Description: Athena Asamiya finds herself the unfortunate subject of all Iori Yagami's frustrations as he decides to vent his grievances over being defeated by Ash and Shenwoo via league fighting. Punches are thrown, psycho balls are fired, and in the end, everyone learns a valuable lesson! It's fun the whole family can enjoy! (Winner: Iori)
"Hmph," Iori Yagami shoves his hands indignantly into his pockets as he takes a slow look around Ken Master's Red Arena. A deep frown settles over his lips.
"This better be good."
It's been a few days since Iori's infuriating encounter with Ash Crimson and his "pal," Shenwoo. And even though days have passed to allow for Iori to calm down and let his frustrations pass over him, true to Yagami's form those annoyances have only grown and grown until, eventually, he went out seeking a release. And what better way to release frustrations than by pounding someone into the dirt?
And thus, here Iori is, making his grand reappearance in Ken Master's Neo League tournament, and looking even more pissed off than his stony features typically do. There's hardly anything restraining the man's annoyance, at this point. Crimson eyebrows twitch, dark eyes narrow, and his frown deepens. He wanted a fight. He wanted someone to beat on. But...
... did they have to pick someone as irritating as /her/?
For now, Iori is quiet, even as the announcer blares out the Yagami's name over his mic. He stands in the dead center of the Red Arena as he waits for his opponent, occupying his time with thinking of the various ways he could rip apart Ash Crimson next time he saw him. The thoughts draw a smile across Iori's otherwise dry expression. It isn't, by any means, a pleasant one.
Toting a shoulderbag stuffed with books, Iori's opponent shows up presently from a study session: sloughing off her bag-- and the normal life of a teenaged girl-- just outside the arena. Changing into a fighting outfit, she takes a couple minutes to stretch absently; and once she's mildly warmed up, she enters the arena itself, only to find that her opponent's chosen to wait right in the middle of the fighting area.
Oh. Well, she guesses he means business. The girl blinks mildly at her adversary, pushing her headband up to a more secure position on her head.
"You must be Iori Yagami," she greets cheerfully enough, offering a short little bow. Ignore his dry expression, Athena, he's probably just not in a good mood. Nothing that can't be fixed, though! "Nice to meet you!" If not stopped, she'll probably ramble on to introduce herself-- despite how she probably needs no introduction, given her fame-- and then chatter on about any number of unrelated topics. Stop her quickly, Iori.
And there she is. Like some terrifying force of nature, Athena Asamiya makes herself known with a bright unflinching smile and quirky, energetic ramblings. It, of course, does not help that Iori is currently interposing Ash's face on Athena. The image, combined with Athena's voice -- which, to Iori, is one of the most grating things he has ever experienced -- cause a twitch of that unpleasant smile into a neutral line, and then a further twitch into a frown. Yet she still talks, onward and onwards until --
"..." Iori's hands twist and clench into fists as slowly but surely, words are growled from him. Angrily. "Whatever. I don't care who you are. Just try and keep up, and..."
The introductions are made, the fighters are ready. And Iori does not linger about listening to the girl's words. Instead, he simply LEAPS forward, crossing the distance between them before making a grab at the Psycho Soldier's midsection. "... /STOP TALKING./" Bellowing out this command, should Iori's grasp hold true, his next action is very simple, yet brutal; he rakes clawed fingers straight across Athena's midsection while simultaneously pushing her back, a combination of attacks which should leave Athena spiralling towards the ground, and likely leave her with a ruined shirt.
COMBATSYS: Iori has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Iori 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Athena has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Iori 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Iori's Sakahagi.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Athena
Oh. Well, if that's how he wants to be! Athena's mouth snaps shut on the end of a sentence when he interrupts her: growling a response in what is possibly the most repressedly angry tone she has ever heard. Momentarily dismayed, Athena shuts up. A blissful silence descends.
--And then, she rebounds. She shrugs, smiles, and sinks into a combat stance the moment she notices his tall frame tense: arms crossing in a defensive stance as Iori angles in for a strike.
"If you insist!" she still manages, -somehow-, to chirp: even as he begins attacking. That's Athena for you, talking even to the last. She even manages to hide the flinch of pain as he gets ahold of her admirably well. The clawing swipe is barely blocked with a downwards palmstrike: the defensive motion pushing his attack wide.
But she doesn't pull away after that. Instead, her open hand snaps shut on his wrist, her free one latching to his shoulder, and she turns to slam her back right into his considerably taller frame: her psychic force aiding her small body in her attempted throw.
COMBATSYS: Iori interrupts Super Psychic Throw from Athena with Yumebiki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Athena
There. That's much better. Iori looks satisfied even as he lunges at Athena, save for her insistence on having the last word -- something she'll pay for shortly. However, the distinct lack of her voice stabbing into his ears is somewhat pleasant. It does nothing to stave off his irritation, however, and as soon as his hands swing downward, Iori just allows himself to get lost in his fury.
