Description: After hearing about Mature's defeat at the hands of the Doll, Juli, Rugal decides to investigate just how strong the girl truly is. Of course... Bernstein's methods involve quite a bit of pain.
No league battles this day (or hour), no special groups or gatherings coming all the way out to this remote corner of Southtown. The forest, the shrine-- all of it, nice and strangely quiet for the hustle and bustle one would see on the days when there -is- one of those Neo League bouts taking place on the grounds. You'd think the gods would become a little pissed off with doing things like that, but ... whatever.
The scene on the top of the stairs is a brief one, a woman in a coat-- a newer coat purchased before leaving Russia, thank you very much stupid blondes-- stands there with a flat expression, speaking to a man in a suit. Both agents of Shadaloo, though the latter is a little more on the covert side of things. Or as far as Vega's organization goes with being subtle! No giant skull-and-wing pins or things of the sort. However, as they speak, the woman pensively holds her chin and takes things in. Hmm... she wasted too much time the other day in Russia. Whatever her apparent situation is now, Juli does certainly regret stopping to destroy a downtown restaurant in order to teach a little lesson to a secretary.
No, really. She loses sleep over it. Sleep, love, laughter, and tears.
After a few moments, the man starts back down the stairs to leave, leaving the Doll to reflect on things.
Things reach word of people swiftly. Especially when these people are the heads of major crime organizations. What 'R' does not have in the numbers that Shadaloo possesses, it makes up in information gathering, in sheer /efficiency/. Of course, Mature did not even tell R's leader before he received word of the woman's loss to a certain girl with brown hair who used that interesting Psycho Power. A 'Doll.' Mature's loss, of course, was a mere fluke; but still...
If the great Lord Vega can test Rugal Bernstein's minions, why can't he test one little Doll?
It is that which brings a man dressed in a heavy black overcoat here today. He stands some distance from the man who departs; of course, if that man knows anything, he knows not to bother with the blonde German. This man.. is not one to trifle with. His steps sound clearly as he ascends the shrine, polished shoes slapping firmly against ancient stone as he rises higher and higher. She uses Psycho Power. She works for Vega. Perhaps this will be a more intriguing match than the one he had with Sagat.
Perhaps.
"Ms. Juli, isn't it?" The voice rings arrogant as Rugal reaches the top of the shrine, pulling black leather gloves over his hand. His eyes focus on the girl, that crimson cybernetic watching, analyzing. "I heard about your match with my secretary. I was wondering... if you might entertain me for a little while."
It is not a request.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has started a fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rugal focuses on his next action.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
Her head tilts, the cap sitting atop her head impossibly remaining in place as Rugal begins to ascend the steps. Tall, well-built, and a face that someone would have to be a fool to not recognize. Rugal Bernstein, the leader of a rival organization-- no, one of -the- rival organizations. Few could claim such a prestigeous position in the course of their lifetime.
The man with the dark coat doesn't even look back at the German giant as they pass each other, though he'll be reaching for his cellular telephone as he gets into the car parked down the road and speeds off. Nope. Nothing suspicious about him, no sir.
And so, the Doll has not spoken a word since Rugal has brought himself to the top of the stairs, watching him with eyes that look almost dead... No. More like ice, or a hollow soul. 'Doll' is quite the apt title. Juli does not garner him with the respect of a response, but her arms lift and her weight shifts to balance herself, fist drawn up close to her chest and the other turned knuckleguard-out toward Rugal.
"Understood."
Turning sharply on her heel to build up a bit of speed, the girl vaults suddenly at Rugal, a leg lashed out in a perfectly straight line, her psycho-enhanced kick seeking a meeting with the R leader's guts.
COMBATSYS: Juli has joined the fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Juli
COMBATSYS: Rugal reflects Sniping Arrow from Juli with Dark Barrier.
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Juli
Rival organizations? Didn't Juli get the memo?
Shadaloo and R are 'partners.'
That never meant they couldn't give simple tests of each other, however.
Just like Vega did to Mature, and Vice. Now Rugal will do such to his precious little Doll, Juli. It was only a matter of time, of course; the fact that she used Psycho Power in and of itself was appealing. The fact that she has fought his secretary on two seperate occasions was simply another reason to deal with the girl. See just how strong she /truly/ is... first hand.
