Description: It's a battle of one self-proclaimed god against another with a backdrop of Excessive Destruction courtesy of Lykaio's partner, Sergio. Sergio and Boats DON'T MIX.
The invitation would have been simple enough. A small black envelope delivered to both men. An invitation to appear for an exhibition match. The signiture read simply '- R'. Those who have been following the fighting circuits for years might know of the rich baron who sponsored the King of Fighters 2001 tournament, Rugal Bernstein. He has made occasional appearances in the leagues over the years, always boasting of his own power and typically having the ability to back it up quite well.
Why he chose these two fighters to face him this cool afternoon is hard to say as the invitation states no reason. But assuming they decide to pursue the opportunity, a time and location were provided as to when they should appear near the Southtown Harbor to be ferried out to the sight of the bout. Miles and miles of ocean pass beneath them until a single glint in the distance slowly grows into a massive aircraft carrier, the size of which almost nothing can compare to.
The helicopter touches down on the deck of the mighty, aging ship, in order to let the two men off. There are cameras mounted on poles manned by men in dark jumpsuits. Minions of 'R' just doing their job, recording their boss in action per his instructions.
Rugal is already present on the deck as well. The wind that blows over the surface of the ocean plays with his neck length blond hair and tousles the red-orange suit coat he has on. A thin black scarf hangs open around his neck, the ends of which are tossed by the stiff wind as well.
"Welcome, gentlemen," comes the deep German's voice as soon as they are escorted closer to him by the crew of the chopper. "I am Rugal Bernstein. This is the Black Noah. Look upon it and see the magnitude of my power... It will serve as the setting for our battle this afternoon." A humble guy, isn't he.
Sergio's been watching fighting tournaments and the like in bars for the better part of two decades. He's never been a participant, but he's certainly not one to miss the great sport spectacles. The Invitation is just that to him, a chance to show off his own fighting prowess. That it's going to be held out at sea is a quandary, but not one he pays very much attention to. These things tend to be in far off, exotic places if only to serve as eye-candy for the viewers at home.
When the aircraft carrier comes into view, things change a little in his mind. "Holy..." It's massive even by the standards of carriers, and not something that's probably going to be there for little reason. The view once they've actually landed, however, is not that spectacular as one might have thought. The dilapidated state of the planes helps to take the sense of grandeur away.
He sees Rugal standing over there as he's led towards the powerful fighter, and something somewhat clicks in the back of his head. He recognizes him from somewhere, but where is it..? "Rugal Bernstein? Hey, you're that guy from that tournament a few years back, aren't you?" Well, that would explain why there's yet another fighter with him! Sergio has actually had some experience now with fighters that are so much more powerful than him as to be completely humbling. His ego, despite this, is still pretty huge. Probably not a match for Rugals, but it's up there. "Well! I hope your power isn't rusting as much as this bucket of bolts is, or you might have a problem. Lykaio here's pretty tough, and I'm no slouch myself. Haha!"
Lykaio doesn't like helicopters. He doesn't like aircraft carriers. And he certainly doesn't like the sea. Which might almost make one wonder why he accepted this invitation. Some sort of vague foreboding, or perhaps pre-emptive case of sea sickness, seems to hang over him as the chopper approaches the carrier, but as they actually approach Rugal himself, he adopts a somewhat blank expression.
However, at Sergio's rough enthusiasm, the Greek can't help but laugh, and finally a smile finds it's way into his face. The presence of Sergio seems to oddly relax him, a fact that he accepts for the moment, because there are more pressing matters. He fixes his gaze on Rugal's. "And a powerful God, by all means. Not only in body, but in the minds of mortals." He makes a sweeping gesture, indicating the carrier - there's many great warriors who would never have the leadership to get this sort of thing built, after all. "Do you cloak yourself in their guise for it's own sake, or...?"
As Sergio mentions the tournament of the past, Rugal's one human eye narrows, offering him the slightest of nods of acknowledgement. "That is correct." The Italian's flippant tone seems to have already fouled the mood of the man, and when he goes on to speak of the Black Noah as a rusting bucket of bolts, his mouth curls ever so slightly into a scowl - a shift from the neutral, impassive expression he had from the beginning.
"You will find there is no lack of power to my abilities or in this ship. While parts of it have worn with the passing years, the heart of it remains ever strong. It has power where it counts." Power in presence, in intimidation. Power in secrets and the gathering there of. While the Black Noah won't be fighting any air-wars any time soon, it is well equipped to fight the wars of the modern era - wars of information.
As Lykaio approaches, the tyrant of 'R' turns to face him, his left hand in his suit pants pocket, his right hand gripping the end of his black scarf, folding and unfolding it over and over. "Aaah... yes. Lykaio. You call yourself a god. You attract followers, convincing them you have the power to set right the wrongs that plague them and lead them to a better way." The scowl from before reappears as he fehs! "Today you will see true divinity. I look forward to showing you the vast difference between us so that you can know defeat and crushing despair... But," he continues, glancing back and forth between the two men brought here.
