Description: Geese Howard may have his SNF entertainment monopoly, but for one Rugal Bernstein, the only fight that matters is the one he's in. Thus it is that he invites three rather unlikely partners out to an elaborate fighting stage he owns on the shore of some island. Suffering insanely painful blasts from two Psycho Power users as well as a barrage of tennis balls and other crazy projectiles, Bernstein just barely manages to hold his own, coming out victorious in the end. Of course, the footage will be edited slightly to make him look a lot better off in the fight than he really was...
Part of being unbelievably wealthy is that it isn't prohibitively expensive to arrange matches that he thinks might interest him. A mostly selfish, bitter man, there is one thing that will bring Rugal out of the darkened rooms of the Black Noah in which he broods. The prospect of an interesting fight. While Howard and Masters may have their leagues, neither seem to really participate /in/ them much. Rugal has no league but instead settles for bringing together various fighters, selecting individuals that he believes will make things... different.
The three fighters would have each received a personal invitation to this event. Rugal is convinced that none of them know each other from anywhere and have probably no background from which to work together. Which... is the first thing that should make this amusing. How quickly can three complete strangers come together to form a team formidable enough to maybe have a chance of besting him? The fighters this week consist of two relative unknowns, two of them only having one recent appearance in Geese Howard's SNF, while the other has a record of making the occasional appearance. Why did he select them specifically might be anyone's guess at this point. But perhaps they'll come to find out over the course of the event.
Along with the '- R' signed invitation were instructions and tickets necessary to get the three fighters to this remote location. The sight of the fight is on the coast of an island far out in the Pacific. No sign of settlements or life can be seen on the island proper. The shore consists of large rocks, mostly flat, sitting atop soft sand. Two outcropping mountain ranges form a natural bay here, so the waves coming against the shore are gentle.
Rising up out of the water is a large, white stone mounmen. It doesn't look new, but it clearly doesn't date from antiquity either. Atop the tall pedestal is a large, winged dragon, the statue mostly intact except the minor detail of its head having fallen off of its neck, now resting on the base of the mounment. Large white columns rise up around it and a wooden footbridge forms a ring around it. Water, stone, bridge, sand, or the mounement itself. Fighters can have their pick of surfaces to stand on over the course of the fight, it would seem.
There are camera men nearby. This fight will be recorded. For what purpose remains to be seen. Rugal is already there and waiting, dressed in his signiture red-orange colored suit. He looks more prepared for an aristocratic cocktail party than a fight. But appearances will most definitely be deceiving when dealing with this man.
Zach, with a little bit more information, could probably /guess/ why Rugal would be interested in him. This would require him knowing about Rugal's employees and Berstein's business. As it is, he is surprised by the invite. The promise of recompense is more than enough to get the young man's attention; the rent's due next week.
He sets down on the shore of this small island and looks about with a small amount of wide-eyed wonder. It's very beautiful. Hopefully, he won't tear it up too much.
Momo can only wonder why she's been invited to a private island to fight. It certainly can't be because of her awesome track record, seeing as she's lost all of her matches, usually because the organizers insist on pitting her against obscenely powerful opponents-- maybe they're trying to show little kids that fighting is serious business, or something.
Regardless, here she stands, bouncing a tennis ball on one side of the raquet then the other, occasionally bouncing it off the side in a cute display of dexterity.
The mysterious invitation with the '- R' signature was just that- a mystery. When Ingrid received it she was a bit perplexed, but in the end decided upon accepting it, taking all the required steps to arrive at this particular location at the correct time. Her one worry had been that the invitation was little more than a Shadaloo trap, but she quickly realized that, for her at least, Vega would be far more likely to simply appear before her and attack. Invitations simply wasn't his style.
But now she's here, for one reason or another approaching from the direction of the wooden bridge, likely having been surveying and enjoying the sights. At first glance it's fairly obvious that the enigmatic man in red is the one she should speak to. Not only because of his looks, but because of the power he seems to contain. Fighters 'feel' different to an empath, and such powerful ones even more so. This knowledge at hand she walks within an easy speaking distance of him and offers up a polite curtsy. "Pleased to meet you. Would I be correct in assuming you would be 'R'?"
One by one the three challengers will arrive. The host of this event is patient, waiting in the shade offered by the angle the dragon's wings are blocking out the sunlight. The time is mid-afternoon, the sky is bright, clear, the air mildly humid but not overly hot to the point of being uncomfortable. Perfect weather for a perfect afternoon bout in Bernstein's mind.
First comes Zach. If Rugal recognizes him at all it would be impossible to tell. The tall German doesn't move from his spot for some time, aloof, reserved, willing to let the trio gather themselves if they want. Then Momo arrives and the poor girl is left to entertain herself with her tennis raquet while waiting on the third of the fourth combatant's travels to bring her here.
