World Warrior 2007 - [Pre] Iori vs Luise

Description: At Sydney Opera House in Australia, Iori Yagami decides to take all of his frustrations over the past week out on his unfortunate opponent, Luise Meyrink. The results are not pretty. (Winner: Iori)



It's been some time since the last World Warrior tournament, and while King of Fighters and various other venues have kept the public's appetite for destruction somewhat sated, there is something fascinating about the single elimination, world-spanning tournament being held for the third time that the other tournaments lack. KoF certainly had its share of drama, but the legacy of Ryu's triumph over Sagat and other events left a mark in people. They're hungry for more.

The crowd in front of the Sydney Opera House certainly attests to that. With the majestic white wings of the edifice looming in the background, throngs of people from all over the world have come to observe this fight in the tournament's opening rounds. Merchandise hawkers, vendors, cameramen, officials... the entire place is a swarm of human activity, a bloodthirsty throng eager for sport.

All except the green oval just below the promenade and gates of the opera house, an undisturbed patch of grass in the balmy southern hemisphere summer and set aside for the fight. The distinction is amazing between the loud calamity of people and the zone of calm is amazing.

The calm figure of Luise Meyrink, sipping from a china cup of warm coffee and sitting in a tennis court official's chair, only emphasizes that distinction. No matter how loud and obnoxious the crowd gets, she is a blue and black spot of tranquility among them. She has a purpose for being here, after all... and if she's to maintain that purpose, she needs to put her all into today's fight.

Crowds. For a person who hates people as much as Iori Yagami, for a person who hates public events like this, one might wonder what the cursed man would even be doing entering such a competition. There is only, and will only ever be one reason, and one reason alone that Iori enters these fights -- and that reason is Kyo Kusanagi. However, with recent... /disheartening/... news as to Kyo's current condition, Iori has been left with absolutely no reason to be here. So why does he linger and stay in the tournament? Well, that should be obvious.
He stays around to /vent./ And woe be to the opponents who become the subject of his venting.
Iori Yagami has become something of a more than slightly infamous competitor in the fighting circuit. With his tendency to beat his opponents with a vicious and bloody lack of concern or care for their -- or even his -- wellbeing, he has become both hated and praised by a good number of people. It's the name that draws the crowds, with both a large number of people booing the Yagami heir... and nearly an equal number of them cheering him on. He doesn't care. This is never about the crowds and the fans. It's just about the fight.
The cursed heir arrives to the fight right on time, hands finding a comfortable home in his pockets as he enters the undisturbed patch of green, calm in stark contrast to the havoc outside. A single, dark eye takes his opponent into consideration as the Yagami's lips pull into a brief frown. He snorts.
"Che. This'll be over quick."
He does little more than make this arrogant proclamation; instead, he just stands calmly, and waits for the announcer to call for the fight to begin. He just wants to get this over with as soon as possible.

Sensing Iori's singular presence well before he makes any actual declaration, Luise opens her deep blue eyes, scanning the area. She had heard of Iori Yagami... who hasn't? And while she has no familiarity with the man, his reputation for unfettered violence precedes him. To call this worrisome would be an understatement, especially to someone like Luise, who fights for the thrill of the performance rather than any desire to win.

However, it is not a performer's face she puts on as she sets the coffee cup on the ground and walks into the circle, flickering her gaze over his lean body a moment. She is full of determination, because the World Warrior tournament is the only way she knows to get what she wants. And to do that, she's got to keep winning. How to do that against Iori, now, that's a conundrum...

Seeing the woman's rise and movement to the circle as a signal to start, the announcer waves his hand at the fighters and speaks into his mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's main event! In the west corner, representing her home country of Germany... the Dancing Butterfly in a Starry Sky... Luise! Meyrink!" There is some polite applause. After all, Luise isn't a household name just yet.

Luise, meanwhile, turns her gaze to Iori and steels it. He radiates a power that gnaws at her, giving her a sense of terrible, terrible foreboding. "A please, Mr. Yagami."

COMBATSYS: Luise has started a fight here.

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Luise            0/-------/-------|


"And in the east corner... Iori Yagami!"
There is no need for titles or descriptions of Iori, and really, the announcer is hardpressed to find any beyond 'bloodthirsty bastard.' The response, as usual, is mixed between disgust and praise. Iori doesn't pay them any mind. In fact, he doesn't seem to be paying anything any mind; his eyes have drifted up towards the sky after his assessment of his opponent, thinking of things other than this fight. It would appear that he's not taking this very seriously, and perhaps that's not far from the truth.
It's only when Luise speaks that Iori finally, slowly looks down to look at his opponent. One eye veiled by that thick mop of blood-red hair, he is silent to her polite greeting. His right hand lifts from his pants pocket, running through those crimson strands of hair. "... hmph. Don't waste my time with pleasantries, alright? Just... try not to bore me." That's it. That's the extent of his greeting. And then --
"FIGHT!"
The last of the Yagami does not move as the fighter announces the beginning of the match. Instead, he simply lifts his right hand towards Luise, and beckons. "Come on. Let's get this over with." Very lackluster, but anyone who's seen Iori fight knows it's only a matter of time before that apathetic calm breaks apart.

