Description: Sakura and Iori face off in the Appalachian mountains! Strangely there are no redneck or incest jokes. (Winner: Iori)
Spring brings with it nice enough weather, but the further north you go across the great United States of America, it stands to reason that the air grows colder. The further away from the equator the winds blow a little bit harder, with a little more chill than they usually do. And the higher one reaches, the more those winds pick up. Despite the fact that the sun shines in a bright, cloudless sky today, the wind offsets any feeling of heat one might receive from those bright, shining rays. Especially so at the heights of the great expanse of the Appalachians, which today has received the great honor of becoming a site to one of Ken Master's Neo League fight.
Camera crews set up across thick rock, dirt and grass across one of the many trails of the Appalacian mountain range. They have been placed fairly high up the heights of one of the many mountains this natural landmark has to offer; high enough that the wind whips violently as the League officials prepare, stinging at people's cheeks in a most unpleasant manner. And for once, at one of his matches /early/ rather than barely on time... is Iori Yagami.
The red-haired scion sits with a dour expression upon one of the many extensions of rock and minerals. Hands in his pockets, he says nothing; he simply waits. As irritable as always, Iori's face has been in a perpetual scowl most of the day. Chalk it up to a bad day. Whatever the reason for Yagami looking so annoyed at the world, no one bothers to ask; most people know to leave him well enough alone. And so he sits, and waits. He doesn't know /who/ he's fighting. He just hopes they don't end up completely wasting his time.
So... it's cold. A mountain. Sakura Kasugano is not a big fan of cold. She's loves snowboarding -- at least there's the thrill of a controlled rush down a mountain at ludicrous speeds. Hiking up a mountain is not a task done well at controlled rush, or even a barely nominal rush, let alone ludicrous speeds. And it's certainly not something to be accomplished wearing the school uniform she's made herself a household name wearing. No, it's blue-jeans and hoodie weather at the very least.
The Taiyo schoolgirl was booked this fight sight unseen, much like Iori, her simple request being little more than 'Surprise me!' As excited as she was about the match... well, even then, she's late. Almost ten minutes late too. Escorted by a Neo League official who had the decency to check up on the latecomer, she rounds the bend. Her eyes widen at the distinctive red hair of her opponent -- you'd have to be a pretty lame fangirl to NOT know about Iori Yagami. Surprise... yeah, she's surprised, all right!
"Ah, wow... never thought I'd find myself fighting you!" she announces, taking only a moment to recover from her shock. Is she nervous? HELL YEAH. But the student of Ryu has made a promise to continue challenging tougher and tougher opponents... even if it kills her!
And it might, too!
Pulling her handguards snug upon her fists, she flashes an eager smile back at Iori. "Sorry to keep you waiting, though! Got a bit lost back in town..."
He waits. Not patiently, of course; fortunately Yagami has no one to really vent to, and so that impatience only manifests itself in the slight twitch of his wrist and right eyebrow as he remains quietly seated on his big ol' boulder. No one approaches him as the camera crew finishes setting up, or as the time drags on. Who knows what he'd do to them, with his reputation. Though really, odds are... he'd just tell them to go to hell. He holds back any lingering irritation over his wait for his opponent.
In a strange twist, though, it is him who's ready and even /early/, and his opponent who arrives in a grand total of ten minutes late. He kept track. Crimson eyes turning in a slow rotation to just deliver the most apathetic stare upon Sakura as humanly possible when she finally arrives, Iori says nothing at first. Instead, the last of the Yagami clan slides off his makeshift seat, his right hand lifting to the back of his neck to crack it with a single, simple roll. He recognizes Sakura's face vaguely. One of the winners of the last King of Fighters. But does it matter?
"... how could you get lost?" It's muttered in such a way to express the fact that Iori doesn't actually care about the reason; even with such an enthusiastic opponent, all it serves to do is irritate Iori further. "Hnn... it doesn't matter. Let's just get this started." That's it for his greeting. Lips turning into a small frown, he pivots on a heel to face Sakura fully, his right hand lifting before twitching in a beckoning motion universally accepted as 'bring it on.'
"Just try and keep things interesting, got it?"
COMBATSYS: Iori has started a fight here.
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Iori 0/-------/-------|
Well... she wasn't so much lost as she lost track of time. Same difference, really! The point is, she's here late and she's sorry. Kinda. She even starts to explain, sheepishly, until Iori cuts her off. "I-- well, sure..." Kasugano shrugs her shoulders, pulling the collar down on her hoodie. It still feels =weird= for the girl to be fighting with such heavy gear on. It's all part of training, she rationalizes!