And there she is, curtsying to him. The tall, suit wearing veteran fighter returns the gesture with a sweeping bow of his own, his arm swinging down in front of him, "Rugal Bernstein, yes." All three fighters are here now. It will start soon. The camera men have finished setting up a few stands atop rocks and other places that seem to be far enough away as to let their expensive equipment get wrecked. But who knows when it comes to these things! "It is pleasing to see that all three of you were able to make it." comes the deep voiced reply as he looks over the trio one by one. They are studied with two unique eyes, his left eye a normal brown, human iris, his right one a pool of blackness, a cybernetic replacement for that which was taken from him by another so long ago.
Walking forward, his feet coming to rest on the wooden footbridge, water gently brushing against it, falling just shy of splashing onto his polished, black dress shoes. "The point of this match is to see how quickly you can come to work together. Let us find out, shall we?" And with that, he shifts his stance a little, his left hand settling into his pants pocket while his right hand begins to fold and unfold the end of a black scarf that hangs open behind the collar of his suit coat. The cameras begin rolling, the fight has begun. Time to see what these three can do!
COMBATSYS: Rugal has started a fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Momo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
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Zach 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Ingrid has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
The name rings no bells to Zach. For that matter, /none/ of these people are any kind of familiar to the rookie fighter. He slides his feet into a comfortable position, eyeing Rugal with a look of concentration. He glances at Ingrid and at Momo, and ponders his course of action...
COMBATSYS: Zach focuses on his next action.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
"So that's it, huh?" Momo says cutely, bouncing the tennis ball a little higher than usual, then giving it an almight THWACK. The ball rockets skywards and disappears. Rolling her shoulders once, the littlest tennis player proceeds to bounce cutely from one foot to the other. "That doesn't seem too hard! You two, go do all the fighting while Momo stays back here where it's safe!"
That said, she pulls a new tennis ball out from somewhere and serves it right at Rugal's head. Momo knows her weaknesses, and it's doubtless that this mysterious man knows them as well, so she'd best let her teammates know as soon as possible that she needs a meat shield.
"Well then, Mr. Bernstein, I'm very pleased to meet you." An interesting quirk; he signs with the first letter of his first name, rather than his last. What does that say about a person? Perhaps if she knew more about him Ingrid could begin to pose some hypotheses, but as it is he's a complete unknown other than what she's directly observed in the few moments she's now known him. She listens politely when he addresses her and the other two invitees, also complete unknowns, as a group and speaks about the nature of the fight.
"Is that so? That's certainly going to be an interesting challenge." She takes a moment to study her two partners, uncertain as how the most effective way of dealing with this man who is confident enough in himself to face three fighters alone. She raises a slight eyebrow at Momo's proclamation, which seems to be about as far from teamwork as possible. "I'm not so sure that's what Mr.Bernstein had in mind." Zach, however, has the right idea in her mind. For now she's going to stand back and watch in the loose open stance she adopts when fighting, seeing how Rugal deals with the tennis ball flying straight for his head. That should give some indication of his fighting style, she hopes.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid focuses on her next action.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Momo successfully hits Rugal with Whale Serve.
- Power hit! -
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
So everything is good to go then. Two of the fighters are preparing themselves while one makes a bold strike with her raquet. Bernstein glances toward the incoming projectile with almost a certain level of indifference. What's something like that supposed to do against a man like him? Opening his mouth almost if to yawn in the brief split second he has before it reaches him, Rugal catches the tennis ball in his teeth.
It hits with enough force to knock him back a bit, but it's with the same calmness that he reaches up with his right hand and extracts the small projectile. "It's going to take more than this, but an admireable beginning all the same." The ball is crushed then dropped to the ground at his feet. "So you were involved in defeating the Shadaloo forces in Thailand," comes the calm observation as he studies Ingrid in return, both unique eyes coming to bear on her. His sources of information are vast... and he has more than a few Shadaloo traitors in his employment now.
"Perhaps a taste of the techniques of their master will get you into the swing of things." And with that, the tall man rushes forward, moving blindingly fast all of the sudden. Several yards out he tumbles forward, deliberately, into an aerial flip, both of his legs crashing out toward Ingrid in an attack not unlike one employed by Lord Vega himself at times.
Zach brings an arm up and opens his hand wide. His eyes narrow as he portions a very specific amount of pure Psycho Power into the waiting hand. It swells to the size of a basketball and holds for a moment.
Zach is content to let Rugal talk for a moment as he aims carefully. The ball springs free a moment sooner than Zach would like, if the look on his face is an indication. Zach is already moving as the ball sails towards Berstein...
That's right, Ingrid, distract Rugal! Momo seems content with being ignored even though she was the only person to throw a punch. "Jump away from it! He's not that fast!" she calls to Ingrid, despite the fact that he really is.
Another tennis ball is removed from wherever the heck she keeps them, and is bounced on the edge of her racket as the young girl begins making her way around the other side of the statue, trying to get behind the fight. They're supposed to be a team, right? So they should attack Rugal from all angles, instead of lining up nicely for him to knock down! It'll also give her a good chance to find the right moment to strike in the confusion of battle without too much fear of crossfire.
