Description: Ayers Rock, hallowed ground of the Aborigines, and battleground for two formidable fighters. Surprisingly enough, this is one battleground Iori -hasn't- split in two... (Winner: Iori)
This has certainly been an interesting past few days for Rose.
For starters, she spent most of the weekend in Metro City locked in combat, although only one of the people she fought had any intention of doing her any serious harm. Then she had a rather enlightening meeting with Megumi Ando. And now... she's in Australia. Why? Because she felt signing up for the League might be a good way to both make her presence known, and also to find and test out many different fighters from around the world. After all, it was SNF that introduced her to Chun-li.
In the evening, the air atop Uluru -- Ayer's Rock -- is fairly brisk, though not overly cold. Only a skeleton camera crew is allowed here, seeing as the rock is an aboriginal sacred site; the major crowd is down below watching a real-time relay. Sadly, on Rose's side there's not much to see; she is standing quite still on one half of the crudely-marked fighting space, eyes closed and apparently in deep meditation.
In contrast... over the past week, Iori Yagami has fought Benimaru on the Great Wall of China. Not exactly an 'enlightening' month for the young man, to say the least.
Beating the stuffing out of the cocky blonde sure was fun, though.
Yagami's not sure what to make of his opponent though. He's done a bit of research -- which is to say he's watched some of the woman's prior SNF appearances. Not enough to fully grasp her fighting style, but that's something better left to a face-to-face meeting like this.
Iori is carried to the top of the giant rock by a crane bucket, not wanting to suffer the relative indignity of a long climb up. Once he's deposited, though, he strides towards the woman, an assertive if not outright cocky swagger to his step. "Hope you'll prove more a challenge than the last woman who stood against me." His crimson irises focus upon his challenger for a moment, as he draws to a halt. Did he come to fight, or just stand there and -stare?-
Rose, too, has done her research. Insofar as that's possible on the enigmatic Iori Yagami. What she does know does not put her well-disposed to him up front, that much is certain. He is violent, crude, and a host of other bad adjectives. But she also knows that there is something... different about both Iori and his rival, Kyo Kusanagi. And of course, she's had the dubious privilege of fighting one Saishu Kusanagi, so she is aware of the power of, if not Iori's flame, then at least something rather similar to it.
"For your own sake," the psychic asks, opening her eyes and taking the young man in, "or for the audience?" A simple enough question, though she already knows the answer. No crane bucket for her, though... in fact, how DID she get up here? Settling into her 'non-stance' -- setting her left foot slightly more forward and loosening the shawl about her shoulders -- Rose prepares for battle, giving Iori a neutral expression. "Regardless, I suppose we'll just have to see."
COMBATSYS: Rose has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rose 0/-------/-------|
Saishu, yes. That guy. Yagami fought him once -- the man was a persistent old coot, that's for sure. But he's no Kyo. And Iori has a way of thinking anyone who's tied someone he's beaten before... probably won't be putting up much of a fight against him. He could be wrong, but he'd never admit it.
"Yes." comes the red-haired man's response. So what if it was a rhetorical question? It's -more- for his own selfish benefit than for the audience's, mind, but he can't argue that the audiences aren't fueling his lifestyle.
And what do they pay to see? Violence, despite his claim that he detests it. So that's... exactly what he gives them, when some guy on the ground squawks, "READYYYY? FIGHT!" into the megaphone -- lurching forward, he leaps at Rose, cutting a rapid three-sixty as a wide swath of purple fire is burned into the sky -- a monochrome rainbow with the psychic as the unlucky pot of gold at the lower terminus. "GUWOOOOAH!"
COMBATSYS: Iori has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Iori 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Iori's Tsumagushi.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Iori 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
The sun will come out. Tomorrow. Well, guess what? It's tomorrow now. Iori's 'painbow' is cut tragically short as Rose makes the barest of movements, an almost dance-like 90 degree spin on one heel that takes her out of the way of the attack, leaving only the shimmering air and the feel of scorching heat barely inches from her skin. She made it look effortless, but the trained eye knows that appearances are deceiving.
"Interesting," Rose says calmly, turning to face Iori as he recovers from the attack. "Such a different emotional wavelength than Saishu Kusanagi. His flames were... vigorous, even joyful." And without much more to-do about it, the psychic lazily extends a hand toward Iori, her scarf suddenly flaring to life with Soul Power and lashing out, attempting to catch him in the gut with a force stronger than any punch Rose could throw. "Yours are quite different. Angry, lustful. Perhaps... even a little sorrowful?"
COMBATSYS: Iori blocks Rose's Aura Scarf.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rose
Iori's followthrough sees his palm landing on the rock, but it's little more than a light slap -- just a lazy end to the motion. Keeping his eyes on Rose, he returns to his feet, shoulders remaining in their hunched position. In such a position, it'd be easier to defend against a low strike -- and that's just what Iori does, ramming his left shoulder and arm into the scarf, indelicately knocking the energies away.