But when Iori gives the gesture, Kasugano nods back in kind. "Fair enough!" she announces, curling her hands behind her. The cameramen struggle to get into position -- they weren't exactly ready for the girl to launch forward so suddenly!
When she whips her palms forward, though, a brilliant mass of blue-white energy rockets out from them, the blossoming flower nearly large enough to envelop Iori whole! If, of course, he didn't get out of the way of the fireball's relatively short sphere of influence. "HADOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
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Iori 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Iori endures Sakura's Large Hadouken.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Ah, the hadouken. That explains why she was worth remembering. That kind of technique is something known the world over -- and Iori's fought perhaps the strongest user of such techniques. So, what does he do?
He decides to test out just how strong Sakura's massive burst of distinctive chi really is.
Iori hardly waits. He doesn't even stand around waiting for Sakura to finish the motions. The moment she starts to shout out the word 'HADOOOOUKEN' the Yagami heir is already barreling across the rocky earth... RIGHT towards that brilliant, blazing orb of chi. His shoulder drops, baring it to the mass, and then...
He just rushes through it.
Chi burns, but disperses in the wake of the red-heads monstrous charge, splashing across his tall, slim frame. His hands clenching into fists at either side of him, he makes one simple declaration: "/WEAK/!" No, maybe it's not particularly nice, but Iori is under figurative contract to be a jerk to everyone he meets. And, still running, Iori swings with one large fist, to deliver a vicious right hook across Sakura's jaw. "GUUUUUOOOOOH!!" This is followed up by a quick uppercut, to launch the Ansatsuken prodigy into the air. And, if successful, Yagami LEAPS after her, to bring both hands down into her gut in the wake of one massive, powerful hammerblow.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Iori's Aoi Hana.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Weak? WEAK? That was one of Sakura's better attacks, too! Weak? She knows better. The guy's just riding an adrenaline high.
Rationalization... is part of her training. She knows he =is= tougher, in nearly every measure, just from the fact that he goes toe-to-toe with Kyo Kusanagi. ... But she tied Kyo, once a long time ago. So she reasonably has a chance, right?
Whatever the reason, she isn't terribly concerned when the man plows through her Hadouken. She kinda expects it, and in a way, she's glad! Because it gives her a moment to drop low, bringing her handguard high to deflect the punch to her jaw. Her lightweight frame shudders from the blow, forced to step backward and meet the uppercut with a cross-armed block. She's still left in a bad position with the followup, an overhead attack, but she meets this by crouching, bringing both arms overhead for a meek defense.
Her arms are =almost= useless after that, though! It's alright, because all she needs them for is a lever, as she rushes towards the Yagami scion, hoping to grab him by the lapels long enough for her to rock backwards, pinning her heel in his solar plexus as a fulcrum for her to toss the guy into the nearest rock! "Hyyyyyyaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Iori with Medium Throw.
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Iori 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Sakura
She has a good reaction time. That's in her favor. But if Iori is pleased by this it never escapes to those features of his. Instead, clothes still smoking a bit from the aftereffects of that blast of chi, Iori rolls his shoulders and offers little more than a wry smirk.
But-- Iori isn't quick enough to pull away as he might have initially thought. Because, just as he wheels backwards, Sakura is right on top of him. The front of his white dress shirt grabbed, Yagami has little choice but to go along for the ride as the smaller martial artist flips him into a nearby rock. Flying and landing with a thud. Iori looks more annoyed than injured; in fact, soon after that rough landing he plants his feet against the very rock that he landed on, and pushes OFF... right for Sakura.
"HWOOOOOGH!!" Battlecry delivered with an almost blood-curdling holler, Iori twists through the air as his hands clasp together. Spinning an almost complete 360 degrees, he brings those hands to whip around straight to the side of Sakura's head. At that precise moment, a plume of the Yagami's corrupted flames BURSTS from his clasps fists, to strike Sakura both with physical force and an explosion of terrible purple fire with incredible speed and viciousness.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Sakura with Tsumagushi.
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Iori 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
Oh, Sakura's getting on Iori's good side! YAY! But she sees it more as fulfilling the older one's wishes: she's making it interesting! Yeah.
