Match of the Millennium

Description: Two close competitors in the Rising Star tournament-- Chris and Shermie-- combine their forces to take on the Bernstein heir, Adelheid. They prove too much to handle, much as suspected-- if far from as planned-- in a chaotic 2v1 match!

[ADELHEID]
In the aftermath of Shermie's climactic final round bout with Yao Meifeng, conflict turned to celebration. Of the fighters, of the stellar fights comprising the tournament-- and of course, of Rose Bernstein herself. Luxurious, unique accommodations are allotted to the combatants and their guests to rest and recuperate, and a similarly lavish spread is served during a dinner cruise across the mountains, and along the coast.

As sunset arrives along the Adriatic, as small talk and fine music dissipates into various dinner guests, Shermie and Chris would receive a polite invitation from the brother of their august tournament host; the young son of their host on the ship-- an invitation to meet him back on the observation deck for a challenge round, of sorts. For the runner-up and her similarly accomplished comrade to face the Prince of War-- together.

Coming from Rugal, such a challenge would likely have implicit undertones of danger, if not malice; of an exercise in ego, domination, demonstrative power amidst the politesse. Coming from Adelheid, it is a quiet thing, a humble approach from a young man who's done far more listening than speaking throughout the affair, most of his volume coming from the piano, and not his own voice.

Indeed, when they choose to join him on that deck, forward along the ship with a brilliant panorama of the sun sinking into the ocean, casting both sky and dimly lit surrounds in sweeping, crimson pastels, his initial response is, "Thank you for humoring me." offered in soft tones with a small, warm smile on his fair face. "I have enjoyed watching you both fight your way through this tournament, and I am honored for the chance to test myself; to hone my style against yours, while gaining the firsthand experience of such talent." It's flattery, of course-- but there's no note of superiority or insincerity.

They are here because he respects their abilities; they are here because if he is to meet his potential, both actual and expected of him, this is the kind of trial he must seek. Either of them could have been champion-- both are remarkable, rising scions in their own rights; from angles both known... and unknown.

In contrast to the final round, there is no pomp and ceremony now. No live music, no host upon the throne-- at least not yet. Only the quiet hum of the hovering airship around them, the whistle of winds that erratically sweep past the picturesque viewports around the observation deck.


https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/sunset-over-the-adriatic-sea-inna-samoilova.jpg

"When you are ready, we can begin." Adelheid is dressed simply, loose black pants tucked into fitted black leather boots, his torso covered by a sleeveless, tight shirt. The only accents to the outfit are a pair of intricately embossed bracers worn over forearms and fist, and a few flashes of golden metal from chains and buckle. He cracks his neck, and adopts a loose, adaptable stance, left side forward.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid has started a fight here on the right meter side.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                  |-------\-------\0         Adelheid

COMBATSYS: Shermie has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Shermie          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0         Adelheid

COMBATSYS: Chris has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Chris            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         Adelheid
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/------=|

[SHERMIE]
Once Shermie had recovered from her mauling by Meifeng, she was primed to party, seeking out the other combatants and specially selected spectators aboard the sky ship. Sipping on red wine and nibbling on a premium platter of fish and seafood, she'd enjoyed her evening, despite the result not going her way.

In the time since the night of the fight, she has taken the opportunity to enjoy a break from her work. Although, she couldn't resist sketching some fashion ideas that have been inspired by the architecture and decor that surround her and thus, the fabric of the clothing has an appearance similar to that of black marble with silver veins running through it.

Right now, the fashion lover has dressed in a monochrome suit, resembling the classic ones made popular by fellow French woman, Coco Chanel. Shermie's version has been sexed up however, by raising the hem so high, that it barely covers her buttocks. It's also clinging very closely to her considerable cleavage. On her long legs are some knee-high boots in black leather with white fur trims.

She gazes out the window of what has been the vessel for this vacation, musing over marvellous memories of seeing sunrises and sunsets over the sea. Now though, the time for relaxation is over and it's back in to action again, as she and fellow bandmate, Chris have been invited to engage in fun, fighting and frivolity with young Adelheid, one of their hosts for the trip. She finds the boy interesting, his quiet and creative nature providing more questions than answers, as she's observed him from behind her curtain of red hair.

Now, as she makes her way towards him, dancing her way across the deck, she offers a smile and a cheery response to his words.

"No problem, cherie! It will be good to workout my body some. I believe I have become rather lazy in my time lounging around."

She gives a giggle, bringing her hand to her coral coloured lips.

As the wind whistles around them, her head turns briefly towards the window, but she's soon focused on the fight ahead again. As she's invited to begin, she gives both Adalheid and Chris a grin, before calling out "Ladies first!"

Launching herself towards the blond boy, backside first, she aims to smash into his face, sending him off balance by way of her buttocks!

If able to continue her assault, she will bring her legs together in the air, before spinning into him feet first like a drill!

