Description: It's carnage on a cruise ship in the Caribbean! (Winners: Kurow and Rolento)
The premise behind this week's entertainment was simple; take four people from different walks of life, fly them out in two different military choppers, then have them repel down individual lines onto different parts of a majestic cruise ship as it moves through the delightful Caribbean. ??? PROFIT.
The rub; getting ship security to not try and arrest the fighters, since they haven't been notified of the liner's sudden participation in one of the high rating Saturday Night Fights. And then they applied salt into the wounds; the crates of snakes that were dropped after the combatants, spilling their payload to many a slither and scream. All in all, this cruise liner just became the absolute worst place to be--forced to cut its engines, the ship is anchored down and now being circled by sharks, with... no, that must be a trick of the light, there's no way they could have lasers attached to their heads. Just what were they thinking?!
Passengers are locked in their cabins, but some are still wandering the halls. The buffets are still full of gastropods ensuring they get their share, and even the casino is still occupied--addicts are addicts.
Amidst them all, the snakes, the sharks, the security, there's a youth who's desperately trying to get away from the latter. "It's a sanctioned fight, it's a sanctioned fight!" he screams as he runs, but they won't hear any of it. What Shingo Yabuki doesn't know is that the entire thing is staged for ratings, but the mission here is clear; find the opponent, kick their ass. Find his team-mate, save her ass.
His fist plummets into the face of a guard who blocks his path, and the poor guy is sent hurtling through the doors that lie ahead. Yabuki steps into the Fantasy Dining Room, on the Atlantic Deck, eyes searching for the opposition. The cries of the guards still pursue him from behind--where the hell is the opposition?!
What he's faced with are a sea of people attempting to eat dinner. Or at least, they were. Jaws drop at the entrance, and the unconscious guard lying atop a dining table-the family seated there coated in their would-be dinner. A monocle drops into a bowl of soup. The youth lifts his voice;
"C'mon! Where the hell are you guys?!"
Rose looks up from the bar where she had had a light plate of crudite`s set out for her enjoyment. She had been speaking with a somewhat dour-looking officer, probably a retired Navy captain who was keeping his hand in while collecting his generous pension from some government or other, when all the fiascos began.
Yes, yes, she assured him, it is all regular. No, no, those screams were not a sign of danger. No, the reports of ray guns were merely signs of enthusiasm, as well as a bit of special effects hugger-muggery to increase ratings!
No, no, my dear man, those screams are just screams of joy. Would you like your fortune read, later?
All this complex lying comes to a halt when Shingo administers a fist of burning young justice into the face of a security guard.
Rose tilts her head down slightly, bringing up one elegant, manicured hand to cup her face in her palm for a moment. She breathes in, and then breathes out, to center herself. She lifts her attention again, and breathes in once more:
"Hello, Shingo!" she sings out, raising her wineglass-holding hand in salute, in case - somehow - Shingo was not able to spot her in a crowd.
Nagivating a cruise ship is by no means a difficult pursuit for Rolento. He merely shifts along, silent as the snakes that may or may not be inhabiting the large resort vessel that may or may not be sinking. Those few security personnel that get near him brought down with horrific pain and potentially months of trauma, but not killed -- he was asked not to, but striking someone in the back of the head with the butt of a knife will just give headaches for the rest of his life from swelling. It's completely harmless otherwise. He's here to win more then anything, despite having no clue where his potential opponents are. And he went in the one place where he knows he can slither unmolested. The ducts. Shifting along, he actually hears Shingo's high-pitched whining, and navigates the catacomb before peeking down a grill towards the youth, who is almost situated directly below. Then... a hissing sound. A viper, mere inches away from Rolento's face. Yet his hand is faster then his strike, catching the writhing serpent.
Before the commando bursts from the grill, descending and landing directly behind Shingo as even more people freak out and scream, scattering like rodents. "SHINGO YABUKI! IT SEEMS MY OPPORTUNITY FOR VENGEANCE HAS AROSE A SECOND TIME!" And then... he snaps out the serpent, trying to wrap it around Shingo's neck and then heft him into the air, in order to strangle him. With the viper. That's still hissing and trying to bite them both. Well, it's going to be good for ratings. Rose can react however she likes.
COMBATSYS: Rolento has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rolento has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Rolento
COMBATSYS: Shingo has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rolento
COMBATSYS: Rose has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rose 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Kurow entered the ship in the same way the other fighters did, of couse, though unlike Rose, he immediately set himself on the business of seeking out the other fighters. He is perhaps a little late to actually /find/ them, mostly because unlike many of the others, he is perhaps more meticulous in his searching, and also started in a significantly different area, relatively.
He does eventually arrive in the room where everyone's attempting to eat dinner, just in time to see Shingo bust in and start yelling, and then /Rolento/ bust in and start yelling at Shingo. Needless to say, neither of these impress him too much -- though he /does/ zero in on Rose fairly quickly. He knows who he's supposed to be fighting, and she's definitely a target -- and a priority one, given his status as a Shadaloo ally. He spends a little time sizing her up, but doesn't go on the offensive just yet.
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Shingo with Medium Throw.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
It would seem that Shingo has no time for loafing, not with a bevy of security personnel after him--but wait, what's this?! That sudden presence behind him, so familiar, so very familiar! The old knife wound in his shoulder that burns... and that tingling sensation in his hand!! It must be that notorious ass-bandit, Rolento Schuberg... Schumach... Schugerg!
Even as his eyes widen, staring at Rose, that deadly viper is coiled around his neck--and the youth finds himself wrenched right off of his feet. Twisted around in the movement, he further finds himself face to face to snake with his prey!
"Gaaackt! Gaaackt! Rolenaackt! Gaackto!" he chokes, hands gripping that snake. He tries his damn best to keep that snapping face from sinking into his valuable face--and don't get him started on the snake! Oh man, he's got no luck whatsoever sometimes!
What animated choking he proves to have, with his legs waving in the air. Without a doubt, the commando is a strong guy, and he's good with snakes! Then again, so is Shingo; his right foot swings right for Rolento's own.