COMBATSYS: Iori has joined the fight here.

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Luise            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Iori


All of her senses are screaming at Luise that this is a mistake. Iori's surface calmness is partially transparent to the young psychic, who cannot see details but can certainly sense the roiling sea underneath the glacial exterior. But if she wants to find Detlev Meyrink, she's going to need to face people like Iori... and perhaps people far worse. Trying to match his tone with wry amusement, she simply responds, "I'll do my best."

The air is thick with tension as the fighters get into stances, Luise seeming to almost float on air rather than stand as a faint blue glow flickers around her, then fades. With a bellow of "FIGHT!", the announcer throws up his hands and moves away, and like a shot Luise closes the gap with Iori, snapping out a hand to catch him by the shoulder and, if she gets a grip, swings to the right in a waltz-like motion, attempting to send Iori to the ground, hard, in a swirl of psycho powered light.

COMBATSYS: Iori dodges Luise's Helix Prelude.

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Luise            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Iori


She certainly will do her best -- but whether her best will be good enough is entirely up to question. Iori simply waits as Luise makes her amused announcement, almost imperceptibly rolling his eyes. And then she comes at him. He feels no chi behind the assault, but rather... something else. Something he /hates/. Something that tingles at the base of his neck in a most distinct sensation. Psycho Power.
However, Luise is a bit too slow -- or the Yagami is just too fast. And as Luise bursts across the distance between them, Iori is quick to sidestep from her grasp. "I said..." As he speaks, purple flames bloom across his right hand. Purple fire that carries with it a distinct sense of animosity and a disgusting, ice-cold sensation, "... DON'T BORE ME!" With Luise so close, his next act is simple; Iori /chucks/ his hand forward, and as he does, a gout of violet flames explodes from the ground beneath them, intent on taking Luise up painfully in its wake.

COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Luise with Yami Barai.

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Luise            0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0             Iori


The Dancing Butterfly grits her teeth, placing all her hopes in her quick footwork and hoping to evade the blast of amethyst fire, but it is simply too fast. Coming out of a lateral spin across the ground she hoped would clear the distance, the German woman's eyes widen as the blast hits her full in the face, the painful not-quite-chi energy washing over her. The power of the attack and Iori's bloodline flame is one thing; the sheer malice and anger contained within it hit her, mentally, almost as hard, leaving her gasping for breath.

However, Luise is not out yet, despite the intense pain she feels. "Impressive," she bites out, before twirling forward and sweeping both of her hands forward in a graceful downward arc, hoping to drive Iori into the ground with an improvised sledgehammer punch of a slightly different color than normal. "Hya!"

COMBATSYS: Iori interrupts Strong Punch from Luise with Yumebiki.

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Luise            1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0             Iori


There's no words from Iori. He didn't come here to have a delightful conversation, after all -- he came here to fight. And the explosion of cursed fire is only a prelude to what is to come next. He said that this was going to be a quick match, and he stays true to his assessment; mercy, after all, is for idiots and fools. He's neither. So as Luise comes at him again, the distance between them is great enough that Iori has more than enough time to prepare...
"GUUUOOOOH!!"
... and counterattack without mercy.
The very /second/ that Luise's hands come down, Iori Yagami /rushes/ forward, such that the sledgehammer punch strikes his shoulder only briefly before his clawed hands RIP through Luise's midsection, tearing through clothes, flesh and muscle without mercy. The claw is only the first half of the assault; the second comes as Iori whips around, his opposite hand clenched in a fist and coming to crash into the side of Luise's face in a vicious backhand meant to send her spiralling through the air. No mercy, true to his infamous reputation.

Oh dear.

Iori's attack is too immediate and swift for Luise to do anything about, and it tears into her with crushing force. Her already-bared midriff drips red with blood from Iori's ruthless strike, the edges of her black coat tattered as they tear through that as well. However, the strike is not enough to down her just yet. For a moment she seems to almost fly as she rights herself in midair, landing in a crouch and sliding across the grass.

"You're as strong as they say," Luise murmurs, forcing herself up. Clutching her arm for a moment and dabbing at the blood before focusing on Iori again. "But I can't give up just yet. There's someone..." She pauses, then rushes forward, twirling her arms in a continuous, twisting dance of circular strikes, looking to batter down Iori's defenses. "...someone I need to find."

COMBATSYS: Iori dodges Luise's Quartet of Oblivion.

