Description: Karin bursts onto the Neo League scene, but Aislinn isn't about to make the Kanzuki heiress' first match an easy one. (Winner: Karin)
The Neo League. Ken Masters' replacement for Geese Howard's Saturday Night Fights has been immensely popular not only amongst spectators but amongst fighters; the freeform nature of the league favors the nomadic and spontaneous and most fighters are either one or the other if not both. Plus it affords the poor fighter the ability to see the world, at the League's expense.
But to Aislinn Doyle, none of this matters. She wouldn't've joined the League at all, at least not this early in her career, but it was insisted upon. And, truth be told, upon reflection, it seems like it might be a good idea. It'll be a good way to see a wide variety of fighters.
While all these thoughts are going through her head... it isn't really immediately obvious, as she stands in the corner of the ring set up in the middle of a plaza in Seoul--her arms are crossed at her waist, her gaze steady as she gazes forward at the opposite corner... awaiting her opponent, completely ignorant of the crowd which screams and yells in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and even English, placing bets and cheering on these fighters... just because they're there.
While she was in Brazil, Karin Kanzuki did not have all that much to do, something she found herself resenting a little after her company had requested her presence there so strongly. Thus she had a lot of free time on her hands. Some of that she spent enjoying the Latin American fighting circuit, even meeting her new 'acquisition' of Sean Matsuda. However, she also had time to catch up on the Neo League... after all, what better way to keep tabs on her rival. It was only natural that when she returned to Japan, she sign up.
However, weeks passed without a challenge arising, and Karin was beginning to feel slightly antsy. Thus it's with renewed vigor that she agreed to travel to Seoul to fight a Ms. Aislinn Doyle -- a name totally unknown to her -- in the Neo League. Taking a Kanzuki private jet, she arrived early. Preparations had to be made, after all, because if there's anything a Kanzuki can do properly, it's make a grand entrance.
Case in point: as the crowd buzzes around Aislinn and the space determined as the 'ring', a few onlookers suddenly point up, toward the tall skyscrapers of Seoul. Gradually, more and more heads turn that way as well... and that's not surprising, given that from one of the tallest, someone appears to have just... jumped. A suicide attempt? It doesn't bode well for the match, does it?
Perhaps the sudden opening of a parachute on the figure's part, with the stylized black and gold logo of the Kanzuki Corporation as its emblem, will ameliorate that tension. Clapping loudly, the crowd oohs and aahs as none other than Karin Kanzuki floats down to the ground, landing with improbable precision just outside the ring and, quickly unbuckling her parachute, vaulting into it and flipping a mass of gold curls over one shoulder with a grin at Aislinn. "Ah, it's been too long since I've done something like that," she says breathily, clearly not bothered at all by having just jumped off a building. "Shall we?"
COMBATSYS: Aislinn has started a fight here.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Karin has joined the fight here.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Karin
What a... spectacular entrance! It certainly gets the crowd going, as a roar of appreciation for the spectacle comes up. They're on her side now, damn the Japanese oppression of Koreans and all that. They love a good show.
But Aislinn? She's not terribly impressed. Not that it would show, either way, as she watches Karin leap into the ring. Were she more vocal, she might agree, "Yes, let's," but... she doesn't say anything, not even that much. Instead, she just hops right to it, so to speak, dashing forward at Karin even as the announcer shouts "FIGHT!" and stopping just short, firing off a mid-level roundhouse kick at Karin's abdominal area. Just as her foot comes around, it suddenly crackles with red-white electrical chi, which should add a shocking new dimension to the attack, if it hits.
COMBATSYS: Karin dodges Aislinn's Medium Kick.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Karin
Blinking in surprise at the lack of preamble, Karin nonetheless does not miss a step as Aislinn comes sailing in at her; with a faint grin, the blonde gauges the angle of the incoming attack carefully and as Aislinn spins in one direction, Karin spins in the other, shuffling neatly out of the way of the kick and coming up around the other side just as her opponent recovers from her attack. Rather like dance partners switching sides, in execution. The crackling of energy does catch her attention, though, the blonde giving her opponent a critical gaze. "Interesting."
Well, as long as we're kicking... deciding to test the girl's defenses, Karin likewise dashes in toward Aislinn without preamble, stopping just short and snapping her leg up in an angled high kick intended to tap her opponent in the side of the head. Not a particularly powerful blow, but it also doesn't leave Karin as open to counterattack as a slower, stronger strike might.
COMBATSYS: Karin successfully hits Aislinn with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Aislinn 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Karin
The kick doesn't just catch Aislinn in the head; it floors her, even as she's attempting to throw her arms up to catch it. Perhaps a bit off balance, she actually bounces off the ground from the hit, but that only lets her get back to her feet... with nary a frown to indicate her displeasure at the hit.
For a moment, Aislinn considers her options... then takes a half-step back with her left foot, projecting her hands in front of her, palms out; a moment later, a thick, beam-like blast of pure electrical chi flares out at Karin, cored white with red tinge at the edges, lightning crackling along the length of the beam.