Rose is probably about thirty-six inches, possibly thirty-seven with good support. The rest of her body is pretty easily discerned; she doesn't look very muscular although she has a certain tone to her which probably means she goes to the gym regularly. Her hair defies any sort of reasonable explanation, and is probably best not focused on for long: it may be looking back.
When Rolento appears suddenly from a ventilation duct and attempts to murder Shingo with a snake, Rose's expression seems, somehow, unsurprised. She lifts the glass of sherry to her lips and takes a quick, deep gulp from it, not even pausing to savor the liquor.
She glances over towards Kurow and arches an eyebrow, before rising from her chair and picking up a stick of celery to take with her. She then walks towards where the herpetological homicide is taking place, munching on the celery as she goes. Her attention focuses largely on the man administering such creative mayhem to poor, innocent Shingo, but she also studies how the snake moves, so that it may best be neutralized.
Poor thing, she thinks, meaning both the snake and the strangle-ee.
COMBATSYS: Rose focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Shingo's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
"You will not reign supreme in this confrontation!" Rolento snarls, leaping backwards and clearing the frantic kicking -- this forces him to release Shingo, but not the serpent. He begins to whirl it by the tail rather hard, before flicking it out in an attempt to hit Shingo in the face. It would then bite him rather thoroughly, at least one can hope, and at the very least distract the Taiyo student to a high degree. Kurow is given a glance; He's met the man once before, and they left on poor enough relations to never meet again. Irrelevant. The man should be capable of holding Rose at bay long enough to deal with the young man. He crouches down, in preparation for evasion.
Kurow doesn't much care for Rolento, either -- he's much too loud and doesn't have enough appreciation for subtlety, in Kurow's mind. That's not to say that the direct approach is never valid, just that it's not always the best idea. He follows after Rose, not caring that she seems focused more on Rolento than on him -- he's fine with that, after all! He'd /much/ rather catch her off-guard.
In a Saturday Night Fight, the direct approach is /all/ one has. Springing forward at full speed, Kurow extends his claws and goes for a pair of quick swipes at Rose's back. The first is a relatively simple, straightforward vertical swipe, but the second is a horizontal slash that digs in a little more, and which Kurow leads into a quick shove, trying to send Rose tumbling to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Shingo interrupts Thrown Object from Rolento with Aragami Mikansei.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rolento
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Did he-did he really reign supreme last time?! Finally free of that dreadful grasp, Shingo hunches down to gasp in that sweet SWEET air--only to suddenly find a serpent being hurtled at him. He counters on instinct; he pushes off the ground and just runs RIGHT AT Rolento! "I've studied up on our last encounter, Rolento! Watch your fire, there's a lot of bystanders here!" Not that he expects the USPL commando to listen to him!
This, of course, means he catches the damn viper out of the air--who promptly begins biting at him, much to the boy's chagrin--but wielding the snake he charges right up to the commando, leading in for a vicious one-two snake combination right at the crouching man's face! That poor viper.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Double Slash.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Rose can SEE Kurow coming towards her but unfortunately, despite the advertisement of certain Japanese anime television programs, seeing is not the same as control! She twists herself to some extent, hissing as the claws swipe into her clothing. The material is not terribly durable, although based on the faint glitter of /something/ blue-tinged beneath her skin, she may be more durable than it.
Never the less, blood is drawn, and Rose is shoved forwards... the wine starts to slosh out of her glass, but she shifts herself forwards, twisting her wrist and catching it all neatly back in the glass as she spins around on one heel.
She faces Kurow and quirks her violet eyebrow again. "Hello," she says, lifting up the celery stick to pop it in her mouth. The hand then goes to rest on her scarf, which abruptly blossoms into light and twists forwards, striking much like - yes - a snake towards Kurow in a short flurry of actions. The cloth, as such, does little damage, but the crackling field of Soul Power animating it grants it a certain degree of added vigor!
Well, Rolento assuredly did not expect Shingo to merely plow through his snake with such ease. "I will utilize whatever force I deem sufficient to neutralize you! Civilian casualties are not my concern!" But there's nothing in his repitoire of defenses to stave off a rampant snake, and he's impacted twice with a few angry hisses, sent stumbling backwards. Falling into a crouch, he simply focuses carefully, splaying his fingers across the ground and finally yanking out his baton. An inferior weapon mayhaps, but this is by no means finished. "Prepare for execution, civilian..."
COMBATSYS: Rolento focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow blocks Rose's Aura Scarf.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
Drawing his hands up to block the worst of the pain that Rose is dishing out, Kurow is struck lightly by the empowered cloth. He doesn't respond to Rose's hello, and indeed seems slightly angry at her relative dismissal of him -- she's /eating/ mid-battle. It's exceptionally frustrating, and throws Kurow just a little bit off his game. Perhaps this is Rose's intent, of course.
He gets in close again, not wanting to let Rose get far away from him; after all, he's no good with projectiles, so he needs to stay in close. He again goes for a quick claw strike, but this time all he does is a single, slightly more forceful swipe, without the push-and-toss maneuver. The Kirishima ninja still thinks he has a relatively good handle on how Rose moves; hopefully he's not horribly wrong.
Lashing out with the fist and the snake, Shingo forces his opponent back into a crouch. The boy stands there for a moment, before realizing that he's standing there--holding a rather pissed off snake. "Aaaah!" he screams, throwing the snake away--much to the delight of nearby passengers, as it lands in a nearby punch fountain.
"Execution?!" Yabuki echoes the commando's words, giving him an indignant stare as he nurses several snake bites on his hand. They de-venomed all those things before unleashing them, right? Right?! "Man, what the hell! Stop with your paramilitaryese mumbo-jumbo CRAP and speak like a man!" All delivered with that happy-go-lucky-snake-poisoned grin of his; he's got no sting.
But real men, they speak with their fists! In this case though, the Taiyo High Senior opts to speak with his feet, closing what little distance they have with a three-pronged attack. No no, he doesn't have three legs! He has three kicks, the third a thundering overhead axe kick aimed right for that military beret!