The girl has been warned not to get overconfident though. She's had plenty of warnings, there, yes, mostly in the form of getting her face bashed in. ... Kinda like she does when Iori's tearing off at her. The schoolgirl doesn't have too much time to react, only able to twist to the side -- but not enough to carry her out of the reach of Iori's spinning strike. She feels the blow to her temple first, the searing heat second as she spins to the ground, her hair catching flame for just a moment.
That 'stop drop and roll' advice comes in handy. ... Even though the girl doesn't have much choice about the rolling part, from how forcefully she was struck. She does spring back to her feet shortly afterwards, though, shaking the dizziness out. Man, that =hurt= -- the plain is clear on her face even though the developing bruise isn't. "Heh. You're just... as tough as I thought you'd be..." she comments wryly, curling her fists up for another strike. She doesn't waste her time with punches, though, considering her guard -- no, she leaps back at Iori, before dropping low to the ground, right foot glowing a pale blue as it whirls around, aiming to knock Iori's legs out from under him! Four strikes of that would follow, ideally, before she rises to serve the man a whirling axe kick from above!! "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! HAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Iori blocks Sakura's Haru Ichiban.
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Iori 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Unrelenting in her attacks; Iori really wouldn't expect or desire anything else. People who linger around are just annoying. Not that it /helps/ her, exactly. Iori is to prepared, too alert to be taken off guard by Sakura sudden kicking bout begins. The first one, while it doesn't really hurt the tall fighter, does successfully knock him off his feet; the blows that follow, though? All deflected by a series of swipes with the Yagami's palms, all moving in a simple /blur/ of motion to match Sakura's own speed with seeming ease and arrogance. The first four strikes are all thwarted by powerful exertions of force from his arms, essentially negating most of the force with the palms of his hands; and the last, glowing axe-kick is intercepted with a single forearm just before Iori strikes the ground. His other arm strikes /downward/ clawed fingers digging into the hard rock beneath them to brace himself before he can completely fall. He frowns.
"... hmph."
If Sakura is expecting a pause, though, she's certainly not going to get it from Iori. Close range is where he's his most dangerous; and even as he is perched so precariously on the ground, he snaps out with a single, blindingly fast foot to lance it into Sakura's gut with enough force to simply /knock/ her through the air and out of his way. Those blows stung a little bit. He just seeks to return the favor.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Light Kick from Iori with Shou'ou Ken.
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Iori 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura's confident enough to keep staying in this fight, meeting Iori with the same tenacity he brings to the table. ... Maybe a little =more= tenacity, actually! But she sure as heck wouldn't be able to block his kicks as deftly as the Yagami scion does hers. She's a bit shaken by that... and she's shaken even more when she hops back from her kick to find her withdrawal aided by one of Iori's kicks. ... And she sure =isn't= able to block that kick, much as she tries to.
It might've worked better if she weren't trying to sock him in the jaw instead of fully hopping away. But what's past is past -- Kasugano gets nailed in the stomach, flies back a good eight feet or so, and lands on all fours, the toes of her sneakers carving miniature gulleys into the mountain path.
But she pushes back to her feet just the same, brushing her nose with the back of her hand. "Is it... staying... interesting enough for ya?" she asks, her voice starting to get a bit raspy from the hits she's been taking.
One hop is all it takes for Iori to land solidly on his feet. In an almost casual gesture he brushes his pants legs free of dirt as Sakura goes flying away from him. Whatever she tried to do, she wasn't quite fast enough, and Iori neither mocks nor applauds her for it. In fact, this whole fight has brought him into a comfortably neutral zone. Sakura's managed not to piss him off, and it's apparent in the fact that he frowns rather than screams 'DIE DIE DIE' while clawing out her innards. It's a good thing.
But that doesn't mean he's going to show her any mercy. As Sakura pushes back to her feet, Iori slowly lifts his right hand. "... hn. Whatever." Is his response to her question, which roughly translates to 'interesting enough.' His arm extends out towards Sakura and, in a sudden change of pace... Iori smiles. It's not a pleasant smile. The thing that crawls across his lips is more like 'ominous.' His thumb presses against his middle finger.
"But I think we're done."
Snap.
One snap of his fingers. A simple, single snap and a tiny, unassuming spark of energy is born, racing from between his fingertips at incredible speeds, straight towards Sakura. But for as weak as this spark of power may seem, the skies above them begin to darken drastically, taking a sudden shift for the worse as deep grey, ominous clouds blot out the sun. The spark speeds along, straight for Sakura. And the moment it connects, with her, with anything... a literal /lightning bolt/ of pure Orochi energy strikes down from the heavens above with titanic force and power, intent on engulfing Sakura with that singularly terrible burst.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Sakura with Ya Sakazuki.
