Description: The critical bridge of the Suiryuu is Rugal's next target. Bringing his son along to give the boy a taste of the victory in store, the two Bernstein males end up having to fight against a gaggle of girls and an out of place, melon hurling Blanka. It takes guts to stand in the path of a monster. Sakura's side takes some losses, but in the end they have what it takes to force the tyrant off the Ryouhara's boat... for now.
The operation went smoothly thus far. The helicopter assault. The EMP to frazzle the Suiryuu's electronics. The Black Noah pulling up alongside the much smaller vessel. The men riding ziplines down from the chopper to launch the initial assault, followed by the motor boats shooting over from the carrier itself from its sea-level bay. The first wave to reach the People's yacht is bearing some of Rugal's lieutenants and big muscle like Brian Battler among others, to make sure that any of the more capable opposition is properly shut down.
Everything is going according to plan. Oh, sure, there have been a few skirmishes. But thus far, all but one of them have ended with Rugal's people crushing any of the pesky fighters who have risen up to get in their way. All in all it seems an appropriate time for the mastermind behind this whole takeover to come aboard and help complete the process of gaining control as well as inspecting the work of his men first hand.
A chopper just recently lifted off from the Black Noah bears Rugal Bernstein and his son, Adelheid. The tyrant of 'R' is going into this ready to fight and it shows. No signiture suit coat or neatly pressed dress shirt and tie. Just a simple, tight fighting green muscle shirt worn along with red slacks. Over his hands that he keeps flexing are are black leather, fingerless gloves.
His progeny is in the back of the black chopper with him. Rugal has kept Adelheid nearby during the whole process, having the boy watch the first phases of the assault from the bridge of the Black Noah. And now that Rugal is on his way over to claim the prize, he wants his son there. How better to show him the thrill of victory of the defeated than to have him experience it first hand?
The chopper hovers low over the swimming pool, nudging over just enough so that its landing strut sticks out over the deck. The rear door slides open and the black, dress shoe covered foot of Rugal steps down on the strut before he stands down upon the deck of the Suiryuu. Reports from his men are that there's some light opposition, but all in all, nothing they can't handle. "Good. All that's left is the bridge itself." the barks to the black fatigues clad soldier reporting into him. "Leave that to me."
Of course, Adelheid was familiar with Jinchuu. Part of his homework is fieldwork, part of the lesson is tournament experience, and then the rest is being familiar with literally everyone and everything else in the world of prodigal combatants. The mysterious Jinchuu caught his eye immediately, as much for the things obviously left unsaid as for what was actually intimated openly. Detached lack of concern for organized sporting titles and observerism clash with pride when it comes to his own interference, but it doesn't take him long to reason out some facets of this tournament... like the fact that he, and others like him, were intentionally overlooked in the invitational. There are prodigies, and then there are prodigies, after all.
Obviously, it caught Rugal's eye as well, and anything Adelheid might have done to explore the reasons behind this meeting of minds is rather overshadowed by his father's plans. What is there for a black sheep to say, really? Yay, he gets to watch from the bridge, right with his father... Adelheid doesn't protest, but it's probably not hard to see he'd rather be /with/ the attack, figuring things out first-hand, and perhaps getting his hands dirty... while having a measure of discretionary power over the operation itself. It's probably why he spends most of the time on the bridge just sort of staring out the viewports, off over towards the Suiryuu, or alternately out to sea. He doesn't say much, and that's not precisely uncommon. Meditative, calm, perhaps a bit resigned remains the platinum blonde's demeanor as he strides after the elder Bernstein, boards the copter, and - still silently - accompanies Rugal to the deck of the other ship.
A sigh, lost to the whirring of rotors and the crashing of surf, leaves the 'R' Lieutenant's lips as his booted feet clunk dully to the Suiryuu's deck. He's dressed similarly to his father - a matte silver, skintight sleeveless shirt with a crew collar, tucked and belted in black leather into a pair of pure black fatigue pants, and of course the aforementioned heavy, reinforced boots. The Bernstein heir cracks his neck slowly to one side, simply listening as Rugal addresses their objective. It's not particularly surprising, not to the son of this particular megalomaniacal warlord.
Some might wonder why Adelheid just trundles along, without so much as inquiring as to Rugal's purpose. Those people would fail to realize that Rugal's purpose is not at all mysterious. Adelheid knows what drew his father here, he knows what appeal a boat full of half-baked fighters and a couple ninja could have. He smells it too, senses it in every fiber of his being from the moment the strange yacht came into view. Power.
Perhaps the Jinchuu plan is proceeding smoothly... perhaps not. It's not like Riko or Hiretsu seem all that broken up about it -- as if they'd =wanted= their proletariat ship to receive a bourgeoisie welcoming party. ... Really, why =else= would they go to such trouble to threaten the Establishment? The Man's always tryin' to keep us down, and all that!
Sakura's always fancied herself as a champion for the underdogs, someone who can give them a voice when no one else wants to. So there's something at stake for the young Southtown woman when this particular boat gets attacked by foes she doesn't know personally -- yet -- but can be clearly identified as hostile aggressors. Really, do =nice= people board ships before early o'clock in the morning? Sheesh... The Ansatsuken fighter's a bit ticked, to say the least. Hiretsu's been amused with the gusto the security chief puts into keeping the aggressors at bay... probably just as amused as Rugal may be sending wave after wave of nameless minions into the Kasugano Grinder. They may be moving in threes, but Sakura's swatting them down one after another with a brutally efficient combination of martial strikes and Hadoukens... it almost looks like =exercise= to her, really!