[CHRIS]
Chris was sad for Shermie she didn't win the final, but the fight had been excellent. The after-party was excellent as well. Good thing he's mature compared to other 14 years old, or it might not have been his kind of 'party'.

He was dressed nicely to watch the fight, in a dark gray suit. Vest, Shirt, pants, shoes. The total as he hadn't planned beforehand to fight against anyone at the time.

So he's having fun, things are merry when the unexpected (or perhaps it was expected) happens. A challenge from Rugal's son itself, Adelheid. That seems to cheer him up even more if that's possible. "You're on. He's also happy Shermie is joining.

So he gets there, after Shermie, seeing she seems very excited. "Fine ladies first." He's happy watching how Adelheid reacts to Shermie's attack and how he attacks after in answer. It would give him insight into things to come. "Go Shermie! You can kick ass." He would at least cheer his partner.

COMBATSYS: Chris takes no action.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Chris            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Shermie's Axle Spinning Kick.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Chris            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/------=|

[ADELHEID]
"Yes-- it has been far too long since such skills were put to the test." The Prince of War agrees easily, too easily, so drily it's perhaps easy to conclude he's not in on the joke; such plausible deniability can be important in some circles.

Part of Shermie's art, even beyond her fashion sense, seems to revolve around distraction-- the scientific fact that men are, in general, passively dumbfounded by proximity to an attractive form. To his credit, despite his youth and adolescence, Adelheid remains poised when Shermie hurls herself into the fray-- buttocks first.

A braced arm flexes, corded muscle in ample surplus to Adelheid's lithe frame flexing taut as he angles a practiced, nigh perfect deflection, absorbing the initial impact in a scant slide of booted feet back across the deck, and flowing into a smooth rotation and shove that drives her drilling kicks wide, leaving Shermie to land off one flank, a short span beyond the Prince of War. His rotation continues, immediately building momentum as his weight shifts subtly into the turn, and the young prodigy drops low, lashing outwards with one booted foot in more of a shinward snap than a classic sweep.

A surge of grey-white windshear roars to life along his boot, even as his angle of attack inverts, and with a lunging shove of his bracing leg, the low strike becomes a standing axe-kick follow-through, a torrent of ragged-edged chi erupting upwards with the passage of the boot, threatening to bisect Shermie with a razor's arc as surely as the impact of his honed bootheel. "That much-- at least-- is //proven// twice over here." They can, in fact, kick ass. There is no shame in lauding that sportsman's challenge.

COMBATSYS: Shermie blocks Adelheid's A. Kunst Zwei.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Chris            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0         Adelheid
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/----===|

[SHERMIE]
When she lands, she looks backwards, applauding Adalheid's handling of her form and fighting skill, in a literal sense. As her hands clap together, she is almost caught off guard by the follow up from the poised prince.

When the boot comes in, she takes the brunt of it on her shin, crying out at the pain that rushes to the area. Perhaps it's this sensation that sharpens her senses, allowing her to foil the follow up and avoid more debilitating damage.

Flipping forwards, the French fashionista, shifts into a handstand, attempting to drop her heel down on to Adelheid's head. Should she make the mark, she will follow through with a flying knee attack!

[CHRIS]
Adelheid would be a worthy adversary. It would be fun for sure. He sees the way he blocks Shermie's first attack the best way one can. But in return Shermie manages to block as well, although it doesn't look fun to take in the shin. 'Note to self, if you can, dodge. if you must then block.'

Then Shermie does her famous Handstand. Famous at least to him, he's is used to him.

He takes the time to remove the vest and drops it down. He didn't need it for the fight and he was ready now. Time to help Shermie and get a win for CS. Then you have the 'Y' Yashiro isn't there to fight.'

"Time for some fun!" He then dashes toward Adelheid's left side, trying to hit with his left fist as he passes by. He is most likely ending up at his right side.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Shermie's Shermie Stand.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Chris            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0         Adelheid
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/----===|

COMBATSYS: Chris successfully hits Adelheid with Scramble Dash.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Chris            0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0         Adelheid
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/----===|

[ADELHEID]
On feet light despite his heavy boots, Adelheid all but dances away from Shermie's cartwheeling wheel in a graceful, gliding turn. He retreats little more than he has to, the stroke nearly grazing the blonde mane that trails after his abrupt evasion.

Not so lucky for the Prince of War is the attempt to weave his skull out of the path of Chris' dashing punch, Adel's cranium instead soundly rattled, sending the young prodigy momentarily reeling sidelong, forced to shift his footing, to oppose the violent momentum, coming into a half-crouch.

That subtle, small smile reappears on the Bernstein scion's fair features, a burning light behind his crimson eyes as his gaze //snaps// upwards to lock on first the dapper adversary, and then the lovely one.