COMBATSYS: Karin dodges Aislinn's Electrolance.
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Aislinn 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Karin
Trained as she is, Karin can sense that her kick perhaps lands with a little more force than she had intended it to; that makes the recoil from the blow a bit slow, but perhaps this works in her favor, as her balance is still on her left leg even as Aislinn starts her counterattack, the massive electrical blast looking like it will put some serious hurt on Karin if it connects. Left without time to block, the blonde instead launches herself onto her center of gravity, rolling to the side as Aislinn's beam of energy sears the air where Karin used to be, the Kanzuki heiress having escaped by mere centimeters.
Stopping in a crouch, Karin eyes her opponent carefully. Energy attacks have never been easy for her to deal with, and the other girl appears to have a better than average facility at using them. "You have an interesting style," Karin comments coolly. Deciding to take the initiative quickly before Aislinn can summon another burst, Karin blurs forward with considerable speed, launching a pair of quick palm strikes through the air and following them up with a considerably stronger third palm strike to the gut. "Haaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Aislinn endures Karin's Guren Ken.
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Aislinn 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Karin
Like Karin, Aislinn finds her opponent moving too fast to dodge... so instead she elects to just take the hits. However, Karin might recognize that the attacks, while landing fully, are absorbed differently, as Aislinn's body tightens up--'toughens up'--and that third strike doesn't land quite properly, pushing Aislinn back a step rather than blowing her away.
And then it's time for her retaliation; she lunges forward again, closing the brief distance and throwing a high roundhouse kick--once again, suddenly, her foot sheathed in that red electrical chi as it flies, carving an arc through the air.
COMBATSYS: Karin counters Medium Kick from Aislinn with Yasha Gaeshi.
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Aislinn 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Karin
Now that was indeed unexpected, and the surprise that flickers into Karin's gaze shows it. There's not much time to react in the space of her attack ending and Aislinn's beginning; the NESTS fighter's quick reaction time and willingness to throw herself into the blow reduce that time to practically nothing at all. Dodging is impossible; blocking would only leave her open to immediate followup. So, she does the only thing she can think of: she goes on the offensive.
Shifting her hands in front of her into a quick, almost <-like shape, the blonde reaches out at speed with her upper hand to snatch Aislinn's leg out of the air, pushing it downwards to throw her off balance and simultaneously bringing her lower hand up, palm out, to meet the other girl as she heads toward the ground. "I can see right through that!" she says quickly, before stepping back to hopefully give herself some room.
The fight is going... extraordinarily bad. Very, very badly for Aislinn. She hadn't yet come up against someone who was both fast enough to dodge her attacks and agile enough to counter them. This requires a reassessment; Aislinn can tell that she is down quite a bit in endurance and she's taken a great deal of damage.. and done nothing. It is a clear sign that she is not strong enough. And she's shaming Krizalid. What can she do?
She attempts to recollect herself, tightening her stance, lowering her center of gravity, raising her arms... collecting energy, almost invisibly, though a seasoned fighter might be able to tell what's going on.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn gathers her will.
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Aislinn 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Karin
Although her sense for chi was much improved by her brief training with Ryu and Sakura, Karin is still a long way from being able to sense the energy of the world in others without a really obvious display, such as the bluish wind Sakura tends to cause when she does something quite similar. However, she does know that for her, stepping back and taking stock isn't going to win her any fights. She's got to keep on the offensive.
Hoping to take advantage of Aislinn's inactivity, she rushes forward and then makes a short hop into the air, coming at Aislinn from a low angle, bringing her hand up and then doward in an absolutely pushing karate chop intended to drive through the other fighter's defensive-looking stance, driving her right into the dirt if need be.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn blocks Karin's Strong Punch.
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Aislinn 1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Other fighters, when they call up energy, it swirls around them, as wind, or pure energy, and it can obscure vision. Aislinn doesn't do that, and so she throws her arms up, catching that chop, her arms bending slightly then stiffening, pushing forward, and negating all that kinetic energy.
Then she's moving into action, arms snapping down to her waist, then up, then out, as she unleashes what can only be considered a torrent of chi--a literal storm of thin, red-white chi needles, bursting out in a cone-shaped pattern, though with Karin this close that may not be apparent, each one crackling with that electrical effect.
If Aislinn was worried about Karin's speed being overwhelming then she couldn't have picked a better attack to overcome it. The burst of chi needles overwhelms her in an instant, the first few waves pelting her relentlessly with bursts of electrical energy that are sure to make her hairstylist cringe in terror. However, at the last moment she is able to muster some sort of defense, using concentrated palm blocks and swift movements to minimize the tail end of the damaging storm. "...most impressive," she admits, taking a few deep breaths. "And quite painful."
However, even if the distance she has to travel is greater, Karin is in no mood to throw in the towel. Setting her foot back, the blonde grins at Aislinn. "However, I've got some impressive maneuvers of my own!" As she draws near to the other fighter, Karin suddenly drops low to the ground, sliding across it and driving both of her feet right at Aislinn's ankles. If it works, the NESTS fighter is in for a great fall... but the operative word here is, "if it works".
