Description: Cammy and Vega battle Athena and Kyo on a beach, except Athena proves a bit too difficult for the Shadow Law team. (Winners: ESAKA Team)
A blue sky. Miles of seemingly pristine white shore, the smell of surf on the wind, and a light, cooling breeze to tousle clothes and capes. Beaches were a rare commodity in Japan, and it was hard, and expensive to acquire a private one... but for a event like the King of Fighters Tournament... certain allowances could be made. Cameras and crewmen of all kinds ringed a large section of the beach, the crowd of spectators kept away from the action by a waist-high fence, and a good-sized cadre of security guards. They needed them, too. While those on the Shadow Law team weren't widely popular, those on the ESAKA Team, -especially- Athena, were.
Stepping up to the edge of the fighting area, with her oversized crimson trenchcoat flapping in the breeze, was one of the members of the Shadow Law team, a certain Cammy White. With arms held flat against her sides, the girl stiffens her posture, turning her head left to sweep her brilliantly blue eyes over the crowd, eyes narrowing at the... excited noise they were creating, that disrupted the tranquility of the beach... before her face, and eyes swing forward, the girl watching for the arrival of the opposing team, her expression a calm mask.
Along with the Shadow Law team one of the fighters for now looks to be on reserve. With some of ESAKA being late it means that the most inexperienced of the Shadaloo personel will not be fighting this evening. Instead Gunther stands off by himself not really dressed as his usual self to at least seem a bit disguised since he tries not to let people know of his association with Vega. The large German is wearing a large White Tiger fur coat that brushes over the ground while the long sleeves end at his wrists. The coat is left open to show that he is wearing a mesh top and snake skin slacks under it along with shark skin boots. What is this guy? The anti-PETA? Shades rest on his nose and a glove rests over the metal hand and clutches the end of a cane that he puts his weight on while casually watching the fighters making their entrance.
Similarly stoic is the Zero Doll's lord and master, preferring to stand in the Shadow Law corner of the arena rather than sit. Massive in size, impressive in stature, Lord Vega is adorned in his usual raiment: the deep grey cloak wrapped completely around his body, doing nothing to hide his mass. His cap is, as always, set atop his head and pristine, perfectly centered, casting a small shadow across his eyes and the bridge of his nose, doing a fine job of hiding his lack of pupils from all but the constantly-shifting and zooming television cameras. The only markings upon him is the winged skull on his cap, everything else, save for the tips of his boots, hidden beneath the wisping fabric.
He says nothing to Cammy, having already relayed his orders, which, for once, were irritatingly simple: crush Athena. It's not that he's afraid of the young upstart..he just knows to fight fire with fire. Occasionally, he looks around the crowd, almost as if searching for something. As his gaze alights upon Gunther, he emits a small snort, genuinely amused by the man's attire.
Kyo Kusanagi stands with the first-ever female member of the legendary "Shinjuku" team, the geniuses of Japanese fighting known as ESAKA Team. He has his back to the opposing team for now, taking in his surroundings with an occasional smirk played towards the massive crowds as well as the dozens of television cameras beaming out this fight all over the world. "Hey, don't take too long." He tells Athena with his singular cockiness. With that he shoves his hands into his black uniform pants and walks to the edge of the designated fighting area, turning to peer all the way over at "Lord" Vega.
Athena walks up, smiling and waving to the fans that had snuck up to the front row and nearby dunes. As she sees Cammy, though, her smile slowly starts to fade. "... you?", she says, a frown creasing her lips. "You work for... why?", she says, putting a hand to her chest. "It doesn't have to be like this, you know.", she then concludes, smoothly sliding into her fighting stance. As usual, she's gotten a new outfit for a this tournament... a bit more casual, though any pretense of showing off has faded for the moment. Instead, it's replaced with a quiet glare at this new revelation.
A slow breath in, then out, and then Cammy fixes her stare across the way upon Athena.
As she steps from the edge of the arena, a few meters into the area intended for fight, the Zero Doll lifts one of her sleeves in front of herself, the cloth of the coat sliding away to reveal a gauntleted hand. Taking a handful of the front of the cloak, Cammy begins yanking it upwards, slipping her arm out of the opposite sleeve as she pulls the garment over her head. Snapping it to one side after her head was clear, Cammy flings the garment away from herself, the slightly heavy material going a little ways before it settles into the sand, the fur sewn into the hood gathering sand as it rustles a bit in the ocean breeze.
Of course, with the coat gone, that reveals Cammy in her full uniform, little blue cap and all. Settling her stance slightly wider than her shoulders, Cammy shows no sign of listening, or replying to Athena's plea, as she smiles thinly, lifting her right fist to the side of her throat, thumb extended. Slowly, Cammy draws that fingernail across her throat as she attempts to stare directly into Athena's eyes, the smile on her lips turning into a bit of a smirk. Hopefully, the meaning was clear.
COMBATSYS: Cammy focuses on her next action.
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Cammy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena sighs, and then says, "... if that's the way it is, I'm not holding back!" Though Kyo would have her hide if she did, she's at least sure of that. Focusing on her energy, she builds up a glow her hands... and then presses her hands out, gathering the energy into a sphere and firing it off. Odder, though, is her lack of a vocal cry to indicate the ever-familiar Psycho Ball she launches, though. A stylistic change? Or is she taking this more seriously than even it appears? Hard to say, but... the intent of the powerful projectile is clear enough.
COMBATSYS: Cammy dodges Athena's Psycho Ball.
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Cammy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
At the beginning of the glow, Cammy hunkers down a bit, tightening her stance as she holds her clenched fists before herself. The smirk disappears in that same instant, a determined look settling on the Killer Bee's features. And the instant the sphere was in flight? Cammy was moving. With a small leap towards the projectile, at first, Cammy then slips to one side and ducks down with a sliding step that kicks up a cloud of sand, the Psycho Ball traveling harmlessly past her.
Two can play at that game.