And apparantly, she complies. A grin splits across his lips, wrinkling at the corners of his mouth. Excellent, excellent. "Please, don't hold back. I have no intention of doing so either... so please show me exactly how strong you are." She leaps. He can see her coming, and can see the Psycho Power welling up along her leg.
"Excellent. Let's see... just how well you deal with your own power."
That's all she'll get to hear before he thrusts a single hand out, palm-first. Green chi flares along his arm before exploding outward in a wide barrier that intercepts her kick, absorbing all that energy... and then rechanneling /all/ of it back into Juli's body, to send her flying.
"Again."
Zoom. A shot like that couldn't be any more precise, ever. She did, however, anticipate the reaction from the German-- in as much that she expected him to make some sort of counterattack. The usage of the strange green field takes her by surprise, foot colliding with 'solid' chi and the psi forces channelled right back up her leg.
Juli recoils with a choked gasp; a rather uncharacteristic reaction. Landing with a skid on her back, her first reaction is to spin hard on the shoulders, recover with a quick coil of the stomach and kip up to her feet. Her right leg is unsteady, hand set against it to keep herself steady and already stooped forward a little bit. Damage? Worse than she would like to admit, if she could lie to herself.
Charging ahead regardless of the stinging pain taunting the muscles of that afflicted leg, Juli charges in on Rugal and once again begins to spin-- however, instead of a launching kick to the stomach or some other strange psycho-afflicted skill, she goes for the large man's knees. Dropping to her palms, both legs swing together in a powerful sweep that seek to bring the man off of his footing-- or at least unbalance him a little bit.
COMBATSYS: Juli successfully hits Rugal with Strong Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Juli
Very few people truly anticipate that kind of a reaction from the man. Of course... the fact that she can still stand afterwards is impressive in and of itself. He continues to stand, watching as she goes flying, not moving from his place where he originally confronted the girl. And then... she comes at him again. A smile slips across his lips.
"Let's see how strong you are."
He moves, to get out of the way. A simple sidestep, without much effort truly being exerted into the attempt. But then -- she still manages to strike him. However, the intent doesn't happen quite as Juli may have hoped. He staggers, but only a step or two, before his legs tighten... and he stops. "Still not enough... hm."
And that is when his right hand curls into a fist. "Let's have a test of reflexes, next." And that is when his hand flies /forward/ in one simple, powerful motion, to strike the girl in the gut. The power behind it, is more than enough to send her flying if she's not fast enough.
COMBATSYS: Juli dodges Rugal's Fierce Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Juli
Her legs crash against his, and any normal, sane person would be knocked off their feet-- but oh no, not Rugal Bernstein. He merely stumbles, further throwing her jumbled-together plan of attack out the window with that strange sort of nonchalant air he carries. And then comes a fist, no chi or fancy powers that she can see. Just a plain old regular fist. Given, it moves incredibly fast.
Back on her feet, Juli drops to the ground one more time, her hands planting against the ground and coiling up at that point-blank range. Hopefully she'll be able to cut through his defenses by assaulting him this close to his body, hopefully he won't be quick enough to step right away from it. In a move that would make Issac Newton cry, she jerks upwards with a velocity unnatural to someone pushing off with their arms, a kick looking to plant itself right up Rugal's sizeable German jaw.
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Juli's Cannon Spike.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Juli
There we are. Good reflexes. Maybe as good as Mature's... maybe. But, Rugal cares not. Now that he's tested /that/, he'll test her ability to take physical abuse. She coems at him again, but this time he does not underestimate her speed. This time... he is quick to simply leap over the girl, flipping with surprising grace through the air until he lands only a small distance /behind/ her... in a crouch, with the most terrible of smiles.
"Excellent speed! No wonder Vega took you under his wing. Now, then..." He spins around, to slam a single fist into her sternum. And, if successful, he follows up with a rather vicious uppercut to launch the girl right off her fist. This time, when he moves... he moves considerably faster than before.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Juli with Medium Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Juli
Truly, it is fortunate she dodged that. Speed -is- her forte, no doubt about it, and her excellent countering position and the foot aimed to hit Rugal was proof of that. However, Rugal seems to be quite the speed demon himself, narrowly and unexpectedly avoiding her attack by -jumping over her-. Even in a vertical climb, he still has the leg strength and coordination to vault over her head, and she'll commend him for that.
