Description: Kurow challenges Rose in the Masters Stadium! (Winner: Kurow)
The best way to get good, solid tactical information on someone is to challenge them in a conventional, legal manner -- after all, it doesn't draw much attention and still tells one what one needs to know. This is what's motivated Kurow Kirishima to issue a formal challenge to Rose, of course; he knows enough about her from working with Shadaloo, and fully expects her to cause him problems if he does something to try to take Japan.
Today's venue for the Neo League challenge is the White Arena, the smaller of Masters Stadium's two arenas -- it's hardly packed, but there are a fair number of fighting fans who've come to see this event. More are probably going to watch it on television; after all, it's hardly a title match or anything of that nature. Kurow stands at one end of the enclosed arena, waiting.
Rose doesn't engage in much in the way of a dramatic entrance here. She honestly likes the other arena better.
She steps inside, arms folded in front of her. She looks somewhat concerned, or at least, less vibrant than she did perhaps a month ago; maybe something has happened. Like strange warriors attacking her in a community center, or finding out that Cammy was eaten by evil once again.
She looks up, across the arena, towards the muscular young man. "Mr. Kirishima," she says in her faintly accented Japanese. "Good afternoon to you."
Rose has every reason to seem less vibrant than she did a month ago, Kurow thinks briefly; of course, it's not in any concerned manner, just simple interpersonal analysis. Slipping his clawed gloves on, he looks Rose over briefly, before replying, "And to you as well." His Japanese is remarkably formal, even a little archaic -- it makes him sound like an old man.
He takes a second to roll his shoulders, making sure his SECRET MOBILITY MATERIAL (fishnet) is working as usual, and then slips into stance. "Thank you for accepting my challenge."
Rose answers by bowing her head for a moment. She then raises it, sliding her scarf from around her shoulders, and looks over towards the gray-haired young man. Perhaps, she thinks, it's a disguise; perhaps he actually IS a old man in disguise, Rose muses. No... that might be ridiculous.
Changing bodies is less so. However, she would have felt it...
"I should not want to take up more of your time than I must," she says, which may be dry wit. "Shall we begin?" Perhaps she's allowing him the privilege of the first move.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rose has joined the fight here.
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Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
"Yes, let us begin!" Kurow declares, taking a few quick steps in toward Rose as soon as possible, looking as though he's going to aggress right away. It seems the impetuousness of youth runs very strong indeed in this one...
... or /does/ it? Once he's gotten himself perhaps ten feet from Rose, he simply starts to circle around her, studying her from every angle he can get -- he remembers how their battle went last time. It was close -- he feels it was close, of course, because he got careless. The ninja intends not to make that mistake this time -- which is, perhaps, why he's waiting.
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Rose's solution to this is mysteriously similar; she turns herself around, watching Kurow carefully. When he turns and circles, she steps and pivots; her heels click on the ground as she keeps herself facing the young ninja man.
"Hm," she says a moment later, eyes narrowing as she adjusts the poise of her scarf slightly - the beginning of a strike? No; she's waiting, too.
Perhaps this is the danger of when you encounter two people with a somewhat defensive philosophy.
COMBATSYS: Rose focuses on her next action.
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Rose 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
As Rose stays on the defensive, Kurow takes note, simultaneously cursing his bad luck -- he has a tougher time with very defensive fighters than very offensive ones. Compare, for example, his luck with Makoto to his luck with Rock.
Very abruptly, he stops circling, feeling he's spent enough time studying her -- he has a basic grasp, at least, of her general body structure, and a better idea -- thanks to the moments spent strategizing -- of just how to strike.
Abruptly leaping forward, Kurow goes for a hard downward slash with one claw, then a nearly simultaneous swipe at the area just below her neck and stab at her knees, advancing uncomfortably close in with each successive assault.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Yami Kagura.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kurow
The strike comes too quickly for Rose to step out of the way. She does step back as the slicing hits through her dress and carves into her flesh; there is some blood. Not much, however, and the blood comes with a peculiar faint glitter of light. Rose's teeth grit.
"Just a moment," she murmurs, before waiting for Kurow to finish his stroke and stand up again --
She lunges forwards suddenly; she attempts to hook Kurow's svelte waistline in her arm and suddenly, with a burst of glowing light and disorienting force, send him down towards the surface of this minimalist arena! If he isn't careful, he may feel distinctly agonized as he goes, the blue gleam of psychic power coruscating around him like flame.
COMBATSYS: Kurow blocks Rose's Soul Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Kurow
Kurow knows how to handle attacks like this -- he's always very careful around tosses, even those that have some strange energy attached to them, and as Rose flings him down, he does a peculiar sort of flip, pounding a hand against the ground to stop the momentum dead. The psychic power is something he just has to live with, but the momentum itself doesn't seem to cause him much trouble, if any.