Straightening in a flash, the Doll straightens up, holding her arms out to her sides as she begins a rapid sprint towards Athena. And when she closes within a certain distance, the Doll leaps up into the air with a diagonal sort of jump, pulling her left leg out of the way as she inverts herself mid-air, her right foot aimed for Athena's face. What makes the jump kick just a bit more or less deadly, was the sparking blue fires of Psycho Energy that surround it moments before the hoped-for impact.
COMBATSYS: Cammy successfully hits Athena with Cannon Spike.
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Cammy 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena gets blown back, before turning her momentum into a backwards leap. As she goes back, she tucks into a ball, and her motion suddenly reverses as if she were on a rubber band. A glow suffuses her as she comes down, trying to batter into Cammy before she has a chance to recover... using her speed as best she can to her advantage. Here's hoping Cammy's speed can't keep up.
COMBATSYS: Cammy counters Phoenix Arrow from Athena with Cannon Revenge.
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Cammy 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Unfortunately for the pop star, Cammy's speed, at least for now, was adequate to the task. Recovering from her Cannon Spike with a backflip to land in a crouch, Cammy lifts her eyes to spot the oncoming Athena. But her expression was different. Where at first, there was a expression of determination, no trace of emotion at all graced the eyes or expression of the Zero Doll. Hopping upwards in a perfectly timed leap, as Athena descends, Cammy spins around in mid-air, extending her arms in front of herself and interlacing her fingers together, to deliver a hard punch to the side of Athena's shoulder, knocking her to the side, and away from Cammy before she hits the ground. Landing on her feet soon after, Cammy then orients herself in the direction she knocked Athena, snapping her fists up before hserself once again.
Athena gets knocked back, tumbling through the sand before landing on her feet... and looks surprised. She didn't expect Cammy to so efficiently deal with her attacks... and so she's obviously going to have to rethink this. Narrowing her eyes, she gets back into her fighting stance, and dashes up towards Cammy. Coming forward with a swift punch, she then quickly follows up with an open-handed slap. It's not a power attack, but she hopes to reverse the momentum of the match. "I don't know why you're working with him, but... he's not your friend!"
COMBATSYS: Cammy endures Athena's Jab Punch.
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Cammy 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The exchange between Athena and Cammy is regarded with a steadily-growing grin. Poor Athena, girl of light, a bastion of kindness and sensitivity..seeing her distraught about his favored assassin's situation is disgustingly rewarding. His big arms shift under that cloak, his perfect stance of attention barely shifted. Briefly, he looks over to Kyo, doing nothing to hide the smug expression on his face. Apparently, this punk will be the one looking to topple him, and if the rumors hold any merit..well. This will be interesting. Kusanagi are a special bunch.
And Cammy stands, swaying rapidly from side to side, fists held before herself, and her blank eyes staring across at Athena. And when the punch comes in... Cammy twitches subconciously, but makes no effort to avoid the move, the punch to her jaw rocking her head backwards somewhat, and the following sharp slap across her face seemingly doing no good at all, other than a faint colouration in the girl's cheek. But because she did not move, she was that much closer to Athena, and her next attack would be that much harder to dodge.
First, one of Cammy's feet would lash out towards the side of Athena's knee, the strike somewhat light... but hopefully enough to stagger the girl. Stagger her enough for a short hop upwards, Cammy spreading her legs apart before attempting to clamp them against Athena's head, the young Doll crosses her arms over her chest, and flinging herself backwards, hoping to bring the pop idol along with her to bash the top of her head in the sand behind, performing a follow-up Frankensteiner upon Athena. That was the plan, at least.
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Cammy's Hooligan Combination.
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Cammy 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena fends the strike off, blocking with her arms. "You're just a tool to him...", she continues, smiling a little as Cammy bounces off of her rather than getting her in a good grip. "Psycho Power, huh? Well, then it's time that you got a real lesson in how it works!", she adds, finally trying her hand at that 'trash-talk' asked of her by her team. She slams out both hands, and there's a shockwave along the sand as her power crackles forth, forming into a much larger sphere... and trying to catch Cammy relatively point-blank, she fires off the attack. In its wake, sand is blown to either side as he more massive projectile heads towards the doll, as she goes all the way in unleashing her psychic abilities.
COMBATSYS: Cammy dodges Athena's Psycho Shoot.
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Cammy 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The taunting falls on the deaf ears of the Doll, her expression unchanging as she stares blankly towards Athena. At least, until the shockwave emanating from the sphere buffets the Doll, forcing her to take a involuntary step backwards. Bending her knees somewhat, Cammy then launches herself up into the air, and a little to the side, the point blank shot blackening the leather of Cammy's boots that she wore as it screams by her. And then, for some reason or another, Cammy decides to try to put a bit of distance between herself, and Athena, with a backwards series of hops.
The intention was to bring her that much closer to a hunk of driftwood she had seen on the ground. Ending her final hop in a crouch, Cammy snatches out a hand towards the heavy-looking stick, freeing it from the sand. And with that done, Cammy draws her arm back, before flinging the object towards Athena's shoulder with all her strength, hopefully smashing into the other girl's body.
COMBATSYS: Athena overcomes Thrown Object from Cammy with Psycho Ball.
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Cammy 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena watches at the stick comes towards her, and she then crosses her arm over arm, quickly firing off another ball at Cammy without hesitation. The stick is blown to splinters, and Athena goes back to her fighting stance. She smiles, and says, "It's going to take more than a crude tool to beat me..." A bit of a double meaning there. "... because I actually have a reason to fight!"
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Cammy with Psycho Ball.
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Cammy 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Certainly an interesting battle so far. This Athena girl apparently seems to be just as skilled as Vega's favorite doll. The German tilts his head to the side while the shades slide down on his nose some and he peers over them to carefully watch the fight. The metal hand lightly clenches and unclenches on the handle of the cane. Gunther does not cheer though, he honestly doesn't care what side will win this one, but at least he will not have to deal with an outraged Vega if Shadaloo managed to win. A loss means Gunther's survival rate might go down significantly....and god damn why does this tiger fur have to be so hot.
