Description: Two of the Three Sacred Treasures, versus two of the Four Shadaloo Kings. No, it's not a math problem, but it is a quite brutal fight! (Winners: Chizuru and Iori)
Howard Arena. Again.
He'd been here a week before, though high above. Vega has returned again, the invitation from Howard a message, of course. One that showed he still watched his own programming, and that the interruption of a match would be noticed. They hate each other, of course - but there is still the respect of one warrior to another. Or just the pleasure at throwing monkey wrenches into battles that were supposed to happen, twisting them in ways that are advantageous to him. He's not stupid - there are, here and there in the stadium, Shadaloo agents, ready to move on a moment's notice. He doesn't plan on implementing any action with them (other than possibly gathering up a few trinkets for his display case back at the base), but it never hurts to be prepared.
He enters the arena first, the harsh spotlight causing the brilliant red of his uniform to show up like a vivid beacon as he makes his way through the washed-out colors of the crowd. Few have seen him actually fight - and his performances in SNF have been bitter defeats. The slight jeering and mocking he takes as he makes his way towards the stage itself is ignored, at least for the most part. There are some that are noted for later, for when he has time to show them /just/ how dangerous it is to mock Lord Vega, head of Shadaloo.
Not that they know who he is - Vega, 'The Crimson Chin' is all he is known as here.
Balrog walks out alongside Lord Vega, dressed in full fighting regalia. Purple and gold pants, silk loafers, his deadly claw, and of course, his trademark mask. He carries a red rose between the fingers of his left hand, even if he's unable to partake of his vagrance through the dark persona that his mask casts. He flicks his head to the side, moving his golden bangs from his eyes, as they stare through the holes of his mask. He stops near Vega, standing alongside him. He turns and waves to the audience, before doing a flourish and bowing to the fans. Ah, his public.
COMBATSYS: Balrog has started a fight here.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Vega has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Balrog
COMBATSYS: Balrog has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|
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Vega 0/-------/-------|
And, on the other side of the arena, the opposing team begins to show up. At least, Iori does.
The Yagami heir has been hanging around the building all day, listening to and shattering the dreams of countless punks who think they have what it takes to make it into the most recent iteration of his band, Rickenbacher. There were a few surprising, but all in all a dull day of sitting around and assuring pizza places that yes, he seriously wants them to deliver to Howard Arena.
All this adds up to a fighter who is very much looking forward to sinking his teeth into some poor schmuck. In this case there is no such easy target; Vega had a hideous power that wasn't to be taken lightly. Thankfully, Iori isn't the type to care about winning (save for fights involving a certain Kusanagi), and would be happy taking the red-clad quasi-military man down a peg or three by slashing him up some.
And, unlike Vega, Iori has his share of fans. He's accompanied by cheers as he casually strolls down the aisle, leaping onto the stage and rolling his head to one side and then the other. He waits for a ref to call the beginning of the match.
Chizuru is less eager than Iori, but more than she might normally be. Unlike many of the others, she /has/ had the dubious honour of meeting Vega, and he is one of those people she'd rather keep an eye on. Balrog is less known, but she's heard that he is vicious, and the claw seems to prove that.
Chizuru trails behind Iori, which is an increasingly common location for her. She may have fans, but she doesn't actually care if she does or not. They're probably lost in Iori's anyway; /he/ has a band, and presumably some of them showed up to watch, too.
Her eyes narrow as she looks over the other team, but Chizuru says nothing. She does make a gesture before her with her left hand, a circling motion with her fingertips.
COMBATSYS: Iori has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Iori
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Vega 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chizuru has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Iori
"Alright gentlemen, I want a good, clean, fight!" the grizzled referee growls while chomping on a cigar. He waves a meaty arm in both teams' directions. "FIGHT!"
"I've been waiting all day for this," Iori says, loud enough for Vega to hear over the roar of the crowd. With a noise between a grunt and a growl, the redhead hunches over and leaps across the arena, closing the distance with bounding strides. His mouth opens wide, revealing a gleaming, predatory grin as he takes a final leap that sends him rocketing towards Vega.