It is Shermie who receives his attention once more, a half-gloved hand snapping outwards for her throat. Should purchase be found, that roiling inner storm would whirl tangibly about the Prince of War as a vise-like grip hauls the fighter-slash-model-slash-musician forward, more than enough might in the limb to haul her bodily off her feet-- and into a rising knee, coupled with a plume of piercing windshear.

It's an eruption that would see its own followthrough in the rushing wave of chi, in the extension of that striking limb to a full, formidable front-kick intent on launching Shermie forcibly across the deck. He makes no immediate attempt to restart the repartee-- instead falling into the fierce rhythms, the tumultuous crescendos and tense, resting beats of the bout at hand.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Shermie with G. Springen.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Chris            0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0         Adelheid
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/=======|

[SHERMIE]
"There's always time for fun, Chrissy!" the older woman encourages. As the singer in their band springs into action, she's delighted to be teaming up as a duo. This is even more true, when her accomplice successfully lands his attack on Adelheid.

Despite the diminutive rockstar dipping into his defences, the prince picks her to target again. Not wanting to feel the pain anew, she tries to leap out of the way of his thrust for her throat. He's much too fast for her however, and as she's held in his grip, she starts to gasp for air.

She's swept off her feet, leaving her long, lithe legs languishing lacklusterly.

She tries to speak, but no sound comes out, only a feeble squeak. As she flies through the air, she comes down with a cruel crash on the deck. When she eventually recovers enough to rise, it's clear she's been worn down by the assault, though far from ready to relinquish the fight.

She approaches her flaxen haired foe, holding her arms out, as if she's trying to bring him close for a hug. If she's able to do so, she will latch on tight, before lifting him as she springs backwards and launching him over her head.

[CHRIS]
Chris smirks a bit. As soon as he comes in the fight, something hits after all. It was fun to watch his opponent go with the momentum of the hit. He expects in return to be targeted by him.

When he starts his next attack however, he doesn't go for him at all, but for Shermie again. Shermie is not able to get out of the way or dodge it. It again looks painful. Adelheid is a dangerous adversary. Chris has to say something when she flies through the air and land hard. "How about leaving Shermie alone a bit, and fight me. Or do you think you can't match my speed?

Shermie at least gets back up. She's not out for the count as Chris sees her get back up and starts her own attack. Chris waits either for the end of her attack, or goes in when Adelheid defends against it. Either way he tries to drive a point home when he's close enough, with a kick toward Adelheid lower back. Maybe he would get his attention a bit and give Shermie a breather.

COMBATSYS: Chris successfully hits Adelheid with Medium Kick.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Chris            0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Adelheid just-defends Shermie's Front Flash!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Chris            0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          1/-------/=======|

[ADELHEID]
"All things in turn--" Adelheid intones calmly, even as he's embraced a bit TOO tightly by Shermie, who proceeds to make the head over heels metaphor very, very literal; if perhaps only as painful as such ever ends up being.

Rather than being upended into a head-first crash, however, Adelheid kicks upwards with both his legs during that initial inversion, and Shermie's forceful momentum helps him slip from her grasp with that perfectly timed redirection, launching the Prince of War into a decidedly more graceful arc than intended as he flips himself back upright in brief, midair jaunt, landing clear of the Frenchwoman-- and right in the path of Chris' follow-up.

The kick impacts his spine, injury dulled only by virtue of taut musculature and hardened core, as Adel's deft descent becomes a harsh, forced forward lurch into a three-point crouch. "-- we are scarcely finished YET!"

The fire still burning within his uncanny eyes, Adelheid uses that bent leg to twist back towards Chris in a flash of violent motion, and indeed, this time it is Chris' throat that is targeted. This time, the vise-like grip would hold his target aloft for some scant, brutal moments longer-- long enough to slam the opposite fist into the younger boy's ribcage, and utilize the flex of his suspending arm to shotgun Chris bodily away in a whirling outpour of dark-edged chi, the maelstrom forceful enough to drive Adelheid backwards in turn, ideally into a graceful, distance-proffering glide.

[SHERMIE]
"Chrissy, my hero! Trying to defend my honour and shield me from this evil enemy!"

There's more than a hint of mirth in her tone, but she can see that the Swede is serious in his challenge to the other male. After all, Chris is speedy indeed and so it proves, when he lands his kick on Adelheid, even if their opponent is plunged right into his path.

Her own plan to punish him had been brushed off, hence his hurtle through the air towards the teen. The couturier clicks her tongue, as she starts edging closer to her prey. As he shouts out, she shakes her head, tossing her twin tails.

"You're losing your calm aren't you? I wonder when you will lose control completely" she comments contemplatively.

Lifting her hand up, she shoots it towards him, seeking to slap his chiseled cheekbone. From here, she'd follow up by attempting to grab Adelheid around his neck and then dropping down to her knees at his side, facing in the same direction.

If able, the French fighter will then force him forwards, by throwing him to the floor.