Without even widening her eyes, Cammy takes note of the ball of energy destroying her makeshift projectile, and calmly begins to bring her arms up, and brace herself for the incoming blow... a second too late. The ball slams into the doll, rocking her slight form as her arms complete the motion belatedly, crossing her arms before herself as the energy from the ball knocks Cammy to the sand below. Where she stays for all of a few seconds. Leaping back to her feet, Cammy sprints a little ways towards Athena... but then pauses, lifting up her arms in a wary sort of guard, as she begins to circle with slow, fluid steps around her opponent, blank eyes directed towards the other psion's face. If the taunts were penetrating the mind beneath the emotionless mask, Cammy showed no signs of it.
COMBATSYS: Cammy focuses on her next action.
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Cammy 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Terry has disconnected.
Athena snaps her fingers, and turns to Cammy, bringin up her arms again... to cross once more as she repeats the attack. After all, she knows better than to walk into another counterassault, but she also knows that standing around and waiting for Cammy to attack is a poor idea at best. The psycho energy lights up the beach with a flash, as Athena stops for a moment, holding up one arm folded over her with that cheery smile. Her ready confidence is there, as she plays the match smart rather than spirited.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Cammy with Psycho Ball.
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Cammy 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
And again, a flash of Psycho Energy slams into the Doll as she attempts to twitch out of the way, the Doll spinning slowly in midair as she falls flat unto her back, blank eyes staring up at the clear sky for a moment as she recovers her wits. But after that moment passes, she was in motion again. Tucking up into a ball, Cammy rolls rapidly in Athena's direction, closing the distance in a heartbeat... and when she nears Athena... she bursts out of her roll in a directly vertical, spiraling jump, the soles of her boots pointed towards the sky. Hopefully, she would catch the underside of Athena's chin with that jump. That initial impact would happen mere moments before gouts of psycho-powered flames erupt from Cammy's feet, licking nearly all the way up to her kneecaps, the Doll intending to bathe Athena in the energy, along with the kick.
COMBATSYS: Cammy successfully hits Athena with Reverse Shaft Breaker.
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Cammy 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena almost recovers in time, hopping back, but it's not enough as Cammy follows up, blowing Athena into the air. The former Psycho Solider lands hard in the sand, but then kippups back onto her feet. She then leaps up, sprining forward in an instant. Raising her arms over her head, she kicks out in a simple jump kick, though the speed of her jump makes it a bit more intimidating than most. Trying to catch Cammy with her low-cut sneaker, she kiais a simple, "Yah!", apparently now trying to match Cammy close-in once again.
COMBATSYS: Cammy blocks Athena's Light Kick.
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Cammy 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The jump kick was executed well. Very well, in fact. Realizing that she had little to no hope of moving out of the way in time, instinct, and lightning fast reflexes send one of Cammy's armored forearms up, intercepting the blow on a surprisingly solid forearm. By the look on the Doll's face, one would think it didn't hurt at all, but there was the faint sensation of pain lancing through her forearm, and a few hairline cracks forming in the armoured gauntlet, the force of the kick sending Cammy back a step or two, as well.
But then came time for the Doll's counter attack. Crouching down, before again leaping up in a diagonal leap towards Athena's face, Cammy inverts herself in a half second during her flight, extending her right foot to hopefully smack Athena's face, as she pulls her left out of the way, another flare of Cammy's dark blue Psycho Energy encasing her foot, from the tips of her toes, to midway up her shin. Just enough to add a bit of sting to the blow.
COMBATSYS: Cammy successfully hits Athena with Cannon Spike.
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Cammy 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Taking, Athena tucks under, rolling as she hits the ground. As she springs up again, she shakes sand loose momentarily, and then relaxes into her fighting stance again. She knows she can't 'read' Cammy, but at the same time, many her more mechanical reactions can be used against her. She stares hard, looking for a pattern... a flaw in the system she can exploit. As she does so, the sand around her shifts, responding to her building power... as she waits to see what her opponent does next.
COMBATSYS: Athena focuses on her next action.
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Cammy 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Chen has dropped a connection.
Recovering from the Cannon Spike with the same sort of flip Cammy used before, the Zero Doll lands in a crouch, the sole of her shoes digging into the sand as the breeze picks up a bit, lightly tousling her pigtails about. Somehow, someway... she still had her little blue cap on. Staring up at Athena, Cammy slowly rises to her feet, almost warily. Almost.
Suddenly lunging forward, Cammy steps to the side, and brings her foot off of the ground, particles of sand drifting from the sole of her shoes, and her shins, as she attempts to bring her foot in a solid kick aimed directly at Athena's face.
COMBATSYS: Cammy successfully hits Athena with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Cammy 0/-------/----===|=======\======-\1 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena gets nailed, her head whipping back as she nearly falls back over again. But then, she suddenly plants her feet, and says, "Hahhhhhhhh!", as sand suddenly ripples away in all directions, and she presses her arms to her sides as she unleashes a storm of power at Cammy. Two spheres rapidly orbit her, flashing with a bright light as she unleashes her ultimate attack on Cammy, hoping that even she's not fast enough to evade... as they whip out in wider and wider circles, sending sand away in thick sheets.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Cammy with Shining Crystal Bit.
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Cammy 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
A storm of sand, and a flare of energy that Cammy more felt, than saw. Glancing in all forward directions rapidly, Cammy doesn't see the growing sphere of power, until... it was too late to dodge, really. Trying anyway, Cammy bends her knees, attempting to leap over the ball of Psycho Power... but really, it was too little, too late, and the Doll is engulfed in the ball. Another explosion occurs, sending another hail of sand and grit in all directions.
It takes a few long moments for the air to clear, and when it does... the Doll is in far, far worse shape than a few moments earlier. Shakily rising to her feet, Cammy's body hunches forward somewhat for a few moments, her wide-open mouth gasping breaths... breaths that begin to slow as her mind begins to regulate the pace of her breathing, the Doll lifting her still-blank expression up to Athena... before she begins to -run- in Athena's direction. It wasn't as rapid as her dashes before, but it would likely take someone -highly- observant to take note of that little detail.