Spinning around gracefully, Iori's hands burst into iridescent purple flames that explode with potence as he brings right hand down in a vicious downwards rake punctuated by the booming sound of combusting fire.
COMBATSYS: Vega endures Iori's Tsumagushi.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Iori
As Iori and Chizuru step onto the stage, Vega twists his neck, corded muscles and joints popping in mild irritation. This fight would be difficult - both were fast, and both, under the right circumstances could be incredibly strong. In the end, well - there were only a few ways to deal with them as such. He doesn't turn towards his compatriot, instead just speaking directly into his mind, a brief touch of Psychopower that Balrog should know well - after all, he's dealt with it before. <<Choose your targets well. Your blade will be well bled tonight.>> Simple instructions, with a hint of warning - do what you want, but do /not/ fail. That is, after all, one of the important tenets of Shadaloo.
Vega isn't going to be able to touch Iori this early in the fight without drastic measures - and those measures are liable to end with Vega being unable to defend himself against Chizuru, should Balrog fall. So the obvious solution is to believe that Balrog will /not/ fall. That he will remain standing, just as Vega will. So to that end, he demonstrates his own power - standing directly in the wake of the blistering flames and arcing hand-slash from Yagami. The impact knocks him back towards Balrog - but only a step, the slice of Iori's hand cutting his jacket open wide.
"Fascinating - is that the best you have, Yagami?" Vega says, before leaning forwards and bringing his own toys to play - a move in much the same vein as Iori's, a raking slash of his hand up and back down - though instead of purple flame, purple/blue psychopower rakes out of his hand, blisteringly fast, and billowing out to both sides. There's a grunt from Vega from the effort - he's not playing around tonight.
The way Chizuru sees it, there are two options here. Balrog, to her, seems like the lesser of two evils; Vega practically radiates negative energy, even if it's a sort of energy that Chizuru has limited experience with. The clawfighter does not. One option is to defeat Vega as quickly as possible to stop him from using the energy; the other is to let him act so that she can learn about it, in case she must deal with it when it is more urgent than a Saturday Night Fight.
At first, she chooses the later option. Iori can tangle with Vega momentarily; she has enough faith in him to believe that he is quite capable of keeping him occupied for the moment. Chizuru leaves him be, instead advancing on Balrog. As she moves forward, she shimmers briefly - and a second Chizuru rushes ahead, bringing her arm upward in a sweeping strike as she approaches him.
The image flickers out afterwards; Chizuru kept her distance in person, although she's no more than a half dozen steps away in any case.
COMBATSYS: Balrog parries Chizuru's Shinsoku no Norito!
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Iori
Balrog smiles beneath his mask, in Chizuru's direction. "Ah, a beautiful woman! It is both an honor /and/ a pleasure!" He tosses a rose in her direction, as she advances. Balrog then bends to the side as the upward strike moves past him, doing so almost effortlessly as his claw whips backwards, slashing through the double. Momentarily, he is in a twisted position, commenting, "But terribly slow!" With torsion, he spins out of the bent position and moves into the air, flying through it like a spinning torpedo as his long ponytail gracefully spins about him. He inverts once over Chizuru, before coming back to his feet and landing behind her. He grabs at her back, and attempts to pull her into the air in a backwards jump, ending with her head and upper body being driven into the arena floor.
COMBATSYS: Iori endures Vega's Psycho Wave.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Iori
"Did you really just ask me that?!"
Iori refuses to back down. He raises his hands above his head, willing the bright purple flames into a greater fury than displayed previously. Not even the threat of the point blank infusion of evil energy is enough to stop the redhead. He maintains the gathering of fire, leaning into the blast and shrieking into Vega's face as it washes over him, burning his mind and blurring his vision.
"HRRRGH-- HROOAAAAAAAAGH!" Iori bellows, his entire body shivering as he cries out in pain from trying to summon up the tainted flames so quickly. He screams again, bloody mist spraying from his mouth as he stands defiant. "GWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGH!"
Unable to contain it anymore, Iori slams his fists downwards, the flames leaving him in a sudden bolt that travels along the ground for a moment before exploding upwards in a gigantic pillar of fire that spirals all the way to the top of the stadium.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Vega with Ya Sakazuki.