Twisting around now, her aim is to catch his wrist on the sternum punch's movement and vault over his arm-- though as she starts to jump herself, the power of the punch is far too great. The first hit crashes against her ribs, the second hit sends her flying into the air off his leg and crashing to the ground with a hard grunt. That hurt-- a lot.
Half-rolling, half-jumping to get her footing again, Juli decides it's time to re-evaluate her position. First of all, she needs to bolster her strength. So, she does just that-- one fist pulls back as her eyes narrow, the psycho power within her beginning to gather and elevate itself to a much greater level than it was before.
COMBATSYS: Juli gathers her will.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Juli
Fast, but not fast enough. The first punch launches solidly into the girl's ribs, the second strikes her chin. And it's from there that Rugal straightens casually, pulling slightly at his cumberbun before he watches her crash with the arch of a brow. "You don't seem to take a hit well, however..." He comments, almost to himself. His brows furrow. "If you are harmed by that simple an attack... you won't last too terribly long. That's a pity."
However. Bernstein simply shrugs with a laugh, legs tensing. "You are making a mistake, however! You should never stop during an assault when you are fighting someone greater than you. Here... allow me to show you why." One push, sends the man flying towards her. No mercy. Ever.
Leaping, Bernstein simply seeks to take advantage of the young woman's standing position by spinning in midair by smashing a single leg into her shoulder. And if he succeeds... he'll continue to slam his leg into her shoulder, over and over, the point to simply make her COLLAPSE under sheer force.
COMBATSYS: Juli blocks Rugal's Strong Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\=======\1 Juli
Why does he ... lecture? Talk about what she should and shouldn't do with her skills? Vega's methods are perfect, his training creating nothing but the most formidable warriors! How dare he question her decisions and movements? Such as now-- his foot comes up and his attacks become unrelenting, causing the Doll to hold her arms up over her head, forced down to one knee with the rapid stomping. Her defense isn't flawless, and it causes a bit of undue stress on those armguards... but she isn't being squashed like a bug, at least.
When his foot lifts up just high enough, one of those times, she makes her move-- quick like a blur, her arms already sore and aching. Her arms snap out to ensnare the tall man by the waist and, in a rather strange fit of strength, to just -lift-. A German suplex at best, but one that just might hurt a whole lot more if he actually lets his head crash against the stone ground.
COMBATSYS: Juli successfully hits Rugal with Medium Throw.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juli
So, Juli once again prooves herself to be faster than Rugal anticipated. However, she distinctly lacks any sort of strength. Does she rely solely on Psycho Power? If so... it would be massively disappointing. The fact of the matter is, though, even as she grabs him, and lifts him? Even as she crashes Rugal into the ground with such an /impressive/ amount of strength for a little girl? Impressive for a little girl, is not impressive for a man like Rugal Bernstein. And even as his head smashes into the ground... the man laughs.
"Not quite enough, I'm afraid! You're going to have to try to hit /harder/."
With a push, Rugal leaps away from Juli with ease, landing steadily on his feet. Except... he doesn't stay on his feet for long. Rather, he leaps into the air again, intent on striking the girl with several lightning-fast kicks to her head, sparing no small amount of strength, and redoubling with speed. "Hit... me... HARDER, girl! I've yet to see /anything/ to be impressed with!"
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Juli with Light Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juli
It was certainly a strain on her arms, as much as she would hate to admit it. Lifted, backbent, and the man crashes into the ground and held steady for a moment-- and he's off like a shot, springing up like a man half his age and with twice the vigor. Juli seems quite disconcerted by this, her ice-cold facade cracked by the quirk of her lips, a bit of frustration showing through the layers of psycho-induced mental conditioning.
Hit harder... harder. Juli grunts and starts to rise, though-- no time. Again she tries to manuver lightly, to take advantage of her natural (and artifical) speed and get herself clear with a backstep. Unfortunately for her, he's quite the speedy bugger. Her head whips from side to side with the force of the kicks, brain getting quite the jostling and sent spinning to the side. Her recovery is literally of the last second variety, her hands extending to the ground and landing in a cartwheel. Momentum carries her quickly, much too fast to end it there. The rest of the pent-up speed is expounded with a following backflip, landing on her feet before buckling into a one-knee kneel, hand pressed to the ground and breathing heavily as blood drips a surprisingly steady trickle from her lip. Gritting her teeth, the Doll rises to her feet and sweeps back the errant bangs from her eyes, a more solid and angry glare focusing itself on the German arms dealer. She's persistent, if anything.