But boy, did that sting. The Orochi halfblood doesn't seem to like the feel of that -- much like he doesn't exactly agree with her descriptions. Anger and lust aren't bad, but sorrow... "... bah!" Not much of a conversationalist, clearly.
Wasting no energy from that defense, Iori lets his momentum carry him into a rapid underhanded punch, aimed much like the scarf was, except with Rose's torso as the target instead of his own. "GURAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Rose with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Rose
Well then. Apparently the lesson of the day is: do not taunt the Orochi. Why? Because he will turn around and hit you in the stomach so hard you are actually lifted into the air and bounce off the ground a couple times before coming to a stop and need a second to pull yourself back up. This is in fact exactly what happens to Rose. "Perhaps... not so much on the sorrow," she murmurs, slowly pulling herself standing. That really looks like it hurt.
However, as Iori himself might say, this fight is just getting started. Flexing her fingers slightly, the psychic is back on the move, dashing back toward Iori as best she can and simply looking to get her open palm near his chest. If she can? Rose suddenly swings her arm around, Iori (hopefully) trailing after as she simply flings him away with a Soul Power-ed throw technique.
COMBATSYS: Iori interrupts Soul Fade from Rose with Yumebiki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Rose
This 'Soul Power' hurts like hell, and Iori's left arm's =still= stinging from the last blow -- which is clear by the way he shakes the arm limply after his jackhammer-like punch. "... no, not so much." Even though he may channel the very rage within him, the Orochi-tainted man is still capable of -some- conversation in a fight, clipped though it may be.
Cracking his knuckles as he pulls back, he might prefer to just keep wailing away on the woman... but he knows better than to rush -too- quickly into things, and allows her to stand. But he's still paranoid about that 'Soul Power' stuff, and letting her get too close is probably not a wise move on his part. Which... would be why he stops her before she gets too close, ramming his numb left elbow into her palm instead. "GNNHH!" Jamming the appendage to his left, he continues pivoting forward, slashing his perfectly fine right hand in a diagonal palm strike across the psychic's upper torso. But if that weren't enough -- he also continues with the follow through, reversing his direction sharply to bring the back of his right palm crashing into her temple. "KURAAAAAAOH!"
And only after -that- does he scowl, "What do you know of that Vega character, mmm?" It's just an educated guess, though... no one else has wounded his defenses that badly with two consecutive strikes before.
*Ow*. If she were the type to say ow, Rose would certainly be doing it; in only two strikes it's clear that as much as her Soul Power is hurting Iori, his out and out physical assaults are taking quite the toll on her too. Thus instead of pressing her attack, she hangs back after recovering from Iori's two-stage fist strike, slowly gathering her inner reserves. Of course, this also leaves her an easy target...
It does give her time for conversation, though. "We oppose each other," the psychic says in an even tone. Short sentences appear to be the order of the day, and she can run with that if need be. Vega's not the first to accuse of her being overly verbose. "We share trace similarities, nothing more."
COMBATSYS: Rose gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Rose
Trace similarities. The flavor may differ, but the degree is still high enough to merit a raised eyebrow from Iori. "... Scorned lovers, I take it." Maybe it's not hard for the psychic to ascertain that the tall man's mocking her, but his face, plastered with his usual languid frown, surely won't be giving a sign.
Still... the fact that the woman's keeping her distance is sign for -some- dismay -- particularly since it heralds the arrival of even more of that blessed energy he despises so much. And rather than allow her the opportunity to accumulate such a massive amount of energy, Iori decides to cut to the chase -- by pouring everything into one mad charge, a medium palm strike intended to knock the woman back, and then a slash from the deadened left arm, before precipitating in a shoulder charge. If -that- keeps up, there's a good chance the woman could be knocked right off the rock -- and Iori might get to see just how it is she managed to ascend to the top while wearing such a skirt. "GURAAAAOH!"
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Rose with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Iori 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Rose
Oh, she knows he's mocking her, Rose does. That doesn't mean it doesn't WORK. She doesn't have time to formulate a reply, you see, since Iori's fist just impacted nicely with her all over the place, slicing through a hastily-erected defense and simply powering right on by; as predicted, Rose goes flying considerably backwards, though not so much off the rock. Why? At the last second she simply... winks out. Only for the briefest moment, before appearing right back where this all started. Mind, she looks like death all over; in a mere three attacks Iori's crushing physical strength has done prodigious damage.
"Not exactly," Rose responds, almost hissing. Mind over matter is one thing, but there's only so much pain you can feasibly ignore before it starts getting dicey. However, she manages to pull herself upright to her full, impressive (for a woman) height, staring at Iori with a neutral expression despite blood, bruises, and other marks of combat. "I appear to be slightly off today. I apologize." She actually sounds like she means it. "Perhaps you can consider this..." And then she simply... flicks out her wrist, the shawl following the motion and a purplish sphere of Soul Power trailing gold light lances out at Iori. "...a form of recompense. Soul Spark!" It looks harmless, but the true, unseen danger of the attack isn't the sphere, but the immensely powerful psychic shockwave riding just behind it.