"Grr... c'mon, team! Fan out, get..." It's useless to give the crew orders they don't already have from Hiretsu. The enemy forces are clearly trying to keep her busy while other parts of the ship get ransacked. She knows it, and curses her lack of organization... she could have turned the tide before this! But now... it's just her standing between the bridge and the waves of soldiers. The soldiers now augmented by the arrival of a helicopter. And a man whose deep, Germanic voice is crisp and clear in the night air. ... And Adelheid, someone she'd encountered many times before.
This does not make her happy. She's faced Rugal before, but Adel... well, she thought she =knew= him. So maybe good humor will work. "Hey! You guys got your own boat already! Why d'ya gotta come and wreck =our= fun, huh?" This particular thought is punctuated by a sharp elbow to the nearest "R" soldier's jaw, followed by her tossing that soldier into the next in line. "Huh?!"
Not just her. Not just Sakura standing at the tide. Once before, Blanka had taken instructions, and done what he could to help. Once again, when the jungle man sees her running along the deck, he's falling in behind, giant green ball bowling over those silly enough to get in his way. Even instinctively, he knows that something is wrong, and he's definitely certain to try to help out, in his own way. From knocking the lesser invaders down off the ship and into the harbor, to breaking zip lines where he can find them, Blanka moves swiftly and easily, actually making use of the lines to leap on and from, before ending by Sakura's side, rising up behind her like a looming presence of 'I'm gonna make you guys pay'. As if to heighten that feeling for those who stand against her...
He focuses, his body glittering white and blue as lightning sparks around him. Sure, it makes him a target - but really, who is going to target the giant green monster with his fangs out, and lightning sparking between his fingers, over his body, and inside his mouth and eyes? Anyone? Anyone?!
Once Adelheid and Rugal are on the deck, the chopper that brought them there lifts off, taking back to the sky. It will be radio'd for if there's trouble after all. From the deck, Rugal surveys the chaos and commotion going on aboard the boat. The netting that got draped over it during the initial assault has been mostly cleared from the topside, it seems, as fighters strong enough to damage even steel cables have been quite busy.
A man in black riot armor runs up to Rugal to give him a sitrep real quick, mentioning a few of the sources of trouble aboard the boat. Some of the fighters have been stubborn and there's word of Blackjack mobilizing against the assault, but Rugal looks unphased by the news. He quickly iterates over a few of the fighters causing problems, including Blanka's rampage - the green beast's alacrity at getting around the boat making it hard to get backup aboard without him breaking the ziplines all over the place.
The tyrant of 'R' shakes his head slowly at the news. Now that he's here, even the likes of Blackjack shouldn't be too much trouble. "What of the staff? The Ryouhara?" Strangely, it seems Riko, Seishirou, nor Hiretsu have interferred directly with the assualt, the man reports, sounding as surprised by the news as anyone. "And the security ch-" Rugal begins to ask when Sakura makes her presence known, tearing through another squad of men before approaching closer. "Nevermind..." His impassiveness fades slightly into annoyance. Of course he expected Sakura to be one of the bigger problems in this assault when the passanger roster was studied. Compared to most of the fighters aboard the boat, she's a bit higher calibur after all. But keeping her distracted was important and his beaten, busted men have done well in that regard.
"Ah, you see, Miss Kasugano, my humble boat doesn't have quite the neat features this one offers. Sometimes one ship just isn't enough." the tall German grins before nodding at his son, "Deal with her." He's seen them fight before, studying the boy's ability to combat the Taiyo grad in one of Howard's Saturday Night Fights. She shouldn't be an issue. Blanka on the other hand? The power coursing through him is impossible to miss, but he will he get involved now?
COMBATSYS: Adelheid has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
COMBATSYS: Rugal has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
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|-------\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Blanka has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Blanka 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Blanka 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Rugal
Blah blah blah blah. Blahblahblah. I like to give orders. I like you to follow my orders. I want to know everything about anything going on everywhere. Sitrep sitrep sitrep. People are fighting. 'R' must crush them. Yadda yadda. It's a good thing Rugal isn't psychic, isn't it? Just when he thought today couldn't get much lamer, he gets a glimpse of the 'enemies' in this particular nefarious operation. When it comes to faces or types of people Adelheid would have expected to oppose their entry to the bridge... Sakura and George of the Jungle were NOT top of the list. In fact, Kasugano being here severely crimps the young Bernstein's style. In a similar, if distinctly distorted parallel, it's a lot easier to do this kind of thing when opponents are nameless. Entirely different is someone who's actually been /nice/ to you, and whom the platinum blonde actually rather respects. So that leaves him in a baffling, and rather uncomfortable predicament.
Like any good Bernstein, Adelheid solves his problems through action, "Looks like there's a mutiny aboard this particular pirate ship." Ninjas. Pirates. Harhar, "You can't tell me this thing is anything but bad news!" The kind of bad news Rugal likes, but hey. Sakura can feel that eminating force as surely as Adelheid can... this ship is fubar, plain and simple. At least, that's the young blonde's immediate, assumptive impression. But yes, Rugal's order. Stop her. Sure, he's looking at Sakura, and then turning his attention to Blanka. Sure, Adel likely has a good idea what the elder Bernstein meant. ... but he's not looking at his father, he's turned his own eyes to Blanka's display. A narrow furrow of his brow.
Focused analysis of Blanka's fighting style and potential? Consideration of just what the hell the green beastie might be? ..... no, actually, it's the realization that hey, Rugal can't exactly say it's /not/ female. At least, not without closer inspection. Adelheid joins the fray along the path less travelled, shooting forward into a sudden, near-gliding sprint and launching himself full-on at Blanka without further hesitation.