COMBATSYS: Momo focuses on her next action.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Momo
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Ingrid with Medium Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Zach
Whether or not all Rugal knows about her relationship with Shadaloo is the war that was in Thailand is unknown to Ingrid. Whatever the case, she does not seem particularly amused at his imitation of Vega's knee press. To defend herself Ingrid begins attempting to fling herself into the air, diving up and away from the onrushing attack. Rugal, however, is simply too fast for her, the flipping attack catching her almost the moment she manages to get airborn and flinging her backwards and back into the rock hard ground, causing her to bounds in a painful manner. She picks herself up off of the ground quickly, doing her best to force her mind away from the pain.
"Yes... you certainly seem to have enough physical strength to duplicate that attack. I'm afraid, however, that it's the only move of his you'd be capable of mimicking. Not for any lack of talent, of course, but... let's just say he has something you can never control." And 'that' would be Psycho Power. The familiar, and painful, attack seems to have sobered Ingrid up a bit. With Zach's ball of powerful psycho power on the way, Ingrid makes due as best she can to adapt to a team environment, quickly tucking and rolling away from Rugal at a diagonal so as to put her on the opposite side, whereupon she suddenly leaps forward, elbows held out as her body laces with golden energy. In the air she spins around, attempting to beat Rugal about with her elbows before landing and immediately launching into a high flashkick, her body leaning back and causing her legs to whip in a powerful motion as she rises, a stream of sparkling psycho power flowing out from her heels. "Yosha!"
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Rugal with Blast Ball.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Rugal with Sunrise EX.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
While his attack strikes home, there's much to be said for the nature of the abilities possessed by two of the combatants here. They control something he will never be able to do. Which is why, when it comes down to it, he has decided to learn to simply cope with it as is. It's hard to say whether or not Zach's incoming blast of Psycho power is noticed before it strikes Rugal from the side, causing Bernstein to stagger a little even after having delivered a powerful flipping kick to Ingrid.
And it is her own attack in return that knocks him off his feet entirely, causing him to land back on the bridge, wooden boards cracking beneath the impact. The team up attack earns a grunt from Rugal. He has experienced the nature of PSI attacks before and one day expects that Vega will descend upon him to complete unfinished business between them that could very well end in his demise if he hasn't prepared himself properly by subjecting himself to their attacks.
That isn't to say that he's down and out though, pushing himself back up to his feet, teeth gritting as he attempts to flush the wracking pain from his mind from the two attacks. "It is as I remembered then. I know what you possess... There is only one way to learn to deal with it and that is to endure it!"
He appears to have his attention on Ingrid now, charging toward the diminutive yet incredibly potent girl, his hand lashing out in an attempt to grab a tight hold of her. If Bernstein gets that grip, he'll pick the girl up by the neck with one arm, while his other hand clamps over his forearm, channeling a devestating flood of chi into her. Psycho Power it is not, but it churns with an incredible amount of energy pulled from deep within the powerful tyrant.
Zach springs off of a pillar or two with a slight assist from his own wellspring of Psycho Power. He is not sure who Rugal is addressing with his comments.
He /is/ certain that nothing good can come from being grabbed by this larger man, and so Zach charges in to try and assist the teenager with a somewhat aimed kick for Rugal's grabbing arm. Hopefully, this will thwart Rugal's dastardly plans!
On the far side of the statue, Momo watches silently as one of her impromptu teammates is grabbed by Rugal, and the other rushes in for the assist. "Those are some weird powers," she says to herself, regarding the energy being thrown around by Ingrid and Zach. It's a shame she can't do anything like that, or she'd REALLY be able to impress Kurow.
But at the moment, it's probably more important to impress her team, and hiding behind the statue isn't going to get it done. And so, the littlest tennis player climbs onto the base of the statue, stretches a little, and then runs forward.
With a battlecry of, "Death from above!" Momo LEAPS off of the edge of the base, hopefully landing right on Rugal's back while he's distracted by the two psycho users. To help her hold her position? Well, that tennis racket of hers is brought over the much larger man's head as she crashes into him, being pulled back against his neck in a crushing choke.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Scorpion Deathlock from Rugal with Sun Delta.
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Rugal 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
It would probably be odd if someone as powerful as Rugal hadn't fought at least one person with Psycho Power. While they're a rare breed, there are enough around in the fighting world to make their presence known. "Endure it? I'm sure there are other methods as well, but teaching your body to withstand it is likely the first step in them." She knows of a few methods that can give her a fairly large amount of trouble, such as those used by Roberto and Gabriel. Energy nullification and redirection can be somewhat hazardous if one isn't careful; but then she's not going to go right out and tell her opponent how to defeat her mid-battle.
As for his attack, it appears that Ingrid is actually waiting for him, for when he reaches out towards her there's a sudden flash of golden energy about her, and she leans forward towards him and points into the air. In front of her forms a planer equilateral triangle that acts as a power amplifier, and directly in front of that a large swirling disk of energy forms. As the powerful man's hand reaches forward to grab her it instead contacts this disk, and Rugal is pulled inside of it and held there. It raises slowly into the air, assaulting him while keeping him pinned, and Ingrid leans back and gives him a playful little salute. Once he's fairly high up the disk vanishes, allowing him to drop to the ground. Summoning up one last burst of energy Ingrid raises her hands above her head in the form of fists, and as Rugal falls down to her height she extends her arms towards him, a massive symbol of golden energy burning into the air around him for one last assault, the same one that's on her hair decorations: the symbol of the Eternal Goddess. After this he's finally allowed to hit the ground, and hopefully just in time to get smashed by her allies.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Momo's Throat Racket.