COMBATSYS: Chris dodges Adelheid's A. Kunst Drei.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Chris            0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          1/-------/=======|

[CHRIS]
Another hit for Chris. Kind of proud of it. He can't think too much about it as he has his attention now.

'That's it big...' He doesn't finish as his neck is grabbed and rather tightly. It wasn't pleasant, but at the moment Chris doesn't panic. Even if the air doesn't get into his lungs very well. Instead, when a crushing blow starts coming toward his ribs, Chris uses both of his feet quickly to push against Adelheid's chest. He's not trying to hurt him, just moving his body out of the way of the punch. Then he gets thrown. That would be disastrous for Chris. He's aware at the moment, that Adelheid's rage makes him very strong. He manages to flip himself in the air, landing on his feet. The force with the dark edged chi makes him slide backward even more,even as he lands. He coughs a bit but doesn't seem that worse for wear. "Nice try. That was nerve-wracking." He means it, yet there is a bit of a mocking tone in his voice as, after all Chris manages without too much pain. But Chris knows it was only skills and instincts. He got lucky too. Adelheid pushes him to be the best he can and then some.

He doesn't take much time to rest as Shermie does her attack. Chris comes back into the fray. He doesn't go for something flashy, but when he is close enough, he aims a hard punch at Adelheid's head. Whether he's still standing or if he's on the ground from Shermie's attack.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Shermie's Combo Throw.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Chris            0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Chris successfully hits Adelheid with Fierce Punch.
- Power hit! -

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chris            0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          1/-------/=======|

[ADELHEID]
Rather than blasting Chris away in a torrent of chi, the young contender reinforces the alacrity shown throughout the Rising Star contest, and it is only the reverse momentum that the Prince of War fully accomplishes. This lands him on light footing for Shermie's renewed assault, her slapping hand grazing golden locks as Adelheid weaves adroitly beneath, like the villain he so obviously is.

The smile isn't really wiped off his face until Chris rings his bell, sending Adel reeling sidelong as his vision distorts, as sudden knockout threatens along the edges of his sight-- but that's more a product of the painful wince accompanying his mis-timed evasion than any legitimate ire.

"Heh--" Adelheid chuckles briefly, his gaze snapping to lock on Chris on his flank. The Prince of War's recovery is swift, immediately carrying into a rising kick, aligning his own sharp, sudden snap for his opponent's skull. "-- this is //exactly// what I was looking for!"

If, perhaps, with more poise in his own performance; but Shermie and Chris' skills were never in doubt, but it's not precisely masochism. The Bernstein scion is not one to give up or lose heart-- it's only pressure to be better. To reach farther into one's power, and potential. To try, and try again. For instance: Chris' fair features are at risk once again by a swirling burst of tearing wind-blades, ragged and chaotic in their coruscating flux as the energy pours from Adelheid's kicking boot.

[SHERMIE]
Chris is delivering the goods on the deck, as well as he does on stage and it's filling his bandmate with delight!

"Bravo, Chrissy! You are doing CYS proud" the Parisian praises, as he pounds Adelheid with his powerful punch.

Her own attempt to throw their host is thwarted, but her spirits are still soaring, as she seeks to play her part in scoring the duo victory.

"I'm happy you are having fun!" she says, her tone sounding genuine, as the villain chuckles away. Whether it's from genuine pleasure or the pain is getting to him, is up for debate.

As their opponent goes after Chris, the keytar player looks to the sky ships's ceiling, throwing her arms aloft. The motion causes her bounteous breasts to bounce, as they are pushed outwards to the cry of "My present..."

Looking to lock her arms around Adelheid's waist, she would pull him up close and personal again, before abruptly dropping him backwards, seeking to suplex him into the ground, as she says "...and a little extra!"

She'd keep hold of him in her arms, but shift around to his rear, suplexing him again, this time in the German style. Shifting back to his front, she'd finish with a final suplex, this one more forceful, after which she would release him to his fate.

COMBATSYS: Chris dodges Adelheid's A. Kunst Eins.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1         Adelheid
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

[CHRIS]
Chris seems to be in the Zone in this friendly match, compare to the one he had against Meifeng. One needs only to see how he lands all of his blows so far. Of course, Shermie taking Adelheid's attention and preparing him for his attacks helps a lot. "Teamwork!" He yells to Shermie as he can't help but grin at how well things are going so far. Certainly, he's going to pay for it at one point.

He gets ready for Adelheid revenge. He knows how good Adelheid is, it's just Chris is feeling. He's still feeling it, ready to deal with whatever comes his way. And come it does.

A kick with chi again, wind blades. Certainly Chris can't dodge this. He can't be fast enough, can he? He bends backward, almost making a reverse bridge, as the attack barely misses him. Yes, Chris has the speed and luck on his side at the moment. He gets back upright. "You need to do better my friend." He gives him a wink, teasing him.