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Kurow's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
Kurow may indeed have a good idea on HOW Rose moves, but there are certain things he may not be aware of. When Rose sees Kurow come in for a quick claw strike, she leans to the side, extending one shapely leg out to rest it upon a nearby table. The strike goes wide, hitting only the trailing edge of her dress, as she twists her other leg around.
She comes to rest atop the table itself (which had been vacated), and while standing between the mahi mahi almondine and the roast beef au jus, she brings up her free hand to waggle a finger. "It's rude, you know," she says, "to be so silent in a situation like this."
She then snaps one leg forwards again, in order to try to introduce Kurow's jawline to an elegant black Italian pump. She also sips her sherry as she does this.
COMBATSYS: Shingo has saved the state of this fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
"You are supposed to have exceptional intelligence. If you cannot pinpoint the meaning of my words..." One kick hits Rolento in a forearm, before Rolento just snatches Shingo by the front of his shirt. Whirling around, the youth is hurled into the air with a snarl, flying in a neat spiral a couple meters away. "...I AM GOING TO INFLICT INJURY UNTIL BREATHING CEASES!" Vaulting off the ground, Rolento then grabs Shingo mid-air, slaps on a large amount of grenades, and laughs in a truly sinister fashion while kicking him downwards. Shingo should land in the middle of a table, right on a turkey; Before detonating with rather impressive force. Arcing down almost gently, the commando then lands in a crouch, rubbing blood from his lip where he got slapped by a snake. Those pliable things are oddly painful when they hit your mouth. Twirling his baton, Rolento stands upright while rolling his shoulders carefully. "It seems you will not achieve any exceptional luck in this conflict, Shingo. A shame... For both you and your partner."
In spite of the fact that Rose is trying to get him to speak a little more, Kurow stays nearly silent -- he needs to focus. He's at least tangentially familiar with Rose, and knows how powerful she is; he has to be extra careful as he fights her, and he can't afford to waste any time talking. He can't sass her the way he sassed Heavy D!.
When her leg comes in, Kurow responds the only way he can think of on such short notice. Powering up through the kick at full speed, he curls into a ball and surrounds himself with a field of chi, which quickly develops hundreds of slashing claws on all sides -- some of them Kurow's own natural claws, others purely chi manifestations. He makes a particular point of trying to knock the wine out of her hand, too -- just to be a jerk.
It would seem that the collective forces of good--if they can be called that--are bound to be upset by a pair of regular jerk ninjas! After landing his initial strike on Rolento, it all turns pear-shaped for Yabuki following that. He's caught and hoisted into the air, only to find himself joined--and a literal ticking time bomb, minus the ticking, applied to his chest!
Landing right in the dark meat, there's an explosion of turkey shortly thereafter. Goo flies, and from the wreckage a rather dishevelled looking Shingo crawls. "O-ow... I... hate grenades..." And boy does he! Every time he meets Rolento, it always ends like this!
Straightening, the boy takes a bit of turkey and off of his tattered sleeve and pops it into his mouth. A moment later he gags and spits it out. "Overcooked!" Judging by the smoke that rises from his hair, the turkey isn't the only one. All the same, he takes a few calming breaths.
"Anyway, my luck might not be that great," says he whose back is presently on fire, "but at least I speak plainly enough! This isn't the military man! We aren't your little soldiers! Get over it!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Rose is struck, suddenly, by a vicious and brutal flurry of claws that send her back; she topples off the table, looking utterly starstruck, and the sherry spills out from the glass and onto her chest. It splashes -- and then she isn't there.
She appears, upright, on the ground several yards away. Her lips are set into a thin line. She looks towards Shingo and calls to him, "Cruise liner cuisine is usually made to the lowest common denominator! If you're starving, eat something fresh!" Like celery.
Her attention whips back to Kurow, then. He remains somewhat mysterious; she is not certain that she wants to be close to him. Of course, her options in this light are relatively few. Perhaps to buy time, or perhaps simply to see how he jumps, she whips the length of cloth in her grasp around; light blossoms from her shoulder blade, rolling down along the arm into a coherent, coruscant sphere of psychic energy aimed straight towards Kurow!
Rolento's in no mood to go easy on Shingo in the slightest; He merely yanks out a knife quite abruptly, before lunging into the air and hurling it. The weapon shoots through the air at rather impressive speed, attempting to impact the youth opposite in the shoulder and send him staggering backwards. Regardless he lands in a crouch once more, this time upon an as of yet uninjured table. Many of the pedestrians have long scattered, which was wise -- wherever Rolento goes, explosions tend to happen. "I will speak to those beneath me as I choose, civilian!" is retorted, tightening the grip upon his baton.
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Kurow with Soul Spark.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Kurow
While he is an excellent jumper, Kurow misjudges the width of the spark of energy -- he leaps forward, trying to clear it and put himself in an optimal position to attack Rose, but gets shot down in a faintly embarassing manner. "... Enough of this!" he yells at her, exceptionally frustrated; he feels like he has very few options, because of getting pushed back a little by that projectile. It means anything he does will be seen coming just a second too early for his tastes.
However, one of the downsides of considering yourself one of the strongest out there is tending to make bad decisions in the name of preserving your perceived dominance. Rushing in, Kurow repeats his earlier technique of repeated slashing, but this time augments his claws a little with his chi, and goes not for merely one swipe but dozens of swipes that seem to come from every possible direction, rapid and unrelenting. If nothing else, Kurow has speed on his side.
COMBATSYS: Shingo overcomes Stinger from Rolento with Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
You call that a knife?! Shingo calls this a table.
Hefting the nearest one he can, the youth's muscles bulge obscenely as he simply HURLS the entire damn thing, tablecloth and all, right back at the table-crouching Rolento. "HURH!" he groans as he exerts himself, holding his throwers pose for a moment before he opts to move. The knife impacts with the table, but table wins and keeps on sailing. "Yak-yak-yak, Rolento!" he replies, sparing a glance towards his partner for this impromptu dining room brawl. It's almost time for the food fight...