His intent is to clasp his impressively strong hand right across Blanka's impressively bestial face, shocking energy be damned, and /shove/ backwards with one powerful flex of his impressively muscled arm. ... and no small share of power of his own. Should his grip be found, that shove would be quite explosive, a brilliant column of shearing, silvery edges reaving point-blank from his palm, with force meant to explode the bouncy Blanka back... and rebound him off the corridor's resilient wall.
Kasugano's thankful to hear the beastman bounding about, tearing through the "R" soldiers she =couldn't= reach. She hadn't really met him before this Suiryuu, but she's finding him to be a tremendous help here! She'll definitely owe him a few once this is all over, that's for sure. She's sure to meet his eye with a smile as she spins through one of the many trios of soldiers, bringing herself closer to Adel and his daddy. "Thanks for the assist!"
... And then he's given the order to attack. Rugal's comments really can't either improve or detract from her mood at the moment -- the adrenaline's coursing through her veins pretty fiercely as it is! "Well... maybe not! But you're gonna have to find another one to plunder!" Insert another shattered "R" soldier jaw here, as Kasugano mows her path through.
"Oh, c'mon, you come from a ship like that, wouldn't it make =you= the pirates?!" If only Miss Jenet were here, right? Kasugano ducks under another soldier's punch, dashing close... just in time to see Adelheid levelling an attack at Blanka. "Hey, now! Blanka's my friend here, and it'd just =suck= for you to ruin his day..." Sakura intends to punctuate her sentence with a rapid punch to the shoulder blades! Oh yeah, and a shout, too! "Hyaaaah!"
COMBATSYS: Blanka fails to interrupt Scorpion Deathlock from Adelheid with Electric Thunder.
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Rugal
Fighting style and potential!? Blanka has no potential, just current and ohms and watts and.. yeah. As Adelheid goes for the beast man, Blanka's mouth opens wide in a howl of something like rage, a standoffish attempt to intimidate. His eyes flare, and that energy that crackles and charges around him /explodes/ into bright relief, lightning sparking all along his body in an intense display.
Sadly, all it seems to be is just that, a display. The impact of Adelheid's hand catches him, and then the shove sends the green beast staggering back, silvery force slamming him into the wall with enough speed to dent the metal, dropping him to his knees after. He does, though - start to get back up almost immedeately. His voice is something semi-human, a choked laugh that echoes in the dark, save for his glowing gold eyes. "Heh... eh... eh..."
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Eva has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
Leaving the ballroom in a mess and her opponent on the floor, Arika rushes out. Hastily tossing the headset on her head, she says, "Okay, you two. Report. Let me know where you are..." Slinging the heavy military bag she 'found' over her shoulder, the punk princess starts to cut across the promenade. Cutting through the darkness, she begins to head up to the superstructure -- trying to avoid invader and staff alike. She's got no idea where to find anyone -important- on the ship, but since she couldn't see anyone in the moonlight down below the only place to go is... up.
Hearing voices, she moves toward them as swiftly as possible. Eyes adjusting to the change in light levels she can't help but see the Jolly Green Giant. Considering his actions during the last invasion, she knows he's not one of the invaders. "C'mon... someone answer me!" Someone that's not one of the men she saw earlier down below. Gritting her teeth, she hefts the bag off of her shoulder and nudges it over toward Sakura.
"'avin' a party and forgot my invite, Kasugano?"
COMBATSYS: Arika focuses on her next action.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
At least Eva was able to get changed. No black leather suit here! Just a cotton shirt, a tank top, and some jeans that she hastily managed to put on while the ship rocked with the momentum of many fights going on all at once. The earpiece, however, she forgot about completely in her rush to get changed.
Which is lucky for her. Hiding behind a door as the microphone squeals to life, Eva murmurs,"I'm near th-!" She cuts off as she sees the punk princess going up one of the stairs above her, racing to the top. "I'm underneat- no, behind you! Hold on!" Some goon, Eva's not sure if it's a staff member, an agent of R, or just some poor dope trying to take advantage of the situation, makes a grab for her and is rewarded with a kick to the face. Darting away, she races up those very same stairs as Arika. "I'm here! I'm catching u-" Another kick.
A bit later after Arika makes her appearance, Eva does as well, looking rather ruffled. "What's going on, exactly?!"
Rugal only barely pays attention to Adel's charge for Sakura... wait, he is charging Sakura, right? His thoughts are elsewhere as he turns around to look over the boat, taking in the situation with his soldiers swarming all over the place. His expression is calm in the storm of excitement. The man has mentioned to others that he keeps business and pleasure seperate but that isn't entirely true. This victory - the one he's certain he is going to achieve here does bring him some satisfaction to say the least.
As he turns his attention back to the front of would be 'obsticals' that have lined themselves up to block his way a faint frown finds its way to his lips. That Sakura is here isn't a big deal. Blanka... the beastial fighter is recognized from his appearances in broadcast fights as of late. Arika and Eva are a surprise though as he would have expected them to be too busy getting harried by too many of his elite squads to also be able to make it here. "Hmn."
Adel has struck Blanka instead, perhaps leaving him open for Sakura's strike. He /better/ not get hit. These obstructions can be dealt with easily enough though. Eva doesn't seem to know what's going on here. Maybe it's time she found out.
When he charges forward, the man barrels into the middle of Arika and Eva, taking a swing at the girl from Pacific with first his right fist in the form of a powerful hook punch and secondly with his left - an open palmed slam directly toward her forehead, intending to send her flying back into the nearest wall if she's lucky or clean off the boat if she isn't!