"Let it not be said that I am not, at least slightly, a generous being. I have brought you a teammate to aid you in your battle. I selected him as I believe his power compliments yours quite... effectively." Whether or not the two have ever seen each other before is unbeknownst to him and highly irrelevant for all he cares. "Just like the Black Noah bridges the gap between heaven and ocean with its power, so too, perhaps, will your partner aid your lightning powers with his own watery attacks. There is only one way to find out."
And with that, the hand in his pocket slips out, holding a pair of black, fingerless, leather gloves which he immeditely pulls tautly over his hands.
"Well then, sir," he nods toward Sergio, "And delusional god," he glances toward Lykaio. "Let's see what you can do as a team."
COMBATSYS: Rugal has started a fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sergio has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Lykaio has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Lykaio
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
"Tch, guess you can't take a joke. Oh well, I guess if you've got money, power, and then fighting power on top of that you have to lose something to make up for it." It doesn't dawn on Sergio until a few moments later that Rugal is, in fact, missing one eye. The Italian walks forward as Rugal speaks about how he's going to crush Lykaio and make him feel despair, a slight frown set upon his face. "So that's why you've brought us here? Tch, don't expect me to go easy on you, then. You're right about one thing, though, I'm pretty damn sure we're going to work well together, don't you think, Lykaio?" He grins to the Greek.
Sergio stretches his arms out a bit once he's only a short ways away from Rugal, "Looks like you're ready, in any case. Guess we'd better get this show on the road if you're eager to put us in our place. Don't think I'll go down easy, though!"
With a cry of, "Lets get him, Lykaio!" Sergio simply bum rushes the tall man, surging forward to simply try and reach out for his shoulders and grab on. If he manages it he'll twist around Rugal and then put him into a headlock, choking him for a few moments before pressing his hand against the mans back and releasing a powerful blast of water into him to toss him away. Toss him right towards Lykaio, that is.
Lykaio stares at Rugal for a time at his words. "The world has become so tainted with monotheism..." He shakes his head, disgust clear on his face. "Know this: I am a god. Sergio is a god. You are a god. There are many gods, living in this world." He waves a hand dismissively. "However! I Did you ask me here to discuss theology?" Apparently a rhetorical question, as he doesn't wait for an answer, but instead glances over to Sergio and smiles. "Let us show him our combined skill
The Greek hangs back for a moment as Sergio attempts to grapple Rugal. When they seperate Lykaio surges forwards suddenly, striking a palm at the one-eyed man, and stopping a few inches away from his body. Letting electricity arc the last few inches between them. Which could prove extra nasty if there's still water there to conduct the shock.
COMBATSYS: Rugal endures Sergio's Riptide.
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Lykaio
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal interrupts Release Omega from Lykaio with Genocide Cutter EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
"Hn," is Bernsteins reply to Sergio. The man likes to talk big right now, but perhaps a demonstration of his power will help put him in his place? "I will be the judge when it comes to the issue of how easy you will be crushed," Rugal replies, his voice laced with a certain amount of disregard. How is it that the little ones have no knowledge of the god they pit their lives against? Not that he intends to kill them per say... Bernstein saves more high stakes death matches for foes closer to him in ability, after all. But then again, accidents do happen and sometimes he does go too far...
When Sergio leaps for him it is as if he gets a hold of a man who is not fighting back. The strangle hold goes unrested, and even the launch into the air by means of the watery power he controls seems to strike true.
Lykaio's success might be guaged somewhat differently, however, as Bernstein somehow manages to control his trajectory through the air toward the young man's outstretched hand... And then it is that even without touching a single foot upon the deck of the carrier, the crimelord lashes out with his foot in order to deliver a devistating attack feared by many throughout the fighting world. "Genocide-" he growls deeply, his powerful foot striking out into the young man at an angle intent on sending him airborn a little even as Lykaio's own power jolts him in return, "CUTTER!" His other leg swings around, striking upward, trailed by sharp, lancing orange chi that rends cloth and flesh like a knife.
And with that, Rugal lands again on his feet, well polished shoes coming to rest upon the metal surface of the massive deck. "Hmn," grunts the man as he lifts his hands to adjust his coat, airing it out a little as the wet chi of Sergio begins to evaporate away.
"Gotcha!" So Sergio doesn't quite realize that getting grabbed is all a part of Rugal's plan; he isn't experienced enough to recognize that tactic right off. The Italian blinks when Bernstein suddenly kicks out with orange chi and blasts the hell out of Lykaio. "...shit. Yea, that was pretty good. Don't think I could have pulled it off."
But just because his opponent is skillful and powerful doesn't mean he's going to throw in the towel; far from it, in fact. "You're better than we are, sure, I'll admit it. But you seem to think you can take us apart at will. That's just not so. Observe!"
Sergio drops down into a power stance, and withdraws his right arm towards himself. There's an odd rumbling, and then the Italian thrusts that arm forward, a massive torrent of water tearing up through the carriers flightdeck and ripping it asunder, huge chunks of metal coming up with it as it rushes towards Rugal."HAAH!"
