Description: Evaluations. Abusive parenting. Violent outbursts. You name it, growing up with Rugal Bernstein in charge has it all. Both his son and his second student of late are welcomed to the room where he trains. Beneath the eyes of the Bernstein legacy a four way FFA is conducted, just to make sure everyone is staying appropriately sharp.
All professions have their rumors, their ghost stories. One such tale is that of a large, dark room within the Black Noah within which rows of bronzed men and women are frozen for eternity. Powerful fighters of the past. Important men in the world of crime. Even Adelheid's own grandparents can be found there, their final moments captured in that shiney, copper alloy.
The are other locations of note on this aging ship, however. Ones that have not even made it into the myths passed around in the fighting circles. A large chamber below the decks of the boat. No window lights this metallic tomb. The lights in the high ceiling are recessed, casting distinct cones of illumination down toward the floor, leaving many spots in the room cast in shadow. The temperature is cool.
There are but two discernable portals here. One metal door in one wall that can be opened by hand easily enough. In the opposite wall is another 'exit' of sorts, though it is sealed off by a thick, imposing hatch. 'The Vault', those who crew the Black Noah have come to call it, though almost no one on the ship has the slightest idea what lies beyond that impenetrable, thick steel covering. Surely Rugal knows for it is he that sealed it decades ago. But he has never spoken of it to anyone.
The large chamber outside of The Vault is decorated along the walls with a number of displays. Trophies from competitions dating back into the 1970's. The current tyrant of 'R' was a boy once and a very, very capable fighter even when young, and those trophies are the proof. A few framed photographs - their colors faded by the passage of many years hang on the walls, depecting prior members of the Bernstein legacy. Grandfathers, great grandfathers... a few blurry black and white photos from times even further past and many impressive oil paintings to accompany them. The legacy of the Bernstein family name can be traced all in this single room if one were to spend the time.
Other accoutrements fill the chamber. Punching bags, weights, kicking targets, and all other manner of training equipment fill spots in some of the corners. For it is here that Rugal himself retreats to be alone when training. But tonight is to involve training of a different type. And for that, others are required. The tall German stands looking at an oil painting of his father, his leather gloved hands clasped behind his back. His suit coat has already been shead, leaving a tightly fitting green muscle shirt over his torso. A sure sign that he isn't calling the rest here for a friendly chitchat.
Friendly chitchat with daddy! Friendly chitchat with daddy! Adelheid all but skips merrily down the Noah's corridor's towards the cheerful summons to the deepest depths of the dark battleship's core... in some alternate, crazytown universe. In mainline Earth number one, Adelheid is in fully polished, military-level precision mode. He's wearing a long-sleeved, double breasted uniform jacket with an emblazoned slash of lunar-grey metallic cloth down one breast, perfectly fitted, loose but formal black slacks belted in leather and matte silver, and of course, carefully polished, heavy boots. Sure, he's likely to be walking into something... less than pleasant, knowing his wonderful family, but he's not about to listen to Rugal's lecture on self-discipline, and style as a projection of power again.
Speaking of, what the hell is with the /purple/ tux, Dad? Probably what happened to mom. She washed your suit with the pink blouse one day and WHAM. Ahem.
The pressed-and-alert crimson-eyed blonde enters the room by the obvious outer door, and approaches the vault unhesitating, his booted footfalls sounding in symmetrical rhythm as he strides towards his father. It doesn't really /matter/ if he's been here before, or not, the reaction is the same. Dark read eyes reflect the dim light as Adelheid surveys his surroundings with an almost instictual air, as if memorizing the details in calmly analytical form, without ever taking his attention fully from the massive form beneath the painting, "Father." Adelheid breathes simply, his maturing tenor ringing evenly, projected clearly if quietly.
He clasps his own black-gloved hands behind his back, standing with crisp posture, his gaze evenly ahead, "You sent for me?" .... has every conversation with Rugal started this way since.... Adelheid would have to mentally count back quite a ways. The only shift to the formal, precise decorum is a lingering shift to gaze up at the portrait Rugal seems to have been favoring. When Rugal gets pensive, there may be cause to worry. Let's hope it's time to bronze one of the newly arrived psychopaths his father keeps rounding up.
A summons, so soon after the taping of Kirishima's Saturday Night Fight? At first, Kurow was incredulous -- but incredulosity, especially in a situation like this, quickly gives way to other emotions, other urges. In this case, greed -- specifically, greed for power, and after a debacle like /that/, Kurow is feeling more than a little thirst for such things.
Entering the room quietly and at least a little surreptitiously, letting Rugal's familial relation speak to him first, Kirishima spends a long time looking at the legacy of the Bernstein family. His own less-than-proud lineage, a family in servitude to another for hundreds of years, seems downright dwarfed in the face of some of the world's finest oil paintings and first photographs. It's a rare thing that makes Kurow Kirishima, one of the most powerful men on earth without a high school diploma when Kyo's inability to graduate is ignored, feel small... and yet, such a thing, or rather a collection of things, lie right here in this room.