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Adelheid with Fierce Punch.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
Blanka is blasted back, saving Adelheid a rather shocking awakening, but he sort of figured, in some wacky fantasy dreamland, that maybe Sakura would see his point... or Rugal would make her. But it's not like the elder Bernstein to get his son's back, so to speak, and instead... Kasugano finds it, before the platinum blonde can readjust and survey the rest of the suddenly expanding battlefield. Two new fighters clawing up, and the 'R' soldiers not exactly thick here, now that Rugal's made his personal handling of the situation clear. That requires reassessment, and....
Before any such offensive can begin, Sakura's crushing the air from his lungs as he lurches forward from the solid impact between his shoulderblades, one quick hand all that keeps him from crashing into the wall next to Blanka face-first. The growly-laughing beasty /and/ the schoolgirl now close at hand brings a mild frown to the Bernstein heir's face, his muscles tightening as he focuses his own energies inward, a process that feels... somehow stranger, aboard this ship. Teeth grit, his crimson eyes gleam, and he pushes off the wall with a sudden, surging shockwave of invisible but entirely tangible power. Can't they see they're only making it worse?
Still, it's like the solid, unhesitating hit shook something loose in the younger Bernstein. He's not quite as conflicted turning back towards Sakura, not but a longshot, "Fine then. We'll do it the hard way." He intones, a measure more coldly than might be familiar.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid gathers his will.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/--=====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
Sakura isn't a big deal? Pfft! ... Though Rugal's estimation is probably right, the headstrong tomboy would prefer not to admit it! ... What the heck, though? Was that Arika... and Eva over there off to the side? Kasugano flashes them a brief smile as she pulls away from Adelheid, but her attention doesn't stray from Adel for long. Her rainy-weather friends ought to be able to see that she can't afford to pay them a fully hospitable welcome at the moment.
"Good goin'! Now let's keep it up!" she cheers, strafing sideways in case Adel were to reel back. She can tell it was a mistake to make him angry... but on the other hand, didn't he just =whallop= Blanka? "Wait, wait, what's the easy way? We kneel before Zod, kiss your boots or some crap like that?"
Sakura's smirk is practically audible at this point... yet another sudden motion catches her eye. "Oh crap..."
Narrowing her eyes at Adelheid, she snaps a quick salute, and =springs= backwards, vaulting to the nearest horizontal. "Sorry! If you wanna listen to your daddy's orders, better follow me!" Swinging about on the vertical bar beside it, she slings herself at Rugal in a tight somersault, hoping to nail =him= on the shoulders from behind! "Hriiii-HAAAA!"
Still laughing, Blanka hasn't had much more of a reaction as of yet. This is someting that he'll have to understand why, later. It could be just as simple as Adelheid knocking him loopy. He feels dizzy, uncertain - but he's not about to stop moving, each loping stride taking him away from that bulkhead, and right towards the fight. Not time to stand down, not time to stay away - no, time to act, and certainly time to get up and fight!
Matching Sakura's bellow, Blanka steps in towards Adelheid, reaching up and snagging one of those zip lines so precariously placed in the area. Ripping it from it's moorings, he's launched skywards, green bulk vanishing in an instant. Only to reappear, a split second later, as a giant ball of /something/ coming right back down at the young man! Blanka tries to impact, hoping that the force he can offer is enough to introduce the man to the deck. Hopefully face first!
Rainy weather friends? How very apropos. Arika offers Kasugano a curt nod at the smile and then says into the headset, "Looks like you're on your own wherever you are. We've got a wee bit of a situation 'ere." Yanking the headset off her head, she turns it to the off position and then tosses it down. Wherever Hime's wandered off to, the diva hopes she's alright.
"Wot's goin' on 'ere, mate," she replies to Eva, "is a fight." Smirking, she swiftly motions about for Eva to join in on the 'party' and then decides to assist the green mutant man in stopping Adelheid from chasing after Sakura. Probably would be better to follow Kasugano, but one thing at a time.
Balling her right hand up into a fist, she steps forward and swings a jab out to the side of his head. Feet move deftly as she begins to dance around him. Bright violet energy lights up the air as it envelopes her left hand. Slamming this forward, she attempts to get a solid palmheel strike against Adelheid's upper back and then get out of the way of a falling Blanka.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Eva with Fierce Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 1/-------/=======|
The punch comes, but Rugal proves too fast for Eva to even block it. Landing neatly against her face, Eva is pushed back, blood and spit rocketing from her mouth as she falls back. "...."
It's a fight, Arika says. ".... I see." Look look at Rugal, and one look at Adelheid. Eva wipes the pinkish saliva from her mouth, leaving a smear. "... You said we could maybe go to Europe after this, Arika." Pft. She spits out more blood, her next comment coming in more clearly. "...I ... I ask that we get to see the Louvre if we go to Paris." Non sequitor, this comment, but it helps Eva get back into a more productive mindset. For this battle will be a painful one, judging from that first punch.
For now, she ignores Rugal and goes after Adelheid instead, hoping to use the increasing number of opponents slinging attacks at the young blonde in order to make her own. Going into a run, Eva leaps into the air and whips her feet around in a delibrate rotation, thick-soled boots flying around in the air around three times before she lands on the ground once more.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Sakura's Sakura Otoshi.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
The crushing blows dealt to Eva, Rugal doesn't even bother following her trajectory, turning back toward the others instead. This affords him the simple task of fending off Sakura's somersault with a single flexed arm. "Feh. No matter. I know all about the group you've got backing you up, Miss Kusanago. I've seen their fights before. Miss Fade, Miss Manzetti, and the beast as well? I've broken their styles down to their component motions. Nothing they or you can accomplish in a fight is going to surprise me."