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Iori with Aura Soul Spark.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Iori 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Rose
... well, this is new. Iori stops just short of falling off the rock -after- Rose, boots skidding on the rock as she screeches to a halt. When Rose disappears, Iori reflexively rams his elbow backwards, halfway expecting her to have been there -- but once he whiffs nothing but air, he locates his opponent once more. Pupils narrow slightly as he regains focus, drawing in low and deep breaths in the moment of respite. Rose has him on edge, there's no question about that.
But when she has all that energy gathered up ... there's only one word on Iori's mind: DODGE. And that's exactly what he tries, as he makes a last-second dive, intending to roll inside and out of the way. He's not successful in this, getting caught in the shockwave and utterly -annihilated-, the soul flames burning straight through to the man's core as he falls, only narrowly saving himself from a perilous fall by a last-insant grab, his sharp nails clawing at the rock face.
Growling low, he pulls himself up, shaking his head at the exertion. Shoulders hung low, he's looking surprisingly weary all of a sudden, despite his commanding lead in the fight just moments earlier. "... impressive." Have the tables been turned?
Probably not. Because Iori breaks into a run, beleaguered though he may be, fully intending to hammer one quick uppercut right through Rose's defenses. And with that... he'd follow through with a shoulder ram. Nothing fancy, really...
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Rose with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Iori 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\0 Rose
Perhaps she truly is psychic, because Rose foresaw her own defeat. Her defense truly isn't up to part once Iori is all in her area, and she makes an attempt at another graceful dodge that falls seriously flat; the uppercut catches her across the side instead of under the jaw, and the shoulder ram spins her around instead of knocking her over, but the effect is pretty much the same anyway; at her limit, the psychic sags, barely standing.
"Glad you approve," she mutters, before trying one more time to get her hand near Iori's chest again, sparks of Soul Power flickering around it like a nimbus. If it works, she simply looks to toss him away as she tried to before, though her aim is a little more ragged from exhaustion. Either way, that clearly spells the end for Rose, who drops to the ground. Not unconscious, but just barely in a sitting position and breathing quite heavily. The fight's definitely over for her.
COMBATSYS: Rose can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Iori 1/=======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Iori fails to interrupt Soul Fade from Rose with Yumebiki.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Iori 1/-======/=======|
The displeasure is plain to see on Iori's face as he pulls back from his shoulder ram: his bones -ache- from the contact with Rose's unbearably powerful aura, and that's a -big- part of why he'd scaled back his assault. It just isn't -feasible- for him to go all-out, lest he become his own worst enemy in this battle.
But... that's not to say the fight's won, just yet. Stepping back, he hunches low, sheltering himself from the attack he knows is coming. Gritting his teeth in desperation, he offers no more than a nod to Rose. Well... a nod, and a small purple flame he huddles in his grasp. When Rose closes in, the bloom of flame erupts into a conflagration, the gusts powerful enough to take -some- of the sting off the incoming blow.
Some, but not all. For Iori had also intended to follow that up with another slash that could easily fell a normal human -- a blow he doesn't have the opportunity to land thanks to the true Soul Power. Rose is able to land a solid grasp, chucking the man over one shoulder, sending him soaring to the opposite end of the rock. He lands in a roll, tumbling right to the edge... But he stands up, arms hanging loosely like those of a zombie, his eyes glaring back at Rose. "... " No words follow, but from the light, nearly imperceptible clenching and unclenching of his hands, he's still got the fire to play. "... You're powerful, I'll give you that..."
"Not quite powerful enough, it seems..." Rose says ruefully, though without any obvious rancor. After all, despite it all she put up a fair showing. The cards just appeared to be in Iori's favor this evening, to perhaps overstrain the metaphor just a tad. "Your power is different from Saishu's, but it is still most impressive," she offers, pulling herself to one knee. The announcer seems to be unsure if poor Rose is going to get up again, and she gives him a look, then a shake of the head.
Thus the man spreads out his arms wide, microphone pointed back toward his face as he does his job. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you tonight's winner, IORI YAGAMI!" Even up atop the rock the roar of the crowd below is palpable. Does Iori enjoy the fanboys/girls? Who knows. "Let's have a hand for these two skilled fighters."
Finally forcing herself erect, Rose examines Iori a moment, looking thoroughly worse off than he does. Of course, that's to the untrained eye; as Rose herself knows, the true Soul Power affects the inside, rather than without. "As a thank you, allow me to give you some advice. There is nothing wrong with anger. Indeed, not to have anger is unhealthy." Odd words, considering. "But letting it consume you is dangerous. Until next time, Iori Yagami." And then she turns away, blinking out again in sparks of golden Soul Power. Who was that masked psion?
Log created by Iori, and last modified on 03:03:38 12/14/2005.