Still, somehow, the girl remains fast. Two injured arms, a battered head, and a leg still sore from that reversal, and she starts moving in speedy dashes, lunging ahead in a sharp, powerful series of zig-zags meant to bring herself in close to Rugal as quickly and painlessly as possible. Though normally she prefers to do this while standing on the ground, his height forces her hand. Leaping into the air, her leg swings up in a fierce arc, her heel coming down with a hard axe kick aimed to try to bust his face open and at least get him bleeding a little bit.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Juli's Falling Arc.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=======\=======\1 Juli
My, she is tenacious. Well then... he'll simply have to beat all that tenacity out of her. He doubts Vega will mind much; after all, if the Psycho Power'd despot can beat on his secretaries, there should be no problems with him simply... helping Juli become /stronger/. Which is why he offers a relaxed smile to the girl, even as he lifts up from his assault. He's hardly even been dented this fight. It's starting to grow... /dull/.
She flies at him once more with a gaze that speaks only of rage, and it serves as an amusement to the man. Once more, she comes at him once more. She's slow, however. She may believe she is /fast/, but Bernstein sees her every movement. And when she bears down with that axe kick? He simply lifts a hand to intercept it, making it seem as if for all the world he exerted /no effort/. And in all likelihood... he didn't. "Tsk. Not strong enough. Are you trying to sacrifice speed for power? ... it is woefully inadequate." He'll simply push her off of him at this point, to send her flying away. Not enough. Not nearly enough.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Rugal begins to curl inwards. He does not attack. Rather... Rather, he begins to /lift off of his feet/, floating in the air as the winds around them pick up... /violently/. "Please tell me you have more than that." His voice has begun to echo, even as tendrils of blue-white chi converge and orbit around his body in an impressive display. "Otherwise, I will have to tell your master what a /disappointment/ you are."
COMBATSYS: Rugal gathers his will.
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Rugal 1/------=/=======|=======\=======\1 Juli
Her foot stopped just like that-- and now he pushes off, sending her flying up through the air. She recovers still, twisting to her side in the air and landing in a manner akin to a cartwheel, hand pressing to the ground to steady herself in the landing recoil. Juli narrows her eyes in turn and ... stops, quite actually. She's seen people do this before, though just not in any way like -that-.
Hovering in the air and the energies filling the air, the Doll has a vague idea of just what it is he's trying to do right here. And she certainly can't have any of that!
Sprinting in with another burst of speed despite her wounds and her weariness, she throws out both hands to give Rugal a classic and rather unexpected (considering the way she -has- been fighting) schoolyard bully-style shove before making a very short hop forward at his feet. Landing on her hands, her body coils up and one leg crosses over the other. She coils, much like a snake, and springs straight up. It's brutal, vicious, and certainly the sort of thing to knock someone's fillings loose. The brown-haired girl's bootheels look to drive themselves right up his jaw and even carry him into the air in the most painful way possible.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Juli's Reverse Shaft Breaker.
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Rugal 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Juli
Aaah. She's moving quite fast, isn't she? Mm. Very fast indeed. But still, Juli has no idea what she's dealing with, does she? Perhaps it's time... that she actually /learned/ just how vicious Rugal Bernstein is. In the air as he is, the energies that surround Rugal do a good job of keeping him from... being /shoved/? That is a surprise, though he certainly will not wonder over it -- given the fact that she is /flying/ right towards him. She's so close, so close...
A single hand blocks her assault, Bernstein not budging in the /slightest/.
... She just is not close enough.
"Mm. That had a fair bit of strength behind it, didn't it? Impressive!" He hasn't even begun to settle across the ground when blue-white chi begins to curl around his arm. "Now... let me show /you/ something impressive..." And that is when his free hand snaps forward, with lightning swiftness. Without warning, a veritable geyser of chi bursts forward from the ground, intent on consuming Juli in blue-white power and send her on a collision course with the shrine wall.
COMBATSYS: Juli dodges Rugal's Reppuken.
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Rugal 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Juli
In a way, it's annoying and painful-- seeing one of her best skills passed off for nothing, defended without a care or a second thought. Juli's jaw tightens visibly as she remains vertical and upside-down still for a few seconds. And then ... drops. Landing on her hands, her eyes widen as the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise-- while Shadaloo has wiped clean her mind, her instincts and sense of danger is quite in fact intact.