Two of them are headed after Adelheid but he expects his son to be able to handle them for a spell. For now the Security Chief needs to be taught why she's way out of her league here and he's happy to give her the lesson she needs. The kick that comes in retaliation is viciously fast. A straight slam with his right foot followed by a wide, sweeping strike with his left leg that would be difficult avoid cleanly. "HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Adelheid just-defends Arika's Diva Allegro!
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid blocks Eva's Luna Piena.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Adelheid
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Blanka 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Blanka successfully hits Adelheid with Rolling Attack.
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Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Adelheid
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Blanka 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
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Sakura 0/-------/---====|
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Eva 0/-------/-------|
There's a law of the dogpile in the fighting world. It says that no matter how good someone is, if enough fighters all slam the shit out of him, he's going to be in for a world of hurt. Laws are meant to be broken, right? Adelheid's inner power surges still higher, the intensity flaring in a brief, secondary implosion of tangible force as Arika and Eva barrel in on him. Fwoooosh!
Chi washes out through the air as one dropping elbow accompanies a deft twist, a shielding, braced arm seeming to impact the violet /energy/ of Arika's strike before the blow itself, a violent dissolution following almost instantly as the hurricane within him opposes in excess measure. The deflection leads almost seamlessly into the rising arc of his other forearm, as the rotation concludes to bring his resiliently muscled limb into Eva's swinging kick early. He pushes off that first sweep, the stinging impact forgotten quickly as his crimson eyes dart skyward....
.... and have just about enough time to widen, both arms coming up haphazardly, as the acrobatic Blanka rejoins the fray by literally bowling the young Bernstein over, leaving Adel a jumble of limbs as he grunts in pain and rolls over himself. NOT graceful, Adel. NOT at all.
To his credit, the Bernstein heir comes up in a three-point crouch, his gaze immediately snapping back to their opponents. Eenie... meeenie... miney... the platinum blonde's booted foot all but carries him back to his feet as he kicks straight out in front of him, his other leg supporting his weight as the floor beneath him erupts in a violent, silvery gale, the force propelling Adelheid up, and away, and leaving the newly landed whirling green death machine facing a waist-high cleaver of lancing wind chi.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Sakura with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Blanka 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 1/------=/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
Eesh, poor Eva. Kasugano (that is, KASUGANO) catches part of Rugal's attack just before she leaps, but can't focus too much upon it, lest she get owned by a sudden move from Rugal. Luckily, her hands just chop down onto his elbow, and she's able to spring backwards. But now she's been abandoned! Oh noes!
Hopping backwards, she raises her guard with a cocky smirk. "Sure! And I memorized most of your moves too!" It's not just about =what= can be done, she means...
But the point she was steering towards is interrupted by a series of kicks, the first of which clips her shin, the second stuffs her full in the gut, sending her flying back to collide with a rigging pole. Limbs flailing to either side, she manages to collect herself without looking =too= much of a gimp. "Ugh... well, fine! I'll just have to Shou'ou Ken you now!" Kasugano pulls her right hand back and starts running towards Rugal as if to uppercut him... "Shhhhhh--" but instead stops short and hurls a riotous, seething mass of electrical energy at him, hoping her ruse can at least buy her the time she needs for the medicine-ball-sized projectile to nail him right in the chest! "iiinkuuu HADOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Blanka with Reppukyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Blanka 1/--=====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
Wind chi?! WIND CHI?! Blanka has never seen the Wind Chi before - He hasn't faced the HURRICANE, BROTHER! When the pain and the madness come crushing down on him, when all the little Adelmaniacs are cheering on his... wait. Thisn't SNF. This isn't a 'fight', where he can just give and take and /enjoy/. No, no, this is a battle. And he's letting down his teammates, /all/ of them, but not taking this seriously enough. Trying to barrel through the blast of wind proves fruitless, Blanka's body battered, and then spun and knocked to the side. One hand hits the railing, and he's over, holding on for a second or two with just a few claws digging into the body of Jinchuu itself. He tries to recover, aches and pains making themselves known /quite/ loudly as he hauls himself up.
He's breathing hard, barrel chest heaving as he picks himself up, and tries to choose his target. They're too far apart now to try to knock both - but maybe, he can give Sakura some more backup, the girl obviously going all out. Hunkering down, he waits until the last second, the swell up of Chi that signals her famed move - and then he leaps forwards. Hands and feet scrape metal, then send him bounding forwards into a roll. Up and over the girl's back, just above her, then falling in /right/ behind her fireball, his body a blazing mass of electricity. Certainly Rugal can't handle both of them at once! He'll find a way to help or die trying!
Did you hear that, Rugal? DIE.
Oh, good Lord... what has she gotten Eva into? A promise has been made to keep her teammate safe, and she can't even do -that- right. Wincing for the other girl, she tries to stay focused on the fight but keep Eva in the right mindset. "Been there. Lovely place," the diva says with a grin. "'aven't done the whole tourist thing there though, so we can 'ead there, yeah, sure." Yes, the two Shooting Stars are conducting a pleasant conversation with each other during an invasion. Pleasant as one can have and still try to keep their mind on the fight and keep wary of their surroundings.
Mouth agape as her palmheel strike just seems to be completely absorbed by whoever this guy is, she blinks. Cocking her head to the side, she blinks again. With a breakneck speed, she twists away from the violent eruption of energy and rubs her hands over her face. Could it be that helping Sakura was possibly -not- the best decision after following Hiretsu's orders?
Too late to change her mind now though, she's in for the long haul (or short haul as it may be). Setting herself up to move in against Adelheid again, she watches as Jolly Green just up and leaves Eva and herself there with him.
"Uhhh..."
Wow. Very articulate.