- Power hit! -
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Iori
Whoops.
Vega has perhaps misjudged the plan he was going for. The wave of Psychopower was supposed to crush Yagami's spirit as well as his body - but it seems to have done neither. The man doesn't fall - in fact, he throws more fire right back at the leader of Shadaloo. The impact blows Vega backwards, stumbling and staggering in shock and awe. His white eyes are wide open, his mouth hanging down slack-jawed. That kind of power - he needs to steal it, to suborn it for his own.
As he watches his minion defend himself so well, he rages inside. And he taps that for power - for strength. In the end, Iori will fall - Vega will see to this. And hopefully, he will fall /before/ Vega does. But for now, he's going to prepare - and summon the strength he needs to survive this opening. Deep breaths are taken, and he gets back to his feet.
COMBATSYS: Vega gathers his will.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Iori
COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Balrog's Izuna Drop EX.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Iori
Chizuru was spending more time watching than anything else - she has to keep her eye on all three people in the fight, after all, and she only has so many eyes. More of her attention was on Balrog and Vega, though. She has to trust that Iori can control himself reasonably well tonight.
She expected that Balrog was going to come after her; she did just attack him, after all. Chizuru is prepared when he comes, and although he manages to grab her and jump, Chizuru has her hands ready to plant on the floor when she lands to absorb the worst of the shock of the blow.
Chizuru hangs there for a moment, standing on her hands, before flipping forward to land on her feet again. In midair, one of her feet snaps to the side as she attempts to crack Balrog with a kick in passing as she goes. Her attention is on Vega again, and Iori; she saw the pillar rise as she flipped, and was not expecting it so soon.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Chizuru's Heavy Kick.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Iori
Balrog leans backwards, the kick passing narrowly over his abdomen. His left hand touches the ground, before he snaps up like a whipcord into a standing position. He performs a handless cartwheel to the side, landing at Chizuru's flank. "So slow," he laments with mock pity, as his arms reach out for her waist. Should he get a grip, he leaps into the air with a powerful jump that only intense training and agility can provide, before throwing her straight down at the ground.
Iori breathes heavily, holding his limp right arm at the elbow as he circles Vega. He can sense the power gathering around the would-be dictator, and weighs his options in an uncharateristic moment of analysis. Before a decision can be reached, however, the tainted flames boil up in his arm once again.
The redhead grits his teeth, controlling the flow of energy, sparked by close proximity to Vega's peculiar evil aura, as best he can. He has to get rid of it somehow, but approaching his opponent in this addled state was asking to be knocked around like a ragdoll. Something about Vega made his head hurt.
Raising his arm again, Iori casts the purple fire towards his foe, a blossom of Orochi's power roiling low along the ground. "What's wrong, Vega? Having to dig deep down to deal with me?"
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Vega with Yami Barai.
- Power hit! -
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Iori
"Staying far away..?"
Vega is certain that Iori's gotten stronger since the last time he fought the man - or else Vega is slipping. There's pain in his future, Vega is enough a psychic to see that. He's able to see how things will end - fire and Iori's mocking laugh. But before then, well - before then, Vega will stand and proffer him some serious pain as well.
"Then perhaps I should get a little closer..!" Vega is half-downed, barely upright - but even still just a crazy powerful force for evil. And anger and rage and power. Massive, massive power. That power explodes as he engulfs the area in a dark aura, letting it coalesce into a shroud around him. Taking a breath, he launches himself towards Iori, that power propelling him right towards his opponent. It will keep Iori in close quarters - very, very close.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Balrog's Stardust Drop.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Iori
As soon as Chizuru gets on her feet, she starts moving forward in a low, quick dash. Balrog's fingers get close enough to her to brush her hair, but not close enough to actually grab ahold of her.
Which is the way she likes it. Chizuru smiles to herself, very slightly, when she leaves Balrog behind her; it fades when she sees what's going on at some distance of the arena, and she feels the massive expenditure of power.