A fury that just grows as he feels her gripping onto his wrist. It seems his initial strike is unsuccessful, but far be it from Iori to be dismayed; he's more angry at the fact that she's /touching/ him for a prolonged period of time. Of course, he sees what comes next. The surge of psycho power which he hates so much is only recognizable in the prickling sensation at the base of his neck, but it's enough of a warning. Enough so that he knows what this grip on his wrist means.
... And enough so that a wicked grin splits his lips.
"You're /TOO SLOW/!" The declaration comes as soon as Athena turns to slam into him. Though her back touches him with that tinge of psychic force, he merely takes a staggering step backwards, before... "GUUOOOOHH!!" Before a clawed hand TEARS across Athena's back, intend on putting so much force behind the blow so that it spins the girl to face him... just in time to meet one brutal backhand to the face to send her flying through the air. There. That was satisfying.
Athena gives voice once more when Iori's hand rips punishingly across her back: but satisfyingly enough for the Yagami heir, it won't be anything but a quickly-stifled cry of pain. Her jaw snaps resolutely shut on the sound just in time to avoid biting through her tongue as Iori's backhand sends her flying: she barely recovers from the blow, flipping in the air to skid to a stop on all fours.
She wavers an instant, and then focuses, eyes narrowing in determined resolution. She straightens from her crouch, and her hands thrust forwards: a ball of psychic force sent straight for the one who despises it so much.
COMBATSYS: Iori overcomes Psycho Ball from Athena with Yami Barai.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Athena
Giving a single, simple jump backwards, the Yagami heir looks all-too satisfied with the given situation; Athena bloodied and in pain. Left hand digging into his pocket, the last of the Yagamis lands roughly in something of a crouch, only looking back up towards his opponent as she recovers. But it seems that Athena isn't quite done yet; far from it, and that's a good thing. It'd be pathetic if one simple attack took her out, no matter how brutal.
She comes again, and the attack comes swiftly. A ball of psycho power, screaming towards Iori. But, Iori is far too gone into the swing of things to be deterred by such an attack. Lifting his right hand, Yagami sneers as it explodes into violet flames that boil his very blood and cause his sneer to devolve into a full-grown growl of anger. As the psycho ball approaches, the flames increase... and Iori's hand snaps forward.
The orb of psychic power is just about to consume Yagami when a gout of purple flames explodes outward from the ground, consuming that power of Athena's utterly. "DIE!" The scream is almost barely audible behind the roar of flames as they engulf Athena's Psycho Ball, blazing a trail straight for the Psycho Soldier herself.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Iori's Yami Barai.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Athena
The attack is certainly showy-- but the fact that it IS showy means that Athena's got time to react. Her eyes narrow in the teeth of that fiery onslaught, shuttering out some of the brilliance, and she launches herself to one side just in time to avoid the roaring flames.
She hits the ground upside-down, hands-first, and twists around-- one hand crossing over the other-- to rotate her vulnerable front away from the Yagami heir. Bracing, she launches herself backwards into the air: and in midair, on the way back to an upright stance, she throws her hands forward once more. Another burst of psychic energy lances from her hands: slightly smaller, but more concentrated.
COMBATSYS: Iori dodges Athena's Psycho Shoot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Athena
So she's more spry than Iori would have given her credit for; watching as his plume of violent flames is deftly sprung over, Yagami's lips pull back into a sneer, his hands clenching into fists at either side of him. Fast. Well, that's alright. He'll catch Athena, and then he'll punch her until she's not quite so fast anymore. This -- this sounds like a good plan to him.
But first, he has to deal with a rapidly approaching ball of psycho power. Dark eyes snapping wide at the sight -- not out of surprise, but rather anticipation -- Iori's legs tense, and then with one fluid movement he SPRINGS right over the oncoming sphere of concentrated psychic force.
Landing in a roll, Iori keeps low to the ground as he rushes towards Athena, his eyes wild and expression crazed. He moves fast; in one moment, he is several feet from Athena. In the next, he's stopping RIGHT in front of her, snapping up a leg with a feral, blood curdling roar. "GUWAAAARRRRRRGGH!!" The kick is aimed to smash the toes of his shoe right into Athena's jaw, before coming back down to CRASH into the back of her head with intense, and quick, force.
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Iori's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Athena
He's fast-- but so is Athena. The instant he leaps clear over her Psycho Shoot, she skips back a pace in anticipation of attack: retreating even as the last of the Yagami lunges. A smart backflip takes her out of range of the kick; and the moment she lands, she sinks deep into a bracing crouch. Her body coils, and she launches herself right back with a sharp strike. The heel of her hand thrusts directly at his jaw in a matter-of-fact and efficient stroke.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Iori with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Athena
Again, she manages to evade him. Dark eyes narrow as the girl simply sidesteps his maneuver, backflipping from him neatly. Iori snarls, clearly displeased with these results. She should just stay /still/ so he can make short work of her in /peace/. But since she'll have none of that, he'll just have to let her get close... and then tear at her. Which is exactly his plan as Athena comes at him with that punch. Intent on just letting it hit him, he underestimates the force that Athena places behind the attack. Even bracing himself, his defenses slip, his footing weakening just enough so that he staggers backwards one step, and then another -- but that's it.