Meanwhile Shermie is coming for him, and again he makes sure Shermie is done with him before going for his own thing. He dashes in and jumps in the air before doing a diving kick toward Adelheigh body. It seems Chris wasn't into flashy attacks so far.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Chris' Diving Kick.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1         Adelheid
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Adelheid just-defends Shermie's Shermie Carnival!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1         Adelheid
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

[ADELHEID]
Chris indeed does his teammates proud; but it's impossible to rightly discount the pressure Shermie puts on the Prince of War... and the added focus it takes for the young prodigy to maintain his focus in the face of her alternately pressuring diversionary tactics. To cement professionalism and decorum alongside acumen beyond his years may speak flattery of Adel's virtues; or it may be a quiet statement on just how hard the Prince of War has pushed, and been pushed, to become just such a composed and diligent weapon.

It's kind of Shermie to demonstrate these facts again, though when presented curvature turns immediately into the most threatening form of hugs, there's a taut, resilient brace to Adelheid's entire frame, every muscle flexed, every instinct on call; it leaves her grasp less tight than it might otherwise have become, relative to the blonde's own lithe girth and dense mass, and the clash of auras is quietly tangible.

Adelheid is indeed in pain. Battered, even. But the soul still burns-- and inwardly, his reserves only amplify. The storm that roars within the Prince of War is expressed in that tight readiness, and as the Frenchwoman inverts him, he takes abrupt and forceful control of that flip, likely ending with him on the ground-- but rather than slammed, with Shermie flipped above.

Rather than enduring the follow-ups, her adaptation of hold is executed in tandem with a roll of Adel's own, with a shockwave of inner chi expressed outwardly in a fierce, momentary gust of wind the Prince of War breaks free at that key moment before he can be combo'ed into the resilient deck-- and likely, into unconsciousness beyond. Adelheid comes up in a crouch, gaze darting from Shermie to the airborne Chris, his descending arc finding only that aforementioned, fine carpet adorned deck as the Prince of War shifts to his right, pushing back to a ready stance as Chris lands in the space Adel's left unoccupied.

"I certainly //do//." Adelheid easily agrees, though whether this is affirmation of intent and imminent reality or self-criticism of a hypothetical situation is up in the air. Either way, if at first kicks don't succeed-- kick, kick again. In this case, three times. The focused power Shermie might have sensed focusing within Adelheid is unleashed in a visible, violent aura, focused along one side of his body and then the other as he snaps a booted foot for the landing Chris' shin.

This foot would anchor his weight in an acrobatic redirection, the other boot snapping upwards and around for the side of the younger contender's skull, double-tapping into a side-kick to the ribs that carries enough momentum to see Adelheid sliding smoothly forward-- and perhaps launching Chris clear less gracefully indeed. The "smart play" might be to turn on the actually injured Shermie, to try to even the odds in his own favor as his Adelheid's injuries add up... but the point is not the domination, but the challenge. And in this moment, the challenge is just catching //up// to Chris.

[SHERMIE]
"Yeah, teamwork!" Shermie agrees, adding in an air punch for good measure.

As Chris continues to feed his dodgy reputation, both for how fast he can get the hell away and being cheeky, the French fighter sees her flashy attack fail to deliver again.

When she's flipped to the ground, her small mouth forms into a pout and her hands go to her hips, as she play pretends at sulking. The smile can't stay away from her lips for long though and a lively laugh is soon ringing out.

"You boys are fun to play with and you're proving hard to handle" she adds, the latter half of the sentence directed at the blond Bernstein.

As his foot tries to find the elusive Chris, Shermie tries to take advantage of his distraction to bring him down on his back, by grabbing hold of his arm under her own and dropping down to the deck with him in tow.

If she's able to pull this positioning off, she will proceed to hold his forearm with both hands, so his wrist is facing upwards. From here, she would wrap her legs around him, one over his neck and the other over his waist to lock him in place.

Bending her knees and trapping his arm and elbow between them, she will endeavour to squeeze her legs towards his body and pull his arm roughly towards her, edging her crotch close to his shoulder. Using his chest as support, she'd pull his wrist to her chest and apply upwards pressure from her hips.

COMBATSYS: Chris dodges Adelheid's A. Kunst Vier.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

[CHRIS]
Chris lands on the floor. That's not surprising in itself because of gravity and all. He just expected Adelheid's body under him. But this time Adelheid did outspeed Chris. At least against one of his attacks. "Well, there we go. Now we're talking. I was starting to wonder!" He can't help but grin again. He has to yank Adelheid's chains some more again.

Now, despite having a healthy dose of luck, Chris also has a healthy dose of instinct. At least at times. It is one such a time. Adelheid goes for more kicks. It truly looks like his shin is the target. He even slightly moves it, but then as it changes to a boot to his skull, Chris bends again, so what hits him is air, but certainly not a boot. It does leave his ribs exposed to the side kick, but he manages to jump into a spin, getting his top ruffled a bit in the process as the kick touches some fabric, but does do damage. No points for kicks at the moment.