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Iori 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Sakura
... what? He's =not= pissed off? Hey, that's kindasorta what she was going for. He's supposed to be mad, dang it! She looks a bit aghast at his supposed nonchalance. Is she really not doing anything to--
... Ohh. He's just trash talking her back. Kinda. It must be something Kyo taught him, she figures. Stupid Kusanagi and his '... whatever's. Her lips curl into a faint smirk, as she readies for his next attack.
... She didn't expect he'd be attacking with the Weather Channel Storm of the Week. That's just... "Uhh..." she stammers, looking up at the clouds, looking back at the snapped finger. And the blast. And the clouds again. What the hell? ... Her hair poofs out slightly from the ionized air heralding what's about to happen. She does the first thing she can think of -- she dives to the side to try and dodge the obvious threat!
And that's when the bolt of lightning lances through her from above, crashing down, immbolizing her momentarily -- just long enough for her to miss that otherwise simple hop over the orchid blossom ravaging her feet from below. Caught on fire AND struck by a bolt of lightning -- not the best way to go! "GNNNGH!"
She really... really shouldn't be moving right now, from all that she's taken. But the Taiyo student's tenacity is unquestionable. Catching herself, one hand keeps her from plummeting to the ground. But she'd fall over without one last burst of energy -- and it's with that in mind that she =leaps= towards Iori, wheeling her foot high overhead with an aim to blast him right in the neck! Maybe there's none of her usual fanservice here -- but she has a feeling it wouldn't work on the glam-rock reject anyway! "Hriii-HAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached second wind!
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Iori 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Iori fails to interrupt Flower Kick EX from Sakura with Strong Punch.
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Iori 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Sakura
Not pissed off, but getting there. And it'll certainly be happening soon enough; Sakura's staying power, while admirable to some, is just going to end up being annoying for Yagami. And while it's /impressive/ she manages to stay upright from the sudden assault from above and below, really...
... it just pisses Iori off.
When he says something is over it's supposed to stay OVER. So when Sakura leaps through the air, what does the Yagami heir do? He rears back, lips pulling back into a snarl. "I said..." She comes flying, leg pulled into the air to strike him at the same moment that Iori moves forward in perhaps a rather reckless maneuver, swinging DOWN towards Sakura. The intent should be obvious; he was just going to headbutt her straight into the ground so that she could make her own little Sakuracrater in the Appalachians. But instead...
"WE'RE DONE H--UURK!!"
Iori gets kicked in the throat.
The strike is most effective in shutting up his unholy yell -- and also keeping him from turning Sakura's face into a fine paste. But as for overall damage, beyond some brief, hacking coughs, he doesn't seem all that deterred; instead, he takes a few steps back, his guard dropped from his failed gambit. "..." Well, if Sakura wanted a pissed off Iori, she's going to be getting it. Very, very soon.
It's never over till you can finish saying it's over! ... Or something like that. It didn't happen, regardless, because Sakura was too busy kicking the man in the throat. As one can imagine, that could get pretty annoying when he's trying to shout and thrash about.
Sakura even surprised herself with that! After kicking, she hops back... finding herself a bit more energetic than she ought to feel! Half determination, half adrenaline, the girl pushes all thoughts of defeat out of her mind, even bobbing lightly upon her feet. "Sorry, what was that?" She curls her hands up by her side, grinning smugly as her face is lit by a rather bright blue glow! "Didn't quite catch that!" She probably won't be able to hear the answer, either, as she thrusts her hands forward, that glow roaring into a concussive mushroom cloud, rushing out to slam into Iori! "HADOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Iori with Large Hadouken EX.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
So energetic. And the fact that Iori is a bit too slow to move out of the way of another burst of chi his young opponent provides just allows him to take that final step into rage. Fires burning at his skin as the hadouken CRASHES into Iori, sending him staggering back one step, and then another. She wants to see power?
"I said..." Iori begins again, his skin smoking and face the very expression of unpleasantness. His right hand lifts once more, burning with those distinct, cursed flames.
"... THIS IS OVER!!"