"HUUUAAAAAGH!!" And that? That is the sound of an angry Iori Yagami, /howling/ in rage as he hefts both hands high into the air before bringing them down /sharply/, intent on raking dangerous talons across Athena's torso with intent to cause as much bloody damage as possible.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Athena with Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Athena
And indeed, she is too close to simply avoid retaliation this time. Those clawed hands tear through her before she can back off, and Iori is rewarded with a gasp of pain that cannot be masked or stifled. Athena puts distance between herself and Iori too late, trailing blood as she leaps, then skids, fifteen feet backwards in a crouch. For the moment, she does not immediately return to the offensive or even rise: one hand remains planted to the ground as she pants shakily, managing a smile of some genuine respect even despite her predicament. There aren't many she meets that are quite this good.
COMBATSYS: Athena gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Iori 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Athena
She's -- smiling? What is this? Even the satisfaction of feeling nails tear through flesh, even hearing her in pain, that damnable smile frustrates Iori more than anything. This may be because he is still imagining Ash Crimson smiling at him in some smug manner, and it might just be because he finds Athena irredeemably annoying. Whatever the reason, whatever the why, Iori Yagami feels irritation boil in his blood at the sight. "I'm going to wipe that smug look..."
And then he leaps. His right hand explodes with violet flames, filled to brim with a sense of foreboding and ill intent. Usually he's a bit more lenient than this. Usually he's not quite so irrationally hateful (though relatively speaking, not by much.) But Athena just picked the wrong day to league fight Iori Yagami. And, hand aflame, he intends on grasping the girl RIGHT by the face, lifting her up before consuming her head in that ungodly, Orochi-cursed power with a painful explosion. "... RIGHT OFF YOUR FACE!"
COMBATSYS: Athena reflects Koto Moon Negative from Iori with Round Psycho Reflector.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Iori 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Athena
But there is no smugness to the look-- certainly none of the wry smarminess that would be seen in the face of one such as Ash Crimson. Athena's face is incapable of the sly, the self-important, or the smug; whatever emotions she expresses are genuine and earnest. This look of brief appreciation, even in the face of pain, is no different.
But perhaps Iori finds that irritating as well.
"I'm sorry you feel like that," she replies him quietly, before her hands snap up defensively right in the very teeth of his assault. They separate with a spark and flare of psychic energy, red light spilling forth. The thrumming shield that springs to life between her hands does what her paltry physical strength cannot: it stops the attack before it can maul her face clean off. And with any luck, it'll force the Yagami heir backwards as well, giving her some space.
That -- that was surprising, and painful. Not expecting the sudden shield-like defense, Iori's eyes bulge wide in surprise. Watching as the very flames he intended to burn Athena with are all but sucked up by the defensive, psychic power. And then... regurgitated, right back at him. Admittedly it doesn't hurt as much as it should; his own power is more familiar to him than any, and he's used to the pain it brings. But it still forces Iori to stagger backwards, a deep frown splittng across his lips as he shakes off the pain of the assault. Is she... talking /again/?
"Who /CARES/ what you think?! /NO ONE/!" That's all the response he'll offer, before sliding in, body swooping low to the ground before Iori jerks UP, intent on blowing his left fist into Athena's gut. "GUUOOOH!!" It's simple, but it's effective -- and more importantly, it is /fast/.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Athena with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Iori 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Athena
There's little sense in talking further, then. Had they met on the street, it'd be a different story-- Athena probably wouldn't have been deterred in her chattering by anything short of Iori turning around and walking out of babble range. But in the midst of combat, it's hardly smart to keep talking, distracting oneself... when the opponent doesn't even want to hear it. It's not even as if the talk serves as a distraction for Iori himself-- the Yagami heir is too good to be taken in by simple tricks.
Iori's opinion of Athena comes in the form of a punishing, breathstealing jab of a punch. Athena reels back a few steps, gasping, before her mouth shuts abruptly (thankfully). And she focuses her energy on the fight at hand: a resolute look to her despite the circumstances. It is a look of determination that would doubtless piss the Yagami heir off even more.
COMBATSYS: Athena focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Iori 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Athena
There, that's satisfying. Iori plunges his fist deep into Athena's gut, though the action remains quick and relatively painless -- considering how the man usually goes about doing things, anyway. Fist quickly retreating back to his side, Iori affords Athena enough time to gather her breath back... and give him that look of resolve once more. Lips twitching, the Yagami heir's fists explode into purple flames once more. Always with that look. Well... he'll just have to /rip it out of her,/ then.