Closing her eyes, she lunges in toward Adelheid. Both fists are launched forward in unison as she attempts to pretty much just force them into his gut.
Basic components. "...." Eva overheard that much, but it doesn't bring to her chest a fire of hurt pride. Well, it's not as if her style is *unique* exactly. Every punch and fist is means to an end, as basic as the names she finds on her tubes of paint. Yellow Ochre. Alizarin Crimson. Cadmium Red. How amazing it would be, to be able to look at a fight and dissect things down to their elements like she could spot the vivid bloom of phthalo blue hidden within the layers of oil paint.
That is, she would have thought that, but for now she's more focused on Adelheid's forearm, modifying her attack to make it easier for her to avoid getting hit too hard to cause damage. Landing on her feet with an 'ump!' on the ground, she spots Blanka going towards Sakura... and her teammate's reaction. ".... We can only give our all in this... That is all we offer."
If this doesn't kill her.... it'll make her stronger. "...!" Narrowing the distance between them as she hops deftly on one foot and raises the other, Eva leans her torso back and rockets her raised leg outward, aimed towards Adelheid's calf, attempting to either distract him or weaken his defense to allow for Arika's attack to hit him at full force.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Rugal with Shinkuu Hadouken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Blanka 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Blanka successfully hits Rugal with Direct Lightning.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Blanka 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
As Sakura was probably trying to explain moments ago, there's a big difference from knowing exactly what everyone is physically capable of accomplishing in the course of a battle and being able to /deal/ with it. Especially dealing with a whole mob. The blast from Sakura may have been predictable. Her predilection for throwing chi blasts is hardly an unknown aspect of her fighting practices. But handling that at the same time a rampaging, rolling, electrified ball of Blanka is crashing in behind the over charged Hadouken is a whole 'nother matter.
In the end he focuses more on Blanka than Sakura and her blast strikes the tyrant of 'R' dead on, sending him sliding back several steps and leaving him wide open for the follow up from the now quite focused electrical pounding in the form of Blanka's attack as well which actually finishes knocking the man clean off his feet.
Slammed to the deck, his body riddled with enough chi to kill an elephant, Rugal manages to get back up, albeit a little less certain than he was a moment ago. Eyes fix on Blanka - One human, dark brown, the other black, a pool of cyber technology granting him a second sight, a pin-thin red light glimmering in the darkness. His son has dealt the powerful fighter a few severe blows already and now Rugal decides to finish the job.
A step forward as his right arm rolls from back to down, a torrent of blue-white chi pouring over his forearm and palm, "So you like to play with power, do you!" The broiling mass of bright, scalding chi rips along the surface of the deck directly for the jungle-raised fighter, aiming to smash into him as he comes down after his barreling roll.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Adelheid with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Blanka 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid dodges Eva's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Blanka 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
Landing lightly on his feet, the blast of energy saves Adelheid from the rampagings of that anrgy, bestial Blanka guy, but leave him with Eva and Arika to deal with in close quarters. Two opponents that are rather used to working together, it seems, and under the circumstances it's just a little too much for Adel to keep up with. Crimson eyes narrow as the Shooting Stars rush in, and as Eva goes for the sweep, Adelheid moves in the opposite direction. A graceful, short ascent twists him up and over the kick, and also gives him a glimpse of his father, mid-ambush, exploding in a rather impressive shockwave of chi. There's no time to ponder that, however... rather than landing on his feet, Eva gets her wish for a setup, and the double-palmed impact to his ribs jars Adelheid backwards.
He lands sliding back on his booted feet, and flexes one fist tightly, before suddenly snapping it open, and lunging right back the way he came. Eyes dart between Eva and Arika, but in the end it's Eva who's the target of his sudden charge... her attack may have left her overextended, and regardless, she's dangerously close to the Bernstein heir. He seeks to clasp that hand rather tightly, jacking her up by her shirt should his grip be found... before /blasting/ forth on a breakneck course directly across the deck, feet leaving the ground entirely, and into the nearest wall or convenient and punishing bulkhead. The idea is to literally /crush/ Eva against that target, in sudden trainwreck fashion.
Oof. Kasugano could hear Blanka getting knocked over the railing, and the howls that accompanied his return... but if she worried about them too much she wouldn't have landed her attack! Luckily, the two were able to turn the situation into a significant advantage, surprising Rugal with a shock from both sides -- which brings a rather large smile to Sakura's face. "A=HEM=. As I was saying, you know what we =can= do, but you don't know what we =will= do!" boasts Kasugano, wagging a finger demonstratively! Sure... Rugal =did= anticipate her Shinkuu Hadouken, but this isn't a one-on-one fight -- or even a =normal= one.
Of course, even her feigned pride is an exaggeration -- she's stealing a glance at Eva and Arika for a moment. Why is =Eva= the attack magnet now? "Arika, you must not be =half= as annoying as you usually are..." she quips over her shoulder, as she moves to dash up the side of a wall. The goal isn't just for show, though -- she's aiming to build momentum as she whips herself about, leaping off the wall to drive a fierce, thrusting kick downward at Rugal, aiming to synchronize with whatever Blanka's planning! "Hyyyyyyaah!"
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Blanka with Reppuken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Blanka 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-------|
He has a plan. It's a beautiful plan. Blanka's plan is to barrel through Aroogal, hit the wall, bounce off and run his punk ass /over/ again. This neccesitates that Blanka take whatever Aroogal decides to toss at him when he starts in his path again - no subtlety, nothing but raw animal emotion and strength in his mind now. This is the jungle, now - and Blanka is determined to be an Alpha.