Iori thrusts his hand once through the air. Those flames disperse, before a plume of fire BURSTS from the ground beneath Yagami with the sudden upheaval of dirt and rock. The gout of flames travels blazingly fast towards Sakura -- intent on crashing right into her and knocking her STRAIGHT off her feet in the wake of a deafening explosion.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Iori's Yami Barai.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Sakura
Okay, so Iori finished saying it this time! So that's it, right?
Sakura smirks at this, shaking her head. "Not yet!" she chirps, wagging a finger at the red-haired one! The one-time Neo League points leader drops low to the ground, bracing herself for the onrush of energy and churned-up rock kibble by throwing her shoulder into it! After all the =beginning= of the fight, she's just about lost feeling in her arms anyway -- what's a little more searing heat?
Shaking her numbed arms out, she adds, "Still got plenty more for ya, don't worry!" The plucky Ansatsuken disciple leaps back, smiling back at the ticked-off Yagami as she kicks at a few rocks. "You ready for it?"
Stalling? Maaaaaybe... Or maybe she's just trying to see how enraged she can get the man.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Sakura
Effectively guarded. And instead of moving in to attack again, she just stands there, letting the fires burn at her arms and trying to egg Yagami on. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to see what she's trying to do. But does Iori care?
Not at all.
Now officially angry, Yagami has a plan. The plan revolves around slamming Sakura into the ground and then punching her until her face is nothing more than a bloody smear. He likes this plan, and as such, he's rather quick to start it. Sakura hasn't even started talking by the time Iori rushes forward like a blur of black, white and red.
By the time Sakura's spoken the word 'ready,' he's already in her defenses.
"Then /PROVE IT/ and stop acting so PATHETIC!! GUUUUWWOOOAARGH!!" One swipe. Almost fluidly, Iori's taloned fingers come raking forward to slice through the flesh and muscle of Sakura's gut. It's followed by a rapid twist of the tall redhead's body, swinging out his left hand to simply BACKHAND the Ansatsuken prodigy in a most humiliating way, right into the ground. Enraged? This should give her a good idea.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Yumebiki from Iori with Large Hadouken EX.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Sakura has reached third wind!
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Stop acting pathetic? But Sakura's only just begun!
... Wait a minute.
... Anyway. The Ansatsuken prodigy does have a plan, and it doesn't involve her being nearly eviscerated by Iori's hands. No... it actually involved more of the big rocks she was kicking at, and her intention to bash him over the head with one. She =was= going to reach down and grab one, but with Iori's sudden burst of speed, she's left with the second-best option -- curling her hands back and gathering forth her energy!
In retrospect, this was an even worse idea, as she can't spring back fast enough to get out of the man's reach. By exposing her ribcage, she's practically handed herself to the Orochi halfblood. Fabric yields way to the ravenous talons, spurts of blood staining his fingertips in the lightning-quick exchange that knocks Sakura to one knee for a brief instant, before she's instantly hammered backwards into the very rocks she was considering using as weapons.
Any sane person would be knocked unconscious instantly.
Sakura has proven time and time again she's far from rational.
"If I'm pathetic," she starts, grinning even as blood trickles down her head from the injury. "H-how come you can't knock me out yet?" She leans against the largest rock with one hand, pushing back with her feet, clearly ready to jump at the slightest approach from Iori. What purpose does it serve for her to keep standing? Nothing, save proving that Sakura can =still= continue to annoy him!
He keeps knocking her down, but Sakura continues to get back up. But that just means there's more time to knock her around before the officials declare a winner, and there's no denying how satisfying that will be. That dramatic shift from calm to enraged takes Iori further as he scrapes claws across Sakura's midsection and slams her STRAIGHT into the ground... yet it's not enough. Slowly, she pulls herself back up. She's not attacking, but still... she's /up/ again. Well then --
Guess he'll just have to punch her some more.
As soon as Sakura's up, Iori impatiently moves forward. She's not even finished speaking before he rips forward, cutting through the short distances between the two of them. He doesn't hear what she's saying, really. Expertly tuning Sakura out, Yagami focuses on one thing, and one thing alone: pounding Sakura down into the dirt. His right hand /JERKS/ backwards before he SLAMS it forward, with every intention of literally impaling his fingers into Sakura's stomach.
"Stay DOWN ALREADY, YOU MORON!"
Only a moment afterwards does his left hand swing out in one singularly brutal attempt at PUNCHING Sakura right in the throat. Maybe she'll stop talking, then. "GUUOOOH!!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Iori's Strong Punch.
