Description: Adelheid and Sakura, two of the foremost prodigies of their generation, have fought several times before - to mixed and dramatic result! This time, they prove that even the youngest masters are capable of true, nonstop brutality if either fighter can seize control of the fight. ... or a hall of spinning, disorienting mirrors. (Winner: Adelheid)
This is what the world is watching! ... Though some viewers are probably confused as to why this is a "title bout" for Saturday Night Fight. Isn't Ryuji Yamazaki the reigning champion? But most of the fans here at Howard Arena would come see the battle between Adelheid and Sakura Kasugano if it were a title match or not! It's not who wins the title that counts, it's how they punch each other's faces in!
... And it seems there are some barriers put up to such face-punching! Not just figurative ones, in this case -- the main floor of Howard Arena has been filled with a dense labyrinth of mirrors, curving around in places, meeting at right angles in others. No expense has been spared here, as the labyrinth is decorated along the sides in an ancient temple motif, pagoda-style tiles covering the edges of the mirrored structure. Each mirrored wall is twelve feet tall and topped with a glass ceiling, allowing the audience to watch the two fighters stumble around like lab rats, while preventing them in some measure from leaping up to find their opponent the easy way.
Where =are= those fighters, anyway? The announcer doesn't give any clue, properly selling the fight as he's paid to do... but he soon segues in with, "And now... with no further ado... ENTER THE FIGHTERS!"
A hush goes throughout the audience... and then, after a moment of silence, amplified sounds of a struggle are heard throughout the PA, as if someone were being pushed into a microphone. One squeal of feedback later, a mirrored wall revolves around, and a yellow-suited fighter is crudely deposited into one side of the maze.
The figure stands up: it becomes quite obvious that Sakura Kasugano was pushed into this fight. Literally. She's got her white headband on, but instead of her trademark sailor outfit, she's wearing a yellow track suit with black stripes running down the length, the only exception to the "Game Of Death" outfit being the short length of the jacket, baring her midriff.
... and, yes, Sakura's a mite ticked off from her crude entrance. "Stupid jerks..." she mumbles to herself, looking around the maze. All she sees is reflections of herself! ... But maybe the audience can see more...
Okay, so. The TITLE OF SNF is at stake. The thing is, Adelheid doesn't much care WHAT the audience, or Howard Media decides to call him. ... as long as he doesn't have to dress up and walk down some froo-froo model runway like a damn ponce. What -are- these people thinking? It's part of what leads him to be far less compliant than Sakura when it comes to the fight setup, "No costumes." Adelheid insists, and it's not like anyone's around to make him. Not yet, at least. But he's not here to pay tribute or provide media for the masses... despite his lack of concern about the title, Kasugano is a fighter he can respect... even if she does seem to be practically the reversed side of the coin from the intense Bernstein. Then there's the fact that Rock used to hold the title, and seems to put quite a bit of stock in it. Then there's Yamazaki. A rematch with that psychopath is one more good reason to jump at the bout at hand.
Adel leaves his leather jacket and shades behind, entering the mountaintop mirror maze in a black, skintight tanktop along with equally dark fatigue pants and boots. Unfettered by the surprise battlefield, Adelheid begins by surveying his surroundings. Up one corridor, around the other corner, a by-the-numbers scan of his immediate vicinity. Then? Let's see... what does he know of Sakura?
A mild smile crosses the young Bernstein's austere face, and the lithe blonde hurls himself upwards into an impressive high jump, one reaching hand thrust upwards to grab the lip of the maze, and then vault himself up on the narrow span of one set of walls, out towards what he guages the 'other' side of the maze to be. He crosses one leap, then two towards the middle of the maze, and then crouches low, one hand balancing with his bent legs as he lurks above one of the mirrored corridors, between two corners. It shouldn't take her too long.....
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
And so it begins. The announcer forgoes his usual call to action -- Adelheid's taken his own step to begin, and Kasugano... well, she'll just take the sound of Adelheid's boots clomping down onto the maze walls as a sign that it's time to get things moving.