And when the Doll comes to a decent distance of Athena, she throws herself forward, tucking herself into a ball midair. Landing on the ground in that ball, Cammy rapidly rolls in Athena's direction, waiting until the opprotune moment... and there.
Lashing out of her roll with a upwards, spiraling feet-to-the-sky vertical kick, Cammy hopes to be near enough to Athena to catch her with the same move she caught her with before. A kick under her chin, before blue flames of Pyscho Power erupt from the girl's legs, hopefully engulfing Athena in her Psycho Power, much like the other psion had done to her.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Cammy's Reverse Shaft Breaker.
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Cammy 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena watches Cammy close in, seemingly about to get drummed into defeat, and then... in a flash of energy, she vanishes... Cammy striking the afterimage left behind. Athena reappears near the surf. As the water washes near her feet, she clasps her hands together, bowing her head... and then throws her arms to her sides as psycho power flows through her visibly to ease her wounds. The water sparkles and shimmers around her, and she looks up to Cammy. "I'll ask you one more time before this is over... why?"
Like before, Cammy doesn't answer Athena's question. Still inverted from her missed move, Cammy twists her face to the side to glance towards Athena, the Doll hanging somewhat in the air at the apex of her flight. Or perhaps Cammy does answer, just not in the manner Athena would've liked. Twisting about mid-air to land in the soft sand of the beach with one knee, Cammy twists towards Athena again, and yet again, begins to sprint towards the young woman, her pigtails fluttering about in the air behind her.
The observation made by Athena would perhaps be confirmed, as well. Or perhaps Cammy just didn't have a wide arsenal of moves that lended themselves to this particular situation. But in any case... Cammy again approaches the ex-Psycho Soldier, leaping up into the air and inverting herself once again, lashing out her right foot towards Athena's face, and tucking her left to her chest, more of Cammy's Psycho Energy encasing her foot.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Athena with Healing Aura.
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Cammy 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Cammy's Cannon Spike.
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Cammy 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena raises her hands, blocking the attack... and then suddenly, as the water washes in, she hops forward, thrusting her knee out, and as the sound of a wave crashes, she calls out, "Hah!", kicking out with her opposite leg at lightning speed. Using her kung fu, she hopes to catch Cammy off guard with the sudden change in tactics... and bring this closwer to a conclusion.
COMBATSYS: Cammy blocks Athena's Renkantai.
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Cammy 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The change in tactic's did catch Cammy off guard. Slipping out of the way of the oncoming knee, Cammy moves herself perfectly into the path of the kick. Almost. Catching the manuever in the very edge of her vision, Cammy then bends her knees, falling into a crouch, moving out of the way. Moving. The kick catches a glancing blow along the top of Cammy's head, giving her a semi-solid knock there that rocks her head a bit to one side, as well as... knocking her little blue cap off of her head. Rising from her crouch, hopefully at the same moment Athena lands, Cammy swings her arm back in a backhanded strike, hoping to drive her knuckles into the back of Athena's head.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Cammy's Cannon Revenge.
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Cammy 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena blurs, leaping back and flipping over as she lands in a crouch. She stands up straight, focusing on her power once more to get her body focused and balanced once more... her hair flowing upward with the glowing suffusion of power. Given how surprisingly even the match has been, she hopes to outlast Vega's favorite long enough to turn the tide. No pun intended.
And off by the side of the ring, Vega spits. His hearty glob of saliva smacks against the sand, rolling a bit with the impact, quickly covered by sand. It disgusts him, seeing Psycho Power used this way. Healing...tch. Ridiculous. Even now, he can't seem to stand the concept of Psycho Power being used as a helpful tool, instead of its intended purpose of rampant destruction. Cammy, if no one else, should be able to pick up on her master's darkened emotions, though outwardly, he looks no less friendly than he ever did.
And Athena just may, if this keeps up. Moving towards Athena in a series of zig-zagging hops, Cammy kicks up sand with each jump, as she interlaces her fingers together, and swings a double-fisted punch at Athena's jaw. The... dark mood of her Lord was like pressure in the back of her mind, and normally, such things would worry her... if they could, at the moment.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Athena with Healing Aura.
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Cammy 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Cammy's Fierce Punch.
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Cammy 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Not that you really need to have psycho power to know when Vega isn't a happy camper. The German refuses to believe that his boss could ever show any positive emotions. Maybe he stores them in the chin and that is why it seems to get bigger all the time. Gunther lets out a light tch and he rolls the cane over into the other hand to lean on it lightly with coat lightly flapping about in the light breeze. Both girls are still up and it seems both Kyo and Vega still have a bit of a waiting time before they get a chance to fight.
Athena sways to the side, the strike blowing through her flowing hair. "Someday, maybe you'll discover the real secret of Psycho Power. For what it's worth... I'm sorry you're mixed up in this..", she says, before suddenly throwing out a quick punch at Cammy's chest, following it up with a quick spin kick in a rapid combination.
COMBATSYS: Cammy fails to counter Light Kick from Athena with Cannon Revenge.
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Cammy 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Athena
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The fight had been going on a bit too long, and the normally bouncy Doll was running out of energy. This was evident in the fact that when Cammy steps back away from the punch... and she begins lifting a forearm to intercept the kick... when the kick just blazes through her defenses, striking her in the chest. The Doll staggers, and lifts her blank eyes to look at Athena as she begins to recover, giving the ex-Psycho Soldier enough time to attack again, should she desire.
Athena steps in on Cammy, and throws out a simple straight punch as she leans forward into the blow. She's looking surprisingly hale and hearty at this point. Though tired... most of her injuries aren't as crippling, and so she reverts to her basic forms to try and finish this prolonged battle, remembering the very basic lessons she first took to heart as a fighter.
COMBATSYS: Cammy dodges Athena's Medium Punch.