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Iori 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
So... Sakura's arms are numb, she's bleeding from the head, bleeding from her sides, all kinds of messed up in the brainmeats, and generally feeling like she could vomit at any moment! ... She's also a little crazy, did we mention that? So when Iori slams his hand forward, Kasugano tries something she's tried before -- stepping sideways to let the blow pass right by her. Whoosh! And when he rushes out with his hand, Kasugano ducks =beneath= it, her increased blood flow allowing for exceptionally fast reflexes, or something like that. Adrenaline: now available in caplets!
Whatever the cause, Kasugano finds herself low, and more or less in front of Iori.
> You see an Iori. (A)ttack (F)lee (C)ower like a little girl?
> (A)
Kasugano slams her shoulder forward, this time aiming to grab onto Iori from his stomach area, twisting about so as to slam the man into those rocks! If she could only be so lucky! "HRAAAAAAAAA!" Iori's not the only one who can deliver a primal shout!
COMBATSYS: Iori interrupts Strong Throw from Sakura with Oniyaki.
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Iori 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Sakura
Sakura might be able to make battleshouts, but...
"HWOOOOAAGH!!"
... Iori makes them better.
He also typically accompanies them with something very painful. Case in point; when Sakura chooses option (A), Yagami is already in motion. It might be imperceptible to the Ansatsuken prodigy at first, but violet flames roar to life across the redhead's arms as she slams forward. The shoulder rush connects -- but only for the sheer fact that the Yagami follows it up with a sudden THRUST up into the air, his body spinning like a corkscrew as clawed fingers /slice/ into Sakura's body and knock her straight into the air with him, burning her with those terrible amethyst fires while simultaneously knocking fists and talons into Kasugano's body.
"GO. TO. HELL!!"
Violet fire trails behind Iori like a double helix as he rises, and as he descends those flames snuff out, leaving the Yagami heir to stare at where Sakura's body SHOULD land. Hopefully unmoving.
... Ow. Kasugano's gonna be feeling =this= for a while. She thought she had a pretty good chance of body-slamming Iori into the ground, but not to be thrown up into the air, cuisinart'd in a double spiral of pain and suffering! It's definitely not something she'd wish on any of her friends!
Beaten, bruised, slashed, gored... can it get any worse? Oh yeah, Kasugano still has yet to be introduced to the =ground= yet, after being flung so high from it. But... with what's sure to be her last moment of consciousness, Kasugano channels all the chi she can muster into one sizzling, crackling, seething =mass= of power -- which she oh-so-helpfully lobs down to Iorikins over there. "Shinkuuu.... HADOOOOOUKEN!" And then, maybe, she'll fall unconscious!
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
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Iori 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Iori endures Sakura's Shinkuu Hadouken.
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Iori 0/-------/=======|
That's it. It's finally over. She's done with, in that powerful upward spiral of fire and claws. As Iori lands, his hands shove into his pockets, that burning rage growing inside him slowly dying out in the wake of the redhead's superfluous arrogance. Even if that did take his toll on him, if only for the sheer beatings he had to lay down throughout the entire fight just to get Kasugano to /stay down./ But even as Iori's hands slide into his pockets, even as he turns to stare at Sakura's descent... crimson eyes spot a massive onrush of chi in one massive glob of pain. And as it surges forward, a single brow quirks.
"... You've got to be kidding me."
Rather than leap out of the way, or cross his arms over himself to defend himself, though, Iori feels it's better to prove a point. As such, he doesn't move... doesn't even BUDGE as the chi blazes through the sky, burning the air surrounding it. He doesn't move an inch at the moment of impact, when he's enveloped by the sensation of that massive onrush. Instead, his arms slide out of his pockets, spread out... and he LAUGHS. He laughs condescendingly, cutting through the roar of power clearly as it engulfs him in the wake of a massive explosion. The ground shakes, rocks all around vibrating in the wake. And as the dust settles?
Iori is still standing there, gripping his head and and grinning. Skin burned, to be sure, clothes charred in certain places, but he still stands.
"How worthless. How can anyone be so /weak/?" It's cruel, but luckily Sakura's probably too unconscious to hear it. He turns to walk away, hands shoving into his pockets as his name is announced as victor.
But the one thing he notably /doesn't/ say is that the fight wasn't interesting.
COMBATSYS: Iori takes no action.
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Iori 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Iori has ended the fight here.
Log created by Sakura, and last modified on 20:21:56 04/02/2007.