Springing off from his handstand, Kurow places his feet firmly on the ground once again, regarding Rose coolly for a brief moment. "You're quite the fighter," he says, ignoring the brief, faintly pained throbbing in his head. Regardless, he pushes in again, twirling his body just so, and extending a hand as he starts to face Rose again, trying to leave a deep gash across her stomach and push her back somewhat.
COMBATSYS: Rose blocks Kurow's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kurow
Rose twists around, lowering her scarf-wrapped hand to parry much of Kurow's blow; instead of slicing her in the abdomen, he manages to cut some small gashes into her forearm. "Hmf," she says, tossing her hair back with a motion of her neck.
She doesn't seem to want to say more; perhaps she's not feeling at her best, or is simply terse at the moment. She takes a step forwards towards Kurow, crouching as she does; she then jabs her scarf-wrapped arm forwards, the scarf itself glowing with a luminous sphere of green-tinged light where her fist might, logically, be going. Kurow can likely see her expression of concentration, if he is not focusing -entirely- on how she's moving.
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Kurow with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
The scarf-wrapped arm hits Kurow dead-on in the gut, evidently hurting him much more in and of itself than that sphere of energy does -- like most ninjas, he has a problem dealing with raw physical pain. He staggers back, squinting a little; since he's starting to lose that solid sense of how the fight is going thanks to a couple nasty hits in the face, he decides it might be best to hang back, at least for now.
"There's something bothering you," he says, narrowing his eyes at her momentarily, catching his breath. "You're not giving it your all."
COMBATSYS: Kurow gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Kurow
This makes Rose chuckle to herself. "You're an insightful young man," she says, as she raises her punching arm's hand - and waggles a finger at Kurow. "I suppose that you are hoping that I shall pause, now, and pour my heart out to you?"
She smiles, although not very widely. "You are very correct, however. Perhaps, you should estimate -"
She advances suddenly, twisting around and pivoting on her scarf as she swings both legs up and over her head in a peculiar but swift motion towards Kurow's own dome! "- Forgive me, guess, why it is that I feel this way?"
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Kurow with Strong Kick.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Kurow
Something about Rose's kick catches Kurow off-guard; perhaps it's the little trick with the scarf. Whatever it may be, the attack makes a loud, sickening crack as it hits him in the head, sending him down to the ground. The topic of conversation is all but forgotten as Kurow gets back up, with a growled, "... suddenly, I believe I -- care, a little less." How petty.
With a quick roll forward, Kurow makes a split-second estimation of how Rose will react to something based on what happened last time; it's risky, but he decides that risky moves are the way he's going to need to handle this right now. Locking his eyes on Rose's legs, Kurow attempts a sudden, low dash, finding himself exceptionally strapped for options. Little claw-marks of chi start to appear behind him as he moves, and once he swipes a hand out for Rose's leg, it's clear what he wants to do -- he wants to drag her along behind him, leaving her to get hit with those nasty ethereal claws every step of the way.
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Kurow's Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Kurow
Rose smiles slightly. "I know," she tells Kurow. She stands there as he charges. She doesn't make any attempt to move or evade or lean away, except that just as he swipes his hand out -
- she isn't there.
The light flickering around her is probably the explanation. Speed? Teleportation? Did she manage, somehow, to stop time for an instant and move to the side. Either way, she has a small, Mona Lisa-esque smile on her lips as she looks at Kurow. "An excellent move," she says. "Your claw techniques are very remarkable."
She lifts the scarf up and takes a step forwards; she whips it around in front of her, once, and it begins glowing. She casts it over her shoulder as if snapping a whip at the Kirishima boy, continuing, "But you telegraph them too clearly!" The scarf, of course, is not harmful in itself. The Soul Power animating it, however, may be, if Kurow is impure of heart.
Which, of course, is impossible. Right?
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Rose's Aura Scarf.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Kurow
Being told he telegraphs is something that enrages Kurow -- indeed, makes him /furious/, so much so that the second Rose says as much, he starts rushing in toward her at full speed, and leaping up above her scarf as it flicks out. He lands just to the side of it, still running as fast as he can, trying to catch Rose.
Slowing a little as he gets closer, the Kirishima-style ninja tucks forward, closing his eyes and covering his entire body in a thin ball of black chi. It's no Psycho Crusher, by any means; it'd hardly be a problem to yank him out. However, as the whirling blades of chi begin to encircle his entire body, which now floats toward Rose, it may -- if the youth is lucky -- /feel/ like a Psycho Crusher, at least to Rose.
COMBATSYS: Rose fails to reflect Yasha Guruma from Kurow with Soul Reflect.
- Power fail! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rose 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
It does not feel exactly like a psycho crusher. However, as Rose attempts to shift her arm around and strike the reflecting energy towards Mr. Kirishima, she miscalculates the angle and is slammed into.