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Shingo's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rose reflects Kirishima Yami Kagura from Kurow with Soul Reflect.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Rose is well aware that she is powerful; she is also aware that nearly none of this power is earned. It makes her humble, sometimes, and sometimes it makes her flashy. She twists her scarf around as she sees Kurow leaps towards her. She raises it above her head, ducks down, and lets out a wordless cry --
The scarf blooms with the sudden influx of shining Soul Power. It does not, literally, block every strike; however, between the great number of blows that hit a wave of psychic denial and the occasional artful swerve of Rose's body, she comes out of the matter unscathed. Striking such an emphatic wall of force may be less enjoyable, however.
She ducks low and rolls off to the side, leaping back up to face him directly. "Ah!" she says, "A pleasure to meet you; I am Rose, although I am sure you read the introductions on the papers for coming over..."
There's a sudden backflip as the table is hurled, seeming to miss by a rather incredible margin. Rolento simply snorts, shifting his stance and hefting up his baton once more. Eyes narrow in concentration, again focusing himself for what should hopefully be the fight's conclusion. "...I shall demonstrate to you, Shingo, how to win a team battle. Are you watching carefully?" He's suddenly shifting, and there might be an almost ominous air at that moment, arcing down the baton in preparation to leap into an assault.
COMBATSYS: Rolento focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
The wall of force, coupled with the fact that said wall is probably pushing the chi-augmented parts of Kurow's assault right back at him, is exceptionally painful. Rose is really vicious -- he can't afford to underestimate her, since she's really doing a number on him. Admittedly, she doesn't seem unfazed herself... but he feels like he's starting to find himself on the losing side of this battle. He doesn't like that.
He needs to put himself back together; he hangs back, taking this fine opportunity to avail himself of some of the nearby food. If /she/ can eat mid-battle, he can, too. "Kurow Kirishima," he says, before taking a big bite of a chunk of roast. (Where there is a fight, there is roast. It's a law.)
COMBATSYS: Kurow gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Throwing a table sure is strenuous work! Shingo takes a moment to breath after hurling the object; it suited the purpose he was after, since it stopped that knife! One wound to the shoulder by THAT knife is enough for a lifetime. "Watching carefully, huh?" the youth echoes Rolento's words, sparing another glance at his dance partner for this. It's about time they started acting like a team, isn't it? For the moment though, he fishes out his notebook. "How to win a team battle... I'm pretty sure I've got a page on this somewhere," he states, as he flips through the pages. What, Rolento's getting ready to leap into an assault? He's got reading to do here, give him a second!!
COMBATSYS: Shingo focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Rose's eyes flick over towards a viper that suddenly crawls out from the behind of a elegantly-presented stuffed turkey. This, she feels no guilt over, and her eyes flick towards it - there is a brief flash of light as her Soul Power stretches towards the thing.
The impulse is calming: the simple mind of a snake is easy to toy with, and there is little guilt so associated. Rose extends a hand towards it, letting the venemous creature slither up her arm.
"So, Mr. Kirishima," she says, "may I ask why you seem so angry? This is only a sport, after all..." She looks up towards him, raising her arm - with its poisonous twining guest - to look at the younger man, curiously.
COMBATSYS: Rose gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
As expected, Rolento bursts into motion with all the speed of a coiled viper. He shoots out with unnatural speed, actually reaching the top of the roof and bracing himself upon it. At first he looks ready to shoot towards Shingo, before deflecting instead in Rose's direction. He whirls around, unleashing one vicious sidekick in an attempt to catch her in the back of the shoulder, and send her face-first into the ground. "HNNGH!" is offered, actually attempting to send her staggering in Kurow's direction. "...It is that you are not required to focus on a single opponent exclusively, let alone a lesser one!!"
Kurow doesn't have the option to tame the snakes -- part of his frustration in the fight, of course, stems from the fact that he has to always take a little care with his movements, or else intentionally step on them to keep them from causing him further trouble. "It's a sport, but you should --"
He pauses as Rolento kicks at Rose's back. Glancing to one side, he looks for the first decent improvised weapon he can find; the best thing he finds is a tall lamp, which, in his mind, is better than nothing. Taking a step to the side, he grabs at it; a snake slithers near his foot as he steps, and he gives its skull a good, solid stomp as he whirls the lamp around, wielding it like a spear and stabbing it toward Rose's stomach, finally finishing his earlier statement with a hissed, "-- take it /seriously/!"
Shingo? He's still flipping through his notebook when his would-be opponent decides to participate in a particularly henius action--the dreaded double-team! "H-hey," he calls, one hand raised--but it's seemingly too late! The die has been cast, and it would seem that Rose is in trouble.
Left with little chance to actually intercept Rolento before the carnage unfolds, he instead aims to at least make turnabout fair play--he sprints forward, the top of his open uniform flowing behind him as he puts his all into the approach. "Rose, watch out!" he warns, far too little and far too late, but the least they can do is return the favor--as a team! "My notebook says we should gang up on this guy!" As he nears, he springs into a leap, legs poised for carnage of his own! "Eat this!"
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Kurow's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rose blocks Rolento's Mekong Delta.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
They're double-teaming on her! Rose can feel the killing intent (not to be confused with the Killing Intent) radiating from Rolento. Such a hateful little man! She whirls around, her scarf wrapping around her arm as she flings it up to intercept that brutal kick; of course, this means that the brutal kick hits her slightly buffered arm rather than her tender, graceful back. There is still a resounding meaty noise; she continues to cradle the half-sleeping viper with the other arm.
Kurow, of course, takes his opportunity, and this one is much easier to see coming. "Hah!" she exclaims as she leaps up into the air, drawing her legs up beneath her to clear the lamp as if it were a child's rope, glancing to Kurow for a moment: "I do try to take these things seriously, my dear, but there is serious, and then there is simply /dull/."
She lands, in a crouch, and she can see that Shingo is executing a brutal assault on Rolento. And so - she glances down to the small animal coiled around her arm, lips pursing at the treachery she has to perform now. She resolves that if the creature survives, it will have a comfortable home for the rest of its life... and if it doesn't, well, she'll think of something.