Chris takes a breather on the attack side of things though. "I believe in you Shermie! It is this time you hit him yourself!" He observes though, and he focuses. When he's ready, he will attack again, perhaps deadlier than he has been.

COMBATSYS: Chris focuses on his next action.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Adelheid parries Shermie's Grounding Throw!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1         Adelheid
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/-------|

[ADELHEID]
"That //is// the point of the exercise!" Adelheid observes all too matter-of-factly. The fun? Or the difficulty? Rugal would certainly never catch him confirming //both//. Once more, Chris proves up to the challenge-- and once more, the Prince of War's formidable onslaught finds little but air on which to unleash impact and, well, air. Shermie steps in in the wake of that exertion, but exhaustion is not the danger Adel faces in this bout-- at least relative to the accumulation of forceful impacts-- and once more the Bernstein scion proves rather elusive himself.

Shermie's grasp closes around one corded arm, and immediately he tenses, retaining as much control as he can as she adds her weight to the leverage. For an instant, crimson eyes meet red-obscured gaze through the veil, and then Adelheid twists his entire body with her efforts. He kicks off the ground, launches himself skyward, a momentary, consciously relaxed moment in that arm providing a bit more range without tearing muscle.

Rather than dropping with her to the deck, Adelheid rolls across the Frenchwoman's frame, back to back, dancing a graceful, rhythmic glide back to alertness on the opposite side of her from whence he began. As soon as he lets her get ahold of him-- it's over. The risk of her style, her skill, of every move he makes to keep a beat ahead is something he's keenly aware of, a firmer respect forming rather than the inflation of ego.

As he pulls up short, a scant span clear of his adversaries, both of Adelheid's half-gloved hand stretch out to his sides, fingers curling into the empty space. That space does not stay empty-- with a flash of light centered within each palm, a hurricane's gale answers his summons, conjuring in instants what many fighters never manage to equal. "And it's //not// over /yet/!"

A motion suggests the clap of his hands, but what happens instead is the sudden fusion, and multiplicative amplification of that gathered wind chi. In a roiling, singular mass, a wave taller than Adelheid and several times as wide //roars// across the observation bay, the Prince of War perfectly positioned to angle the blast at /both/ the New Faces of CYS. Its harsh-edged mass swirls like miniaturized typhoons, coruscating whirlwinds wildly coursing up and down, left and right, shifting and fluctuating in myriad directions. Adelheid's hair, the fabric of his fighting garb, they flutter like seeking to pursue the energy right off the young prodigy's body.

To be caught in the blast is to face not only the savage edges of that invoked maelstrom, but to find one's self sucked in, drawn inexorably towards its center... and then //hurled// clear with enough intensity to potentially bounce off the ceiling-- or have a very terrifying close encounter with the, thankfully, //amply// reinfored glass garbing the stage's impressive panorama, now dulled to pastel reds and lingering purples, the growing darkness of the previously brilliant waters looming below, an endless shadow of shifting currents and cresting waves.

COMBATSYS: Shermie blocks Adelheid's G. Kronzprinz EX.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chris            0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0         Adelheid
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/--=====|

[SHERMIE]
"Thank you for your belief in me, Chrissy. I believe in me too" Shermie beams.

Perhaps that belief should be in question though, as the French woman fails to land yet another move on the man they are fighting.

As he skillfully shifts away from the seamstress, she is left without a climax to her combat again, causing a cry of anguish to escape her, the first sign of any negative emotion she's displayed in this dance.

As he starts to make magic, Adelheid doesn't discriminate in who gets to experience it, aiming for both of the rockstars. The roaring sound is the part that startles Shermie the most, though the visuals are also an impressive sight to behold.

Her perfectly painted mouth falls open to form an O shape, as she's stunned by the spectacle she sees. There's an air of panic in the Parisian's eyes, that thankfully can't be seen, but it's present in her posture too. There's a risk she could be petrified by fear at what she faces, but somehow, from somewhere she summons the strength to push back.

The wave does start to wash over her, threatening to wipe her out, but she risks rapidly dropping to the deck, downward facing. Her body is rocked and rattled, by the force of nature she faces, but the decision stops her from being sucked in to it's hungry heart.

Hesistant to get up, she has to haul herself upwards, still shaking from the daunting danger she faced. Forcing herself to put one step in front of the other, Shermie shimmies her way towards her flaxen haired foe, finding the fighting spirit to attack again.

Once she's close enough, she hips checks into him, then swivels herself around his body, ending up crouched behind him. From this position she will look to loop her arms around Adelheid's waist, before bridging backwards and then suplexing him to bring him down, head and shoulders first.