Sakura's pretty good at dealing with sound... less so with mirrors in the way. Her first instinct is to run straight for the sound -- but this being as much a cinematic house-of-mirrors as a state park midway house-of-mirrors, there are several panes of transparent glass. One of which is right in Kasugano's path, and the freeze-frame of the teen's nose smearing across the glass is sure to make its way onto faitotube any minute now! *WHOMP!* *squeal*
Rubbing her nose as she steps back with a mild sulk, she turns to follow a side path, homing in on those sounds she heard. Luckily, her quest for Adelheid is aided by the fact that Howard Arena is very well-lit -- his shadow practically falls right onto her as she rounds the bend. "H-hey, how come you..." she stammers, scrambling back for a moment... but then she gets her wits about her. The tomboy's always been in favor of breaking any glass ceilings she runs into! A flower of blue chi blooms in her hand for a moment, before she thrusts her palms up at Adelheid! "HADOOOOOOUKEN!" The concussive blossom ought to be enough to shatter the glass, and even send him airborne if he's not careful!
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Sakura's Medium Hadouken.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
It's probably lucky that Adelheid doesn't get to witness Sakura slamming bird-on-window style into the wall of the maze. ... it really might break that initial focus on fighting to his fullest. But no, he's perched nearer to that roundabout route, and not too worried about the crash of glass several 'hallways' over giving away his position. Or his shadow, as it turns out. Kasugano comes around the corner, and reacts with surprise... good. The slight quirk of a smile returns to Adelheid's lips, a spark shining in his odd, crimson eyes. The surge of chi sees Adelheid all but sliding atop the glass, out over the hall, as Sakura's fireball obliterates the ceiling. Thousands of brilliant shrapnel shards cascade down in a glittering, sharp-edged snowfall as Adelheid drops amidst them, his sudden evasion bringing him down off to the side. He kicks into the descent, redoubling it, his exact position and angle rather more difficult to determine in a rain of shattered glass, surrounded by reflections of the platinum blonde kicking at her head.
Seriously. That's on display to both Sakura and Adelheid right now, in at least... hell, 8 or 9 mirrors along the hallway. Adelheid's right boot swinging around in-line with Sakura's skull. For his part, the young Bernstein's eyes are fixed on Kasugano, still. Can she maintain the same composure? If not, as he lands, that first kick becomes two, a sharp snap leading a steel toe to Sakura's ribs, and a sharp spin bringing a crushing roundhouse about, even with the /other/ side of her skull. He doesn't comment just yet, trying to seize that initial momentum, and keep Sakura off her guard.
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Adelheid's B's Destruction.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Composure? While it's charitable of Adelheid to consider that Kasugano still has her wits about her, her head's still a bit swimmy from her head-on collision with the glass. That's not a mistake she wants to make again! ... Which is why she shot the Hadouken at an angle, not just straight overhead. Who wants to get glass shards in their eyes, really?! So while Adelheid is careening downwards, the yellow-suited one spots another dark shadow, and intuitively gets out of harm's way with one quick dive to the side, using the shower of glass as a distraction of her own!
... And with that, she pushes back to her feet, leaning on the nearest mirrored wall for balance.
At which point there's a girlish squeal as she disappears into another revolving mirror-wall, secreted away completely from view. ... Well, as far as Adelheid's concerned, anyway, the audience can see her just fine! One hand clasping at her rapidly-beating heart, she draws in long, deep breaths to calm herself... and quietly steps backwards into the maze. Are =all= the mirrors revolving? She tests one panel -- nothing. The second... nothing. The third, also, yields nothing.
"This kinda sucks..." she mumbles to no one in particular. Kasugano's informed conclusion is that navigating his maze is a task best left for later -- she =knows= where Adelheid is now! And she runs right towards the revolving door that she =knows= exists, ramming it open with her shoulder, and then sailing a vicious punch at her opponent's last-known position! With any luck, he'll still be wondering where the girl disappeared to so quickly and she'll clock him in the side of the head! "Hyyyyyaaaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Adelheid parries Sakura's Fierce Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Wait a minute. Sakura's back on her feat, then... through the wall. Great. Adelheid's smile turns into a thoughtful, focused expression, a furrow to his brow etching his smooth face for the moments it takes him to cross to the revolving mirror. He steps once, then twice, carefully moving to the side to avoid crushing too much glass under his boots; hopefully Sakura's momentary confusion will keep his position secreted long enough to.. wait. Sakura charges full-on into the mirrors, and they spin about. In a flash of motion, Adelheid sprints, leaps with the blur of mirrored door. Kasugano charges out, shouting, fist leading, into...