The Vault gets a long look from Kurow as well, before he even says anything to Rugal. The equipment is all but ignored -- he's seen things like it everywhere. The Vault is forbidding, imposing -- and piques his curiosity to no small degree. There is nothing that catches the eye of someone who's spent his life being trained to sneak around than a door that seems unbreachable, and the Vault certainly has that to its credit. Oh, sure, he's heard the rumors of that large, black room, but he's never really paid them any mind. Surely it's not what's behind those doors.
The young man, still in his fighting outfit after tonight's weekly obligation, finally looks to Rugal and Adelheid once he's finished examining the room's numerous accoutrements. "... Ah, Master Rugal's son -- and the champion besides," he says, keeping his tone as formal as the younger Bernstein's. "It's an honor to meet you face to face."
Dark and oppressive, the very grandeur of the room crushes with the sheer weight of its magnificence. Frowning and severe, the eyes of those portraits and photographs follow visitors wherever they might turn. Their deadened disapproval is a burden enough to drive any man that trains here to strive for ever-greater heights; though of course, there are always going to be creatures who lack the proper reverence for such settings.
Probably the only thing that moderates Vice to control herself -somewhat- in this room is the solemnity of her master while within its walls.
In the silence after the greetings offered up to Bernstein, an approaching slither of cloth licks across the silence, coming from a direction nowhere near the only obvious entrance. Slowly, what little light lives down here in this room shines dully across the arch of a shoulder-- the slow and languorous hook of a leg. Vice's form half-reveals itself within a spot of pallid light, winding thoughtful arms about the shoulders of a target constructed in the vague shape of a man. Beneath her long, fringy dark bangs, her eyes shine with a dusky and sustained gleam.
"Sir," she begins, her voice coiling around the syllable: her eyes shifted first to Rugal. Her mouth curves at some private amusement, her gaze peeling away, flickering unstably from Adelheid to Kurow and back again. A ripple of feminine laughter flickers and dies in the air like the gutter of a candle, Vice's gaze fixing on nothing. "--and the young master." Her head dips, as if in an acknowledging bow-- and then, it keeps going, slinging across the target's shoulder: tilted with an odd childishness on one side.
Ah, yes, the contingency plan has arrived. The role Adelheid plays in the life of Bernstein is a strange one indeed. If Rugal succeeds in his ambitions then he will never have the need for an heir for he will live on forever. If he fails, then the boy that approaches behind him is destined to take over everything. 'R'. The Black Noah. All parts of the dark trade will become his. He is the fail safe, even though such thoughts have never been expressed directly. In order to be ready, he must be prepared properly. And that preparation comes in the form of lectures. Demonstrations. And yes, violent battles.
Rugal sent, and he arrived. That has been the extent of their relationship for so many years. The contents of this large room would be no secret to the Bernstein scion. It's possible he has trained here in the past, though other less decorated facilities also exist aboard the carrier.
Rugal turns away from the painting. There are similarities between him and his father when compared in this light, though the living patriarch of the family has a more chiseled visage; sharper edges and an unmistakeable inhuman eye in the right socket. Though at times it glimmers red, it is merely a pool of black for now. "Your battles of late in the public eye have demonstrated your abilities quite well." The Neo League triumphs. The SNF title. Smashing Howard's son like a bug. The Bernstein boy's warpath of late has been quite decisive. There is a hint of pride in Rugal's voice. Subtle, but unmistakeable.
"You're due for an evaluation. However," he adds as Kurow slips into the room. The same age as Adel, though of a slightly more agile build. "There is another I wish to view your skills alongside. Surely you know of Kurow Kirishima." His name precedes him easily. Regular SNF participant as well as having appeared in a number of high calibur Neo League battles, including one against Rugal himself in which he fared very well, all things considered. Considering their similarities in age, it probably comes as no surprise that he desires to compare them at the same time in combat. He expects his own son to hold up to Kurow very well. Though the Justice High student has been receiving periods of traning from Rugal, which could tip the scales slightly.
"And of course, Vice will join us. Any who slow down will find out the many ways her name so aptly describes her." The hands that were clasped behind his back come forward then, his fingers stretched open. One arm hangs calmly against his side while his other arm extends just a little, hand clenching and unclenching as if eager to get a grip on someone to apply crushing force. "The three of us will battle. There will be no safe quarter. Attacks may come from any direction at any time. There will be holding back." With three other powerful combatants to worry about, being so very aware of the situation at all times will be crucial. The master and his two pupils, with Vice there just to keep them on their toes. An epic battle in the audience of generations of Bernsteins.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has started a fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rugal takes no action.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid has joined the fight here.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Vice has joined the fight here.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
'Due for an evaluation.' Adelheid's chest rises, and falls, an even, steady breath. He regards Kirishima out of the periphery of his vision as the enigmatic ninja makes his way into the room, and Rugal speaks. For Vice, Adelheid spares only a glance, and a nod... talk about dangerous henchmen. This Kurow fellow doesn't seem much better, to the Bernstein failsafe. Something... off about him. Were he older, more experienced, perhaps he could place it. All he knows is that Kurow makes him queasy, in much the way that his own father spurrs the hackles on his neck to rise. Adelheid's brow furrows lightly, his jaw clenching as his thoughts drift inward, focusing on what he's hearing, but beyond that... on preparing for what is more than obviously coming.