Rugal's second kick cuts a crescent across Lykaio's chest, shredding his suit and letting out a spray of blood, the impact hurling the Greek back through the air. He focuses as he speeds through the sky, and three orbs emerge from his body. He fumbles to grab one to slow down his flight, and hits into one of the choppers, crumpling both part of the metal panelling and his body, and stares into space with a look of shock.
However, one of his orbs suddenly seems to take life of it's own, and hurls itself towards Sergio. It hovers around his body, while the other two stay back as Lykaio crumples to the ground, watching over their fallen god.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio assists Sergio.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal reflects Whitewater from Sergio with Dark Barrier.
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
Lykaio's smashing into the chopper earns merely a dissatisfied grunt from Rugal. He hates to see damages caused on his ship by the combatants brought here, but such things do happen after all... except for /that/. Sergio's attack brings that single human eye to bear on the Italian as the deck of the carrier is literally torn up by the power of his onslaught. "What- what is this-?!"
His right hand extends forward, fingers splayed out as a shimmering mirror of sickly misasmic green chi forms in front of his palm with a sound of power being literally sucked out of the air around him. The watery chi and debris strike against it, being brought to a complete stop before Rugal leans forward a little, pouring even more chi into the disk in order to cause it to explode outward, sending energy and shrapnel screaming back through the air towrad Sergio. "RAAGH!" The audacity of that man. He'll show him!!
COMBATSYS: Lykaio auto-guards Rugal's Reflected Whitewater!
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
A grin forms on Sergio's face when Rugal seems shocked at the power of the energy being enough to tear through the metal decking of the aircraft carrier. "What's that? Hope you didn't underestimate me, or-" And then suddenly it's coming right back at him. "Oh god, not another one of you!" The other one would be Hotaru, who did about the same thing, sending this same attack right back at him. He grits his teeth, trying to figure out how to take advantage of that orb that flew to him... when suddenly Lykaio somehow deals with the entire onrushing wall of water himself.
"...Hah! Told you he was tough!" Sergio grins, and then, perhaps suicidally, rushes hard at Rugal once more, leaping into the air to try and smash him with a flying kick, the idea of that being to knock him back just long enough for him to be able to pound across his body with three hard punches, following it all with a palmstrike that ends just short of contact, a quick blast of water ending the combination technique.
The orb hovers in front of Sergio for a moment, and expands as the watery chi and debris comes towards it, forming a disc for a moment, and shielding Sergio from the assault. The disc shatters after the chi dissipates, but the pieces break up, flowing into Sergio.
Lykaio struggles to his feet, and attempts a bit of a smile, watching Rugal warily. He slowly begins to make his way back towards the battle, a grimace on his face as one hand clutches his chest. With his other hand, however, he snatches the second orb from the air and hurls it towards his foe, where it spins to one side before moving to strike at one side of Rugal's head.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Lykaio's Three Moons.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Sergio's Breaker.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
The attack is sent careening back toward Sergio, intent on giving him a taste of his own ability, if somewhat altered by Bernstein's own interference with it. He'll teach that man to tear up his deck! He probably wouldn't be too thrilled to have the mighty Dark Barrier compared to some school girl's technique though! Only... Lykaio has other plans for the reflected attack, using a touch of his power to stop it short completely. The defense earns the electricty using Greek a dark frown, "It seems you do have abilities of some merit..." he allows just barely.
And then come the attacks to deal with. Sergio's attempts to strike Bernstein are met by the man simply jumping backward... only to land and lift his arm to brace against the eletric sphere sent for his head. His arm muscles clench, absorbing the attack, leaving his coat only slightly singed for his trouble.
"Well, well," he muses, "It seem you two compliment each other better than I anticipated... It won't prevent the inevitable of course, but I would almost think that this cooperation is not the result of mere coincidence..."
And with that, he lunges forward, running parallel to the groove cut by the Whitewater attack of moments before, bearing down on the man from Italy with deadly force. His shoe covered foot strikes out for Sergio's shin... but it is merely a weak kick to distract him from the real problem. A swift axe kick with his right leg bearing down crushing force for Sergio's shoulder. Unless otherwise prevented, he finished by slamming his foot to the ground and shoving out with the palm of his hand to knock the fighter some distance away rather than just hoping that he collapses to the deck. "HAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Sergio with Medium Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal has saved the state of this fight.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Sergio
Sergio was expecting some more retaliation; he really didn't expect Rugal to let him get away with tearing holes in the deck of his aircraft carrier, especially after Lykaio's brilliant stop of the reflected water and debris. The man attempts to block the kick with hard force, finding only pain when he attempts it, Rugal's leg completely overpowering his own. His guard broken, he's going to be facing a lot of pain, so he does the only thing he can- roll with it.
The kick from above seems to make him crumple unnaturally easy, only to be met by a raising palm. The hit flips him over backwards, and he lands hard on his stomach a ways away. "E-ergh..." He picks himself up with clenched teeth. "Not bad..." Once off the ground the Italian stares Rugal down for a moment, and then charges. It's a technique with almost no finesse, but some power. Sergio simply lowers his shoulder and attempts to plow Rugal over; except with one minor twist. From behind him a small wave of water appears, catching up to him when he's halfway to Rugal and giving him a small added burst of speed. Oh yea, it'd probably make it hurt more if it works, too. "HRRRRAAAAAAA!"