An empty hallway. What the hell?
... of course, a literal instant later, that revolving door whips around again, Adel kicking off it and clear, away from Sakura's location. Of course, something does rush towards the Ansatsuken prodigy. The platinum blonde's booted foot whips a quick arc through the air, twisting his lithe frame as he gracefully leaps clear of the revolving door. The kick summons forth a chaotic lance of windshear, the silvery chi crashing in at Sakura, its wild edges reflecting in every mirror, as if the rather talented girl were literally surrounded by coursing energy. Adelheid?
Adel lands in a backwards roll, darting off around the far corner, and out of sight.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Sakura with Reppukyaku EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Sakura
This place has a glass ceiling =and= an open-door policy. Working for Geese is so confusing! Kasugano whirls around for a moment once she realizes Adelheid isn't standing there, and sure enough, she's right there when the Bernstein heir boots a shearing gust of chi at the young fighter. It knocks the Ansatsuken prodigy's legs clean out from under her, sending her flying to the floor in a most ungraceful fall! Banging her chin on the floor is sure to draw some laughter from the audience, but it's a bit hard for her to hear it with the glass muting the sound and such. Biting her teeth together, she draws in a low breath -- she knows he's around here somewhere, even though she can't see him!
... But maybe now she can calm down a bit. She started off kinda loose and disorganized -- her teacher would likely be pretty disappointed! So she enhances her calm, thinks joy-joy thoughts, and collects her hands into a defensive position. She'll carefully walk around the corner, staying close to one wall, and being mindful to keep from stepping on shattered glass. Where is that Bernstein hiding?
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Sakura
It's an obvious chance to disappear back into the confusing surroundings, to try to get the drop on her again, to try to capitalize on the blast of chi that just blasted Sakura back for the moment it takes Adelheid to vanish around the corner of the mirrored maze. So maybe that's why Adelheid does anything except that. The first glimpse of the cautious Sakura coming around the corner brings Bernstein into motion, his well-muscled, graceful form springing forward with alarming velocity, right foot leeding the ascent with a snapping forward flying kick, his entire body carried behind it as he looks to cream Sakura almost before she can clear the corner, square in the face.
So far, she's defending herself against his feet more effectively than in times past... but if there's one thing the platinum blonde is not, it's prone to giving up. Particularly when his opponent still seems slightly rattled. Heavy boots tend to help, when it comes to rattled.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Adelheid with Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Nothing lasts forever, especially between two fighters as evenly matched as Sakura and Adelheid -- the battle's sure to go one way or the other. But for right now... Adelheid keeps the upper hand. Or foot, as the case may be -- the Taiyo graduate had started to punch in retaliation as soon as she'd seen him, but instead finds Adel's big ol' boot slamming into her face! She reels backwards, her countenance taking =way= more damage than is normally healthy for a girl her age! Momentarily blinded from pain, she clasps a hand to her nose, her other hand falling to the ground for balance. She moves as if to rush forward for a moment, but stops herself -- that'd be playing right into Adel's hands.
Instead she pulls her hand down, grinning back at the Bernstein heir, flashing him a cocky smile in direct opposition to her obvious restraint. Oh, she's up to something, alright...
"It's been too long, Sakura!" Is Adel's greeting, rather late into the fight, "But come on, get your head into the game, huh?" He taunts, albeit without malice. Her skill is well known to him, which is what brought on the pitched battle to this point. Adelheid isn't about to let up, though. As Kasugano reels, then grins, she's going to find the platinum blonde Bernstein all up in her grill, a lunge leaving his left hand grasping for a rather firm grip on the collar of her jacket, a grip by which Adel seeks to unceremoniously and suddenly haul Sakura up /off/ her feet.