No holding back. No safe quarter. Blahblahblahblah. Might as well say 'typical sparring rules.' Maybe all this is for Kurow's benefit. What /is/ with this crazy goth kid, anyway? Adelheid doesn't much like it, but hey: what about this situation is especially GOOD for the platinum blonde? Sure, the training is impressive... but it's harder when one's spirit isn't fully involved. Thankfully, the platinum blonde's spirit runs on a rather icy passion. Less gifted with his father's venomous wrath and powerful anger, the more pragmatic Bernstein is nonetheless patient, attentive, and disciplined... thankfully, also prodigally gifted, or he'd probably be at the bottom of the ocean by now, while Rain continued to happily play piano sonnets for daddy. Sigh. Maybe crazy Kurow would like to meet that crazy sister of his. SHE'D know his proper place was in the bronzer.
"As you wish." Adelheid echoes, looking towards Kurow, "Platitudes will have to wait."
The words are detached, cold, but not particularly malicious. Still, Adelheid is kicking off the deck, and launching himself full-bore to the side with a sudden, blurring twist. A twist that snaps a roundhousing, reinforced bootheel around for Kirishima's temple. Sure, he could charge Rugal. His instinct wants to charge his father, to rage against the machine, his cage, wallow in teenage angst... but he's not exactly your typical teenager, and the test has already been made clear to him by Rugal's choice of third wheel in this fight.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Adelheid's Medium Kick.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Kirishima assesses that dark woman briefly as the light illuminates her slowly, glancing her over as he would any other fighter -- her seductive pose around that target dummy, the gleam of her eye... they don't seem to hold much interest for Kirishima. Perhaps she's too old, or perhaps Kirishima can sense that taint of the Orochi in her and finds himself slightly repulsed. He gives her a respectful nod, realizing her status as one of Rugal's favored minions, but tries -- as much as possible -- to tune that unsettling woman /out/.
Kurow glances up to the portrait of Adelheid's grandfather, and then back to the young master himself -- it's not hard to see the resemblance. At first he tries to draw similarities between Rugal and the man in the painting, but Adelheid seems more apt a comparison -- the elder Bernstein's inhuman eye and firmer features are just different enough that Kurow associates the man in the painting more with Adel than Rugal.
The youth listens to Rugal, as he always does -- he knows better than to offer a master too much back-talk when he's laying down the rules of engagement, and of the meeting. That was beaten out of him by Mugen at an early age -- as treacherous as Kurow is, he's well-behaved. When Adelheid addresses him, though, his own warning sensors are instantly up; like Adelheid, Kirishima senses something familiar -- but in his mind, it feels almost like Kyosuke or Raizo, if not quite.
The youth is instantly on his guard, a decision which pays off as he anticipates that hard incoming boot-heel, swinging his head back in a fast, measured motion that could best be described as mechanical. "I hadn't expected less," he says to the young master, going for a full-body whirling kick that every fighter in the room no doubt recognizes as Ansatsuken's 'hurricane kick,' looking to strike Adelheid in the gut as hard as he can.
Vice sways slightly, boredly, about the target as Rugal talks, half-listening to all the most important bits while the rest filter through her fractured mind. She understands her place already, and it's to hit anything that's not bleeding nearly enough. This is something she can do.
The instant the first blow is thrown, a veritable giggle-- an almost demure sound, shocking when coming from a woman like Vice-- and the Orochi assassin suddenly peeks through the tamed secretary's guise, rending that languorous calm to shreds. She swivels around the target with the quickness of a snake, and as she peels away from it a sharp heel rams carelessly back, point-blank, in a crushing kick straight to the crotch of the figure: sending the entire thing tumbling back and out of the way of the four combatants.
Simple and uncomplicated in her reasoning, she heads straight for the boy who's struck first. Even considering her animalistic, canine loyalty to the Bernstein family, she isn't much bothered by what she's doing, even as she swings a slashing kick straight for the back of Adelheid's shoulder. It's not 'attacking the young master,' in her mind, so much as it is now... 'fine-tuning the young master.' And the latter is perfectly acceptable.
Formal outside of combat, but as the 'evaluation' begins, Bernstein transforms in subtle ways. What might have come across as aloofness a moment ago transitions into a discerning analysis. What was calm composure mutates into controlled breathing, like a finely tuned machine was shifting into gear and ready to engage its obvious purpose. To attack. To break. The differences may be what the young men notice about each other. But it is the similarities that he notes. Their speed, their preparedness. The readiness with which they shift from being cordial into being combatants pit against each other in this large chamber.
The initial exchange of kicks is observed as only he could see it. The precise amount of exersion utilized. The exact angle they attempted to deliver the culminating hit. Details, each one filed away in a mind loaded with knowledge about so many fighters. A glance is cast Vice's way as she slips in after his son. Good, good. Dealing with two attacks at once is different than his recent fights have required of him. Let's see how he handles three.