The Greek smiles at Rugal's words. "The God of Waves has fought by my side before." He blinks as Rugal rushes towards Sergio, relaxes for a moment as the small kick hits, then sees Sergio get knocked down from the axe kick.
Seeing Sergio rise again, Lykaio runs towards their opponent as well, and throws one of his orbs into the air, jumps after it, grabs onto the orb, and swings up higher on it. He then plummets down towards Rugal, footfirst, electricity shimmering around his body.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio successfully hits Rugal with Light Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal interrupts Fierce Punch from Sergio with Scorpion Deathlock.
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Rugal 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Sergio
The problem with expectations and Rugal is that the imposing man has a way of fullfilling them in his own time. Sergio may have expected immediate retaliation for the damage done to his deck yet the sequence of kicks and punches were only a precursor to what was to come. For the moment, it seems he definitely has the attention of the tyrant of 'R', for better or for worse. The 'Not bad' is met with only silence, the dual typed eyes glaring back at the man of equal height.
But when he charges in toward Bernstein, the sponsor of this exhibition seems to spring into action, leaning forward directly into the shoulder slam, his coat covered arm lashing out in order to snatch a hold of the other man and lift him off his feat into the air. Normally this would entail dangling an opponent quite a ways up off the deck, but considering Sergio's height, his feet only come up off the surface by inches. "You have a lot of nerve using your power to rend a trench on the deck of my boat. What did you hope to accomplish other than to incur my wrath? Did you expect to accomplish other than to incur my wrath? I will give you a taste of the power that is within me... honed to a level of leathality you can only dream of..."
Rugal brings his left arm over in order to clamp it down against the arm that is gripping Sergio, sending a torrent of white, crackling chi down the limb which proceeds to discharge into the Italian's body while he is held aloft by the man. The pain the energy inflicts is not unlight the lightning attacks Lykaio weilds but the magnitude of it... well, that's another matter. It seems as if he could continue channeling this indefinitly until Sergio succumbs or dies. At this point he is at the mercy of the suited fighter...
And then Lykaio comes in with his leaping, charged kick and ends up striking Rugal in the head and shoulder and the tyrant releases his grip on Sergio, allowing him to drop while he whirls around to glare at Lykaio, "Hah! Decided to save your partner, hm? Very well... you're next!!"
God of Waves? Hey, that's a pretty catch nickname. He'll have to think of that after Rugal's done brutalizing the royal crap out of him! He was expecting some kind of intervening attack from Rugal; that's why he did something with no flailing limbs that could be caught, redirected, and followed up with a counter attack. That Rugal could simply absorb the hit and then lift him up off the ground... Well, that one hadn't occurred to him.
At the angry question he lets out a laugh, "I expected you to get blown away, what do you think! Let me tell you: If your fancy little disk hadn't worked you would have!" Probably not the thing to say when your in the scorpions claws, Sergio. Enter chi. "AUUUUGH!"
Rugal, however, would actually be deluding himself if he thought the energy channeled into him was less potent than what Lykaio had hit him with before. Perhaps it is when you take into mind the ease of effort that Rugal manages it, sure, but if we're purely talking raw output? Surprisingly not.
And luckily Lykaio comes to his rescue, beaning the Gernam in the back of the head hard enough to force him to drop Sergio. He gets back up, and you'd almost expect him to be steaming with the way he's unsteady on his feet. "Nice one... ugh. But you're not gonna get Lykaio so easily as you did me. Don't underestimate him!" For a random matchup, Sergio seems to have some pretty amazing confidence in his teammate.
The Italian then does something that's rather... odd. He simply lifts both his hands to the sky, focuses his energy... and it begins raining. What? There's no sudden cloud forming overhead, but a downpour begins over the Black Noah, saturating the area with his own chi. The idea is that it'll both stifle Rugals, while providing a perfect conduit for Lykaio's electricity. "There we go! Getim' Lykaio!"
COMBATSYS: Sergio assists Lykaio.
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Rugal 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Sergio
Lykaio stares at Rugal for a moment as he mauls Sergio with white, apparently electrical chi. "The God of Waves is destructive. Surely you were aware of this before you invited him onto your ship for an exhibition match? Still... that sort of chi... tell me something, God among Men: have you ever been to Greece?" A seeming non sequitur. He then pauses, realizing Rugal just challenged him, and raises one hand, palm facing towards his opponent, while his other begins to reach towards one of the two orbs still circling around him.
And then the rain falls down, and Lykaio begins to smile. "It may be a relative thing, but our power is not useless...." He pushes his hand forwards slightly, and a jolt of electricity emerges from his palm, causing a sparkling cascade in the air as it arcs through the raindrops towards Rugal. "Release Omega!"
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Lykaio's Release Omega.