COMBATSYS: Chris parries Adelheid's G. Kronzprinz EX!!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chris            0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0         Adelheid
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/--=====|

[CHRIS]
Poor Shermie, it didn't work once more. Adelheid does an impressive dance to get out of what Shermie throws at him this time. Chris sees it all, as he's focused at the moment. They can still do this thought. Chris is sure of it.

" And it's //not// over /yet/!". Those are the words of their opponents. Right after, all hell seems to break loose. If Chris is worried, and part of his, he doesn't show him. He's simply very ready to face this roaring, windy force, which spells disasters for both Shermie and him. This time, he works it purely out of instinct. He runs toward it. One moment he's there, the next he's not. Then boom. He's back out again going toward the ceiling. His clothes are a mess, testifying to the incredible force of Adelheid's special attack. But Chris somewhat doesn't seem the worse for wear. He then spins upside down in mid-air, so his feet slam into the ceiling. Granted, the whole ordeal doesn't seem like the best experience of his young life, and it wasn't. But Chris seems to be doing strangely alright despite it.

Meanwhile Shermie is trying to get another move going while Chris hits that ceiling with force, thankfully with his feet. He uses that momentum to push himself from the ceiling wall. It allows him to do a sudden rapid dive kick out of it, heel first toward his opponent, at quite the high speed, with gravity kicking in again. During the fall, he says. "You probably wonder, 'how did that happen?' That's CYS for you!" But to be fair, he also wondered. That one is nothing short of a miracle and doesn't give justice to how strong of a move and Adelheid himself are.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid instinctively dodges Shermie's Shermie Flash Original.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Chris            0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0         Adelheid
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Chris' Gliding Stomp EX.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chris            0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0         Adelheid
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/--=====|

[ADELHEID]
Chris evades Adelheid, Adelheid evades Shermie; there would be balance to the strange, strange engagement if not for the nigh-constant hammering the former provides to the Prince of War.

In the wake of their impressive defenses-- both Chris' continued alacrity and Shermie's formidable efforts to deflect and limit the massive wave's impact-- it may, in fact, be effectively 'done'. Who knew Duck and Cover -was- such a valid methodology to preserve one's life and limb? If victory and glory were the goal of the bout, it might indeed be time to tap out. But the point isn't the win-- it is in the exercise. In pushing his own skills as far as Adelheid possibly can. How could it have happened?

"Any bout between fighters of sufficient skill is like that storm--" Adelheid asserts, even as his own hips lithely shift -away- from Shermie's checking curves, a sidelong lunge bringing him down on braced footing to send perfectly aligned, crossed arms upwards. Chris kicks into this resilient, flexing guard with ample footing to kick off the bruising impact. "-- Shifting sharply, violently, in any direction at any moment. Even the best can be suddenly carried away."

Despite that rebuttal, there's little defensive consternation. Adel is -not- the best. ... but he has ambitions on one day attaining just such a tiering. So the Prince of War does not tap out, does not acknowledge what seems obvious-- instead he /launches/ forward with the remaining reverberations of his own inner chi, even after expending so very much at once.

One gauntlet-reinforced hand seeks to clasp Shermie by throat or dress as he rockets towards and then /past/ her. The intention is to bring her along for the ride, that ride being an abrupt, punishing acceleration towards the far wall, with the intent of slamming her bodily into the ship's hull with both bracing arms, and consume her head to foot in a sudden, roaring whirlwind of silvery windshear.

COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Shermie with G. Drucken.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Chris            0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0         Adelheid
[                        \\\\\\  <
Shermie          1/-----==/=======|

[SHERMIE]
If Adeleheid had decided to tap out, then Shermie would have been dissapointed. Despite the fact things aren't going her way in the fight, she's still having a great deal of fun and as far as she's concerned, that's the most important thing.

"I'm going to need to make you some new clothes" she calls to Chris, giggling at the state of his attire.

The blonde boy's words are met with bemusement, seeming so serious to the siren, but not as serious as him grabbing her by the throat.

His swiftness sees her swept along at speed, before being sent to smash into the wall. The roaring whirlwind takes hold of her and as she struggles against it, she can feel her stamina and strength starting to diminish.

She's still, for what seems slightly too long. Is the redhead ready to retire from the combat? It seems not, as she's soon rising to her feet, battered, bloody and bruised but determined to do her best for the CS team.

Prowling towards the Bernstein battle, she gives him a brilliant flash of a smile, before striking a pose and purring "You won't run away from me!"

Propelling herself forwards, she plants a hand on his head and drops behind him. She's looking to lock her arms around his waist from behind and drop him backwards, suplexing him into the ground, head and shoulders first.

From here, she'd keep hold of him, before starting to count like in a boxing or wrestling match.

"One, two, three!"

[CHRIS]
Chris kick hits, but what he does is not a clean hit. It's a block. Adelheid shows his skill as well. As the two collide that way, a piece of his damaged shirt falls to the ground, baring his left arm fully and a part of his left chest. The first casualty of this fight is Chris' clothes. "Definitely, if you please." He grins in answer to Shermie's words.

