Normally the level 2 boss fight against Valentine takes forever as The Clawed Girl: 4 brief moments of attacking with about 12 seconds of waiting between each.

In my most recent Hard Arcade PB (see in-game leaderboard replay) I unexpectedly got a 3 cycle fight, saving 12 seconds.

The strat? Move close above and to the right of Valentine and attack from there. That gives an extra hit or two per cycle, finishing her off 3rd cycle instead of leaving the usual sliver of health. Super easy, super consistent. Testing suggests other positions might work as well, but I'm not clear on the specifics. The 'normal' strat of attacking from the left always gives 4 cycles from what I've seen.

So... anyone know or have a guess what's going on? I'm curious what the underlying mechanic is here in case it could be useful elsewhere.