The result sends her flying backwards, black energy seeming to limn her frame for a moment before she hits the ground, bounces once, and lays there for a moment, shuddering.
She pushes herself up, a bit slowly. "Well," she says, pursing her lips as she retakes her feet. "As I said... your technique is impressive."
"Thank you," Kurow says, nodding once to Rose, evidently maintaining a little more decorum now; even someone who has to operate in the shadows, the way Kurow does, occasionally just has those immense, quick flare-ups of anger that die down just as quickly. Indeed, it probably comes with the territory of an archvillain.
Hanging back, Kurow begins, once again, to circle around Rose, trying -- as before -- to study her as closely as possible. This is partially a tactical study of sorts, after all; he may as well actually treat it that way. He breathes slowly in and out as he does so, letting that frustration subside a little more, trying to keep his focus more on the task at hand.
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rose 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Rose smiles faintly at Kurow. "I see," she says, apparently content to be circled around. She turns to face him, although she doesn't work too hard at it; she breathes deeply, as well, perhaps to recover somewhat from the Yasha Guruma.
"You must be frustrated that your other technique does not work as well as it might," she points out, perhaps to try and keep Kurow off his game, or to pay him back for his earlier comment about something distracting her.
COMBATSYS: Rose gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rose 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
"Perhaps," Kurow replies, ignoring the fact that Rose really is spot-on there; it's /true/, certainly, but it's not something he can /admit/ to -- after all, letting his opponent get under his skin (moreso) is a /sure/ way to lose. Thinking he's found a weak point in Rose's guard, Kurow sprints forward again.
This time, though, he doesn't slow down; indeed, he keeps moving full-speed the whole way through, slowing only negligibly when he throws his body into a full-on whirl past Rose, arm extended. The actual claw swipe, at least, misses her, which is perhaps a blessing -- at least, until whenever she may notice that there's a wide, blood-red gash through the air just ahead of where he'd clawed, which may be where she's standing! Oh, that Kurow -- he /is/ a tricky one, isn't he!!
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Kuukan Saki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
The charging slash cuts through Rose ina way she doesn't quite understand - she tries to put the scarf between her and it but it doesn't work. She coughs, once, and takes a step back, looking pained...
... and defiant. She smiles again, almost serenely. "I suppose," she says, "that I should see if you are willing, to try the ultimate challenge. It is only fair that I should give you the same opportunity, that you have given me?"
Light flickers around her as she folds her arms; the smile remains serene but there is, perhaps, an echo that may alarm Kurow if he has met Vega before. The resemblance is not in any one detail - it is not even in how she stands, as her very bones keep her from assuming the same posture. But, however false it may prove, she seems /extremely/ self-assured.
COMBATSYS: Rose gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
At the mention of an ultimate challenge, Kurow busts out that big, wide grin that fans of Geese Howard, Rock Howard, and -- lately -- Kurow Kirishima all know so very well. Kurow's always been a little bit reckless in battles he thinks don't 'matter' terribly much, and right now is no exception. "I'm more than willing to try," he says, nodding to her once; he has to make every step of this count, now, he realizes.
Reaching slowly into his pocket, he pulls out that flute that sees so much use both in and out of battle; with a wide leap back, he flings it at Rose as she gathers that energy around herself. He knows Vega very well indeed, and the feeling he's getting right now tells him, 'something big really is coming. Keep your distance.'
COMBATSYS: Rose blocks Kurow's Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Rose sees the flute as it flies towards her, well used as it is. She can see, for a moment, every scratching notch that Kurow's claws have cut into the thin instrument. She raises one hand, as if to accept the blow easily -- her lips purse in a faint moue of discomfort as it bounces off and clatters on the floor.
What she does next is, fortunately, somewhat less devastating than what Vega does in this sort of situation. Kurow and his medical insurance can thank her later.
She places one leg in front of her and flicks her scarf before her, tracing a glittering arc of light that sparkles in midair. She then draws the cloth back and snaps it out again, the Soul Power filling the cloth suspending it in midair. The glowing ball of light emerges as it always does, from perhaps halfway up her shoulder, gathering strength as it goes.
It is almost slow, until it reaches that aura. Then it blossoms in size, increasing in width and volume as well as velocity as it streaks towards the Kirishima boy -- but not, quite, where he is NOW, but towards the left. She knows which hand Kurow seems to favor, and knows, also, that he would have likely trained the reflex to send him in the other direction. And if she is wrong, and he is ambidextrous, then she has a fifty-fifty chance. Good enough for Ken Masters.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Rose's Aura Soul Spark.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Kurow
The one mistake Rose makes -- the single biggest, nastiest mistake of the fight, at least on her end -- is assuming Kurow dodges to the side. In perhaps an eerie mirror of his fight not too long ago with Sakura Kasugano, Kurow looks the enormous ball of energy headed for him dead-on. He has enough time to think thanks to his leap back and toss of his flute, which is, in turn, enough time to doubt. Should I just throw my hands up and brace for impact, he wonders, briefly.