Sparing no mercy, even for his own blood, Rugal launches from his spot into an arch, flipping forward as he does in order to reposition himself such that his right leg, now extended, drops toward Adelheid, aiming directly for the shoulder opposite of the one Vice seeks to test his ability to react. It's an awkward but interesting attack - at times utilized by Kyo. It will be hard to retaliate against even if defended, given the weight behind the strike to contend with, giving the older Bernstein plenty of time to set up for his own reaction.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Adelheid with Strong Kick.
Glancing Blow
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Adelheid 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Vice's Light Kick.
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Adelheid 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Rugal's Medium Kick.
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Adelheid 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Alright. Plan 'A' wasn't the greatest success. Kurow is as quick on his feet as Adelheid would have expected from the other youth, and indeed... the follow up is ferocious. Not only that, but honed battlefield instinct tells the platinum blonde that all eyes are on him, so to speak. And feet. The spinning onslaught Kirishima launches cracks one blow off the edge of Adel's jaw, staggering him backwards one pace, seemingly right into the launched offensives of Vice and Mature... but then the Bernstein heir twists, sidelong, and leaps with his momentum, the jump aside carrying him scarcely /between/ Rugal and Vice before either fully converges on him, bringing him clear of the proverbial fray.
That... was close, and the stinging in his jaw reminds him of that fact. His focus never wavers, however, and where others might hesitate, the 'R' lieutenant charges full-on back into the fray.
One good turn deserves another, and one fierce flurry of feet follows that formula fine. Adel's leads with a fast-rising bootheel aligned to axe into the underside of Kirshima's jaw, ideally before he can fully orient to Adelheid's new position and conclude his all-out onslaught... or adapt to being in close, close proximity with Rugal and Vice. It would bring a shiver to the platinum blonde, if he weren't in the process of seeking to land two further, brutal hits: his other foot snaps up as he drops out of the first kick, one fluid, graceful motion bringing a steel toe in for Kurow's ribs; and if that plan works out, one could call the roundhouse the icing on the cake. If cakes were known for dropping people to the floor. There's no time to be surprised at the momentary dogpile: this is to be expected, Rugal said no safe quarter. But that goes for the others, as well, doesn't it?
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Kurow with B's Destruction.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Kurow
It's shocking to see Adelheid so on-the-ball, and when he weaves through all three vicious strikes almost simultaneously it throws Kurow for an incredible loop -- /this/ is Bernstein's son? Agile, swift... not at all the well-grounded, straightforward beast Rugal himself is. The change in tactics from what had been expected catches him off guard, and those quick kicks from Adel give Kirishima the first real lumps of the battle.
The youth considers his position for a moment, as he gets back into stance. That dogpile on Adelheid sets the tone for the fight -- the youth knows such things are not considered even slightly dishonorable here on the Black Noah, and that means that there's a very real chance he could end up dogpiled himself, while only giving Adel the smallest amount of trouble in response.
However, if he does something unexpected... well, that might change things -- and while it's possible it could backfire, targeting someone other than Adel might actually /keep/ him from suffering the same fate the young Bernstein did.
It is this that prompts him to turn his attentions to Rugal himself, as Kirishima takes the first of what will undoubtedly be several big risks in this crazy battle. Sliding forward toward Bernstein, Kurow moves past him, one hand out, as if to feint a high slashing attack and then just pass by harmlessly, taking cover behind one of Rugal's numerous training devices. The deep red slash of chi left behind by that extended hand's claw, one which seeks Bernstein out a split-second /after/ the youth goes past him, may reveal the maneuver as something a little more than a feint, though.
Vice lands hard and sliding in the wake of her whiffed kick, crouched like an animal with one leg straight out and a hand to the ground. She swivels mid-skid, glancing over her shoulder, and for an instant a hint of actual calculation might be visible beyond that madness which previously seemed all-encompassing. Crazy she might be, unstable she might be, but she doesn't lack for ability to judge and gauge in a fight.
The problem is just getting her to stay in a stable enough mental state to employ it; though in this fight, it likely won't be an issue.
That animalistic regard, intent and staring in a glassy-eyed, soulless sort of way, doesn't last long. Her eyes soon sharpen, hooding into glinting slits, and she leaps at Rugal himself from a slightly different angle as Kurow arrows in: aiming to simply slam a shoulder straight into him with the mechanical fairness of a soldier on orders.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Kurow's Kuukan Saki.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Vice's Mayhem.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
To see his son handle all three assaults with flawless aplumb comes not as a surprise, but rather him meeting the expectations Rugal would have expected of him. And then taking the fight right back toward Kurow to strike the Kirishima boy. The other two come for him and of that the man minds not at all. After landing he has had time to brace himself, one arm coming up to intersect the risidual chi in Kurow's attack while his other arm comes between him and Vice - for a moment he stands there defending against both attacks at once.
And in the next instant he is back on the offense. Adelheid had his chance to react first and now comes Kurow's. One hand lashes out, striking with crushing force against the training dummy, shattering it in half. His other hand snakes in from the other direction, seeking to grasp Kurow by the shoulder and simply heft him up over head and then slam him down on the other side of him. Simple enough - he's just making sure the boy stays in the fight is all, right?
