[center]
[color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 9: 44/90[/color] 
[color=fff200]Karin Level 5: 40/50[/color] 
Location: Seiran Tunnels
Word Count: small
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance--- [color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 9: 45/90[/color]
[indent][color=fff200]Karin Level 5: 41/50 [/color][/indent] [/center]

	
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[color=f49ac2]”We won! And the crowd goes wild!”[/color] Sakura cheered happily. High fives all around for the other two ladies on her side of the wall. Clearing space for the inevitable teleport, Sakura bent down to make sure the laces of her combat boots were secure.

When she glanced up at some kind of disturbance. Sina noticed something was wrong, and Sakura glanced at Peach. Something bad had happened to her. [color=f49ac2]”Peach-san?”[/color] She asked. 

There was a sound like cracking glass and Sakura saw Peach and the air around her crack like glass. Sakura shrieked in horror and rushed over to do something. All would be in vain as the glass, the air- Peach- all shattered and was replaced by the largest Other Sakura had seen yet.

Sakura fell backwards, propping herself up on her elbows. Sina was knocked away and the other half of the squad appeared to do battle with the Other monstrosity. Everything became blurry, and Sakura tried to blink hard against her tears. [color=f49ac2]”W-what..?”[/color] She asked. 

Raz emerged, and began to distract the monster. It began to target him. This sight pushed Sakura back to her feet, even as the tears flowed down her cheeks. 
[color=f49ac2]”Leave him alone!”[/color] She shouted, her voice cracking with distress. She sprinted towards the Other and came at it with everything she had. She sprinted after it and spent an EX-Meter to do an EX-Hadosho. Her fist ignited with blue flame and she dashed forward, looking to knock the creature solidly while it chased after Raz. Though she had pushed herself into combat, she had only been able to convert despair into anger, not able to rid herself of negative feelings. 

[color=f49ac2]”Give her back!”[/color] Sakura shouted, using her close range Hadokens and Hadoshos to trade precision for power, using her ki to wallop and explode against the beast with both hands.

When Karin entered with her team she was eager to get back into the fight, having missed the last event. Fortunately, they all seemed to make it out okay. After briefly passing by another team, Karin was eager to meet up with Peach’s team and see how Sakura and Raz were doing. 

But before that could happen, they would have to battle through the great Other in the way. The last time Karin battled a large beast, it hadn’t gone so well, and Karin was determined to not let it happen again that time. All she had to do was act carefully and get a read on its patterns before attacking too aggressively. 

A lesson that apparently Sakura hadn’t learned, as Karin saw her plunge straight into danger and begin spamming some of her most powerful attacks like she wanted to crank out as much damage as possible with no regards to combos, or, more worryingly, defensive and evasive maneuvers. Karin was a good enough fighter to know when someone was emotionally compromised. Especially someone like Sakura. Concern passed over Karin’s face.

[color=fff200]”Sakura!”[/color] She called out. [color=fff200]”Pull back!”[/color] But her friend didn’t hear, or didn’t listen. 

Karin grapple hooked ahead of the pack and went to get on the outskirts of the melee fight to give herself enough time to gauge the situation. Right now she was looking to see any particularly cumbersome attacks the creature might throw out. Then, she would go in to punish with powerful advancing strikes, before retreating again out of immediate melee range.