With a faint burst of Soul Power, she awakens the viper; a moment later, she hurls it towards Rolento, the snake's small mind agitated by the sudden infusion! And when snakes are agitated, they have a nasty tendency to bite down hard.
COMBATSYS: Rolento blocks Shingo's Kinsei Oreshiki - Rouka Guruma.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rolento interrupts Thrown Object from Rose with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Eat what, one might ask? Why, that dangerous series of kicks that Shingo leaps into, of course! Feet flying in a vicious one-two-one combination, the youth unleashes his burning ... ok not-so-burning youthful aggression all over Rolento! Oh yeah! Eat that!
The series of kicks is met with Rolento twisting back towards Shingo, managing to repel the majority of them with a whirlwind of batons, before he suddenly starts rolling backwards at an immense speed. He's heading towards Rose like a bowling ball in actuality, letting out another laugh. Although a snake lands on him in the midst, sinking fangs into his arm, he doesn't pause an instant; And unfurls with vicious speed right adjacent to the Psycho Power girl, impacting her in the stomach with both heels shooting out to catch her in the stomach, and hopefully send her flying backwards. "Unload upon her with quick assaults. Her defensive capabilities should be negligible beyond evasion." is offered towards Kurow, quite reasonably. At least they are kindred spirits on this being a bit more then a game. It's a game you win.
Rolento and Kurow are, perhaps, not that different to begin with; Rolento simply has a drastically different /approach/ to things. "I'm not so sure," Kurow counters Rolento's comment, as he tosses the lamp aside; it failed to serve its purpose, and like all tools that fail to serve their purpose, needed to be either reworked or discarded. And in the middle of a fight, he has no time to rework it.
Kurow decides not to stick to the 'target one opponent' method of operation that seems not to be working out lately, instead turning toward Shingo. He knows how Shingo fights; after all, he's impersonated him at least once. Grabbing at Shingo's throat, he tries something no more complex than throwing him toward a dinner table. Besides -- Rose's attitude infuriates him, and at this point he'd rather just leave Rolento to deal with her.
Hopefully, Shingo won't think to eat the roast he may crash into.
COMBATSYS: Shingo blocks Kurow's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Kurow
Blocked! Oh, how it infuriates Shingo--and he's normally such a nice guy!--to have his burning youth blocked by that baton! Ultimately landing with little success, he watches as Rolento rolls on to strike out at his partner--this just isn't going very well for the dynamic duo of goodness and ... well, good!
Turning, he's right in time to catch Kurow's attempt to hurl him towards the nearest roast--the hand strikes his throat, but he's not about to be thrown into any kind of turkey, turkey! The majority of the thrust is halted as he raises his arms, but his sneakers squeal as he puts rubber to the test, stopping just short of the table itself.
"Hey! That's not nice!"
Complete with a finger-wag at the other combatant, he again turns his attention back onto the baton-wielding commando. "C'mon Rose! We can topple these guys!" Well, theoretically at least. In an attempt to prove that they might just be able to, he launches at Rolento once more, this time charging in close for a dazzling elbow-laced uppercut.
Rolento's brutal kick does send Rose back - but she doesn't sprawl. She doesn't even collapse, although she does look winded, one hand going to her abdomen for a moment. She spreads her arms after breathing in and out with a distinct 'whew,' and says to Rolento, with a narrowing of her eyes, "My dear fellow - do you ever stop shouting?"
She then steps towards him, carefully, almost as if she were dancing. Three steps forwards, a short hop back, one more, and then /suddenly/ she slides along the ground towards Rolento as the legendary 'seventh wave' finally comes, giving the ship a small but discernible sway - enough to add impetus to her trip forwards.
Inwardly, she is debating whether or not this will be replied to with a grenade or a knife, but this is the uncharitable side of her.
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Shingo's Oniyaki Mikansei.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rolento interrupts Sliding from Rose with Mekong Delta.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rose 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Kurow
The response to Shingo thrusting for him is merely Rolento again leaping backwards, completely clearing his awkward stumble. Landing in a crouch, he then launches back towards Rose; Although she manages to catch him, she is impacted rather resoundingly in the face with his baton for her trouble, Rolento rolling upwards once more and then retreating, doubtlessly superior in terms of distance. "Why are you focusing on the weaker?" It's more a question then a demand of Kurow, really. "I cannot sustain a defense for long against these two in tandem!"
Amazingly, Rolento and Kurow seem to be finding something approaching a 'normal' dynamic in spite of the fact that they went into this highly dubious on each other's methodologies. "You /won't/ be sustaining a defense against both of them much longer!" Kurow counters, thinking he has a better handle on tactics than Rolento -- admittedly, part of his reason for this is sheer self-interest. He's perfectly fine with Rolento getting shelled by two people.
Getting as low to the ground as he can without sacrificing /too/ much freedom of movement, Kurow runs in toward Shingo, drawing a bead on the area just beneath his breastbone mentally. He rears a clawed hand back as he takes a broad final step, grinning -- he knows this is a little more /telegraphed/ than some things he could do, but it's also a lot more painful. His hand glows as it streaks out for that spot he drew a bead on a second ago.
COMBATSYS: Shingo counters Roppu Zuki from Kurow with Tsuki Hiji.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Having missed his opportunity to capitalize on the rather evasive Rolento, Shingo spirals back down to the ground to land lightly in his sneakers. They've seen better days, but then, so has most of the Taiyo highschooler's outfit, particularly after that explosive barrage of explosive grenades from Rolento earlier!
Shirt still flapping, he's unable to see the bead that appears on his chest; his peripheral doesn't work that far! What he does see, though, is a very linear approach made by Kurow--and with Shingo "Linear" Yabuki, that's a mistake! A telegraphed assault is what it proves to be, but as that claw nears, the youth steps forward to SLAM his elbow down on the approaching appendage, and follow it up with a SHOVE to Kurow's chest to send him for a tumble. "You're too slow! Rose, keep it up!" Keep what up? Oh, he's just being supportive!