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Rugal 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Sergio
Rain begins to pour down over the deck, splashing against the metal surface before evaporating away. "Heh," comes the remark from Bernstein, his hand extending slightly to feel it pour against his arm with a look of what almost might be some respect. "A creative use of your ability... And such teamwork. I selected you two for the nature of your talents, but it would seem to me that there is more to simple coincidence to your synergy."
Still, his challenge was to Lykaio next, and the man keeps his focus on him even as Sergio's rain pours against the deck, combating Rugal's concentration, if but a little. "I have been all around the world, boy," remarks the man to the strange question. "I have collected samples of power from every continent, every clime. And you're right. Your power is far from useless." he allows, guardedly. "Against weaker combatants, I might even say it is quite effective. But it's not enough to claim divinity!"
The energy that jolts toward the man is reacted to by an upraised arm, allowing it to crash against his forearm and disperse along the limb. He seems to have weathered it well, but the red coat itself, slightly damp from the rain still evaporating, is singed slightly - the combination of electricty and water doing a little to augment the damage that he might have otherwise taken.
"And now I will show you some of that power!" the man growls, rolling his right arm behind him as he leans backward before lunging forward, literally flying toward the Grecian fighter with his fist slamming forward with incredible force. The power to destroy, maim, and crush is brought to bear against the young man as Bernstein gives him a chance to test his destiny once more. "RAH!"
COMBATSYS: Lykaio auto-guards Rugal's Medium Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rugal 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Lykaio
> //////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Sergio
The rain continues to fall, Lykaio's attack falling upon a readied forearm and doing negligible harm to Rugal. Still, it's better than if he'd avoided it completely. "Haha, we do work pretty good together, don't we?" He gives a slight grin. Of course -he- knows why that is, but neither of the other two should really have a clue. Well, Rugal might if he takes a good enough look at the two of them. Lykaio might look a lot like Sergio if he were older, or the other way around if Sergio were younger. Lykaio's pallid skin might make it harder to recognize, though.
"Not enough to claim divinity? Guess you should listen closer to what he's trying to say; this kind of power's a whole lot more than most people can use." Sergio doesn't want to go into that further; he wouldn't want to misrepresent Lykaio, and he himself has only heard a small portion of what the Greek has to say on the matter.
Sergio then thinks for a moment, "Hmm. You know, I bet you just don't appreciate our power because you haven't gotten a good enough taste of it yet. Let's change that!" If Rugal can sense the buildup of chi, he can probably feel something enormous welling up from Sergio. For someone on his level of fighting, it might be rather startling. It builds and builds, and then Sergio cracks a grin. "Why don't we give him a real taste of our power, Lykaio?"
At that moment, he releases his energy. Two massive waves suddenly form, one behind himself and one behind Rugal, rushing towards one another. Sergio's clearly sure that Lykaio's able to escape in time; he's pretty damn fast when he wants to be. The Italian is swept up in the wave behind him, and he rides inside of it, poised to strike. The intent is that Rugal will get caught within the one behind him and get helplessly swept right into Sergio; an epic impact of water and bodies. And through it all the rain still falls, though lighter than before.
Lykaio snatches an orb from the air with his left hand, and blocks Bernstein's fist with the orb, which for an instant squishes down under the pressure, then explodes in an ambient wave of gentle energy, pushing Bernstein's fist and Lykaio's palm apart a couple of inches.
"This power we all have is godlike. Who without it can truly compete against us? You believe the story this world has told you, and what is the result?" He gestures around at the dilapidated ship, then lowers his hand, and stares back at Rugal. "There is really no delicate way to put this. But nevertheless, I must ask. Are you... popular, with mortal women?" He glances over to Sergio, then smiles. He crouches, placing one hand on his ground. "Let us."
An aura of electricity begins to grow in the air for a moment, as Lykaio sends electrical energy through the ground under Rugal, then torrents of lightning stream down from the sky, striking the area repeatedly.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Lykaio's Adamant Thunder.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rugal 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Lykaio
> /////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Sergio successfully hits Rugal with Unrealized Potential.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Rugal 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Lykaio
> /////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
Somehow, someway Sergio's attack works as planned, and Rugal is swept towards him, caught up in the tremendous wave that moves fast across the flight deck of the carrier. The two waves smash into another, cataclysmic eddies and vortexes forming as Sergio pulls back both of his fists and slams them at full strength into Rugal's stomach, water swirling around them both in a powerful maelstrom that sloshes skywards before fading away into nothingness, the water evaporating.
It isn't unusual to deal with groups of lower echelon fighters and have them combine together their abilities to deliver attacks that might otherwise seem far beyond their means. But usually even their strong teamwork can be handled by the fighting monster. And Bernstein expects things to be no different here. As Lykaio's attack bears down on him, Rugal raises one arm above his head, a spark of chi in his fist forming an attractor of electricty as it were, a lightning rod that pulls the rest of Lykaio's lightening into his arm rather than striking him randomly as would have been the intent. "W-what kind of question is /that/?" Lykaio's question actually earns a stammer of surprise from the crimelord. How can he be thinking about that in the face of trying to battle a man such as him??