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Rugal 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Zach's Heavy Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
The well prepared attack from Ingrid catches Rugal completely off guard. He had been reaching to crush the life out of her and remove her from the battle. But in the end, she takes him down - and painfully so. It's a challenge to realize just how painful attacks from something that looks so harmless can be. Just as there is more to Rugal than many might ever know - so to is it with the two users of Psycho Power he has drawn here this afternoon.
Struck down by an attack that would level most people entirely, the suited man manages to get up all the same, no longer able to wash his mind of the pain of the damaging barrage of Ingrid's techniques. And then the other two fighters come at him. Momo latches on first and while she gets that raquet around his neck, he ends up pulling her off almost immediately before she can really deal any damage. The man side-steps Zach's attack completely, smiling at the young man, "A bold move," his murmured. But now it's time to share the chi within him with all of the combatants. Anyone sensitive to chi will feel the build up of power immediately as he draws his arms back, white flashes of broiling chi concentrating in the palms of his hands. It's been ages since he has attempted to deliver not just one, but three Kaiser Waves... in rapid succession no less, and the power will be draining. But for the moment, the other fighters are all near and it comes time for them to try their fate against a technique stolen from legends...
Turning toward Zach, he slams his hands forward, a wall of chi blasting toward the boy. "Kaiser... WAVE!" His arms draw back, still aglow with immense power, as he then targets Momo with the same attack, no smaller than the first. Ingrid is saved for last as he faces her, releasing the final discharge of the incredible build up of chi and sending it flying her way at incredible speed.
This time his hands are no longer glowing. The attack is now airborn - it's up to the three to try test their lives against it.
COMBATSYS: Zach slows Kaiser Wave from Rugal with Blast Ball.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
Zach's eyes go wide as the Kaiser Wave screams toward him. He snaps an arm up, firing off another beach-ball sized blast of Psycho Power at the ki-blast, hoping to stop it...or at least slow it enough to get out of the way.
The Blast Ball does neither, as the Kaiser Wave slams into him, smashing the Psycho-Powered wanderer into one of the pillars. Zach slides to the ground slowly, not getting up from the blast...
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Momo with Kaiser Wave.
Glancing Blow
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> ///////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
Momo's eyes widen as she's roughly pitched off of Rugal's back, tumbling into the shallow water with a splash. "Augh, it's cold!" she squeals, quickly getting to her feet. "It's not supposed to be this cold in August!" The little girl hops up and down, regretting wearing such skintight clothing... and catches sight of Rugal sending a Kaiser Wave at Zach. "Eep!" she squeals again as the man turns upon her next, dropping back into the water as the blast of energy washes over her backside.
"Owwie owwie owwwww!" she cries once the shockwave passes, getting back to her feet. Her butt is burned, and she's completely soaking wet and miserable. This is clearly not her day. "Momo does not like the cut of your jib," she declares, trudging through the water back to the wooden path. As she gets to the platform, she draws her tennis racket back and gives Rugal a good, hard 'thwack' in the shins with it, then starts moving to a less-crowded part of the bridge to pull herself out of the water.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Ingrid with Kaiser Wave.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> /// ]
|=======\=======\1 Ingrid
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
This is the Worst Case Scenario for Ingrid. Punches, kicks, and grabs she can deal with. Massive blasts of pure energy, however, leave her with only a single course of action, which is attempting to get out of the way so she isn't disintegrated. Her attempt to avoid the attack is fairly desperate, literally flinging herself to the side the moment she realizes what's about to happen. As previously stated, however, Rugal is simply too fast for such an attempt to have much chance of success. In the end the powerful wave of energy catches her dead center, blowing her backwards and smashing her hard into dragon statue, causing her to bounce off of it and land flat on her face, hair strewn randomly around her head.
Despite the incredible pain, nearly enough to take her out of a fight in a single fell swoop even if she were in perfect condition, she knows she must give it one last go. If not for herself then at least for her partners. Using her incredible iron will she drags herself to her feet, prepares herself, and then rushes forward as fast as her legs can carry her in the condition she's in. Once she's next to Rugal she lets out a cry of "Yoshaaaai!", a flash of energy surrounding her as she begins to spin around, one hand held above her head with one leg extended outward. She pirouettes across the ground, sliding across it in fact, attempting to batter Rugal Bernstein one last time by smacking him with her leg as she revolves before hopping forward to kick him with one leg outstretched, all the time coated with energy and leaving a sparkling trail of energy behind her.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid can no longer fight.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Momo's Quick Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Ingrid's Sunshine EX.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
The assault from both opponents is avoided as Rugal leaps into the air, allowing Momo and Ingrid's attacks wiff through the air where the suited man had stood an instant ago. Even though he poured his all into that attack, Bernstein isn't out of the fight yet. A swift glance is made toward Ingrid as he takes in her condition. She's not getting up after that, which means she can be dismissed for now... But she won't die. It would be hard to say whether he cared one way or another, but he didn't invite her here to suffer beyond the length of a normal battle. Lifting his hand, he gestures to men off to the side - field medics, some of the best in the business. They'll be swift to get the fallen fighter out of harm's way.