Chizuru starts to edge that way, which unfortunately also means that she has to pass by Balrog to get there. She starts to run almost straight at him, turning it at the last moment into a forward hopping kick with one of her very long legs. The kick doesn't slow her down much as she tries to get past him afterwards, to move closer to Iori and Vega.
COMBATSYS: Balrog blocks Chizuru's Cang Cang.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Iori
Balrog's left arm smoothly moves upwards, the kick impacting into his forearm with a thud of solid muscle. As Chizuru moves past, Balrog leaps after her, in a low, diving jump through the air. He spreads his arms as flies through the air, his golden ponytail whipping about behind him, as he rapidly catches up to her. A yodel escapes his lungs, piercing the ears of anyone nearby. He flies past on her left side, his claw slashing out for the side of her face, before he hits the ground in a roll.
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Iori with Final Psycho Crusher.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Iori
"Hrrrgh," Iori growls, his voice thick and guttural. The redhead rushes towards Vega as he sees him gathering energy for the assault, intend on ripping his face open before he can do anything. As he reaches out with a grasping hand, his opponent moves with a sudden burst of speed, blowing into his chest and sending him rocketing backwards.
For a moment, Iori cannot do anything but howl in pain, buffered on the curtain of energy Vega has surrounded himself with. But the pain is only transitory; soon it is heightening his senses and increasing his resolve. The fighter claws his way forward, slamming his feet into the ground to force himself past the barrier. His hands reach out again, grasping for the leader of Shadaloo.
COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Vega with Ya Otome.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
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Vega 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Iori
And, in a display of masochism beyond belief, Iori manages to stand his ground and lay his hands around his opponent.
"IT'S ALL OVER FOR YOU!"
The Orochi scion delivers a massive uppercut unto the red-cloaked man, rocking him to an upright position. Quicker than lightning, Iori lashes out again, sinking his claws into Vega's arm and yanking it aside with a brutal spray of blood.
"FIRST YOU CRY!"
His other hand snakes in and stabs into his opponent's chest, opening him up for a bone-shattering right hook to the face. Iori rakes his still-bloody hand upwards, following up with a titanic blow to Vega's stomach, and finally an overhead blow to his crown.
"THEN YOU SCREAM!"
Iori wraps his hands around Vega's throat, his flesh burning on touch. The Yagami heir's eyes roll back into his head, displaying only whites as he sucks in a wide-mouthed breath.
"THEN YOU DIE!"
Both of them are consumed by a pillar of fire that covers an entire half of the ring, threatening to burn Chizuru and Balrog alive as well unless they get out of the way. Iori shrieks with something between jubilant exultation and unimaginable pain, holding Vega still within the Orochi-borne flames until he manages to pull himself away.
Pain. Pain is weakness, a fragility that Vega cannot allow himself to express. He can, however, tell when he is done, and when he's unable to battle on - the impact of Iori's clutching, clawing hands very painful indeed, even through the Lord of Shadaloo's control. He doesn't attempt to stop what happens then - the attack something he's felt before, each individiual impact shredding defenses and ripping flesh as it impacts, rocking him left, right, back and up. The burns are already healing as Vega starts to fall to his knees - the Dictator unwilling to surrender so soon to the battle's end.
"Die..? Die? Not.. yet!" Vega won't stay to watch the rest of the fight - but he reaches out as Iori falls back, attempting to wrap him up in an embrace and take him for a ride, as his psychopower swells and bursts into a brilliant display of energy. He may be the first out, but he's certainly left his mark - now it is up to his teammate to survive the rest. And for Vega to tell the troops in the arena to watch all the closer. Balrog's his buddy, after all.
COMBATSYS: Vega can no longer fight.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
> ////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Iori
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Chizuru with Flying Barcelona Attack.
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Balrog 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Chizuru
> ////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Iori
Chizuru jerks aside from the claw, bringing her arm up. It's an automatic reflex to keep sharp objects away from her eyes, completely instinctive rather than trained or taught.
It is successful in one way; the claw hits her arm and not her face. On the other hand, it was probably a deeper wound this way, and if Chizuru wasn't so worried about Iori and Vega, she would be much more concerned about it. Right now she mostly wants Balrog out of the way, as shown when she swings her unwounded arm upwards to drive into his chest and push him away.