After that, Adelheid's attack goes so quickly, Chris can only watch it happening. He is unable to assist the sexy and talented woman of the group. She gets slammed into the wall, and Chris winces for her. "Come on Shermie! Get up!" He's worried for her, but she indeed gets up for more. She might not be doing so great, but she's not out of the count. She even starts attacking again, and it makes him smile.

Then it's time for him to join the fray again. He runs toward them. A bit of his right leg gets uncovered, as a piece of his pants gives away as he runs. "What a storm you are, Adelheid. It's a delight to fight you."

When he's close enough, he joins in an attack, spinning his whole body, doing a double-handed backfist toward Adelheid. Aiming based on the result of Shermie's attacks.

COMBATSYS: Shermie successfully hits Adelheid with Shermie Flash.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Chris            0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0         Adelheid
[                        \\\\\\  <
Shermie          0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Adelheid fails to interrupt Spinning Array from Chris with G. Kicken.
- Power fail! -

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Shermie          0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0            Chris

COMBATSYS: Adelheid can no longer fight.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Shermie          0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0            Chris

[ADELHEID]
When it counts, down to the proverbial buzzer, Shermie finds her target properly, at last. Adelheid does not try to run-- but he certainly goes for the dodge, weaving sidelong as Shermie vaults over his head... and drops into his path. For an instant, it is almost like the Prince of War leaps into her arms.

Then, she suplexes him into the deck, crushing head and shoulders harshly into the resilient surface. Adelheid twists, muscles tighten, he demands control of his own momentum anew-- and in a moment, he would likely have it. In that instant, his aura flares anew, the young prodigy evoking Captain America can-do-this-all-day gifs galore, if this bout were properly livecast.

Before Adel can break free, before he can blast that coalescing confluence outward into his second attacker, Chris arrives. The twin fists crash down on Adel as he pushes upward once more, and drop him suddenly, sharply, right back to the deck, face-down this time. "Heh--" the chuckle is terse, strained. Adelheid -hurts-. "Impressive, both of you..." The politesse comes muffled, slightly, by the fact that Adel's vision is still locked fully on the ground.

After a failed effort to rise, he instead flops over onto his back, blinking up at the ceiling before he manages to focus on Chris, then Shermie. "Thank you for humouring me; it was indeed my pleasure. Truly, your stars are rising indeed." That, or a tragic Behind the Music in ten years, one supposes. Fates and fortunes flow fickle along the dangerous paths they walk, both by choice... and by the heriditary causality that masquerades as destiny.

[SHERMIE]
As the Swedish singer continues to strip, Shermie gasps "Chrissy, this is not appropriate behaviour! Please stop flashing your flesh, we are meant to be fighting!"

There's a definite hint of teasing in her tone, since she's fully aware that disrobing was not the teen's own decision. Besides he's a superb supporter, encouraging the ruffled redhead to not give up.

As Chris continues his assault of Adelheid, his attack combines with her own combat skill to finish off the pretty prince. At least for this battle.

She takes his compliment with grace, bowing her head and causing her blunt bangs to bounce in the process.

"You are impressive yourself. Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future."

Padding over to her cohort in combat and music, she offers the brown haired boy a hand, teamed with a radiant smile.

"Nice work! It's a shame Yashiro had to miss out on the party. I think I'll go find him and let him know the result. Perhaps he will be in the mood to watch some French films with me."

With that she's wandering off, turning back only to wave and blow kisses at the two brave boys who she has danced with upon the deck.

COMBATSYS: Shermie takes no action.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Shermie          0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0            Chris

COMBATSYS: Shermie has left the fight here.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Chris            0/-------/=======|

[CHRIS]
And there we go. Shermie did strike Adelheid at the best possible moment. At the time when one day they can say. "When it was time to end the fight, we did it together!" Chris's blow just after Shermie finishes things up, it seems. After that move, Chris finishes up with a pose. It is at that moment the shirt is also done with this fight. The remaining pieces fall on the ground. At least the pants still held on, and he had boxers under, so there were no bits that shouldn't be out.

"I am sorry Shermie!"

Then he looks at Adelheid.

"Thank you for this fight. You made me push myself like never before. Let me see what I can do and the potential. Also, a mix of luck. I will admit that. You are a dangerous adversary."

He would have helped him up, but Shermie was already handling it. He didn't want to make him feel invalid or something. So he just smiled.

"Yeah, shame Yashiro wasn't there. We handled it very well without him, though. With him there, it would have been too much and unfair. Now, if you will excuse me, I will go and take care of this wardrobe malfunction."

And with that, he leaves too, feeling on top of the world.

COMBATSYS: Chris has ended the fight here.

Log created on 14:00:27 06/21/2022 by Adelheid, and last modified on 07:43:24 06/27/2022.