No, he concludes, a second later -- now is the time for decisive, simple action. As before, the Kirishima-ryuu ninja jumps high, high into the air... and comes down forcefully, leaving the ball of psionic might to slam harmlessly into the safety glass. (Harmless, here, is a relative term; they will probably need to at least inspect that for safety after the fight.)
"That was your ultimate challenge?" Kurow asks of Rose, with a wide grin, as he steps back. Now, he has the initiative, or so he thinks -- and that thought is quite empowering. He takes a quick step in toward the no-doubt surprised Rose, and tries to bury the claw on his right hand deep into her stomach, with all the force he can muster.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
Rose looks surprised - but the surprise changes to a dismal sort of acceptance when Kurow comes down like a bat out of the nether realms and stabs claws into the skin of her abdomen. She blanches. She doesn't fall down.
"My dear young man," she murmurs, as she lets her scarf fall to the side. "I am very curious as to - as to whether you aim there for a reason? For it seems quite common." Maybe it is a petty complaint; Rose herself looks confused and perhaps even near tears?
Until she twists the scarf. The flute is smacked into and flies up into the air, where Rose raises her other arm to grab it between index finger and thumb.
She abruptly stabs it down, as if it were a knife or perhaps a wooden stake suited for impaling a Romanaian, towards the shoulder of the Kirishima boy; her target is that fleshy spot between neck and the edge of the shoulder, where there are a rich variety of nerves and muscles that might not appreciate being jabbed, with abrupt and brutal fury, by what amounts to a sharp stick.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Rose's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
"It shreds the flow of energy in the body, if sustained for long enough," Kurow says, quite simply -- he's done this a thousand times, and surprisingly, this is the first time anyone has actually, seriously complained about it. He pulls his arm back quickly, however, when he sees that flute get flipped up; from working with Vega, he knows just enough about using that kind of energy as a 'momentum-enhancer' under certain circumstances to know how dangerous it is.
The flute is a sturdy thing, used to parry the swords of lesser men, and actually survives impact with the ground; evidently, careful craftsmanship pays off. It is chipped, of course, but such a thing can be repaired relatively easily -- and besides, Kurow has more important things to concern himself with, like staying in close and finishing off Rose, who he can easily tell is on her last legs. All it should take, he thinks, is a quick little claw-thrust at a pressure point in her arm...
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Weapon Jab.
[ \\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rose 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
Rose opens her mouth to answer, before that strike hits her in the arm, like a firm slap. That arm, half-raised towards Kurow, goes limp and Rose blanches even further. She purses her lips, her tongue flicking over them for a moment.
She decides not to talk.
Instead she raises her OTHER arm - which still has the scarf around it - and lunges forwards, the scarf itself billowing out in a twisting aura of Soul Power, flaring bright and then fading as she loses the impetus in her charge and slowly, but surely, topples forwards towards the unforgiving ground!
COMBATSYS: Rose can no longer fight.
> /////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow blocks Rose's Soul Spiral.
> //////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Kurow
The one big advantage that Kurow's stance has is that it very readily shifts from defensive to offensive and back again -- perhaps it's because of the outward, back-handed slashing motions that a lot of the attacks in his style use. He draws his hand back in, and quickly braces for impact with both forearms. The scarf hits hard, energy lashing into Kurow's arms, and while those arms end up extremely sore at the end of the assault, Kurow remains standing.
He nods to his opponent, and bows respectfully, also using his lowered range of vision to determine that yes, she's still conscious. "That was an excellent match," he declares, with a nod, offering Rose a hand up. "It was very informative, too -- you have a very unique style. What do you call it?" This is definitely an improvement in manners from that fight on the boat months ago, if nothing else.
Yes, it really is; what's more, Kurow isn't eating someone's leftovers.
Rose chuckles a little dazedly as she rises up, pushing her shock of hair back behind an ear. "It has no name," she explains. "I have learned some basic techniques, here and there... I suppose that you could say that it is a personal technique? I do well enough, I suppose."
"Well enough?" Kurow asks, giving Rose a surprised look. "You're one of the better fighters out there -- you're well-practiced, at the very least." Leading her out of the arena, toward the medical personnel, he says, "That was a very close match. You made an impressive showing; perhaps we'll do this again some time." He laughs, briefly; it's not a particularly pleasant laugh.
Log created on 21:11:32 05/22/2007 by Rose, and last modified on 09:27:42 05/27/2007.