Momo and Zach are taken in next. He barely caught sight of Zach's attempt to blast an attack through the Kaiser Wave. And... even though he didn't manage to do it, he actually did reduce the power of it by a lot more than the tyrant of 'R' would have expected him to be able to. "Hm..." He felt the boy's power earlier. He knows he controls the powers to attack with the power of his mind in ways few humans will ever understand. But he is still young and has a lot to learn.
Then he turns toward Momo, the small fighter showing remarkable aclarity and timing to avoid taking the brunt of the attack even with the blazing speed that it flew at her. "Your reflexes are admireable," he offers her. And then the man waits, bracing himself, raising his arm at the ready. The combined attacks of all three have weathered him down more than he expected would be remotely possible. "Your teamwork was not shabby either for being impromptu. I'm ready to continue, however." And with that, the match goes on.
COMBATSYS: Rugal gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> //////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Zach
Zach picks himself up off of the ground. He gasps for air as he watches Rugal's men get Ingrid off the field. That is one less thing the youth has to worry about. That other big thing? It becomes apparent in a moment.
Purple energy boils forth from Zach's eyes, sweeping down his arms and into the ground. Zach growls as he tries to contain it, tries /not/ to level the arena. "Who..." Zach grunts, "/WHAT/ the hell are you?"
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Momo
> /////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Zach
"Thanks, I think," Momo says as she pulls herself back onto the wooden path. She pauses a moment while Rugal and Zach are resting to wring the water out of her hair, great torrents of water splashing onto the bridge from her immense pigtails. That's all the waiting she does, however. She's not THAT hurt, just a little bruised on the backside; the tennis player is more than ready to launch her next attack.
And launch it she does. Running forward once more, the girl twists to the side and leaps into the air, focusing what little chi she can manifest into her tennis raquet. For a few moments, she is a veritable Momo tornado, whirling at high speed with the raquet held out, floating lazily through the air and hopefully into Rugal's FACE.
Whether or not she actually impacts, the tennis playercontinues past him and lands on the other side, a little awkwardly and a little green from the spinning. "Woooog..." she mumbles, stumbling past the crackling Zach.
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to reflect Spin Smash from Momo with Dark Barrier.
- Power fail! -
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Momo
> /////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Zach
Zach is left alone for a moment but his question doesn't go ignored. A side glance toward the boy, that human eye focusing on him intently. "Oh... we'll have plenty of time to talk about who I am in a moment." Plenty of time indeed. But for now he has to deal with the incoming Momo!
Turning around to face the smaller fighter, Rugal extends his hand, fingers flaying out as he begins to create the Dark Barrier intent on sending her crashing off in another direction... Only, he finds that he put far too much effort into those three Kaiser Waves and for the first time in a long, long while, Bernstein is surprised to find that he doesn't have the energy to manifest that swirling, sickly pool of tainted chi. "What-"
And with that, the chi-laden raquet strikes him right in the face, sending Rugal staggering backward, a hand coming up to cover his face, teeth gritting at the attack that just shouldn't have possibly had a chance to get through. He lowers his hand eventually, tightening it into a fist. He's not down by any means, but mistakes like that are more infuriating to him than anything. /He/ shouldn't screw up like that. Not him, not the one with a destiny for perfection! Standing on a slightly elevated, flat rock, Bernstein holds his ground, waiting.
Zach turns to look at Momo for a moment, "Good job, kid. Let me take it from here." Glen then looks at Rugal. "If you can still talk after this, then sure," the youth growls. "You want to taste this power? I'll make you /puke/ from it." Zach blasts forward, Psycho Power bolstering his jump-dash in before he skids to a halt disturbingly close to the criminal mastermind, "Endure /this!/"
The Psycho-Power fully cloaks Zach, roiling and bubbling before /EXPLODING/ forth in a sphere that is twenty feet across, "STORM FLARE!"
COMBATSYS: Rugal reflects Storm Flare from Zach with Dark Barrier.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Momo
> ////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
A brief reprieve! Rugal opts to sulk over his imperfection instead of following up, leaving Momo ample opportunity to get over her nausea. But once she recovers her land legs and looks back at Zach going utterly killbeast on Rugal, she can't help but be dumbfounded. Such power! ...why couldn't she have power like that? Kurow would pay so much more attention to her if she could shoot explosions of energy the size of a bus...
Not wanting to get anywhere close to that explosion, and being a little miffed at how she'll never be able to compare to something like that, the tennis player has to content herself with grabbing a rock from the beach and throwing it at Rugal. "Yeah, take that!"