That baton hits Rose in the face and she makes a noise best summarized as 'Egnhk'; yes, the noise of Jiro Kasagi can be heard even in other fields, at certain times and in certain situations.
Her lips purse as she takes half of a step back, listening to Rolento rant at his teammate. She breathes in, then out, pushing past the gnawing ache in her head. She then lunges forwards with a sudden burst of speed, leaving a shimmering aftertrail as she goes -
Her first effort is to aim an upward strike with her arm, wrapped in the trailing and floating scarf, to get Rolento quite firmly off the ground. After that, she leaps towards him, aiming to grasp him firmly around the waist, before pivoting his mass and propelling him back down -- down towards that buffet table full of mashed potatoes and snakes!
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Rolento with Aura Soul Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/---====|=======\======-\1 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
This is exactly why Rolento didn't want to fight Rose one on one; Namely he has a penchant for abruptly exploding against people significantly above him in fighting capabilities. Kurow at least would of had a shot. He's snatched by the scarf, which feels rather smooth and silky, before a less smooth and silky landing deposits him upon the buffet table. Assailed by snakes, they are shrugged off before Rolento's wide eyes seek the room. "Enough!!" And then he suddenly snaps up a wire. Where did it come from? Is is a genius ploy? Who knows, but it's heading for Shingo. "Ready?" And if it snags around his neck, he'll be strangled rather thoroughly before Rolento leaps to a chandelier; Trying to yank him up into it, and he'd explode against it in a shower of glass and sparks, before the wire snaps and would allow him to fall. "GO!!"
Kurow's balance is always a little thrown when he goes in for that particular strike; as such, when Shingo strikes his elbow, he goes down hard, falling to the floor. He rolls a little with the fall, but his arm still aches a little -- that wasn't a bad move on Shingo's part. It showed a lot of good thinking, and a reasonable sense for tactics -- clearly, Shingo's not to be trifled with.
Still, he /is/ the enemy -- and, of course, that means systematic annihilation, in Kurow's very narrow world view. On the other hand, given what Rolento's going for when Kurow looks up, it might be best to stay far, /far/ away from Shingo. So, naturally, Kurow does the smart thing -- he switches back to focusing on Rose, where he was doing fairly well. Prying himself off the ground, he speeds in toward Rose, with his usual borderline-superhuman agility, reaching into his pocket and drawing out a flute. It's a desperate move, but the thing is built sturdy; after all, it's an exceptionally useful tool for Kurow, and one he doesn't want to see broken casually. He swings it up toward her chin, not saying anything -- he's not much for talking during this kind of thing, as Rose has deduced by this point.
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Shingo with Take No Prisoner.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
You know that old adage concerning a tree falling in a forest? Well forget that, it has nothing to do with this! What we have here is a boy caught around the neck by a wire, and not just any wire--a wire that came out of nowhere! Voodoo magic! And with the wire coiled around his neck, Shingo finds himself in quite the predicament. "Gruurk!" the boy chokes, fingers struggling into the wire--but it's all too little, too late, and it seems that this fight is destined to end the way it began.
Before he knows it, the boy's feet are off the ground, and he's hoisted RIGHT into that chandelier! It explodes in the predicted shower of glass and sparks, the entire structure coming down with Yabuki at the bottom of it. THUD. Crash, mint.
It's amazing how much dust a falling chandelier can build up, too. Clearly the cleaner is due to be fired, but with the mess that made, they might just need him around. Awkwardly, the boy crawls out from under the ruined wreck, a ruined wreck himself. "O-owie..." he groans, struggling along in a military crawl. Awkwardly, he pushes himself back up to his feet, teetering, clearly on the brink of succumbing to his injuries. "Rose... I... I'm sorry!" More importantly, he's sorry to Kyo for failing--but there's no need for him to mention that!"
You jump, I jump... right?" This isn't the Titanic, but it's shaping up to be Shingo's swan song. Opting to do what he can to assist his beleaguered teammate, he throws himself forward into a marvellous stumble, gaining momentum through his forward falling force only to spring off the ground, into a rather poorly aimed combination kick, just as he did before! Chances are good he'll just faceplant instead--in fact, his eyes close as soon as his right leg starts moving!
COMBATSYS: Shingo has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Kurow's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Near - far - wherever you are -
Kurow's bold strike towards Rose comes close. However, while Kurow is an extremely agile man, Rose has a certain advantage which is sometimes decisive and sometimes merely a torment. She can see the future - if only a little bit. As such, that brutal, detrmined strike is avoided by the simple expedient of a sudden hop backwards, up onto the table.
"Shingo!" she cries as she sees the young man be brutally treated by Rolento, and her attention goes back down towards Kurow. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she says, "You are both MOST determined people. If only such dedication could be applied to a better purpose -"
She draws her skirts back, meanwhile, and wriggles one leg in anticipation. Then, sharply and suddenly, she kicks out with the other one, twisting around as she goes to swing the other around and aim her heel at Kurow's shoulder. Hopefully, this twisting motion won't get her in trouble.
COMBATSYS: Rolento parries Shingo's Kinsei Oreshiki - Rouka Guruma!
[ \\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
Chances are very good that Shingo will faceplant, indeed. This is accelerated by the fact that Rolento snags a snake in his right boot, and kicks it towards the approaching figure. It catches Shingo's ankles, causing him to fall; Not too far away, however, to yank off a grenade and toss it across the ground with a laugh. It bounces twice before detonating, hopefully taking Shingo out with it. "If we had focused on the female from the onset, we'd be saved this... aggravation." is offered towards Kurow. "Your personal independence is why I declined business with you earlier." Rolento adjusts the front of his suit, trying to catch his breath.
COMBATSYS: Kurow interrupts Strong Kick from Rose with Yasha Guruma EX.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Seeing through the little ruse, Kurow slides a little to one side of the kick at first, thinking to dodge it; however, after a second thought, he decides once again to meet it head-on. It's an instinct, it seems, perhaps triggered by the threat of Rose's massive feet striking him in the face. His strategy is exactly the same as before, though this time, he speaks -- a surprise, to be sure.