This holds up until he starts back, the barreled bounce slammed /straight on/ by Rugal's wave of power, the green beastie having nothing better to do than to get crushed into by the titanic wave of force. For all the pain that it causes, it /isn't/ enough to stop him - he's promised he wouldn't stop until he can't move any more, and at the very least, he's still moveing by sheer momentum alone. His hands come up and around at the last moment, and then he just... howls at Rugal, his mouth opening up impossibly wide - an attempt to give Rugal a nice close up and personal look at Blanka's dentistry. Not a cavity in sight! Shiny white teeth gleaming in the dark, with the promise of more.
Boy, they sure look sharp, too..
"Givin' it my all, check!" And with Eva's help, the punk princess manages to do just that. However, it's hardly time to celebrate as it seems that Adelheid is barely phased by the punch and is instead targets her teammate once more.
"EVA!"
Snap. Hopefully the Italian-American can get out of the way of freight-train Adelheid before she's slammed -through- the wall.
Sakura's words distract her from worry about the other Star, and she snerks in a very unladylike fashion. "Careful, Kasugano," she warns, her deep blue eyes remaining focused on her chosen foe, "you don't want me to switch up do you?" Arika may not be able to stop Adelheid from closing in on her (dare we say) friend, but the diva does rush forward to situate herself behind him. Should he manage to hit Eva or not, she attempts to lock her arms around his waist and yank him back from the wall before tossing him to the side.
"But I'll try 'arder just for you, mate," she quips back to Sakura.
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Adelheid's God Press.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Blanka 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-----==|
The front of Eva's shirt is snagged in Adelheid's fist, forcing her to tag along on ride towards a very hard metal wall. Except, when Adelheid goes to complete his crash course with the wall, only the fabric of the cotton shirt is smashed into it, with no fleshy body inbetween.
This is also why you wear layers. However, it's not the easiest thing to get out of, especially when you're on a collsion course with a hard object. While she escaped the brunt of the attack, she still had an arm in one of the sleeves, making her slam against the wall to the Adelheid's feet with the weight of her momentum.
*KLANG*
Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. It still *hurt* "......nnnghhh..." Completing the process of untangling herself from said shirt now that it's fallen inert, Eva rolls to the side and scrambles to her feet, attempting to gain back her balance from the back of her head where it collected when she hit the wall. Again, Ow. "...." But she can't do this for long, or else that tiny window of oppurtunity will close. Blue chi flares down her arms as she attempts to rush at Adelheid like a battering ram, arms crossed in front of her in one attack that requires only a direction and some force behind it, rather than a sense of balance.
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Rugal with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Blanka 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Wild Fang from Blanka with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Adelheid
[ \ < > /////////////// ]
Blanka 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/-----==|
Sakura's reiteration of her earlier point isn't doing a whole lot to improve Rugal's disposition. "We'll see," he growls. But his eyes aren't on her. They're on Blanka. So much so that he's completely blindsided by Sakura's leap and vault kick that strikes him right in the side of the neck pretty solidly. It's a testament to the abuse he can take that all it does is budge him to the side a little but doesn't distract him from putting a stop to the attack he really cares about. The leaping, wide mouthed Blanka.
"You'll have to let me know if you're so encouraged when your allies begin to drop like flies," the man adds as he brings his right leg out, foot first, and slams it into the toothed mouth of Blanka, stopping him short, before retracting the kick and planting his foot against the deck. "It's a lot harder to sound so optimistic then."
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Adelheid with Cerulean Bullet.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\=====--\1 Adelheid
[ \ < > /////////////// ]
Blanka 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Adelheid with Quick Throw.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|=======\======-\1 Adelheid
[ \ < > /////////////// ]
Blanka 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/----===|
There's a problem with launching that much force into one all-out attack. That problem arises when squirrely opponents wriggle out midway through the breakneck ride, and only your palm and some girl's shirt crash against the solid metal with a resounding clang. Adelheid's feet touch back down, but before he can fully recover his stance... the very same wily Shooting Star blasts back into him like a chi-tipped torpedo, jarring Adelheid harshly to the side.... and into Arika's waiting arms.
This is not. at. all. a good situation - but improvisation is part of the Bernstein style, and a part of Adelheid is glad the battle is as pitched as it is. That's not stopping him from putting in the old college try, though. He lands, rolls in a surprisingly smooth somersault for as beat up as he is, and comes up in a ready crouch, "Going to take..." he murmurs, steeling himself as he shoves both palms forward, muscles flexing in arms and legs as the platinum blonde defiantly retakes his feet in a forceful motion... a motion wherein the area in front of Adel literally explodes with power. He faces back up the corridor to Eva and Arika, and the expanse between the talented teammates fills with roiling, brilliantly luminescent edges of shearing chi. The brilliant silvery tumult tidal waves the height of any of them, and then some in breadth, "More than THAT!!!!!" the finalizing words are a shout, focusing, as more and more raging chi fills the massive blast.
Ugh! Right in the jaw! Sakura feels Blanka's pain! ... well. Kinda. She's never tried to bite an opponent like that before, but she remembers the last time she was sent to the dentist's office. =That= kinda sucked.
Rugal's sentiment can't be ignored, even if her kick =did= slam into his neck and all. "It's not as hard as you think, Mr. B!" she shouts back, with a wink back at Arika. Not that the punk rock diva can see that -- she does in fact acknowledge her quip now: "Great! An' thanks for your little laundry run earl... " Just what she's talking about could be anyone's guess, since she blurts out, "Watch out!" Hoping that doesn't distract her from Adelheid's little ball of FURY!
Addressing Rugal again, Sakura grins faintly. No, not so smug now... but confident just the same as she pulls her hands back in a grin. "It's way too soon to give up hope!"