[ \\ < > ////////// ]
Cammy 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Athena
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Whether or not Cammy wanted to give up... she simply could not at this point. In contrast to Athena, the Doll was visibly ragged and unsteady, her breaths coming to her heavier and heavier by the second. So when the punch comes in, Cammy does what seemed the most opprotune thing, at the time. Bend her knees, and squat deeply, allowing the punch to whiff by harmlessly overhead. But was she going to allow Megumi the time to capitalize on her open state? No.
Twisting around, and launching herself upwards, Cammy twists around, and snaps a kick at the underside of Athena's chin, another flare of Psycho Power following her foot. Hopefully, it would not only impact the pop idol, but knock her away from herself, giving Cammy a bit of time.
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Cammy's Cannon Spike.
[ \ < > ///////// ]
Cammy 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Athena
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena is knocked back, but her arms shield her, taking the blow. Singed, Athena then hops up, leaping over Cammy. Then, she pivots a little, turning as she lashees out with a 'crossup' kick... hoping that the young girl is too tired to react properly to the unconventional assault. But given the drop in her Psycho Power, it's likely Athena's spent at thist point, hanging on mainly through force of will rather than relying on her inner divinity.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Cammy with Light Kick.
[ < > ///////// ]
Cammy 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Athena
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
And indeed, Cammy was. The kick lashes against her, sending her back a step... and as the Doll just stands there, it seems like the very life was beginning to drain from her, a certain distant look entering her blank eyes. But as if compelled by a external force, Cammy straightens, and leaps a fairly good jump in the air, extending one foot as she spins around... hoping to level a well-telegraphed, flying roundhouse kick into the side of Athena's face, hopefully knocking the girl back into the surf. Hopefully.
COMBATSYS: Cammy can no longer fight.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Cammy's Strong Kick.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena turns around, simultaneously matching Cammy's roundhouse. The legs impact against each other with the crashing of a wave... and when it freezes, it looks like her blow struck true... while her tilted head is but a half-inch away from Cammy's striking zone. She says, "I know I'm supposed to trash-talk, but... I'm still just sorry." She bows as the other fighter falls, But then, she collapses to her knees, kneeling properly for a moment as she lets out a deep breath, recovering. She then looks over to Vega, narrowing her eyes. She speaks up, her tone tired but determined, "I'm tired of you sending people after me and those I care for. Time to stop hiding behind your cape."
COMBATSYS: Athena takes a breather.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Athena takes no action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Kyo seems to take a more active interest in the fight now that Cammy's been taken out. He's never actually seen Vega fight before, but has heard plenty about him, from both Athena-chan and others. He can't be sure as to how much Cammy was able to wear down Athena, but he gets the feeling he'll be forced to enter the fight eventually, so he's gonna try to get a feel for Vega's moves first. "Let's see what this guy has..." he murmurs to himself.
"...just sorry."
Those last two words sorta seep through Cammy's mind as the final strike causes her to fall to the ground, her fingers twitching as every urge in her body tried to compel her to attack Athena. But alas, that was not to be. Going limp on the ground, Cammy twists her head to the side, her blank eyes glancing in the general direction of the Shadow Law side. Slowly moving to her hands and knee, Cammy crawls a few slow, pained looking steps in that direction, before rising to her feet once again, no limp in the girls stance... but it was unsteady. And Cammy seemed to be taking things slowly.
"Hah!" The answer doesn't sound as joyous as it is..mm..mocking. Yes, mocking is a fine description for his tone, a quite common sound and perfectly fitting for the cloaked overlord. He starts walking toward the 'starting' point, his grin still present and as smug as ever, though his jaw shifts with the gritting of his teeth behind those lips. "Take her back to the labs," he commands, without even looking back toward Gunther. The man should know, and if he doesn't, he obviously hasn't been trained well enough. That, or beaten enough. The Zero Doll is given only a passing look, not COMPLETELY displeased with her performance, but not entirely thrilled, either. After all, Athena is still standing. "I don't /hide/ from anyone, my petulant maiden," he says, digging his boots into the sand as he stops. "Least of all from some misempowered upstart."
That cloak is still wrapped around him, tightly at that; it clings to his arms and pauldrons beneath, stuck to his leg as the cool breeze from the ocean tugs at the fabric's edges. It's enough that the girl is 'tired' of anything; he can be content with that, for the time being.
After the allotted time for Athena's break has passed, the referee returns. He doesn't seem terribly thrilled to come close, and the idol should feel the pressure of maliciousness more acutely than anyone. Still, the match is called to start. The ref's hand is barely down before the Shadaloo lord whisks past, little more than a blotch of grey as he tucks head head down, flipping end over end. What meager light there may be gleams off of his as of yet-untarnished shinguards, boots flinging out as he brings one, then the other down toward miss Asamiya's head.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Double Knee Press.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
"So the doll was defeated..." the German muses to himself. Oddly enough he doesn't sound too displeased. He is more interested in seeing what Vega will do next. Athena seems to be alot better than he had expected and there is still the Kusanagi boy. Things don't seem like they will be easy for the Shadaloo leader tonight. Gunther of course has no problem with this. All he is here for is to observe and to call in the backup in case things start to look bad for the home team.
Still, the thought of failure hung heavy in Cammy's mind, the shuffling her way over towards her side, the girl sorta falling down into a haphazard sit, upon her arrival at the sidelines. Breathing heavily, she lifts her gaze up towards Gunther, and just stares at his head, blinking the occasional slow blink.
Athena hops back out of the way of the first kick, then again as she evades the other. "Is that why you haven't shown your face since you lost?", she says, mocking in return. "I mainly just saw the back of your head when you ran away, anyway.", Regaining her stance, she then ducks down, slamming out both hands as she lashes out at Vega's legs, hoping to knock him a bit off-balance.
COMBATSYS: Vega fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Athena with Double Knee Press.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Still, that grin remains. "I've had more important things to do than playing with children."