COMBATSYS: Momo successfully hits Rugal with Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Momo
> ////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zach
"A boisterous claim. Have you not already felt my power crashing into you? Do you not know what you are up again-" The moment of token bragging is cut short as the entire surface of the area is awash with a wave of incredible energy, focused into a cracking ball of power visually belies the danger that thrives within it.
Having had a moment to recover from his failure to block Momo's incoming raquet of death, Rugal extends his hand again, fingers splaying open, as a wall of energy appears in the air, just before his palm. The pulsating sphere of impending death collides against it. Anticipating the kind of strength it will take to repell an attack of that magnitude, Bernstein leans forward into his own defense, pouring more of his strength into it... until finally, the ball is driven back from whence it came, now flying even faster through the air than it had been thrown in the first place.
Lowering his hand as he extinguishes the sickly whirlpool of green chi he had created, Rugal begins to laugh, "Hahaha. That is the power I am talking about! You've put up a good fight, and even managed to live through an attack that was meant to destroy you in one single hit... but nothing you do now will-" *ploik* Momo's rock hits home, cutting off the confident speach, earning her a quick glare. The poor crimelord just can't seem to get a word in edgewise this afternoon! Grr.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Zach with Reflected Storm Flare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Momo
> //////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Zach
Zach slumps as the Storm Flare blasts out of every pore of his body. This draining sensation is what prevents him from seeing the wash of energy returned his way. It forces him back several feet, but Glen somehow manages to keep his feet. Zach glares at Rugal.
"Wouldn't be... counting," Zach drags an arm up, "Those chickens... quite yet."
Zach digs deep, and produces a beachball of Psycho Power in his own palm, "IMPULSE FLARE!" which spins in his hand before vanishing.
Momo scratches her chin as Rugal manages to bounce back that giant explosion. Maybe it's for the best that she can't do that, actually, that looked really painful. Her rock seemed to be a lot more effective; when the crime lord glares at her, she responds in kind by sticking her tongue out. "Nyaaaaah!"
That done, the girl once more begins to work her way around to the opposide side of the area, trying to get behind Rugal once more. She doesn't want to try doing anything to him from the front, and Zach is providing an excellent distraction. This is supposed to be teamwork, right? So she'll do her team part and get to a sniping position, watching the battle for an opening~
COMBATSYS: Momo focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Momo
> ////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Rugal interrupts Impulse Flare from Zach with Scorpion Blow.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Momo
> / ]
|=======\====---\1 Zach
Rugal is about to go after Momo. He expects Zach to be through... after all, did he not just send his powerful attack back at him to deal with? But alas, it seems the young man has fight left in him yet. Boldly charging the crimelord, Rugal reaches out to just grab a hold of him, hand tightening around the boy's neck as he lifts him up, even though his fist strikes Rugal squarely, hurting enough to cause the man to take a step backward all the same.
Bringing him closer such that he can glare into the boy's eyes, "You stumbled into something you weren't supposed to see... that was my property you destroyed in that truck. My agent identified you immediately the moment you appeared in a saturday Night Fight match. That's why you're here..."
He pulls his other hand back, fist tightening, "Fortunately for you... this is for the cameras, or else I would be settling matters differently. Let this simply serve as a warning - there are powers out there you have no business crossing. Watch yourself, boy." And with that, the fist he had drawn back crashes forward, driving enough force into Zach's chest to explode rocks. The hold on his throat is released, allowing him to go flying. Rugal is certain he's seen the last of Zach Glen for now. And if he's lucky, that's the last he'll see of Rugal.
Perhaps. Zach gasps for air as the hand close around his throat. His eyes go wide as Rugal gives his explanation.
And then he is punched into another pillar, cracking it dangerously. He slumps to the ground vefore picking himself up. "Yours...eh? You sell weapons to mobsters and suffering to innocent lives?" Zach turns his head and spits some blood on the sand. "Then I can't..." Zach brings his palms together, "Let that..." Purple and black energy amasses betweened the cupped palms as he tucks them to one hip. Rugal can see this move coming. The form is pretty... unimaginative. "One go!"
Zach thrusts both palms forward, a torrent of Psycho Power as wide as he is tall lashes out from both hands for the leader of "R," scorching the sand into glass and tearing up the boardwalk between the two...
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Momo
It is probably for the best that Momo is taking the long way around right now. Were she within earshot of the words Rugal just told Zach, she'd probably be in for a world of hurt herself for hearing too much. As it stands, she succeeds in getting to the far side of the walkway without incident, and pulls a tennis ball out of her... wherever.
"Hey!" the tennis player calls as she tosses a ball into the air, hoping to get Rugal's attention. Her aim is so that when she thwacks the ball at his head, he'll be in the process of turning around and get nailed square in the temple. Who knows, maybe the sudden yell will even break his concentration enough that he won't be able to block Zach's Psycho blast.