As the black ball of claws starts to form around him once more, meeting Rose's leg and shredding into it with both chi-blades and natural ones, he yells, almost ignoring his ally entirely, "There is no greater purpose than mine!" He pushes forward, not caring for the fact that Rose's foot has put him dangerously close to just falling over, continuing, "Your concern for others -- it's sickening!" Perhaps this is merely a gimmick for Saturday Night Fights... /perhaps/. However, there's a remarkable seriousness to the way he says it, and the extent to which he pushes himself to prove it...
COMBATSYS: Shingo dodges Rolento's Grenadier EX.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
It's about the time that Shingo's ankles are caught by the snake that his eyes open up again. A burning desire... to SUCCEED courses his veins, and he finds that little something, to really push it to the limit!
It all unfolds. That clink-clink-clink sound, so very familiar, so very PAINFULLY familiar, gives him sudden sprint--with a snake coiled around his ankles! Hopping mad, Yabuki lets out a squeal as he edges out of the blast radius--presumed dead in the explosion! Shrapnel bounces off of his still-burning back; he still hasn't noticed!
Hopping on nothing but adrenalin, he stares through the smoky haze as the overhead sprinklers FINALLY go off, dousing the entire Fantasy Dining Hall. As water rolls his cheeks, and extinguishes his back, Shingo finds his target. The back of Rolento. It's time... to get back to basics! A voice pierces the darkness from behind the commando, as a boy throws his body into a leaping tumble-kick;
"SHIIIIINGO KIKKU!"
Rose sticks her leg into the frigging meat grinder! Well, not literally, but it certainly feels that way. Fortunately, Kurow's blades don't carve too deep into delicious red muscle tissue; however, having acquired a nearly terminal run in her stocking, Rose seems inclined to leap back.
She lands, and wobbles. She nearly falls over...
But doesn't. Blood runs down her thigh as she tilts her head back, rolling it around and letting the cool water refresh her slightly. Ah, it feels good, she thinks, as she raises her scarf again. It glitters in the spray as she swings it around her head, and it blossoms in a thousand shades of multicolored light as she lets her Soul Power fill it...
And then swings it around, suddenly, snapping it audibly towards Kurow's midsection to try and knock the young man over.
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Shingo's Shingo Kick.
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Actually, Shingo totally had Rolento. He was facing Rose, but the younger man made a mistake. Yelling out his move. Instantly ducking, his opponent goes overhead, before Rolento bursts into motion with a snarl, advancing on the descending form and shooting out one hand in an attempt to grasp him by the back of the collar. "STAY DOWN!" is yelled, trying to hurl him into a table as hard as possible. One that lacks snakes, but it should still be uncomfortable. He'll have to leave Kurow to deal with Rose at the moment.
COMBATSYS: Kurow blocks Rose's Aura Scarf.
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\ < > //////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Fortunately, Kurow does decide to stick to dealing with Rose. He throws up his hands to intercept the snapped scarf, keeping it away from anything more vital -- it hurts, but it's not the worst thing that could conceivably happen. There's something more to it than that, though; Kurow has to focus to stave off the worst of the pain, Rose /hurts/, that much is certain -- she really forces him to pull out all the stops. He's been challenged a lot lately; Rose is easily as vicious as Kain, and almost as /lucky/ as Jiro.
The flute comes into his hands again with a quick twist, in what is, if nothing else, a neat sleight-of-hand trick, and he takes a single deliberate step in, swinging it for Rose's head with a lot of speed, but very little actual force. He can tell when someone's almost annihilated, and just needs a light little tap in the right direction. The Kirishima boy, perhaps mercifully, is back to not speaking.
COMBATSYS: Shingo blocks Rolento's Medium Throw.
[ \\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\\\ < > //////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Shouting the name of an attack is something that's written in the skees. I mean skies. It's a necessity, particularly for a signature strike! Isn't that covered in the military handbook anyway?! On the flip side, the flipping strike sails through the air as Rolento is forewarned and promptly forearmed, gripping the youth by the back of the collar to send him hurtling towards a table. But hands go out, and Shingo catches himself. "Hey! There's no snakes on this table..." But not a lot of food left either. The hall is definitely in shambles, and only the most die-hard of fighting fans would stick around this long! Speaking of, it's his move! "Hey, hey, Rolento... Answer my somethin'," the youth inquires as he turns about, taking a few slow, wobbly steps towards the commando. There isn't a lot left in Yabuki, but... "What's the sound of one hand clapping?" The answer, of course, being Shingo's thunderous right-handed slap.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Weapon Jab.
[ \\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
[ \\ < > //////// ]
Rose 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
WHACK
Rose's eyes get a peculiar shade to them as she staggers to the side in rhythm with the swaying boat. "Oh," she says aloud, as she steps once, twice, and stops. She straightens up then, with that half-drunken look in her eyes.
Her lips purse, then, and defiance rises in her eyes. "Soul," she begins to say, twisting her scarf around...
Rolento's disturbance of the chandelier takes its toll. The thing swings down, closer, and as Rose's lips start to form another word, it - and the loosened cord - swing back and close and, at last, into contact with Rose herself.
The electrical jolt sends her jumping an intriguing several yards! After that, she doesn't get up, although a groan helpfully indicates that she's either alive, or suffering from a slow degradation of body processes.
COMBATSYS: Rose takes no action.
[ \\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
> //////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rose can no longer fight.
[ \\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
> //////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Shingo's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
> //////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Kurow
This fight has long passed the point of good posing, so Rolento picks up a large table and hurls it at Shingo, yelling something in military gibberish. It sounds offensive.
Smirking as the chandelier comes down toward his opponent, Kurow watches as she's knocked cleanly out of the fight. "You can't change the world with such weakness!" Kurow chides her, before looking to Rolento and Shingo's own duel with a certain critical eye. He could step in and end it all, yes, or at least he /believes/ so.
However, the nearby abandoned cut of filet mignion looks exceptionally delicious. He'll attend to that first.