Should he find his hold, Sakura would only dangle a moment before Adel's entire upper body twisted, swinging her into a full-on right fist, square to the ribs, with force to send her barreling back into the glassy barrier. It's a pleasant reunion, swear to god!
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Adelheid's Scorpion Blow.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Get your head in the game. Yeah... that could apply to lots of Sakura's fights. But while she'd have gotten moody about such a statement just a few short months ago, she takes it as the good-natured ribbing it was intended as, nodding back. Normally =she'd= be talking up a storm, too... but man, it's =embarassing= to talk when your nose is practically flattened from all those blunt impacts!
So, instead, she lets actions speak louder than words, bracing for impact as he reaches for her collar. She shrinks away, but ends up shattering the glass as Adel slams her into it. ... That may or may not have been his intention, but it =was= Sakura's, to break the glass and dull the impact of the gut punch that follows. Bending with the blow, she avoids some of the impact... leaving herself a bit more prepared for a counter-attack in the form of a sharp twist to the side of her own -- an over-the-shoulder judo toss which could very well flatten Adelheid's back against the floor, setting himself up for a follow-up punch to the clavicle! "HIYAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Sakura's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Crash! The sound's almost deafening, at ground zero, at least with the amount of intent focus Adel is putting on his opponent, and their surroundings. He may have managed to block out most of the disorienting mirror images, but that's threatened as Sakura wriggles free, and he's flipped high. Adelheid kicks out one foot, stealing the momentum of the slam and landing hard, but prepared for it, and as Sakura comes down with her chop he shoves roughly aside, looking to use that overextended arm to leverage her into the attack more than Kasugano ever would have intended.
In fact, the Bernstein heir, should he find hold of her arm, will use it as a lever to flip Sakura headfirst towards the wall, and start the process of dragging himself to his feet. It's not your traditional sacrifice throw, but hey... Adelheid's style isn't exactly the norm, either.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Medium Throw from Adelheid with Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Argh! Sakura's been trying to mix up her attacks to keep her opponents guessing, but for some reason, she's still having a great deal of trouble with grappling! It shows, as Adelheid's able to swing himself out of her reach just in time.
She temporarily forgets her proximity for a moment, leaning forward just a bit more to try and slam her other fist into the Bernstein heir instead. It just so happens that her attempt to short-circuit him just ends up helping him -- as he grabs hold and tosses her face-first into the mirrored wall. This one =doesn't= break though -- no, Kasugano just gets another faceplant into a flat surface, cheeks smooshing against the glass for a moment before gravity pulls her into its loving embrace. *WHUMP*
Kasugano pushes herself back to her feet, shaking her head dizzily. Wasn't she supposed to be =fighting=, instead of doing a slapstick parody of Enter The Dragon?
As Sakura is flipped forward, Adelheid kicks back to his feet, rolling the other direction as Kasugano faceplants into the sheer glass once more. Good thing it's reinforced. ... maybe? Adel comes up in a crouch, and pushes back to his feet fluidly, in contrast to the teetering Ansatsuken fighter. Really, Sakura has no one to blame but herself.. she's shown enough of her dangerous skills for Bernstein to take a fight with her as a real exercise. It's an exciting classroom, at the end of the day.
The not-quite Bruce Lee in this picture may find herself in another predicament, as Adelheid lurches forward into a gliding lunge, his right fist looking to catch the somewhat dazed Sakura squarely in her temple, before delivering a left fist underhand to her ribs. Evidently his previous taunt was not an offer for a time out.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Sakura with Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Sakura
This is totally not Sakura's night, especially not for smacks to the face. And Adelheid's only =marginally= helping by aiming for the girl's temple instead of her nose. That still doesn't keep her brainmeats from being jarred about when he decks the girl, nor does his follow-up blow to the ribs. Kasugano is forced backwards, shoulder pressed to the glass... but for once, she decides she needs a breather =anyway=, and scampers off, down a side corridor. This match could definitely go better for her!