COMBATSYS: Aislinn interrupts Heavy Kick from Karin with Whirlwind Lariat.
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Aislinn 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Karin
Well, Karin will certainly make contact. After all... it's not as if Aislinn is going anywhere.
Or... is she? Aislinn suddenly ducks low, very low, so that she's almost chest level with the sliding Karin, and she thrusts her arms out to her sides, held stiff, hands clenched into fists... and just as Karin is making contact, Aislinn is suddenly spinning upwards, her arms slamming into those sliding legs--taking some damage, but giving out much more in return. Of course, if Aislinn were simply just to spin, she'd end up dizzy and on the ground--so part and parcel of this attack is that Aislinn leaps upwards, into the air. It should look rather like a Terry Bogard Rising Tackle... only... right side up.
To Aislinn's credit, Karin doesn't even have time to look surprised before the lariat catches her under the chin and just lifts her up and OUT, sending her flying to the side even as Aislinn herself rises straight up. Rolling to a strop, Karin frowns and runs her hand across her mouth for a moment. It wasn't exactly supposed to end that way... but she did feel part of her sliding kick connect solidly, and thus she's satisfied for the time being.
However, what was a terrible blow may actually be in Karin's benefit, for as the blonde gets to her feet Aislinn is likely descending from that rising blow... and Karin gets the perfect opportunity to hopefully shut down this fight for good. "Not bad, but not good enough!" she taunts, before *launching* herself at Aislinn as she falls, hands making a whirling, unending scythe through the air as Karin intends to drive that circular strike into her opponent a number of times, the last intended to knock her right to the mat... hopefully for the last time. "Kanzuki-ryuu, Kou'ou KEN!"
COMBATSYS: Karin successfully hits Aislinn with Kanzuki-ryu Kou'ou Ken.
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Aislinn 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Karin
Karin -does- end the fight, that's for sure... but not -just- yet. Battered by the scything attacks of Kanzaki-ryuu, Aislinn is basically thudded and tumbled around, but when she lands.. it -is- on her feet. At least for now; no amount of bravado or toughness disguises the injuries to body and arms, or the fact that Aislinn is quite literally shaking where she stands...
Still, a last effort must be made, futile though it may be, and it is with that thought that Aislinn pushes herself forward, attempting to close the gap with Karin once more... should she be able to, she will then summon up that chi again, the last of her energy, spinning forward along the ground, hands spinning out, flattened into knife-like projections, electrical chi arcs slashing out at Karin... she does this five times, forcing herself forward, then the after the fifth she stops, raising her hands to attempt to impale the Kanzaki scion on a shimmering blade of chi...
And then she drops to one knee, silently and stoically acknowledging her defeat.
COMBATSYS: Aislinn can no longer fight.
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Karin 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Karin blocks Aislinn's Shining Rondo.
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Karin 0/-------/----===|
Gritting her teeth, Karin frowns, forcing herself not to lose concentration even as she can sense the fight leave Aislinn's body... and good thing, too, because Aislinn is definitly not going down without one last shot, and it's a shot that's going to put a serious hurt on Karin unless she does something about it. Pushing herself backwards, moving a step back for every swing of blazing electrical energy Aislinn sends her way, the Kanzuki heiress methodically interposes her handguards between herself and each spinning chi-infused strike, taking the brunt of the blows on her hands and just barely spinning out of the way of the final blade of energy.
Wincing in pain from the effort of taking on pure chi with her (mostly) bare hands, Karin is consumed with taking care of herself while Aislinn submits and the referee calls the match. However, once she's got the feeling back in her fingers, the blonde smiles faintly at her opponent. "Against the might of the Kanzuki style, such an outcome is nothing to be ashamed of," she says simply, with no obvious malice; to her, it's just fact. "But you have a very interesting and unique style. I'd like to challenge you again sometime."
Aislinn is still on one knee... were she built more outlandishly there might be steam venting from ports opening up, or something else. Instead, the oddly-clad fighter rises after a moment, finding herself quite able to move under her own power, even if she can't quite fight until her body's healed itself.
Her eyes, turned to Karin once the Kanzuki girl speaks, betrays absolutely nothing of Aislinn's emotional state--whether she cares if she won or lost, how she feels about Karin's proclamations regarding Ai's style of fighting... none of it.
Having failed, Aislinn simply turns on her heel, walking calmly, if with a bit of a limp, out of the ring; let the officials take care of everything else, it doesn't matter to her. Will she and Karin fight again? Quite likely... the fight did have several interesting points to it. And... deep in her heart... she realizes that she would like to beat Karin Kanzuki in a fight. Though this feeling of 'wanting to win' is disturbingly primal and foreign to her, and she quickly quashes it.
COMBATSYS: Karin has ended the fight here.
Log created by Karin, and last modified on 13:21:57 05/30/2006.