And as quickly as the storm rose, it passed. Or more accurately, Adelheid stepped momentarily out of the twister, his opponents turning towards one another with the same reckless ferver. Kurow is allowed to launch himself away without immediate pursuit, the dual assault on Rugal observed for several passing instants through narrowed crimson eyes. He may lack the digitized readouts of the elder Bernstein, but Adelheid has been well versed in measuring a battlefield. In the next few moments, Vice or... yes, Kurow will either scarcely avoid or succumb to his father's ferocious retaliation, and then...
Then, there are openings. One obvious choice would be to seek to pin Kurow, force his hand... capitalize on his father's assault. But then there's the path less travelled, and that path is straight. at. Rugal. Adelheid's feet sprint so hard and suddenly that they nearly leave the ground, which is exactly what would happen as he lurches that last span, leaping in at his father. Both gloved hands snap forward, sensing a possible opening in Rugal's guard with his attention turned towards Kurow... and avoiding ample pain from he and Vice. He seeks to clasp his powerful fingers with force that would crush a normal man's collarbone, and literally haul the massive, Orochi-tainted megalomaniac up, before a sudden shockwave of invisible chi would send both /hurtling/ forward, defying gravity to slam the 'R' patriarch rather harshly against the outer bulkhead with a resounding, ship-rumbling wham.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Kurow with Medium Throw.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Rugal's tactic is a sound one, and Bernstein catches Kirishima and slams him down effortlessly; Kurow is really quite off his game tonight, and on a night where Adelheid is so clearly /on/ his is downright aggravating. Fortunately, Kirishima does his best work when he's starting to get aggravated, and it is this that prompts him to turn right around and go back to the battle -- and more specifically, to the Bernstein failsafe.
The battle is not so much about 'winning,' anymore, not in the conventional sense; Kurow's sole purpose is to outlast Adelheid. And what better way to do it than to start putting the Bernstein family tactics to use? Sure, Adelheid will know them inside and out... but seeing them from someone who /isn't/ a Bernstein might catch him off-guard.
The youth lunges toward Adelheid suddenly, not even bothering to finish getting up. His foot instantly swings out toward Adelheid, suddenly wreathed in black chi with silvery chi claws orbiting it. What comes next is probably all too familiar to Adelheid, as the young man's foot continues up, arcing over his head -- and hopefully carrying Adelheid with it. He doesn't call out the name -- after all, it no doubt rings in the young Bernstein's ears regardless.
Blocked adeptly, Vice grins for an instant: and then vaults off Rugal's bracing arm with a supple backflip. She lands in a low stance, one knee and a hand to the ground, her avid dark eyes flicking to the last combatant she hasn't yet touched.
Her grin flickers and twists at Kurow's display of that classic Bernstein tactic. It becomes something more like the baring of teeth. And then she launches at Kirishima from a dead standstill, perhaps touched off by the boy's usage of something clearly -not his-, seeking to seize Kurow as soon as the opportunity presents itself and sling him straight into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters God Press from Adelheid with God Press.
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Adelheid 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Kurow
The Kirishima ninja is released from his grip after the slam and Rugal leaves him to carve his destiny in this match however he sees fit. Vice is observed after she backflips from the pressure he applied back into her shoulder. She moves around the battlefield like a feline, pounching at random and taking advantage of any blind spots in the fighters' awareness.
And then he feels it. The elder Bernstein knows it's coming before he has turned around. That surge of strength. That combination of brute force and incredible momentum, the mastery of chi necessary to move with the kind of power it takes to plow through walls or shatter men. He knows it well. For he was the one that taught the boy how to summon it.
Brave to throw caution to the wind and charge the human killing machine that stands in the midst of this fray. Bold indeed to test his might against his father's. There's a grunt, ever so subtle. A 'hn' of evaluation. And in the next instant Rugal summons the same force as he charges forward to meet his son. His arms are out at his sides, his fingers splayed open. At first it seems he is going to collide chest to chest with the kind of force that would no doubt do extreme harm to the both of them...
But that is where the danger lies. That mid-fight adjustment. That minor, critical tweak to moves he has practiced for decades. The same power that propels him forward goes into moving him to the side just slightly. Just enough that it is his arm that hooks around Adelheid rather than directly colliding with him. The heir is carried back the opposite way he came - the force of such a sudden change in direction would steal the breath away from most. But it is the inner wall he smashes the boy into that deals the real damage.
"HAAH!" comes the exclaimation, a shout accompanying the release of power as Rugal releases Adelheid and hops back a couple of feet to put distance between him and the young man that just got crushed into the steel wall. A small reminder that for as far as he has come - when it comes to direct force, he can't quite compete with the old man just yet.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Kurow's Yasha Guruma.
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Adelheid 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Kurow
It's almost predictable, looking back on it. A momentary lapse in the elder Bernstein's impressive defenses is kind of like winning five dollars in the lottery, after all. Something that's all too clear as Adelheid is crushed back into the ship's hull, clanging rather resoundingly, his head reverberating as he crashes to the ground, dropped to his knees. His eyes squeeze shut, then snap open, and he surveys his surroundings with one quick, sweeping glance. Alright. Alright. He gets the message.
