[center][color=a187be][h1]Yayama Yama[/h1][/color]
Location: Esaka's Pools
Status: Unfazed
LV: 5, EXP: 30/50
Word Count: 1110 (+2) [/center]

Yayama did a few stretches in the wake of the stream receding, preparing for her upcoming match. Likely pushover or no, it wouldn't do to neglect herself - particularly when she was coming into the tournament with no rest to speak of the previous night. She stepped up to her place in the arena with a final crack of her neck, staring Buzzsaw down with one eye. Despite her relaxed posture just a few moments prior, her one-eyed gaze betrayed nothing but focus as both fighters took up their stances.

[url=https://youtu.be/6DyHx3YlYbo](BGM: Force Your Way)[/url]

The two eyed one another, Kameos waiting in the wings, as the timer counted down to the start of the match. The starting bell sounded, and her opponent rushed at her with blades abuzz. Yayama attempted to put up an aetheric barrier - only to realize that the Principles were interfering with her magic. The moment of focus this cost nearly got her hit by a flying saw, flung forward to cover her foe's advance; if she'd been taller, Yayama might have been in trouble. Buzzsaw threw a string of blows at her, high and low, probing her guard to find holes. The machine's attacks were nothing compared to Sakura's, however, and she caught them with ease, parrying each effortlessly. 

A quick jab forward with the pommel of her blade struck her opponent before he had a chance to retreat, stunning him just long enough to allow her to follow up with a bash of the shoulder. This carried into a leg sweep, sending him tumbling to the ground before a vicious uppercut with her blade caught Buzzsaw squarely. She was preparing to chase this with an aetherically-enhanced Edge of Darkness when his partner, the also-overly-aesthetically-appropriate Skullcrusher, dove in and caught her mid-swing. The robot grabbed her before slamming his head into Yayama's thrice, then tossed her backward. 

The dazed lalafell recovered before she hit the ground, just in time to interpose Shadowbringer between herself and a sawblade flying up toward her from the ground. Buzzsaw leapt up after her, gambling on an aerial grab that would leave her at the mercy of the spinning machinery mounted all over his body. Yayama reacted in time, however, fending off the grapple and sending them both skidding backward slightly. A third charge forward was terminated early as Yayama thrust her blade forward to the very edge of her reach, skewering Buzzsaw's advance. "Now!" 

With a shout, Charlotta entered the fray. The assist came in the form of a whirling slash, her fellow swordswoman moving like her foe's namesake to strike him repeatedly. This gave Yayama more than enough time to recover her grip and charge forward before Charlotta's retreat, leaving Buzzsaw at her mercy. She struck with another, shorter thrust, which she drew into a retreating slash that left her with the perfect spacing to deliver the blow that had been thus far delayed. The Edge of Darkness landed with the ringing of steel on steel, smashing Buzzsaw to the ground hard enough that the automaton bounced up and away before coming to rest. 

The end of her blade planted itself in the arena as the Heavenly Principles declared her victory in the first round. She took a deep breath as she reset for the next fight. [i]Don't get too cocky. Overconfidence is a swift and brutal killer.[/i] It was hard to tell, but it seemed like her opponent was doing quite the opposite of Yayama's approach. Buzzsaw's motions were agitated as he righted himself and prepared to come at her again. Once more, the Principles announced the start of the round, and set the exact moment where the fight began anew.

This time, her foe came at her even more aggressively. He threw a spinning bola at her before leaping into the air, hurling another blade at her at the apex of his jump. She blocked both projectiles and the downward kick he aimed at her calmly. Dodging forward evaded the sudden appearance of Skullcrusher, whose grab found no purchase this time. The skeletal-looking robot, rather than vanishing this time, turned toward Yayama and leapt high into the air, almost out of sight. Buzzsaw landed and charged again, this time coming in low with an uppercut aimed toward the dark knight. The combination attack was nearly impossible to block, and might have foiled a less seasoned fighter, but Yayama had the good sense to apply the oldest trick in the book when it came to defense: your opponent can't hit you if you aren't there to be hit.

A simple hop backward put the landing point of the devastating high-low, one-two strike a fulm or so ahead of her. Buzzsaw was [i]painfully[/i] exposed. She charged a Jolt while he regained his balance, launching the first shot just as his guard started to come up. The, well, jolt from the hit opened him up to a horizontal swipe of her blade. A quick lunge forward let her plant another body check at knee level, which she once more followed with a leg sweep. Yayama caught him with a grab as he began to fall, then slammed him down into the ground with strength that might've surprised less-attentive onlookers. She then threw him forwards into a leaping slash from Charlotta, which bounced Buzzsaw into yet another Edge of Darkness. 

Yayama jumped after him, aiming to end the fight decisively. Skullcrusher couldn't save him this time. Taking a bit of a hint from her partner, she half-spun in midair, crashing the edge of her blade into the robot's path as he fell. A thrust arrested his momentum enough for a series of three quick slashes to find their marks, before a downward smash sent him down. Just before he hit the ground, Yayama released the magical energy she'd built up with her earlier spell. An Impact bloomed in Buzzsaw's path, sending the already-struggling android back into the waiting jaws of the Warrior of Darkness's assault. She met him with a swift punch before landing, then put all her might into a swinging blow reminiscent of a batter swinging for the stands. The attack sent him flying toward the edge of the arena, where he skidded, then rolled to a rest against the balustrade. Buzzsaw tried to rise, but it was too late; the Principles gave the round to Yayama and Charlotta just as his arms failed to lift him off the ground.

Yayama gave her sword a couple of triumphant spins with one hand before resting it across her shoulder once again and taking her leave of the stage. Her other hand high-fived Charlotta once they were back amongst the crowd.