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Luise            1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0             Iori


Apparantly, Luise doesn't understand the merits of a fight and the whole not-talking aspect. As she talks, all the Psycho Powered fighter receives is silence as Iori straightens, slipping his left hand back into his pocket. He stares at her, visible eyebrow twitching... and then he frowns. She moves, but not fast enough; the dance looks rather pretty, but it hits nothing with air; all it is, is a spectacular, circular dance of flashing lights. And where is Yagami?
Leaping straight into the air.
"You need..." He begins as he begins to rapidly descend. His right foot juts out, his leg swinging /DOWNWARD/ to crack against the bottom of Luise's skull brutally. "... to /STOP TALKING./ HUUARGH!" His intent is to land solidly in a crouch after smashing Luise over the back of the head, expression dour. "I don't /care/ about what you need!"

COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Luise with Light Kick.

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Luise            1/=======/=======|===----\-------\0             Iori


Words don't win fights. Didn't Luise just hear that quoted to her a matter of mere days ago by Aislinn? Apparently they didn't take, however, because she still began talking and look where it's gotten her. Her attack is completely avoided by the nimble Yagami scion, and all she gets in return is a leg to the side as she clumsily attempts to avoid Iori's kick. She's saved the indignity of a concussion, perhaps, but that's about all.

Barely able to stand, the psychic glances at Iori, breathing somewhat raggedly. The fight is lost; in fact, as far as she can surmise, it was over before it ever began. Still, she can make some sort of impact, perhaps. Blue eyes flashing, the woman appears to lift slightly into the air, eight clear, glass-like orbs appearing around her in a ring. "Then allow these to speak for me!" she shouts, before arching her back... and each orb blasts out at Iori with intense beams of light. Not the typical blue of Luise's attacks, but a pure white... as if the very stars themselves had been compressed into eight tendrils of pure energy.

COMBATSYS: Iori dodges Luise's Overture to Farewell.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Luise            0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0             Iori


A man on a mission, it seems that Iori Yagami is simply on a roll today; the man's blood is pumping, and the sheer RAGE of learning of Kyo's rather shocking revelation has put him on a fighting frenzy. As he lands in a crouch, his eyes snap up, just in time to see Luise lifting into the air. However -- its her words that give him all the warning he needs as he finds orbs of Psycho Power shimmering into existance. Pure white, painful looking Psycho Power. They come fast, and Iori's dark eyes widen as they shoot forward. And then... those eyes narrow dangerously, his lips pulling into a frown.
"NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"
It's close; Yagami twists through the beams of light, leaping around them in a surprisingly nimble performance for a man so tall. And even as he does, though violet fires spring from his hands once more as they clasp together into a unified fist. Iori twists around, whipping his body past the last beam of light. And as he does... those hands come slinging around to SMASH into the side of Luise's head. If successful, the results will be explosive as the flames billow out into a sudden, vicious plume of condensed malice. "GUWAAAARGH!"

COMBATSYS: Luise fails to interrupt Tsumagushi from Iori with Requiem for a Moth.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Iori             0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Luise can no longer fight.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Iori             0/-------/--=====|


In a last, desperate attempt to land some sort of blow on Iori, Luise does something rather unorthodox by her own standards: she leaps forward into Iori's crushing downward blow, hoping to strike him out of it and carry him skyward in a flurry of quick blows. Alas, it's not fated to be. The purple fire blows through Luise's counterattack as if it never happened, driving the German woman to the ground with crushing force, leaving her collapsed on the ground.

Her vision blurry, Luise blinks through her pain, trying to stay conscious, but alas, that too is an ill-fated endeavor. "I'm sorry... Father..." she whispers hoarsely, her hopes of using the tournament to get information on Dr. Meyrink's whereabouts now a distant memory. And then, the darkness of unconsciousness is all she senses.

And that's it. Yagami doesn't even develop a solid berserker rage before it's all over, which is probably for the best. The end result probably would have ended up being much bloodier had it gone on for any longer. As it is, as Luise collapses, Iori is left to stand over her, staring intently as if expecting her to come back up. When she doesn't, when her eyes flutter close into the realm of unconsciousness, the last of the cursed Yagami bloodline frowns... and scoffs. "... Idiot."
"WINNER, IORI YAGAMI!" The crowds roar their intermingled cheers and boos as the red-headed young man turns his back to Luise, head lowered and hands in pockets. His expression shifts back to one more bland and bored than anything else as he walks away, eyes not even lingering on the crowds and gait not pausing for reporters. He doesn't even care. It's been a bad week, and he still has way too much frustration left over to vent.

COMBATSYS: Iori takes no action.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Iori             0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Iori has ended the fight here.

Log created by Iori, and last modified on 15:32:53 02/24/2007.