The way she figures it, either he will get hit and be pushed back, or get out of the way and move aside. She moves toward Iori and Vega more swiftly afterwards...mostly Iori.
COMBATSYS: Iori dodges Vega's Psycho Crusher'.
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Balrog 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Chizuru
> ////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Iori
COMBATSYS: Balrog fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Chizuru with Crescent Line.
- Power fail! -
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Balrog 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Chizuru
> ////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Iori
Balrog gets hammered into the chest, his ribcage producing a dull thud, as the Spaniard feels his ribs creak, almost breaking from the force of the blow. He flips backwards and away from Chizuru, as the flames in from Iori's attack rage about the arena. He shields his eyes with his left arm, turning slightly to face both Iori and Chizuru. Slowly, he extends his left hand, and beckons both forward. Time for them to die.
Iori, caught up in the moment, is not to be trifled with. What he has lost in concentration he makes up with pure instinct. And it is exactly that which allows him to lean back, batting away Vega's hand so that the much larger man goes rocketing past him. The brush with pure power and the leaving of his own bloodlust leaves him winded, but still standing.
"Ha ha ha..." the fighter slumps over, putting a hand to his forehead. He continues with his unhinged giggle for several moments, leaving Chizuru and Balrog to fight unmolested as he catches his breath and tries to stop himself from laughing.
COMBATSYS: Iori drops his guard to recover.
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Balrog 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Chizuru
> //////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Iori
Chizuru puts herself between Iori and Balrog. She is still not sure Vega is going to stay defeated, but she has to assume that he is at least disabled for a few moments.
Assuming that she is down to only one target makes this much easier, especially when he is rather literally asking for her to come over there. The real CHizuru stays put, aside from shifting her weight left and right, something barely visible; an illusion leaps out of her, though, cutting downward with her hand as she leaps to cover the distance between Chizuru and Balrog.
COMBATSYS: Balrog blocks Chizuru's Choumon no Isshin.
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Balrog 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Chizuru
> //////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Iori
Balrog's right arm snaps upwards, the hand slamming into his forearm, before the illusion dissipates. The Spaniard emits a howl as he suddenly springs up into the air, rolling like a cannonball as he sails over Chizuru's head, aiming his velocity right at Iori. He seeks to slam into him, with a downward claw rake that takes advantage of his vast, spinning momentum.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Iori with Hari Tsuki Rolling Barcelona.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Chizuru
> ///// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Iori
The claw rakes down, cutting a long, jagged rip along Iori's arm. He struggles to maintain his balance, but just one look at Balrog pisses him off. Oh man, does that stupid little mask piss him off. He doesn't even care that he's bleeding out.
Iori takes a little rotational momentum of his own, letting himself fall while spinning around to deliver a flaming backhand to the Spanish ninja's face. He wants to make him bleed out of his ears with this one.
Whether he hits or not, the redhead falls to one knee, and the referee waves his arms and calls him out of the fight.
COMBATSYS: Iori can no longer fight.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru is untouched, at least for the moment. Although her style lends itself to careful, precise maneuvers, Chizuru does not hang back anymore when Iori rushes past her. In fact, she picks up speed, moving forward - her, and her mirror image, who erupts from her as she comes close to Balrog as Chizuru exerts herself, a glimmer of energy visible in the air for a moment.
The image immediately launches into a complicated series of spinning, arcing palm strikes and knife hands at Balrog's side, while Chizuru herself dances around him and tries a side kick to try to push him into the illusion's maneuver. Even when the image starts to fade out, Chizuru keeps up the attack for a few moments, hoping a double (triple, with Iori) attack is enough to overwhelm Balrog's speed.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Iori's Tsumagushi.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Chizuru's Sanrai no Fujin.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog hits the ground, not even turning to face Iori as he twists to the side, the backhand flying inches past his masked visage. With that aside, he turns about and raises his knee, before kicking out, knocking one of Chizuru's blows aside. In a complex series of strikes, he knocks all of Chizuru's blows aside, his body blurring as his fast reflexes get a chance to show themselves off. In the midst of the flurry of blows that Balrog ripostes aside, he suddenly lunges forward with his claw as he sees an opening, aiming to sink his claw through Chizuru's rib cage and pierce her lung. It may not be immediately fatal, but it will seriously hamper her efforts in this fight.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Balrog's Medium Strike.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru darts backwards once the illusion finishes vanishing, putting some distance between the two; Chizuru can tell that he wants to be closer than she does, and she's fine with keeping the distance for an instant. That, and she appreciates not having her lung stabbed. It seems uncomfortable.