Pressing her back against a wall, she sighs to herself. Sure, the audience is watching, but to her, she can't see them, doesn't think to look up past the towering mirrored walls. She looks like heck, really -- nose bleeding, face all bruised up, and the rest of her nearly scot-free. Marring a girl's face like that should be darn near =criminal=, really! ... And she gets to =see= how beat-up she looks, once she opens her eyes, seeing herself reflected ten-thousand times over again. And she imagines herself, and how she'd look to the audience... walking away from this battle just as she is, throwing in the towel when she's still got fight left to give.
It's kinda inspiring, really. Taking a deep breath, she steels herself, clenching her fists and psyching herself up again. "YOU WON'T BEAT ME THIS EASILY!" she shouts out, her voice resounding loudly through the silvered hallways!
At this point, Kasugano charges right back into the fray, seeking for Adelheid -- and when she finds him, she'll whirl about in a roundhouse kick, before sending herself into a low spin, kicking countless times at his shins (okay, actually =four= times) before unleashing a final roundhouse to finish it off! "HA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Sakura's Haru Ichiban.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Hey, it's only criminal if the girl can't kick you back just as squarely in the face! At least, unless you ask Balrog, who would just ban targetting above the neck altogether. Clobbering about the head happens to be a long standing Bernstein tradition, and the fact that it drives Kasugano back rather solidly is just likely to ensure its tenure in the style's legacy. Adelheid doesn't instantly follow Sakura, at least not quickly, instead calmly pacing down the corridor, focusing his senses. He may not be nearly as bruised or battered, but he's not precisely fresh, either... he'll need his instincts for this one, still.
The fervent flurry Sakura levels on him as the Ansatsuken prodigy turns the hunter into the hunted is an assault that Adelheid borrows a page from his father's playbook to manage. Steeling his inner chi, flexing his muscles, the platinum blonde Bernstein slams an opposing forearm into the roundhouse, at Sakura's ankle, the young Bernstein dropping back and into a crouch, the spinning flurry finding little but perfectly placed, resilient guard in the form of forearm and angled leg. The 'R' heir isn't one to waste proximity, however... and he seeks to drag Sakura right out of her dangerous technique, trying to lift her jarringly off her feet with both hands. Should he jack her up?
Well, it's a sure bet glass would break if Sakura's still gripped to meet the wall behind her, Adelheid's feet leaving the ground in a sudden, chi-fueled explosion of near-flight several inches off the ground, the veritable missile launch looking to sandwich Sakura between strangling grip, and shattering glass with a potent slam.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Sakura with God Press.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Sakura
Adelheid's not been bashed in the face quite as often than Sakura, so... well, his reflexes are probably just that much better than Sakura's. As it is, though... once Kasugano finds her kicks blocked, she starts to pull back. ... Sure enough, she's snared out of her hasty retreat, and hauled into the mirrored wall. Glass spiderwebs behind her as she's slammed into the wall... but that same glass explodes into a silica shower as Kasugano is lit into with a powerful explosion of chi. It's not just =that= pane which breaks, but several surrounding ones as well as part of the glass ceiling above, the roaring shockwave more than strong enough to shatter them as well!
And yet, Kasugano isn't... =quite= unconscious, even though she's blown back about a dozen feet from the impact. Shaking her head, she clucks her tongue. "I.. I told you... it... it won't be that easy..." Grimacing from the pain, she nonetheless curls her hands backwards, her shaky frame backlit by a brilliant blue light. "I won't =let= it be!" she shouts, thrusting her hands forward. Adelheid ought to know what's coming ... but the glass around her doesn't know what hit it. Hint: It's a brilliant, coruscating shockwave of energy more than three times as large as the explosion preceding it. It's safe to assume there's going to be tons of glass fragments flying every which way. The audience better be glad they're nice and safe up in the stands!
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Adelheid 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Adelheid with Large Hadouken.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Adelheid 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid has ended the fight here.
[Ed: Intended to finish the scene a different way, never got around to it...]
Log created on 17:51:16 08/28/2007 by Adelheid, and last modified on 18:49:25 09/13/2007.