Pushing off from the ground with her guarded hands, she snaps her head back just in time, the flare of chi shooting up her chin and narrowly missing her face. She knows for a fact that was going to -hurt-, too, which she can't precisely risk in her current condition. Bringing up her legs to complete the acrobatic movement, she rolls in the air and lands on her feet once again. She can't slow down for a minute-- she can't let him have his way, just like that. She still doesn't speak, though it's clear she's beyond winded... Stepping in as the Reppuken's burst begins to die down, her fingers lace together for a mean haymaker sort of punch that seeks to plant those oversized knuckleguards into his kidney.
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Fierce Punch from Juli with Genocide Cutter.
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Rugal 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juli
What is /annoying/ is the fact that Juli has the nerve to actually attempt to move out of the way of one of his techniques, and then succeed. The chi that was built up flies forward and past Juli, slamming into the wall of the shrine with a vicious explosion that rocks the ground around them. And then... she comes flying at him. Again. The sheer gall of it is enough to make Rugal frown /most/ decidedly.
It's when Juli swings, that she might find her assault preemptively stopped by a single, gloved hand.
"You are done."
And that's about all the time she has to think before a single, chi-laced shoe SLAMS into her chin with unparalleled force, to send her flying /upwards/ and into the air.
It's not over there, though. With a laugh, Rugal leaps after her shortly, slamming a foot /burning/ with golden chi into her back before spinning around with a sudden viciousness, to strike her gut with an overhead axe-kick, sending the would-be Doll crashing into the ground with force titanic.
Incredible, how her steadfast attitude keeps her moving ever forward. How she ignores the damage and continues to perform, even with all the damage she's already taken. It's visibly done damage to her, the way she walks lopsided, the way her arms hang lower in her combat stance than they did before. How blood trails down her chin, how welts and bruises are already formed at the side of her face where she was kicked rapidly. Rugal beats her and beats her, but she just -keeps coming-.
Finally, Rugal puts the hurt to the Doll in the most final of ways. The block, the first kick that carries her into the air. And then the second kick, powerful and vicious as it is, sending her rocketing right back down to the ground after a stern and angry *crack* issuing from her ribs. Flying up high into the air and spinning in a manner most out of control, she lands hard on her shoulders, coat in tatters and eyes dull and dead-- as if they've only now lost their fire. She lands roughly, her head smacking against the ground with no small amount of mercy, though her arms suddenly slam down against the ground. Her gaze is still vacant, acting as if on some kind of omnipresent command, as if animated by strings rather than her own (or Vega's) will. Her back arches and her feet plant-- rather than kip up to her feet, she forcefully backbends and arches upright in a fierce motion. With an acrobatic twist and jump forward, she lunges forward at Rugal with her foot outstretched-- not precisely the attack that had come before, but painful-looking none the less. Should this initial kick work, the second she gets close to the ground? Her hands will plant and her trajectory will alter sharply upward to carry him along in the effort. Should she succeed with this, then, the doll will land on her feet and collapse to a sitting position, head pitched forward and her breathing attempting to correctly route itself.
COMBATSYS: Juli can no longer fight.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to interrupt Spin Drive Smasher from Juli with Random Weapon EX.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|
"You are far too persistant for your own good."
It's even as Rugal says this, that he lands, picking up a slab of concrete.
"Perhaps I should show you just /why/ you should not get up when I tell you, you are done--"
He doesn't quite finish his sentence. Instead, Juli slams into the man forcefully with two consequetive assaults. And while they might be terribly painful for some... for Rugal? He simply /laughs/ at the assault. The pain is minimal, especially in comparison to strikes he has felt before. He soars through the air only slightly before he recovers, landing solidly on his feet... and looking hardly worse for wear. "I'm afraid, Ms. Juli, your performance was a bit less than adequate. I don't see how you beat Mature... but I suppose it doesn't matter. Grow stronger, girl. You would not want to disappoint Vega, after all." And from there, Rugal... simply turns, and walks away. He has no more use to be here.
This fight, is over.
COMBATSYS: Rugal takes no action.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Rugal has ended the fight here.
Log created by Rugal, and last modified on 10:02:58 01/24/2006.