The platinum blonde's legs flex, and he suddenly inverts, flipping skyward in a display of acrobatic grace that would make any ninja proud. Unless, of course, the intent was to kick said ninja in the head. Adelheid swings about to drop heel-first for Kurow as he descends from the spot where Adelheid /was/ attacking Rugal.... until the senior blasted off with the junior, instead. Really, Kirishima... Adelheid would rather be where you are, but alas, he RSVPs with deepest regrets. Oh, yea - and that arcing boot for Kurow's head.
COMBATSYS: Vice successfully hits Kurow with Quick Throw.
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Adelheid 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Kurow with Light Kick.
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Adelheid 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Two things happen roughly concurrently -- the first is Vice snagging Kirishima; the second is Adel's boot coming up. Overcommitted such as he is, he can't deal with either particularly well, and down he goes -- the boot helps Vice propel him down even faster, and when he gets up, he seems none too pleased. He doesn't know what's got him sloppy today, but whatever it is, he intends to shake it off as quickly as possible and get back in the saddle.
He decides to stay on Adel, though -- after all, that's still what the fight is really about in his mind, regardless of what may actually be the case. This time, though, he decies to go for something that not only would Adel (in his mind) not quite /expect/, but something he hasn't been trained to do over and over all his life.
Specifically, he picks up one of the kicking targets and flings it as hard as he can right for the younger Bernstein's head with as much force as possible.
The instant her throw connects and Kurow leaves her slinging hands, Vice drops to the ground and slinks away again, eschewing the few pools of light that illuminate the area. She watches the result of that rapid succession of attacks and defenses that transpires between the other three combatants, standing at ease: cracking her neck thoughtfully, her cruel eyes fix right back on Adelheid.
Her regard lasts only an instant before she launches into motion, circling around and arcing back in abruptly, her silent stillness gone in a staccato burst of heels on polished floor and the fluttering snap of skirts. She moves low to the ground, and then suddenly springs up in an attack like a snake striking out of its burrow.
Her hands dart craftily towards Adelheid. If they touch, gentle fingertips will press lightly like dance steps along the boy's ribcage, just beneath the arms where it's easy to leverage even grown men-- and then, quite suddenly, those woman's hands will vise together, a sudden crushing pressure exerted as Vice attempts to simply rip the young Bernstein heir from the ground like pulling a particularly recalcitrant daikon. And then, if that weren't enough, she'll toss him straight at Kurow's incoming projectile.
Well, slamming his son into the wall felt pretty good. That's just one of those things a father has to do for his boy now and then. And right now Rugal is feeling like a pretty swell dad. Just look at his boy - evading attacks every which way. He moves with pretty good speed for his age. In a few more years, he may very well prove to be faster than Rugal.
The double assault on Kurow is observed impassively. The boy has already been through hell today. That he's having a hard time keeping up in the middle of this multi-directional melee is not a /complete/ surprise. Considering the number that SNF must've done on him just being able to keep up at all is something.
But he has already vented some of his incredible strength in countering Adelheid, and so it is with that same indifference to the well being of those fighting in his presence that he turns on the Kirishima ninja next. Rather than going chasing after the boy he settles simply for ripping the punching bag next to him off of its chain and sending it /hurling/ through the air toward the Justice prodigy. Standing off to the side like this gives Rugal all the time in the world to simply observe and prepare himself for whatever comes next. But this fight may not be going too much longer anyway. "HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Adelheid with Large Thrown Object.
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Adelheid 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Vice successfully hits Adelheid with Misanthrope.
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Adelheid 1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Keeping on his toes is easier when he's fresh, compared to when one of the world's foremost powerhouses has slammed him off a bulkhead, along with numerous other knicks and sore spots from this ongoing battle. It's not to say Adelheid's attention lapses, but.. perhaps his alertness centers in a little too long on that flying exercise equipment. In his defense, it looks heavy, and dangerous, and it's coming fairly quickly considering how damn bit it... whoa. Noticing Vice's creepy slinking and -doing- anything about it are two different things. Before Adelheid can turn, even as he realizes she's coming in from behind, Vice has her hands sandwiching his chest, and he gasps out a sudden breath as he's heaved, and flipped rather disorientingly indeed /into/ the dummy. WHAM.
Dust flies off the much-abused dummy, and Adelheid careens back to the ground harshly, ricocheting to the vault floor. He spits a trickle of blood, and slides one leg up underneath him. That... was almost enough to make him want to stay on the floor. Instead, he takes one look at his surroundings, as much by instinct as his fuzzy but quickly clearing eyes. Even Rugal rushes into the fray. He was waiting for this. Granted, it could have gone better, but hey... barring second hand, Adelheid's father hasn't seen him perfect this technique. And it definitely bears demonstration.
Bracing both arms, Adelheid sweeps his hands forward, and pushes back to his feet. A tremendous rumble of swirling winds shockwave around him, and the ground before him erupts in a veritable tidal wave of lancing, cruel-edged winds, a gout of wildly luminescent silvers nearly matching Rugal's stature, crackling with darker energies. The savage windshear is braced by the young Bernstein's sturdy frame, more and more power pouring forth... in a style that's just as requested. No quarter offered. Ground zero. He releases everything he has into that maelstrom of blinding chi. He knows better than to expect it to stop Rugal... but he's not going down without making sure he passes his 'evaluation.'