But dealing with the young man's assault leaves him open to the twin-waves of Sergio, the blast of watery chi crashing into him from behind, sending him forward into the fists of the Italian, giving him a chance to deliver a powerful blow to the tyrant before Rugal drops to the deck, landing in a three-point crouch.
Even as the water begins to evaporate from around him, he eyes Sergio, his human eye narrowed slightly as if seeing the man slightly differently now. These two fighters are good at what they do. Better than he anticipated with their teamwork and complimenting powers. As he begins to feel more and more of their energy based attacks, he starts to get a feel for the traits they share. Not appearance, per say, but deeper than that. "Heh," comes the grunt, an allowance for Sergio's words.
"You're right. You two are better than my initial evaluations would have lead me to believe... I hadn't given it thought before but..." He frowns a little, rising to his full height, his left palm open, he slams his closed fist into it with enough force to drive vapor out from between his fingers. "I would have use for men with your level of ability if you were so inclined."
Obviously vague on the details, and he continues to strike out all the same, turning toward Lykaio to charge the young man with the strangely inquisitive mind, both hands reaching out to try and grab hold of him at his shoulders. If Rugal gets that grip, he'll heft Lykaio up, shift one hand to grip his knee, then bring the Greek down upon his knee in a backbreaker style slam before letting him fall to the deck. No rest for the weary.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Lykaio with Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Rugal 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
> /////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
Sergio is still recovering from his powerful attack, and is somewhat thankful when Rugal turns to Lykaio to direct his assault. He can't help but be a little let down with the result of his attack. It certainly made it's mark, there's no doubt about that, but something of it's power...well, he usually expects it to completely 'blow people away'. Looks like that doesn't happen when fighting someone so very much more powerful than you are, as Rugal is.
The words put his way, really towards both of the fighters facing Rugal, cause him to consider for a moment. Work for someone as powerful as Rugal? Yea, that'd have it's perks. But then... "I'll take that as a pretty huge compliment coming from someone who can shrug off a direct hit from -that- on his own aircraft carrier." He grins a bit, and then says, "But I don't think you'd want me workin' for you; I'm not the most reliable sort of person, if y'know what I mean." Steady work: The ultimate fear of the drifter.
With Rugal going after Lykaio, Sergio considers his options for a few moments, and then quickly pulls out a six foot length of rope. Ninja's aren't the only ones who can do stuff like that, you know. He throws the rope towards Rugal and it begins spinning, a vortex of water- almost like a miniature tornado, forms around it, carrying the now rapidly revolving rope at neck height towards the owner of this powerful craft. The intent is to bombard him with chi and strangle him at the same time.
"It is... an honest question. I am searching for a man who met a woman in Greece, seventeen years ago." Lykaio watches Rugal redirect the bolts of lightning into his arm, and blinks, then takes a step backwards as the crash of the waves brings Rugal and Sergio together for a moment.
He finally frowns. "....Rugal. I would have use for men with your ability, to be honest. The question is, are we really searching for the same things in this life? If you could outline some of your philosophy, perhaps, it would be a more useful offer." A shrug of his shoulders, and he glances over to Sergio, eyebrows furrowed, his thoughts transparent on his face. Does the Italian really think like that, or is it just a polite refusal. He seems like a fairly reliable man....
And then he notices Rugal rushing in for a grab. He sidesteps, but too slow, and grits his teeth as his back is hurled into Rugal's knee, and just lies on his new resting place for a moment.
Still, he can't just rest there, and he lashes out with his feet at Rugal's ankles - not a strong attack, given his current position, but perhaps a surprising one.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio successfully hits Rugal with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Rugal 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
> ////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal catches Whirlpool from Sergio with Scorpion Blow.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Rugal 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
> ////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
"Heh," grunts Rugal as Sergio assesses his ability to take extremely powerful hits and continue powering right along. "Then that is unfortunate," he adds. "So much potential for greatness... only to have it go unreleased." The man shakes his head, his mouth forming the faintest of frowns. If the man can't be counted on to be good for anything, then his chance is passed. "Continue to wallow in irrelevance then, a you have for so many years. What brought you out of obscurity all of the sudden? Men with your... veteran status rarely enter the leagues this late."
Lykaio is considered next, the kick doing just a little to stagger the man who seems mostly unphased otherwise. "Twenty years ago is a long time to remember, boy. But if I was in Greece at the time you have in mind... I assure you it was not a social call. Why?"
This time, while taking time to address Lykaio, he isn't ignoring Sergio by any means. As the man cracks out that rope of his and sends it flying for the tyrant, Bernstein's hand snatches out, hand clasping around the rope with a vice-like grip, before he pulls on it hard and drops it to the side. "Nice trick," he allows the Italian with a glance his way.
Talk about shut down. That has to be one of the more humiliating things to have happened to one of Sergio's attacks, rivaling the time Kyo actually surfed upstream on his whitewater technique on a piece of debris. "Well. I do intend to use my power to fight, I won't let them go -completely- to waste." He ponders at explaining himself further, and then just shrugs, "I've got my reasons. I might be more willing if I had more of an idea what you meant- but then I get the feeling refusing would be a bad idea if I did.