COMBATSYS: Kurow gains composure.
[ \\\\ < > //// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
> /////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Shingo dodges Rolento's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\ < > //// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rolento
> /////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Wait, what was that tip? Don't you know how easy tables are to dodge? Even though Shingo may have failed, and he's definitely running on empty, he still manages to FALL OVER and hit the floor in time to evade the table. Staggering like a drunkard, he climbs back to his feet again, eyes more than a touch groggy as he stares. "I must be seein' double... four Rolento's!" No wonder he's still at Taiyo High. With Kurow eager to see an outcome between the two, Shingo attempts to oblige by kicking Rolento right in the shin.
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits Rolento with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\ < > / ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Rolento
> /////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Rolento rolls at Shingo and tries to squish him. Then rolls right out the door. He never stops.
COMBATSYS: Rolento can no longer fight.
[ \\\\ < > /////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
/Now/ Kurow decides to get in on the action. "... Double is two, you simpleton," Kurow declares, as if this wasn't already obvious to those watching the Saturday Night Fight -- perhaps he just feels a need to be a little pedantic. "Now fall!" Leaping in, Kurow swings just past Shingo and slashes at... the air, rather than his opponent?
The reason for this becomes apparent as a ghostly chi wave in the shape of a claw-swipe floats in the air, dangerously close to Shingo... but will it land close enough to strike him?
COMBATSYS: Shingo dodges Rolento's Mekong Delta.
[ \\\\ < > ////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kurow
The Chinese boy appears in the stands.
"YOU CAN DO IT, SHINGOOOOOO!!!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Shingo with Kuukan Saki.
[ < > ////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
"...I guess you can't do it, Shingo!" The Chinese Boy cries.
With Rolento rolling away, it isn't too difficult for Shingo to sidestep the rolling wonder--but that ghostly chi-based claw that slashes out at him is another matter entirely. An attempt to left both arms on the defensive fails entirely, the boy too far gone into lala-land to actually manage the feat. His poor uniform having seen better days, Yabuki staggers away from the blow--but what's that filling his ears? The cries of a little Chinese boy! "Oh I've... let a fan down I... can't... count... numbers!" Yeah, he's pretty far gone mentally now too.
Left with no recourse, Shingo just STUMBLES at Kurow, gaining momentum with each shambling step until, until, ultimately he manages to form some credible offense--if it can be called that, as he moves by rote alone, since it's a glorified one-two combo that ends in a spiraling hip-check!
COMBATSYS: Shingo has reached third wind!
[ \\ < > ////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits Kurow with Nie Togi.
[ \\ < > ////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
The one-two combo strikes Kurow dead-on in the face; he's just a split second slow, perhaps due to immense hubris. The hip-check only glances, though -- Kurow's still very much up and ready to handle this. "... not only can you not count numbers... you don't know when to SHUT UP AND DIE!" Kurow hisses, watching as Shingo pulls himself back from the brink /again/.
This time, he tries to hedge his bets. "You have no place in the future I intend!" He takes up positions briefly like a track runner, before bursting out toward Shingo, leaving clawed chi-mark after clawed chi-mark behind him. "Glimpse it, in your last moments of consciousness! Kirishima finishing technique -- Kyoujuu Reppa!" If Shingo has the misfortune of actually getting plowed through by the charging Kurow, it's entirely likely he'd get dragged through every single one.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Shingo with Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa.
[ < > ////// ]
Shingo 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Shut up and die? SHUT UP AND DIE?? DAMN RIGHT SHINGO DOESN'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THAT--oh, oh, caps. Having regained some measure of vitality with the successful feel of his fists going right into Kurow's face, it definitely doesn't last--not when the ultimate technique of the Kirishima is unleashed!
Buffeted, juggled and generally slashed, but particularly juggled, it's a rather defiant Shingo who finds himself being juggled, did we mention juggled, onwards by the train of slashing chi-marks, the Taiyo youth pulls out of the blows somewhere in the air. And his momentum is such that he's... still following after the would-be ninja!
"Moerou, Shingo!" Gathering what is left of his tattered uniform as well as his fighting spirit, what falls towards Kurow is the might of one battered kid. Landing a step ahead of him, he starts into his combination immediately-one-two punches, followed by an uppercut--and then a thunderous back-fist to the face! BURN HIM, SHINGO!
"ORIIIIIIIIYA!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo can no longer fight.
> ////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow counters Burning Shingo from Shingo with Yami Kake.
> ///// ]
|=------\-------\0 Kurow
As Shingo comes toward Kurow full-bore, Kurow just smiles and stands there. He has a plan -- no one ever seems to anticipate this, even though he uses it almost every Saturday night. As Shingo lands the first punch, or rather a split second before a one-two punch heads for his shoulder...
He's gone. He reappears on the other end of the dining hall an inch above the ground, landing with all the grace of a bird -- on a snake's head, conveniently, which is promptly crushed. "You are finished. Goodbye," Kurow says, taking two quick steps back, all the while facing Shingo; after all, it's entirely possible he'll put that zombie-like endurance to use /again/, and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
No, no.
Shingo's done. His fists cause air to whimper in agony, and he finds himself staring at the far-away ninja. "Oh man... I think I've lost depth perception..." he groggily answers, before falling to the side with a heavy thump. Burning youth, extinguished.
The fight is finished, the winner's declared--and a cheer goes up from those few fighting fans who stayed to watch the blistering finale! Kurow stands triumphant!
Rose hopes they give her free lobster for all this crap.
Without snakes.
Unlike many fighters, Kurow does not stay to hear the accolades of the crowd. For him, all this is is sheer dominance -- he uses it as an opportunity to hone his skills, his mind, and his knowledge of other fighters to perfection. He casually flicks the blood off of his claws as he heads for the deck, where he may -- in spite of his various wounds -- elect to /swim/ back to shore, of all things. He's tough, even if he /is/ rather wounded; he thinks he could handle it.
The paramedics, of course, may not.
Log created by Kurow, and last modified on 06:18:54 03/29/2007.