... Let's not even think about the last failing mark. Happy thoughts. Happy place. Find your happy place.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Rugal's Large Thrown Object.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Adelheid's Crown Prince.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
The punching bag comes at Kirishima, and he finally snaps it into gear. Something finally clicks, and he leaps up /onto/ the bag, riding it a little ways as it arcs up slightly, then starts back down... just as Adel starts gathering power unto himself. The bag offers him an /excellent/ vantage point, and when that massive swirl of chi comes at Kurow, he looks it dead-on. He's done this before -- Rose's Aura Soul Spark. Sakura's Shinkuu Hadouken. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't -- but the benefits are great enough that Kirishima has to take that leap of faith, quite literally. The young man jumps up off of the bag, letting the power of his legs dictate whether or not he can nail this one... and he feels his feet, just barely, fly over that wave of power, and carry him /just/ behind Adelheid.
The youth doesn't waste any motion as he lands, locking onto Adelheid... and then drives a hard kick toward his back, trying to grind him down into the ground with enough force to cause him to spring back /up/ from it, in a technique borrowed from someone Adelheid may very well not know at all -- Hell's Executioner.
COMBATSYS: Vice blocks Adelheid's Crown Prince.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
Seeing that wave of shearing chi-edged winds, Vice does the only practical thing she can do: seeing as she's caught overextended and unprepared to dodge. She braces down, arms lacing before her, weathering the sharp blasts as they rip into her without even a sound of pain. Blood starts slowly in a steady stream from her lacerated arms, pooling along her shredded sleeves, but far from seeming deterred... she simply grins, and licks along the red-stained ruins of fabric. Her arms uncross with a rapid, blood-shedding flick, and wet crimson patterns in arcs across the floor.
It's towards Rugal she turns then, threads of blood still woven down her forearms, though she doesn't do so overtly: she merely flicks her gaze briefly in his direction. She bolts off again then, swinging around with a clack of heels: a lunging leap brings her in close as she attempts to get ahold of him and-- bracing her stance wide-- attempt to throw him a considerable distance, partway across the room.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Vice's Deicide.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rugal reflects Crown Prince from Adelheid with Dark Barrier.
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Adelheid 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Kurow
The read outs he gets on Adelheid's sudden spike in power are noteworthy. He has been watching the boy use the attack in some of his recent battles and it has served him with varying success. Not that there is any lack of raw power behind the attack... but it seems some fighters just have ways of surving it. Unless they're giant cyborg men, in which case they're hosed.
There is no time to watch Kurow's evasive action as he lets the flying punching bag eat the attack meant for him. Or Vice's bunkering down to just survive it before charging directly for himself. As for Rugal, he handles the incoming blast with the control that one would expect in light of such an attack. His right hand extends forward as he seeks to pit his own energy against the boy's. Just as crushing force met crushing force earlier, now too does Adelheid's chi meet Bernstein's.
Fingers splaying open, he creates the perfect defense - a sickly, green shield pulled literally out of the air, congealing a few inches in front of his hand. That disk has served him well over the years. There's a reason he made sure Adelheid know how to use it as well. Though their power collides for a moment, Rugal leans forward, appling more pressure to his defense and at last sends Adelheid's chi smashing back toward him.
As he lowers his right hand slowly, the shield disappears, the energy vaporizing as if it hadn't been there. Vice's grasp is extended and Rugal raises his left arm to intersect her grip before pulling it away - her fingers leave gouges in his flesh but the man remains unmoven from the spot he has taken control of for the last several seconds.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Adelheid with Medium Strike.
- Power hit! -
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Adelheid 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Adelheid with Reflected Crown Prince.
[ < > /////////////////////// ]
Adelheid 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Vice
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Kurow
Despite the successes Adelheid's had catching people in the full wake of his power... he hadn't expected any saving graces here. This was just totally /not/ according to plan, though. Not only does Kurow, of all people, get clear, but he has time to track Kirishima's form blurring overhead just as Rugal's own power begins to polarize his, sending the cascade of chi exploding back towards the platinum blonde, a hurricane of shrapnel of his own making. Blasted backwards, Adelheid's spine probably wishes it would snap as Kurow slams his strike home. Teeth gritted, Adelheid staggers forward. He's falling. The ground is rushing up to meet him, but as he drops to his knees, painfully, suddenly, he twists. Kurow is still behind him. Perhaps within reach... both palms press out, seeking only proximity to the deadly Kirishima.
And then? Well, Kurow wold all but erupt from within, a larger variant of the technique Rugal demonstrates on Adelheid coalescing in a massive, spherical shield which arcs with black power, a luminescent, swirling vortex of consuming wind energy. He may have been taken down... but sometimes that last stubborn drive makes all the difference, in the field. Perhaps it can decide things in the classroom, as well. Either way, Adelheid isn't even going to be able to hold that kneeling posture for long... he rather hurts, at this point.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid can no longer fight.
