sayuri," Soifon smirked a bit. It was that Sayuri enjoyed cloaking her movements, and for some reason seemed unwilling to get into close range combat in favor of hit and run. Yes, She needed some more training to make her less reliant on hit and run, especially as Soifon held back to be about on par with Sayuri's abilities.
Sayuri's opening sweep kick actually connected!
Soifon managed to defuse the rest of the combo, however, as she rolled backwards with the sweep kick. She rolled across the floor, and landed in a three point stance leaving nothing but air for Sayuri's followup assaults.
"Interesting tactic, Sayuri, but I think that you need some work in a straight combat situation, and that you rely on invisibility too much. Even the wind can give away your position." She said seriously as she stood. "But that can wait until your injuries clot," he said not wanting to coddle Sayuri so much as get rid of any potential distraction.
"I'm fine.", Sayuri stated unwaveringly, ignoring the injury - she refused to show even the most modicum of weakness in front of Soifon, she never again wanted to appear as she did the night she fainted in front of her. Walking on the air she kept a simple distance from Soifon as if trying to figure out an approach as she uttered, "You are superior opponent to me... My talent in Hakuda is not nearly as sharp as yours, so... I tired to utilize stealth strikes... They failed... But, I still have other surprise tactics I can utilize..."
"Bakudo No. 26 Kya--", but before she could finish the rest she right there right in front of Soifon mid-swing with a palm strike directed at Soifon's chest. Whether or not she would land the hit she completely ignored as she swiftly followed it up by spinning around and bring down her left foot for another strong axe-kick, wich when blocked she immediately used to rebound off of for backflip landing in a three-point stance for a spinning low-leg sweep...
Soifon was palm struck in the chest, but instead of reeling, she reeled, then grabbed Sayuri's wrist, then blocked the Ax-kick with her forearm, then grabbed her ankle. By holding those limbs, she prevented the sweep kick.
Soifon retaliated by half turning, then she kicked upwards sharply at Sayuri as she tried to rocket Sayuri into the air. This was followed it up with a leaping, spinning side kick aimed at her ribs.
"I know how to hold back,"she said with a grunt. She was glad that her voice didn't change much thanks to the well placed palm strike to her chest.
"Now what will you use? I know that trick now," Soifon teased a little as she landed on the mat, on her feet.
"At this rate you'll have to fight straight up because I'll know all your secrets," she grinned a bit. She wanted Sayuri to think outside her normal tactics, but this was going to be a difficult attempt as she seemed stubborn.
She wondered if her training was ever like this back then?