He crosses his arms a bit, the lack of anything happening making him wonder at the lull. "As for why I'm starting now... well, I never realized I was powerful enough for it. I knew I was strong, but not as strong as the people who fought on TV." He grins, "And now I do."
Launching into some powerful attack right now just seems wrong somehow. He begins to pace towards Rugal, and then, mysteriously, trips. "What the-" He looks down... Looks like the attack that tore up part of the deck also misplaced some items. He shrugs, bends down, and then lobs some choice clothing at Rugal, "Boot to the head!"
A crackle of electricity along a prone form. "Potential for greatness is unused everywhere. Even here... I see so much potential unused. You could be doing greater things... you have done greater things. So why the fight on this ship? Something doesn't add up."
Lykaio pushes himself up to his knees, standing back up as he strokes his elbow with one hand, coating it in an electric fervor, then ducks as the boot goes flying at Rugal. Now somewhere between standing and crouching, he aims the elbow at Rugal's stomach. "...You could say I am looking for the man who killed my mother."
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Sergio's Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Rugal 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Lykaio
> /////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Fierce Punch from Lykaio with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
Rugal 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Lykaio
> /////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Sergio
"So be it," Rugal replies to Sergio's remarks about his reasons for deciding to step up into the professional leagues so late in life. It must be rough, being pitted against teeny bopper teens who can pack a real punch or dish out some serious pain when provoked. But if Sergio's ego can weather that for a long time, then he might be a lot more resilient than even Bernstein has come to realize thus far. "You have what it takes to compete." comes the succinct response after another moment. But the tyrant seems to have shifted his focus a lot more to Lykaio now, something about the younger fighter capturing his attention.
He speaks of potential, tapped or otherwise, but then comes in with an attack aimed to strike the man hard in that rock hard stomach of his that has already weathered incredibly powerful attacks thus far. "Heh," comes that almost dismissive reply from Rugal as his left knee comes up with a smashing crack into Lykaio's side in order to bend him over it before his elbow can reach the crimelord. "I probably didn't kill your mother..." comes the deep, gruff reply. He can't say for certain. Many people have died at his hand even without him being there directly to do it. The long arm of 'R' has hewn a field full of bodies over the years.
"But may your search go on until you find the man who did." The words are soft spoken for a man like him, meant for the Greek's ears only, laced with almost a tinge of sympathy. Even as he feels the fight rapidly going out of the young man, he doesn't take the opportunity to brutalize Lykaio even further; instead giving his shoulder a nudge to knock him backward so that he can turn around and face Sergio again... just in time for the boot to go flying past his head harmlessly off the side of the boat. "I hope you're not just trying to add to the wanton destruction of my property, Sergio..."
Alan doesn't suddenly walk out and say something sassy before getting blindsided by the thrown boot, saying something sassy about that, and then joining the fight.
He is on another boat.
If Rugal wants to focus on his talking to Lykaio for the moment, that's alright with him. That's half of what he had in mind when he threw a boot rather than trying something more devastating. "Not exactly. I tripped, and if I'd kept coming at you you'd probably have done, well." He makes a motion to the form of Lykaio, whose elbow attack just got stuffed by a knee to the side. "That." He grins a bit and scratches at the back of his head, "Mind the terrain, and all that."
When Lykaio speaks of someone who killed his mother. Sergio lets out a "K-" and cuts himself off short, a frown formed upon his face. He has to focus on Rugal right now, seeing as the Greek seems to be in pretty bad shape, meaning that Sergio is now target #1. The moment for talking seems to have passed, so he goes for Rugal, moving up slowly but surely. When he gets there he grabs for him, attempting one of the most common sacrifice throws around- the Tomoe Nage. He reaches for Rugal's shoulder and then simply falls backwards, trying to rip the man off the ground while pressing his foot into his gut, the idea being to throw the taller man backwards while shoving him away with his foot. Sergio's untrained version comes with a twist, though, a potent blast of water to help blast him away.
Lykaio stumbles backwards, and falls to his knees, staring up at Rugal for a long moment. Finally, he manages to get out something. "Judging from what you have said... I believe you are not." He grabs the last orb with trembling fingers, and raises it up to place it on his forehead... and suddenly, it shines bright, and his body jerks up as too much electricity passes through it. There's a flash of light to cover his movements, and he jerks his fist at Rugal, then follows up with a series of similar punches, elbows, and kicks, each with their own flash of light. The flashes of light make it to most observers seem like he's teleporting around, attacking with strange blows, when in reality, he's flailing his body around, trying to keep it standing and under his control for a few moments more.
Finally, he falls backwards onto the ground, body still twitch slightly, the orb fading away into nothingness.
COMBATSYS: Lykaio can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rugal 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Lykaio's Kinetic Fractal.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rugal 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Sergio
COMBATSYS: Rugal interrupts Medium Throw from Sergio with Genocide Cutter EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Sergio
Lykaio moves incredibly fast even in his present condition. To a normal observer it would be like he was blinking around, displacing his body in fractions of a second to a new location in order to deliver a series of dangerous, chi-laden blows. But to one such as Rugal Bernstein, his movements can be seen what they really are. Sluggish, desperate, the young man barely clinging onto the strength left in him. It is with the experience of one who has seen many a foe on the verge of collapse that Bernstein manages to step around, lean out of the away of, and finally put distance between himself and Lykaio's attacks, letting the young man burn himself out completely.