After a few moments longer, she decides to test Balrog, and slips forward slightly - not a lot, just a little - while swinging her foot up in a long forward kick. It's more to check his speed than do serious damage; she wants to see if he's starting to slow down.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Chizuru's Light Kick.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog dances backwards on his toes, avoiding the kick skillfully. A slick sheen of sweat covers his body, and it's apparent that he's breathing a bit heavier. But his speed remains. He suddenly hops forward and swings his leg to the side, aiming a reverse crescent kick at Chizuru's ankle, attempting to strike it with his heel and reduce his foe's mobility. This isn't a game of power, but one of strategy. Balrog is no longer raging, but instead fencing.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Balrog's Light Kick.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru is not yet breathing much more heavily. She's paced herself to an extent, and it shows; most of the heavy lifting was done by Iori, who she glances back at briefly to make sure he's not dead. He doesn't seem to be.
She continues to pace herself now, leaping over the kick with the bare minimum of height required to clear it. Landing lightly and very soon, Chizuru takes a step forward, using a stronger palm strike this time without benefit of illusion or image; it's aimed right at Balrog's chest, both to strike him and push him back again. The time seemed right.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Chizuru's Strong Punch.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog leaps up into the air, his legs splaying apart as the fist passes beneath his groin. As he falls to the ground, he lashes out with his claw, aiming to rake across Chizuru's nose and damage her septum, both to scar her face for her repeated insolence (i.e., actually fighting him), and to impede her breathing, to sap her will to fight. He hits the ground lightly, his blond bangs hanging about his face as he drops his back into a lower posture, his bloody claw moving into striking position beside him.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Chizuru with Weapon Jab.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru's head snaps back in another attept to dodge, although slightly late this time; the weapon scrapes over her nose and leaves a shallow cut behind, seeming neither serious or particularly painful, judging by the fact that CHizuru makes no sound.
Chizuru moves backwards again, right hand raised and large swoopy sleeve loose beneath. She does not attack. She just watches Balrog carefully, letting him make the first move.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog steps forward to match Chizuru's backpedal, hissing, "You are doomed. Surrender now and you may not die. This is the one mercy I will offer you." He suddenly leaps into the air with immense gymnastic precision and lands behind Chizuru, his claw lashing out towards the back of her ankle, as he attempts to severe the tendon and hobble his foe.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Balrog's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Chizuru
Jumping seems to be the order of the day. Chizuru leaps again, higher this time, to avoid the low strike - in fact, she leaps over Balrog entirely, landing behind him in a half-crouch. "Given that this is a televised show," she says, loud enough so that it might be possible for a sharp-eared official to hear, "the fact that you're talking about killing me is rather ill-thought out at best."
Chizuru summons an image again, darting forward in a wide sweep with her left arm and sleeve - but this time the image is the one that stayed behind, and Chizuru is rather abruptly very close to Balrog, following up the original attack with a short chop to the face.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Balrog with Shinsoku no Norito.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog gets struck with the first blow, before the second impacts against his mask, causing him to stagger backwards. His left hand touches his mask, tracing a hairline fracture along its surface. "Rrrghhh...MY FACE! NEVER TOUCH MY FACE!" He leaps up into the air, his long ponytail trailing behind him, as he shrieks, "NOW YOU DIE!" He falls with a claw stroke, attempting to take her face off.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Chizuru with Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
The claw catches Chizuru across the face, leaving painful but not life-threatening wounds across it - deep enough to bleed profusely, though, and deep enough to cause her to stagger back with a gasp, pained and unable to mount an effective assault.