Of course..it doesn't sound quiet as good when Athena comes in. His intention was to flip over her, letting the punch collide with little but air, leaving her open for a well-deserved double round of kicks to her back. ..Unfortunately, she's too quick. Faster than he really remembers her, the fist collides with his thigh, a solid strike, sending him head over heels far faster than he meant, unnaturally so. Still, it's nothing unrecoverable, and the Psycho master lands behind the young girl, boots sinking deep into the same with his back turned to her. She can hear a slight snarl, but little more.
As always, hit cloak remains irritatingly closed.
Athena looks over her shoulder at Vega. "You don't understand... I've been training with my power for a long time..." She spins about, crossing arm over arm as she focuses on her power, the energy in her hands becoming a ball of psychic force... which she fires off at Vega, once again eschewing the actual attack name. "... to defeat you!"
COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Athena's Psycho Ball.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Though Vega's back may be turned, his attention, and guard, are certainly not.
"Hmph.." He stands up straight as she speaks, back still to her, apprently not even caring to turn around. Even as Athena crosses her arms, amassing that swell of reddish power, he merely turns his head, facing more to the side than back toward her. The shot is released, and at such a close distance, it would surely be hard to avoid such a thing. That's why..he doesn't. At least, he doesn't dodge. The ball seems to connect, going..through the cold ruler. His shape shimmers upon the impact, dissipating in a shimmer of violet features. Almost immediately, the man's highlights appear right next to miss Asamiya, an arm already reaching out for her throat as is it solidifies, regaining its color and mass with the rest of his body.
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Vega's Deadly Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena is caught by the throw, and but her feet lash out, kicking herself free of the grab. She lands, and smiles. "I'm not going to win this fight, but when Kyo-kun has his turn... you're going to wish I had." She reaches out for the cape, hoping to grab it... so she can yank Vega off his feet and fling him to her side. One of the perils of supervillain style, really.
COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Athena's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Perils.. Perils.. There really doesn't seem to be much of a downside to Lord Vega's attire, aside from overconfident children seeming to want to latch onto it.
"I sincerely hope so," he answers, actually agreeing, his lips again turning into that usual sneer. Athena may grip he, she may pull..but it's not nearly enough to topple the giant. His large leg moves out, stopping his momentum..at least, in the falling sense. His body turns with the 'landing', left leg rising up, the gleam of metal again present as his kicks toward Athena's kidney, a small stretch of his limb encased in a thin outline of short-lived, vibrant purple energy.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Gen has arrived.
Gunther heads OOC.
Athena flips back, avoiding the kick, and without missing a beat... springs forward with a jump kick, lashing out with a single leg. It's as if the opportunity to fight Vega has given her new life. While she may have, at heart, regretted having to hurt Cammy, Vega is one of the few she has no scruples against.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Vega with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Mr.Big has dropped a connection.
And so, that leg Vega had thrown out, aiming to cripple the girl, or at least make her writhe around a bit..it takes a blow in her stead. Of course, it's akin to kicking a wall, and the current villain pays it about as much attention. He can feel the girl's feelings toward him, however weakly..and it honestly thrills him. "You think you know power, whelp?" He starts..gliding, that's the only way to describe it. Without his feet moving, sand billows around them, his body leaning back as he gets some distance between he and the girl. "You still don't understand what drives you, do you?"
COMBATSYS: Vega focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
"I'm a Goddess of Justice!", Athena says with a smile. "Your Psycho Power is strong, but... you don't know its true strength!" She closes her eyes, and then thrusts both palms out, sliding back with recoil as there's an enormous flash of energy... as Athena fires off a large, crackling orb like earlier. Hopefully, this one will strike truer than the last. It rips through the air towards Vega, as Athena recovers her balance.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Vega with Psycho Shoot.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Vega 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Kyo blinks as Athena apparently starts showing Vega the TRUE potential of Psycho Power. Considering that she just went through Cammy, Kyo is pretty damn impressed. Of course, he'd never tell HER that! He looks down at the ground while scratching the back of his head, "I thought this guy was supposed to be strong..." he says, sounding more dissapointed than anything else.
Indeed it does, the ball ripping through the sand, kicking up tufts on either side of it in its wake. What of it? It's Psycho power, yes..but good. Tainted. A mockery of the twisted force that he knows all too well.
That doesn't mean..it doesn't still hurt.
Hunching over a little, the madman simply..leans into the shot, skidding back with the impact. Did he expect to simply brush it away, is that it? In any case, the cloak suffers greatly, a large, sizzling hole burned into it across his frontside, the front of his attire riddled with tiny holes as well. Mmn. Though he will never admit it to her, that was a wonderful use of the power..she should be well-aware of its greatness when used to harm, rather than help.
Looking back up, wearing more of a scowl now than a grin, the older fighter actually..runs. Something so base, he's resorted to..feh. This time, he allows the cloak to open, the thing whipping behind him, held only to the corners of his pauldrons now, his right hand rises, the hand knife-like, soon covered in another casing of psycho power. As he nears the girl, it grows, more so as he swings his arm down. The point isn't so much to strike the girl directly; the massive swatch of corrosive purple energy that follows in his arm's wake is intended to do the work, here.
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Vega's Psycho Wave.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Vega 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena raises her arms, blocking the the worst of it as she buckles... but doesn't fall, simply dropping to one knee. It's a powerful hit, but well-shielded. Then, she rises, trying to use her extra momentum from to smack Vega with an elbow in the chin with a kiai of "Hah!" Nothing fancy, but then, that last shot took a lot more out of Athena than may be readily apparent.
COMBATSYS: Vega fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Athena with Head Press.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Vega 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Almost immediately after striking, Vega tries to stay in motion, away from the troublesome child's attacks. He had already lurched back, lifting up, ready to leap up and return the girl's efforts with a horrible, brutally crushing stomp upon her pretty little head.
It's a shame that doesn't happen. The punch connects, sending him up and back, sure..but more than he'd have liked to, sliding along the sand on his back.
...
