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Training Day - Fists of Fury
"You think I'm no good, well, I'll show you." Hawkgirl said. She cocked her arm back.
The bell ending the first round rang.
"Saved by the bell," Hawkgirl muttered to Katma Tui who had turned to walk back to her corner.
Katma looked over her shoulder. "In your dreams, magpie." She continued to the corner and sat down on a stool Batman placed in the ring for her.
"Clever," Batman said stoically.
"What?" Katma asked.
"Clever strategy. Antagonizing Hawkgirl to get her angry, miss a lot of shots, and expend a lot of energy over time. You are going to take her down after she has tired herself out. Very clever."
Yes, thought Katma to herself while rubbing her thigh. Time is on my side, but she's stronger than I thought and can take a punch really well. I have got to keep messing with her mind. Let her rage do the work for me. Piece of cake.
In Hawkgirl's corner J'onn tried to advise Shayera as best he could without actually probing Katma's thoughts.
"Her boxing style requires great agility," J'onn observed. "She seems to have mastered it."
"Uh-huh," Hawkgirl agreed semi-reluctantly. "She's very mobile…and fast. But she can't run forever. I just need one clean shot, and then I will clean her clock." Hawkgirl clenched her teeth in anticipation of that moment.
"Hawkgirl, you may need a different strategy."
"There's a time for talking and a time for massacreing, J'onn. All I want to do is focus on removing her head from her body. Water." J'onn dutifully handed her a bottle.
"Hawkgirl. I know it may seem counterintuitive, but…" J'onn started.
"J'onn!" Hawkgirl took a sip and turned to face the opposite corner.
I'll show you who is first class, Katma Tui. I'm just as good as you or any other woman. Yeah. You fight well, and you are faster than I expected for as tall as you are. But you can't have him. Not now…
When Diana rang the bell starting the second round Shayera leapt at Katma Tui like a too tightly coiled spring that had suddenly been released. Katma flattened herself to the canvas and Hawkgirl overshot her.
Hawkgirl did not control her flight with her wings but let gravity bring her down. She tucked her head under before before she impacted, did a forward roll, and came up standing. She turned around to see Katma standing with her arms crossed.
"Your fighting skills…they're no good," Katma sneered. "It would be better that you give up. Before you hurt yourself."
Wasting no time Hawkgirl pounced at Katma again, two fists aimed at Katma's midsection. Katma fell back smoothly and, using her feet, tossed Shayera over and back. Hawkgirl, being unprepared for the deflection of her own energy, tumbled into the ropes upside down. Katma rolled back up ready for the next charge.
Shayera shook her head to clear it as she stood up to face her opponent again. Katma shook her head disdainfully.
"I'm sorry. That's too bad…your movements just aren't coordinated enough," Katma unhelpfully advised. "Now get up. Try again."
Hawkgirl backed into the ropes and propelled herself forward with the recoil. She landed short of Katma and leaned in for a high punch. Katma grabbed Shayera's arm with both hands and flipped Hawkgirl over her shoulder and down to the floor. Feeling her arm being twisted, Hawkgirl swept out her leg forcing Katma to jump. Katma did not have the strength to hold on.
"Well, that was better," Katma cajoled. "But you are still out of your league. Frankly, you are a dead loss"
Hawkgirl pushed herself up and quickly spun around into a high back kick that whooshed over Katma's head as she ducked. Maintaining the intitiative Hawkgirl planted her foot firmly and made a fast side kick at Katma's abdomen that made the taller woman spring backwards. Without pausing Hawkgirl leapt at Katma and while twisting in mid-air threw another side kick with the opposite foot. Katma Tui again leapt backwards deftly to avoid getting the foot in the stomach.
"If you can't even hit me even once why do you even bother?" Katma teased. "Can't you do any better than that?"
Hawkgirl, however, was forcing Katma to back up into the ropes. When she got there Shayera thrust in a high front kick, but with emergency speed Katma ducked under it. This left Hawkgirl in an awkward position with her legs split wide and one foot resting on the top rope having missed the intended target.
Katma rolled out from underneath Hawkgirl and kicked away Shayera's supporting leg. Stretched to the limit, Hawkgirl's legs collapsed and her bottom hit the floor with a thud. Katma laughed at the display. She crouched down from a distance.
"Awww. Did you fall down and go boom, chicken hawk? You are going to have to be faster than that or you'll split off one of your drumsticks next time. Ha-ha."
Katma leapt at Shayera from the crouched position.
In a fluid motion Hawkgirl rapidly propped herself on her right knee and held up her left leg to ward off the attack. Katma, being more cautious than impulsive, paused for a second to contemplate her options and if she should even try to get around that extended leg.
"Yes," Katma said pensively. "You have to use brains for fighting as well as fists."
Katma then extended one of her own legs out and dropped it down on top of Shayera's, effectively pinning it to the floor. Katma quickly bent over at the waist, hit Hawkgirl with a smart left jab, and then quickly rolled out of the way of Hawkgirl's furiously swung backhand.
They both rolled up into their respective stances.
Katma at nearly six feet stood with the front of her body facing forty five degrees away away from Hawkgirl, and her left shoulder leading. Katma's gloves were held up high and close to her face largely covering the majority of her head.
Hawkgirl took a more open stance, facing Katma almost directly with her right leg farther back and heel slighty off the ground. She was a little off balance but she was easlily able to leap into attack. She held her left arm out in front, bent at the elbow with the fist pointed at Katma's face. The right glove was pulled back cocked like hammer ready to slam into her opponent.
It was in that brief pause when John emerged from the shower having been telepathically summoned by J'onn.
I've got to get her up against the ropes, Hawkgirl was thinking to herself. She ducks her head so fast it's hard to nail her with a good punch. She is way too fast for a head kick. That's okay though. If I can just hold her against the ropes I can finally get some shots in and there I know I can beat her. Now just to get her there and keep her there.
Katma dropped her gloves and revealed the delicate features of her pink, almost bright red face. Her short, jet black hair still looked neat as if she had not been fighting for the last five minutes. When she spoke, her high, but not quite squeaky voice, managed to project cool indifference:
"You make me laugh. From what I've seen of your actions so far you had better retire and go back to Thanagar."
Hawkgirl thrust a snap kick at Katma's thigh. In one nervous motion Katma went on guard and leapt backwards. A similar kick drove Katma back even further. When she felt the ropes against her back, Katma slipped her head to the left before Hawkgirl could hammer home a powerful right cross to Katma's cheek.
They both spun around to reposition themselves and noticed that John was now observing them from outside the ring.
"Do you really think that you are good enough, chicky?" Katma asked. "You are just a petty back alley brawler. You are unrefined. I think it is clear who he prefers. Why do you think he came and tried to rescue me? It's obvious where his heart really is."
Hawkgirl abandoned all strategy now and swung blindly with wild punches at Katma's head and body that, while closer than her kicks, were still almost completey missing their mark.
"He did it…He did it to rescue a fellow Green Lantern," Hawkgirl managed to grunt out between punches.
"Come on," Katma said skeptically. "You don't believe that. He traveled half way across the galaxy to be by my side. Face it. He will never get over me."
"Arrgh!" Hawkgirl tried to block out Katma's words but they stung enough.
She ran into Katma and pushed her against the ropes. Katma managed to wedge a knee between their bodies and pushed Shayera back. Hawkgirl did not have the strength anymore to maintain the hold.
Katma now brought her hands down into a more open stance, squared her shoulders a little bit and straightened up to her full height.
"Allright. You've tried attacking me both above and below," Katma stated. She now menancingly anvanced on Shayera. "Now let's see how you defend yourself."
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TBC - Read/Review