She continues to back up from the berserk Balrog, heading slowly toward one of the sides of the arena. One hand remains forward, to block or catch attacks, while the other is pulled back toward her face to check it. She's sure it will heal, but it bothers her less once she's determined that - and she can focus through the pain.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog presses the assault as he forces Chizuru backwards, snickering at the damage to her bloodied face. He springs into the air and twists about as he does so, landing behind the Orochi heir, facing her. He grabs at her abdomen and attempts to snap her backwards in a crushing suplex, slamming her head into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Balrog's Rainbow Suplex.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru is certainly not the Orochi heir.
Chizuru goes along for the throw, but catches herself with the front of her arms, tucking into a backwards roll as she strikes to avoid serious injury, rising up in a flip and attempting to kick Balrog with her toes while she does so.
Hit or miss, she lands fairly well on her feet despite previous injuries, letting out a breath and taking a new one to help focus herself.
COMBATSYS: Balrog endures Chizuru's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Balrog 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
The kicks impact into Balrog's chest with a thump, causing him to bend backwards ever so slightly. He suddenly rushes into the air again, arcing high up into the air as he rolls. Another yodel shrieks out from his lungs, more for terror than anything else. He drops to the ground towards Chizuru in a blinding spin, ending with a mighty downward claw stroke as he lands, aimed to cut Chizuru from throat to groin, like a freshly caught bass.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru fails to interrupt Hari Tsuki Rolling Barcelona from Balrog with Cang Cang.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
The yodeling does not seem to be inspiring terror, only caution. Chizuru speaks to Iori regularly. There is only so much worry she can spare for yelling.
When Balrog comes forward with his claw, Chizuru steps forward too, throwing the slash off-line; it rakes down her side rather than the center of her torso, catching in her ornate clothes, which buffer the injury somewhat. The hopping kick she delivers is less than successful, though, and she turns to face Balrog again afterwards.
Balrog leaps into the air as soon as he touches the ground, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion as he enters a fury. He touches the ground behind Chizuru, before performing a swan diving back flip back towards her. As he passes her low to the ground, he impacts onto his back and swipes at her leg, before rolling backwards to his feet. His chest rises heavily, as he feels the aches of the blows that have been rained upon him over the course of the battle.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Balrog's Flying Barcelona Attack.
[ \\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru spins aside, an almost dance-like motion, and the claw swipe passes by her leg harmlessly. Chizuru stops 'dancing' a few moments later to catch her breath; she is breathing harder now, having finally started to wear herself out appreciably. She's feeling the fight, and her face aches.
This doesn't stop her from attempting a half-crouching chop with her left hand, rising up to a standing position again as she delivers it. It's fast, not strong, and the movement is somewhat surprising; she hasn't done much low yet.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Chizuru's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog springs backwards, landing on both feet as the punch halts half a foot before his body. He grabs out at the extended fist, attempting to yank Chizuru out of her low position and towards him, before jamming his knee upwards into her elbow. "You only prolong...The inevitable..." he says, between breaths.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Balrog's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Chizuru
Chizuru turns aside from the attempted grab, sliding around to Balrog's side easily enough and evading the fatigued warrior's grip. She says nothing, lips pursed slightly as she exhales through her nose.
Her attack, when it comes, is harder than before, delivered with her off hand to the small of Balrog's back; a palm strike aimed just so, at what would be one of the body's chakra points if she did it from the front.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Balrog with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -
[ < > /////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Chizuru
Balrog blinks as the warrior slides around to his flank, before he gets hit in the back. He grunts as he exhales, before dropping to the ground, on his face. He doesn't get up.
COMBATSYS: Balrog takes no action.
> /////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Chizuru
COMBATSYS: Balrog can no longer fight.
> /////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Chizuru
Iori, from the sidelines, suddenly slams his fist into the ground, causing spiderweb fractures in the much abused stadium floor. This is a happy gesture.
Log created on 18:15:08 04/29/2007 by Chizuru, and last modified on 21:35:48 05/31/2007.