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Vice 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kurow 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Kurow with Dark Steel.
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Vice 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\ <
Kurow 1/---====/=======|
What Kurow was /expecting/ was Adelheid to wait to get back up all the way before going for that last ditch effort, and that's a costly assumption -- that maelstrom of inky black wind rips through him, sending him flying into one of the numerous training machines, which crashes atop him, and for a second, it looks as though Adelheid and Kurow have -- with some help from Rugal and Vice -- destroyed one another.
There is a creak, then a rumble -- and then a sudden shattering, as Kirishima, holding on to the strength to keep fighting with inhuman tenacity, bursts forth from the wreckage, sending it careening off into another punching bag, the contents spilling out. "... that's... that's it?" Kirishima asks, voice ragged and worn to the extent that he probably shouldn't say such things, as he watches Adelheid's posture give out.
Then he remembers that the elder Bernstein, still hale and hearty, is /also/ still standing. Whoops. He /knows/ he can't take Rugal down in the position he's in... but then, he wouldn't be able to anyway. All he can do is what he does every time it comes down to Rugal and himself (and perhaps Vice, in this particular case): make an impression. The youth comes toward Rugal for what he's so sure is the final time tonight, surging with determination even as his body fails him, with something Rugal came to know all too well after their first training session. The youth's claws drive forward for Rugal's breastbone, looking to seize him...
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Kinki Chikarasui from Kurow with Jab Punch.
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Vice 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\ <
Kurow 0/-------/-======|
Rugal has maintained a commanding position throughout the fight. Refusing to take a hit, weaving in and out of the fight as the opportunities seemed appropriate. A giant in the play ground when it comes to the level of his power. Especially in taking advantage of the confusion of an all out ally-less melee that this battle was. The two young men that were to be evaluated /were/ evaluated. Both of them having their moments of triumph and their moments of defeat.
In Rugal's mind it was enough. For now. He understands better what they both need in order to progress. And he will see to it. Both are being molded for specific purposes that not even they may be fully aware of. But in order to do that, more work must be done.
When Kurow comes for him again, Rugal is impassive as he has been through much of the fight outside of his periodic bursts of energy. It's when he is allowed to remain this calm, this removed, that he truly shines. It is with precision that he sees the gap in Kurow's offense and stabs his hand out, fingers extended as he knifes into the boy's breastbone just as Kurow's claws sought his. He doesn't punch with the strength to slice through flesh as Heidern may. But the blow is decisive nonetheless, putting as stop to Kurow's attempted assault.
All Rugal needs is Kurow's own momentum. In a way, that frustrates Kurow -- once he realizes what that crushing sensation in his chest is. He looks up toward Bernstein, the massive crunch in his chest cavity that Rugal no doubt noticed upon impact suddenly followed up with a small expulsion of blood from the younger man's mouth. Listing to one side, Kirishima tries to summon up the strength to give Rugal one last, hard strike on the way down. A twist on the old man's signature trick, maybe, or a forceful slam into the ground like Mugen's, or --
Nothing so demonstrative, of course. Not for Kirishima, not now. Kurow crumples forward and down, dropping first to his knees. What would have been a proud last stand turns into a quick, unceremonious two-handed stab at each of the man's legs, trying more or less to drag him down with him as he falls the rest of the way. ...Of course, having the wherewithal to try /anything/ after something like that is a testament to Kirishima's bloody-mindedness.
COMBATSYS: Kurow can no longer fight.
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Vice 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Rugal interrupts Double Slash from Kurow with Genocide Cutter.
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Vice 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Rugal
It might seem cruel at this point to finish a job that was already done. But mercy is not something one will find much of at the feet of Rugal Bernstein. "You fought well," comes the analysis. He might be addressing Kurow directly or perhaps the statement is meant for all those present in the room. While he came through the fight virtually unscathed, he has invested a fair amount of effort at moments and he is as ready to finish this as anyone.
His right leg is grasped, but the traction is brief as Rugal strikes back. "Genocide..." The vicious kick, the piercing burning chi that trails behind it. It's all a setup for what comes next - Another lancing strike right up the middle of the boy's back, "CUTTER!" The force of momentum is enough to take them both into the air. The high ceiling of the dark chamber provides ample space without coming to an abrupt collision before the apex and the eventual, inevitable drop back down to the floor.
For Rugal, it is a landing on both of his feet, a slight crouch to recover, before he stands up completely straight. "That is enough. This evaluation is complete." He leaves the wounded to tend for themselves, as one might expect. Of course, Vice is prefectly fine. Her presence, seeing her in action, was amusing as always. There is a morbid beauty to see the woman in combat.
Rugal Bernstein himself walks toward the open door back out to the rest of the boat. The progress on the part of his son has come along, but there's work left to be done. He will have to find suitable challenges for the boy to improve against in the days ahead. Kurow's progress he witnessed when they battled off the shores of Thailand. He, likewise, is advancing well. All according to the man's plans.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Vice 0/-------/--=====|
Log created on 22:33:00 09/15/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 01:43:12 09/17/2007.