Which is /exactly/ what Iori intends to do this time around. Fists burning with those terrible flames, the Yagami RUSHES towards Athena, his dark eyes alight with madness and frenzy. "GUAAAAARRGGHH!!!" Hands SHOOTING overhead, Iori rushes straight towards the Psycho Soldier, intent on tearing those flaming claws down across Athena's body once more -- this time accompanied with the painful searing power of the Yagami Flame.
COMBATSYS: Athena interrupts Tsumagushi from Iori with Shining Crystal Bit.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Iori 1/=======/=======|===----\-------\0 Athena
Gracious of him to allot her time to recover-- but soon enough her look of resolution shatters his patience. Infuriated, Iori leaps straight for her, claws cocked for a killing stroke, and the girl... does not make a move to evade.
Athena steps forward-- right into Iori's charge. Hair whipping around her face as her psychic power spikes, her eyes narrow in focus. A burst of energy smokes from her skin, red and white energy lashing outwards in the form of small, spinning projectiles. She meets the Yagami Flame head-on, flinching as it sears her skin; but even as she takes the heat, she aims to lash out in kind.
Now, Iori knew something was wrong the moment Athena took that extra time to prepare. But does that stop him? Of course not. It doesn't stop him when he rushes at her, and it doesn't stop him when she doesn't move out of the way. And though he knows pain is likely on the horizon, does he care? Of course not. He leaps, he swings --
And then he is served a heaping helping of white-hot Psycho Power.
The explosion is deafening, tearing and burning at the man's body. Yet still, though the blow is weakened, Iori stands his ground, delivering his strike through the storm of psychic energy that consumes the enraged, cursed fighter. It hurts, it certainly does. But he does not pause, even for a second. Too far-gone and consumed with rage, the man instead steps forward... and howls out, loudly, skin singed and blood running down his lip.
"DIE, YOU WORTHLESS SACK OF CRAP! DIE!"
The attack that follows is quick -- a sweeping kick to take Athena's legs out from under her, followed by one swift snap kick to her ribs on the way down, accompanied by the man's blood-curling growls. He's in pain. And he's /pissed/. But he is certainly not down.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Athena with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Iori 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\0 Athena
Oh-- well. That's just not nice! Someone needs to go to anger management classes. Not that she's got time to think this in its entirety, no-- she doesn't get much farther than dismay at the sheer amount of rage that seethes beneath the Yagami heir's skin.
She cries out as the kick takes her off her feet-- a sound quickly aborted as his leg comes back around, slamming into her chest and sending her backwards instead of down to her face. She fires off a last burst of energy as she goes, wrists flicking outwards: but she doesn't air-recover. Too exhausted for that, she simply lands roughly on her back: a slight burst of blood kicked from her split veins at the impact.
COMBATSYS: Athena can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Iori 1/=======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Iori fails to interrupt Psycho Shoot from Athena with Yami Sugi.
[ \\\\\ <
Iori 1/-----==/=======|
Well, Athena is technically down. But does that stop Iori? Hell no. The man is on a berserker rage, and he has every intention of pounding into the woman until there's little left but a bloody smear decorating the Red Arena walls. And maybe he'll feel a little bad about it afterwards but -- no, no he probably won't. Purple flames bubble along his hands as Athena goes flying, and even though he feels the last surge of psycho power from within her, he's far from done. "I am going to /TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB/!!" And the scary thing is -- he sounds like he means it. Iori has anger issues.
Severe anger issues.
And he's just about to make good on that promise, arms rearing up -- except that Athena moves faster than he expects. That final blast of power takes Yagami completely off guard and, before he can consume the girl in a pillar of fire and hate, he himself finds a sphere of psychic energy crashing into him, engulfing him in the wake of a painful explosion as he goes flying forcibly backwards. Crashing against the ground roughly, Iori bounces once, and the skids across the arena floor, only stopping when he crashes against a nearby boulder. And then... there's silence.
The announcer goes quiet as both fighters seem to have gone down. A double knock out? It seems that is what the man is about to announce, his lips parting wide -- "Don't you even THINK about it... you piece of crap..." Uttereg out from the gutteral voice of Iori Yagami, the cursed heir slowly drags himself back onto his feet, bloodied, clothes burnt and largely ruined... but still conscious, and still able to fight. Slowly, he looks towards the prone form of Athena. A deep frown crosses his lips.
"I hate teen idols."
And that said, the crimson-haired man turns, and limps off, not bothering to hear his name announced to the spectators as they stare down at the bloodied mess that is Miss Athena Asamiya.
COMBATSYS: Iori has ended the fight here.
Log created by Iori, and last modified on 15:54:09 02/12/2007.