And then in comes Sergio, intent on latching on to Rugal and pulling him over into a throw that the tyrant would most definitely recognize. But he never gets that far. While he gets a grip on the man's suit coat, and his chi blasts up around their feet to briefly drench the crimelord, it never gets any further than that.
"Genocide-" growls the immensely powerful man, his foot lashing out from the side to catch Sergio in the stomach with upward force. Lykaio felt the strenght of this attack near the start of the fight, and now it's the Italian's turn to learn why it is one of the most dreaded techniques in use. The force with which he is kicked is more than sufficient to knock him clean off his feet and the tyrant of 'R' rises up into the air after him with his own momentum, "CUTTER!"
His right leg comes up from underneath as well, lancing, piercing red chi trailing behind his foot as it slams into the man's back in order to propell him upward even further. It ends in an instant later as his right foot comes crashing down against his chest with a brutal axe kick that sends the tall man back to the deck of the ship with enough force to probably put a nice dent in it with his body.
Rugal lands on his feet a yard away, glove covered hands lifting up to adjust his coat before brushing lightly at the singed sleeve. "Tch." These coats never make it through a fight. Ah well.
Genocide? Didn't Rugal say something like that earlier.. Oh yea, when he thrashed Lykaio earlier. It all comes rushing back to Sergio in a series of brutal, chi imbued kicks that slice him, throw him into the air, and then smashes him into the ground hard enough to damage more of Rugal's precious property. Wasn't he just mad about that? Sergio's in too much pain to care, really.
"U-ugh... It...it looks like even the both of us isn't enough to take down someone like you." Sergio attempts to get back to his feet, staggering twice before finally making it. If Lykaio's desperation was obvious to Rugal, Sergio's is likely desperate to anyone who happens to be watching. "Course... I gotta give it one last try. Heh..." He reaches back into his shirt, and whips out a MUCH large rope than last time, flinging it at Rugal. A massive vortex of water forms around it as it flies through the air, spinning faster and faster as it travels towards the powerful fighter, this time the intent not being to simply choke him, but to completely tie him up. Oh yea, the massive amounts of swirling water, don't forget that! There's no need for yet another final hit- Sergio drops to his knees, defeated.
COMBATSYS: Sergio can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rugal 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rugal 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Rugal catches Charybdis from Sergio with Random Weapon.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rugal 0/-------/-----==|
"Apparently not," Rugal replies as Sergio sounds on the verge of collapse. "But of course," he adds when the man insists on one last parting shot to remember him by. Again with the ropes and vortex it seems. Rugal thought he dealt with that tactic thoroughly by tearing the previous attempt out of the air. But here it comes again, with a much larger rope than before, and Bernstein is perfectly ready to snatch this one out of the air just like the previous one.
It seems that all of these flailing strings have caught the attention of the resident feline on the Black Noah (No, not Vice!). It's hard to say when the sleek, black panther wandered into the proximity of the exhibition match, but Sergio's last ditch attempt seems to get the the better of the oversized housecat as Rodem leaps into the air and snatches the rope by the trailing end in his mouth before bounding off to the side... the other end of the rope flailing around in the wind behind him, splattering watery chi every which way. Well, as one might expect, all this does is panic the beast. In spite living on a carrier, Rodem is about as much a fan of water as any other cat. Which is to say, not at all. And now he's frantically running around the deck, completely unaware that the reason he keeps getting splashed by risidual water is because he won't release that deathgrip on the end of the rope.
The rope ends up wrapping around the landing gear of a parked jet before too long, forcing Rodem to run in ever shrinking circles as it coils around the strut. Things may have very well ended there were it not for the damage being caused by the still present powerful vortex that Sergio had focused on the rope. The landing strut finally shatters and the nose of the jet collapses down to the deck, the middle of the aged fighter plane cracking in the middle - volatile jet fuel pouring out onto the flat metal surface while Rodem goes off running out of sight, having finally released his bite on the end of that dangerous rope.
Wires, exposed from the fracturing of the old plane, spark twice before igniting the leaking jet fuel, causing the entire plane to explode, sending sharpnel and debris in all directions. The fighters are all a safe enough distance away as to not get struck by any of the flying metal. But a lighter weight object is carried much further than the rest, dropping out of the air only to dangle harmlessly in Bernstein's outstretched hand, having finally exhausted the power Sergio poured into it.
While his cybernetic eye hasn't ever shown much in the way of emotion, it is his human eye that narrows at the complete catastrophe wrough by Sergio's final attack. The Italian is lucky he isn't going to get billed for damages incurred in the course of this fight! "I think... we will be holding all future fights on shore," the man muses, releasing his grip on the rope to allow it to drop into a coil on the deck.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has ended the fight here.
Log created on 02:38:18 08/23/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 13:48:52 08/27/2007.