COMBATSYS: Momo successfully hits Rugal with Whale Serve.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Momo
COMBATSYS: Rugal reflects Burst Stream from Zach with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Momo
As the young man winds up for one last attack, Rugal glances toward the torrent of Psycho energy that he manages to create. A frown crosses his lips. That boy can spew out more of that power than almost anyone Bernstein has ever seen. He really should learn to stay down when he's beaten though. Slicing his hand forward through the air, there is a faint glimmer of energy around the knife-like swing as he literally parts the incoming blast in half, allowing the two halves of it to continue on past him, melting their way into the rocks behind him. A camera man that was standing atop one of those rocks yelps with shock as he hops from one stone to the other, precariously keeping a grip on the expensive equipment. "Yikes!"
Rugal just shakes his head, convinced now that Zach can attack no longer. There will be medics for him too, but Rugal doesn't wave them in to get him yet. Let him lie there for a while. If he doesn't bleed to death, then they'll be sure to help him recover after the fight.
And then there's Momo to attend to. Turning around to face her, he manages to step right into a tennis ball smacking him in the middle of the forehead. Considering all he's been through, it ends up wracking him harder than he would have otherwise anticipated. The man stumbles a little, his fists tightening. But he's not done yet.
Wuh-oh. Momo saw the way Rugal just cut that energy blast in half with his bare hand. She does NOT want any part of that. With a quick about face, she proceeds to RUN THE HELL AWAY, down the wooden walkway, undoubtedly with the crime lord stalking along after her.
Little will he realize that this is actually her DASTARDLY PLAN. Remember that tennis ball from the veeery beginning of the match? The one that Momo hit so hard it disappeared into the sky? Well, somewhere along the line it hit the apex of it's flight, and began it's descent back towards the island. Needless to say, it has long since hit terminal velocity. If Rugal is foolish enough to chase after Momo, he may very well find himself with a tennis ball-shaped dent on top of his head.
COMBATSYS: Momo successfully hits Rugal with Random Weapon.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Momo
Oh yes, Rugal is after her now. He gives chase, though his pace is slow. While she's gone relatively unphased, the crimelord has been through quite whirlwind of misery, having to weather Ingrid and Zach's painful Psycho based attacks as well as the constant peppering from the girl playing a very effective range game on him. But he'll get her now.
Step by step, he sighs inwardly, decide to stop chasing her for a moment, coming to rest on one of the few sections of the footbridge that didn't get demolished yet. Tightening his hands, he calls out, "You can't run forever, unless... you're ready to con-" .... *BONK*.
The ball bounces off Rugal's head, having brought with it all the momentum from a free fall from incredible height. It's... almost enough to knock him over entirely, but the man pauses, leaning forward, one hand pressing against his knee. This time the sigh is audible. He just /had/ to invite a kid to this fight that can just keep running circles around him in this state.
COMBATSYS: Rugal gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Momo
Yeah, well, what was Rugal expecting? For Momo to turn into a double-agent, sabotaging the opposition and forcing them to reveal the heights of their psycho power in a two on one match? That only works if one of her allies is a loli-hating drunkard like Tran. Instead, he shall feel the wrath of a little girl with a sugar high!
Momo can hear the sound of the tennis ball imacking skull, or at least not hitting wood, easily, and smiles to herself. She may copy people's homework in class, but that doesn't mean she doesn't understand the material, and it wasn't at all difficult to figure out in her head how much force she'd need to put into that ball to get it to land at just the right time... really, she was more worried that she wouldn't be able to lure Rugal into the right place at the right time!
But that is neither here nor there. What matters now is that Momo is still at the top of her game, and if she plays her cards right, she might be able to knock down Rugal now that the Wonder Twins have worn him out a little. "Had enough!?" she cries as she abruptly turns on her heels and charges at the gentleman. The heart-decorated tennis racket is raised over her head, and upon her approach the little girl begins to mercilessly beat upon Rugal's head and shoulders-- thanks for bending down enough for her to do it!
Of course, knowing Rugal, it probably feels more like a gentle summer storm than a sackbeating, but whatever.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Momo's Flip Flap Racket.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Momo
When Momo asks if Rugal has had enough, the man starts to laugh. The use of the tennis ball BOMB was actually one of the more clever techniques he's seen anyone bring to a fighting match against him. "Haha. Just about, just about..." he growls, his voice sounding weary. But now she's on the offense and it's time to show her that even as worn down as he is, there's a lot of bite left in him.
The raquet attack is dealt with by him raising one arm, swiftly moving to intercept each of her strikes, preventing it from getting a clean hit in and really just patting down his suit coat sleeve more than anything.
And... now it's time for him to finally launch an offensive against the diminutive fighter. She's been knocking the heck out of him for some time now but she's gotten by only lightly grazed thus far. He strikes back, his leg sweeping out to land against her side with crushing force, all the while taking steps to push her back at range and get some distance between them.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Momo with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\=======\1 Momo
Unfortunately, 'flailing wildly' is really not much of a technique, and it leaves Momo wide open to Rugal's counterattack. He doesn't even need to bother taking steps back to get her at range, the force of his kick sends the featherweight fighter flying, crashing into the statue and falling to it's base with a dull thud.
"Ow..." she groans, stumbling to her feet. "I think you cracked a rib... or five..." The tennis played slips to the left a little, prodding her side tenderly. That's going to leave one hell of a bruise. "But... don't think you can beat me that easily! Momo has a will of steel, and has been kicked around way too much!"