Well. He doesn't stay down long at all, already lifting up with a faint push of psycho power, getting up onto his feet to half-face her; his normal fighting stance, one he feels he probably should have taken up some time ago. "Come, peon." he commands, working his jaw a bit; it might be a bit sore later, but he can handle it.
Athena continues her push on Vega, hopping forward towards him. After all, she knows how destructive he can be... if she gives him and in. Turning about into a powerful spin kick, she quickly follows up with her other leg as she does a full 360 degree spin. It's a stark contrast to the more swift and accurate strikes she's been relying on, but perhaps she's getting a bit cocky.
COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Athena's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Vega 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Vega was, in all manners, smart to put some distance in between he and the girl. Her path is clear, the hop a bit..unorthodox, not what he's used to with her, but easily dealt with. His evasion is more physical, far less showy, and he literally leans to one side, taking a single step out of harm's way. His right hand is already raised, once more lighting up in a spectacular display of vile energies. The lifted arm comes down like a chop, once more leaving behind that big gout of power in its wake, aiming to teach the pest a lesson, finally.
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Vega's Psycho Wave.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Vega 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Though knocked around, Athena knocks the blow aside with one arm... or, more properly, pushes herself away from it. Her arm stings, but... she still stands, if not by much. And then, she's gone, flickering away in an instant, putting some distance away with a the pink-hued flash of a teleport. She pauses, studying Vega. Though she's not likely to carry the round... she can at least try and take the older fighter with her. But she needs a moment to work out just how to lure him into it.
COMBATSYS: Athena focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Vega 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Apparently...running away was all it took. Vega runs in after her, the teleportation apparently not phasing him much; she simply pulled back, is all. He's still in her sights, and as such..his right arm pulls out to his side, feet digging into beach with a spray of sand. In no time at all, a small pinpoint of purple light blinks into existance above his palm, soon exploding into a murky ball, far large than a basketball and dark in color, the energies crawling over the surface like virulent clouds. This is what is quickly thrown Athena's way, rather than the man himself, possibly wise to keep his distance instead of charging blindly in.
COMBATSYS: Athena negates Psycho Shot from Vega with Psycho Ball.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
It's an instant for Athena to form her own ball in a palm, and fire it off, and the two clash, battling for a moment in a pyrotechnic display. And then - BOOM! - there's a detonation, swirling sand... and both fighters remain untouched. Still, spirits rise with the equal clash, and Athena resumes her stance. "Not bad. It's really too bad you're such a freak... you could do a lot to help people out!" She smirks. "... just kidding. You wouldn't be any good at that, either." Teaming up with all these guys really does seem to have sharpened what little mean streak was hiding inside her... or maybe she's just going through another image change. Whatever.
Less talking, Athena, and more fighting.
You don't see Vega stopping to spout anything off at the moment; in fact, when the two balls collide and warp around each other in that fascinating display, the red-adorned dictator can be seen leaping through the top edges, barely skirting the energy. As he bears down on the girl, his body starts flipping again, head forward with his legs extending. Right now, at this moment..he wants little more than to shut her trap as violently and painfully as possible.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Knee Press Nightmare.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
As Vega comes at her, Athena narrows her eyes, focusing on the incoming attack... and becomes a blur of psycho power, teleporting /through/ him rather than away. Appearing behind him, she moves quickly, trying to take advantage of the moment. Her feet lift off the ground as she spreads her hands wide... and then she glows - no, /shines/ with psychic energy - the two spehree of power quickly orbiting her before she gathers them up on a single fingertip, flinging it at Vega. As before, the sand is blown away from her in short waves, almost causing a cloud of sand from the sheer force being unleashed.
COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Athena's Shining Crystal Bit.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
The sound of Vega's boots skidding through the sand is hardly even audible to him, over the din of the awe-inspired crowd. THIS fight is an amazing sight to behold, with teleports, projectiles, pyrotechnics.. No matter what the outcome, the exchange is most certainly an impressive sight!
Athena's evasion is all but expected by now, the Lord gritting his teeth with a quiet 'Tch!' of disappointment. Not to be outdone, her attack, far flashier than his pervious one, is answered in precisely the same way. The spheres go -through- him seemingly, just before that form dissipates into nothingness. The orbs collide with naught but sand, sending up a huge gout that sprays over the crowd, digging into the soft, more fetile soil beneath.
Behind Athena, Vega fades into existance, but this time, he doesn't grab for her throat. While an arm does streak out toward her, it's one glowing, heavy fist headed right for her spine, with all the force the old Master can muster.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena leans over, sidestepping the attack as she spins about. As she turns to face him, she the falls, landing on one hand as she kicks out... not like the conclusion the the Phoenix Arrow, but with more power than momentum or speed. Rather than try and worry about slipping away, she hopes the attack will put enough distance between them for her to formulate a backup strategy, now that her major one has... failed, though thankfully not so much as to be a total backfire.
COMBATSYS: Vega dodges Athena's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
This..this is ridiculous. The girl is squirrelly as hell, and frankly? It's really pissing Vega the hell off. Again, that is, as much as it did the last time. His face, now a near-permanent scowl, his lips pulled down to show his displeasure, he and Athena apparently simply..dance around the 'arena'. In the meantime, he thinks. He swings, she dodges..she retaliates, he dodges. Something had to be done about this.
The last kick, once more easily evaded, swings past. Almost immediately, the sadistic, malicious man reaches out for her leg, whichever is closest, anything it takes to hold her still. He's not going to throw her however, no.. If he manages to grab her leg, his other hand will be swift in coming in, a knife-like strike with the force of his grotesquely muscled arm...directly toward her kneecap. This has the potential to get quite ugly.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena is caught, but she manages to vanish right out of his grip, this time, and... he's seen this trick before, even if it hasn't been used tonight. She appears above him, and drops butt-first towards him in the effective, if not entirely dignified 'Psycho Bomber'. Death from above, by hiney. Nothing likely to knock him out, but she's willing to do anything to put more wear, strain, and frustration on him at this point.
COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Athena's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Vega 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
And just like that, Athena is once more coming at Vega from odd angles, trying to play ninja. The girl's tenacity is almost admirable, were it not so horribly annoying!
When she vanishes, he pauses. She's somewhere close, and..from above. Not the most original move, not that he's one to criticize, with all of the attempts to grind the girl's spine into pebbles. Still, his left arm rises, and she just..bounces off of his arm. Is she..even taking this seriously anymore? Is this some twisted, juvenile mockery, taunting him for his inability to squash a useless little girl? Tch. Pathetic. Lifting his arm, as if to help her rise up from the failed assault, Vega himself is quick to leap up himself. His hand reaches out, purple energy wisping off of it like living tendrils, as he seeks to grab the girl by her hair.
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Vega's Psycho Fall.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Vega 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena is grabbed by the hair and lifted... but as she's thrown, she manages to reach out with a hand, managing to flip herself over and hand on her feet instead. She looks over to Vega, and springs at him, lashing out with a first in midair. It's not so much an attempt to mock Vega at this point... as more to pull out every truck in her kung-fu arsenal, hoping something will work well against him. As it is, she's managed to keep her hold on this battle by her fingernails long enough, and it seems like little is tipping the balance at this point.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Vega with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Vega 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Finally! One side finally emerges from the victimless slaughter. Unfortunately..it's not in Vega's favor. The bitch is just too slipperly, soaked in fat before the fight, full of pixie sticks and love, some ungodly, horrible thing like that. The blow to his face causes him to stagger back, momentarily stunned. Still, his lips curl even further, a snarl of rage coming from the large man as he leans in again, left fist up and streaking toward Athena's face in little more than a blur of flesh and violet, nothing but a simple retaliation for her impertenance.
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Athena with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\ < > / ]
Vega 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena finally gets nailed - and hard, sent flying off into the sand, bouncing once before landing in a heap. She almost seems like she might be down... but somehow, she manages to press herself back up, looking over to Vega. Unsteady at best, she gathers up her power once more - perhaps for her final time - and crosses arm over arm in a swift motion, firing off another patented "Psycho Ball". Where she finds the energy is probably a mystery even to her, but she just barely stands, much less remains conscious, her eyelids drooping and her muscles straining to keep doing in the face of the beating she's taken between the two Shadowloo fighters.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Vega with Psycho Ball.
[ \ < > ]
Vega 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Once more, the red titan stands up against the girl's power, that horribly twisted, maligned sense of 'justice' fueling whatever cock-eyed ideals she's been warped into believing. Were this going better, he'd do well to explain that to her. At the moment, he simply..staggers back from the gout of power washing over him, ending up hunched, panting, his face displaying all of the nearly immeasurable rage he holds for this audiatious little tramp in front of him, nearly snarling like some wicked beast. Though tired and battered, it does not make him useless. Drawing, somehow, the will to move forward again, almost as quickly as even in the short burst, his right hand extends this time, simply content to collide with her face, if nothing else. There's little power behind it at all, but it's almost all even he can muster.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Jab Punch.
[ \ < > ]
Vega 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Athena leans back, almost falling backward as she essentially 'Matrix'-s her way of the strike. Rather than try and work on writing herself, though, she goes with the momentum, going into a backwards flip... and kicking out at Vega in the process. Her vision fades in and out, as she shifts between fighting a red blur and glimpsing the grey space between this world and dreamland... and it's a miracle she lands on her feet again as it is. But 'justice' is a stubborn foe, indeed, and it seems she has taken vexing her archenemy to a whole new level.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Vega with Light Kick.
[ < > ]
Vega 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Vega's kicked, yada yada. Too tired. Will do real pose tomorrow. Grabs camera, throws it. Holy shit, tired.
COMBATSYS: Vega can no longer fight.
> ]
|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Vega's Random Weapon.
> ]
|=====--\-------\0 Athena
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kyo
Vega's down. But OH NO HE HAS DISHONORABLE SURPRISE ATTACK for Athena! Kyo jumps in way, sacrificing himself, noooooooo...
Actually, no, she dodges it, leaning to the side until she slumps over, posed for a moment, halfway to lying down... and then she forces herself back into a kneeling position, weakly waving to the audience... and to her teammates. "Tea?", she manages, fighting not to win face-down. She has to remain strong! For her fans!
Kyo stares out at the fight in amazement, did he just hear the announcer declare ESAKA Team the winners? He tries to remember if he actually was in that fight, but was knocked unconcious or something and forgot about it. Ruling that out, he gets a sour look on his face and quickly turns towards the nearest KOF staffer sitting on the sidelines, "Hey, hey! Isn't the level of this tournament a little low? We only needed one of our guys to beat the hell of that whole other team!" He complains, throwing up his hands, "If I knew that this would happen I would have just stayed in bed." He turns away, through ranting, apparently, towards Athena-chan, "Took you long enough! I thought I told you to hurry up!" He says, flashing her a grin while extending one gloved hand towards her.
Shingo is and has always been here. Just that he's been so busy taking notes on the fight that he kind of faded into the role of background character. Not that he's complaining. He just witnessesd the greatest team ever (ESAKA, of course) unleash all kinds of ruination on Shadow Law by only one of its teammates. This goes to show that Athena was definitely the best draft pick the Japan-based team has made for the season thus far. Only thing is that he hopes he can show his own stuff in the next round of competition. Maybe they should all go out for some sushi or something.
Athena takes the hand, standing up... barely. She beams. "Master Chin isn't going to believe this... I beat him... and..." She pauses, remembering Cammy, and looks a little downcast. Still, now she can feel sure that her previous victory wasn't luck. Even battered by his assassin and entirely exhausted, she pulled through. She then looks up to Kyo, flushing a little. "Sorry you didn't get to fight... ahahah!" She winces, feeling her... well, the fact that just about every part hurts. Bruises, burns, fractured bones, and it's going to be some time before even she can recover. Of course, 'some time' for her is only a few days, but she's pushed herself about as far as she can go.
Log created by Cammy, and last modified on 13:55:27 06/03/2005.