With a display of agility completely disregarding her apparently injured state, the girl once again runs forward and LEAPS off of the statue's base, aiming... just over Rugal's head? There's no need to bother ducking, she easily overshoots the man, landing lightly on his far side. The hold on her racket is switched in one fluid movement, and she leaps backwards, twisting to ram the weapon into the man's spine as hard as possible. "Stupid drunks!" the girl says as she whirls around, grip changing on the racket once again to slice it's head into Rugal's side, those metal rivets along the end providing a bit of extra kick. "Stupid big-breasted giant girls!" She spins again in the opposite direction, this time twirling elegantly aaround Rugal to wind up in front of him. "Stupid martial artists!"
The tennis racket comes up at ludicrous speed-- a rush of chi filling the head of the racket, making the heart pattern in it's cords glow a brilliant pink. It's aimed for the crime lord's chin in a vicious uppercut. "Momo has had enough of stupid people kicking her around!" The blow is a powerful one-- it doesn't mearly knock a man back, it drives them straight into the air, with the tennis player trailing along thanks to the force of the blow. At the peak of their flight, with a grimace of determination, the pink girl kicks off of Rugal's aiming to make his landing that much more uncontrolled while she flips away gracefully, landing some meters away in a crouch before bouncing back to her feet.
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Momo Crush from Momo with Scorpion Blow.
[ \\\\\\ < > //// ]
Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Momo
Poor Momo. She's probably entirely entitled to her tirade. Things haven't really been going her way in recent history. And right now, it seems like that's not about to get any better. Rugal is impassive as she talks about the ribs possibly racked. He struck to debilitate... and she still gets up all the same. That means something there. The kid has guts to step back up and place her fat into his hands once again. He doesn't feel bad for the damage at all. But he obviously wasn't aiming to kill, or the odds of the girl having a chance in hell are practically non-existant.
His strength has been gradually regaining throughout these final moments of the fight. The agony of the Pyscho Power based attacks continue to wrack his brain, but he is able to focus in spite the pain, attention boring directly into the determined student. As she leaps over him, he turns to follow her course of travel. His hand comes out, stopping the first swing. Stupid drunks? No doubt a reference to Tran... seeing the 'interesting' interaction between teammates in that fight is part of the reason he even asked her to come here. The other two cries of frustration are obviously lost on him, since he doesn't know all the tales of frustration Momo has been having to go through as of late. He catches the racquet with each swing, powerful hands knocking it aside just enough to keep from getting a hit in otherwise.
The final blow never gets to happen though. Is her berating continues, Rugal's hand finally lashes out to grab hold of her by the throat, picking her right up off the ground and holding her out at arm's length. "You fought well. You have my gratitude. But your ire clouds your skill. I suggest getting help with anger management." comes the calm, solemn advice before his other fist crashes forward, delivering blow to send her flying backward as he releases his hold on her neck.
His hands lower to adjust his suit coat and straighten his tie. The clothing has been battered far to much to ever be worn again, of course. But men with his kind of money never wear the same clothing twice anyway.
Unfortunately, Momo's rant is cut short by the hand around her throat-- so much for anger driving power! She flails a little as Rugal holders her, perhaps even grazing his body a couple times, but there's no way to do any real damange this way; her raquet has dropped to the ground uselessly as she uses her hands to grasp the man's arm, to hold herself up so the choke hold doesn't do exactly that.
And then the punch. As undoubtedly noticed earlier, to say that Momo is a lightweight is an understatement, as would saying that she goes 'flying'. The tennis player rockets backwards, tumbling across the wooden bridge and eventually falling off the edge as it curves around the statue, landing face-up in the shallow water with a splash.
As tiny wavelets lap against Momo's cheeks, she moans in pain. "I can't feel my soul..." the girl laments. Clearly, she is down for the count.
COMBATSYS: Momo can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\ <
Rugal 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Light Kick from Momo with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\ <
Rugal 0/-------/------=|
Even her attempt at kicking him before being knocked away is deflected with precise timing. While she is wearing down, Rugal only seems to be getting gradually stronger. Nothing is getting through his defense now and even if Momo had gotten back up, there's a good chance he would have been ready for more. But like the others, she's down for the count.
Raising his arm, Rugal snaps his finger at the medics, giving them a nod toward Momo. Zach is considered for a long moment before he gestures toward them to attend to him as well. Today was a very interesting day. Tasting the power of not one but two powerful weilders of Psycho energy and throwing in a third gutst combatant on top of that pushed the man very... so very close to the tipping point. But men like Bernstein are disturbingly resiliant. Fate seems to tolerate them far more than humanity does.
His clothing adjusted to hang properly, he takes long, strong strides toward the chopper waiting to lift off and take him back to the carrier.
And for the three brave souls who answered his challenge today? A healthy financial reward and an all expenses paid vacation at the luxurious resort on the other side of the island. Maybe Momo should try to drag Kurow there!
COMBATSYS: Rugal has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:23:10 08/11/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 03:33:27 08/12/2007.