And when she brings her hands forward, it might be a bit hard to see them thanks to the ginormous ball of cerulean blue chi in the way. Sure, he may know she has this... but does he expect it to be right up there in his grill so soon? "HADOOOOUKEN!"
Blanka is learning something. Slowly. Painfully. Blanka is learning that when he attempts to just inhale, people seem to not worry about it as much - but when he shows those teeth, they get all defensive. Or offensive, as the case may be. Blanka is knocked backwards by the blinding speed of the kick, landing awkwardly, and skidding off the edge of the railing.
This time, his hand doesn't catch the rail, oh no - this time, his fist catches the pant leg of one of R's men trying to crawl back up himself, and the zipline he's attached to. Too weak to fight Rugal and Adelheid again, Blanka just rips the man off the ship, letting himself and the man fall towards the sea's embrace. This time, it's okay - after all, he fought his best. He showed Sakura he was trying, and... and ..
All three of them still need his help. From below, the sound of screeching metal echoes out, nails digging into the superstructure, allowing Blanka to crawl back up, break his fall. The zipline is yanked on, hauling himself upwards. He can't get back to the fight - but he /can/ help. From high above, launched up by the wire, is Blanka. From above, launched by the Blanka... is a watermelon. Stashed away for a day or two too long, it's all mushy inside - and quite probably a bit ick. And it's aimed at Rugal's head.
COMBATSYS: Blanka can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Adelheid's Crown Prince.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/----===|
Uh-ohhhh....
BUSTED!
Arika shoots a glance over to Eva and calls across, "Sure. You're welcome..." Hard to tell if Sakura's being sarcastic or not, and since she's about to be swept overboard by energy roiling toward her in a tidal wave like fashion, she's got to pay attention!
Obviously she's not been paying close -enough- attention, because there is a -lot- to be utilizing up here. Like the nice big crate that they emptied a little earlier this evening. The plastic toy inside isn't going to be any use, but the diva dives to the side and grabs the lid. Oh, sure, the brilliant silver chi is still extremely damaging. As in 'ow ow ow ow ow'. Hitting the lid, it shoves her back toward the wall and nearly plasters her there, energy coursing by on either side and searing over her bare arms.
"Sure.... it... is..." she replies through the pain, each word being gnashed out from behind gritted teeth. When the worst of the pain is over, she lobs the crate lid to the side and then rushes forward.
Bouncing from foot to foot, she glides across the deck in a dance-like manner. Shifting about and trying to drive the over-abundance of pain from her mind, she whips herself into a whirlwind pirouette and spins herself toward Adelheid. As the whirl of punk princess comes to an end, her foot snaps out with a carefully angled roundhouse kick toward his torso.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid successfully hits Eva with Crown Prince.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\ <
Eva 1/--=====/=======|
Arika may have been able to block, but her teammate's a little.... more singed. "GAUGH!" Eva lets out a sound of pain, animalistic and jolted in its sudden forced exit from her mouth. The blast throws her a distance away, even causing her body to continue rolling as it hits the floor.
"ha..... ha......" She breathes audibly, in and out, slowly. Grt. ... Have to get back up. "..... Arika, I'll keep going as long as I can..." Steam falls off her as she wobbles back to her feet, one hand reaching and clasping the cotton shirt that lies abandoned on the ground. "... But, right now, how long that'll be is debatable... I am not my twin." But she'll do whatever it takes as a representative of her brother and that promise of a legacy she feels he carried.
Rather sentimental thoughts to be having at this time, but it keeps her going until her body gives out. Honing her energy down to a point, Eva channels her chi, light blue, into the cotton shirt in her hand as she bursts at Adelheid in a full sprint. It's almost as if she's trying to punch him in a desperate bind to punish him for that last attack, but it's not his face her fist aims for- rather, she's building momentum so that the glowing garment licks and snaps against his face in impact that's light but burns with pain if and when it connects.
COMBATSYS: Eva can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Blanka successfully hits Rugal with Tropical Hazard.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Rugal
This will not be one of those times, her body says. She's pushed it too many times. Something must give someplace. So, with that, her body stiffens, then loosens, momentum making her crash forward and land on the ground.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Sakura's Large Hadouken EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1 Rugal
A lot of things were going Rugal's way this night. A nice, successful invasion. Men scouring the surface of the Suiryuu. Many of the fighters who have fought back getting repelled, beaten down, forced to retreat, or dragged off to places where they can be more easily restrained. The Suiryuu sits still in the water. It's just a matter of taking out the last few powerful individuals that would threaten this takeover. And right now, that part is encountering a bit of a snag. This part is /not/ going Rugal's way.
Having dealt with Blanka completely, or so he thinks, the man turns his attention back to Sakura just in time to see his son send out powerful blasts in the directions of some of the fighters, resulting in Eva charging him on her last legs. Impressive. But he still has Sakura to deal with. The spunkiest Security Chief any boat has ever seen is a major road block right now. Arms raised, he readies himself to bunker down for the attack she sends his way...
Which is why he's completely oblivious to the watermelon that comes hurltling down until it literally sploshes right onto the tyrant's head. There's a lot that can take the fight out of a battler. A gradual accumulation of injuries... violent, vicious impacts... exhaustion as one's strength begins to dwindle from excess use... or just frustration, shattered concentration, an inability to maintain control of a psyche prone to outbursts that have to be witnessed to be believed. Getting hit by a watermelon is no big deal. But the furious mental focus lost by having the rind get stuck on your head is a whole 'nother matter. Compared to the impact of the large Hadouken that his arms absorb, the green, mushy fruit husk and goopy innards does the greater 'harm' here.
The transition from a calculating, analytical man into a living monster is fast. "RAAAAARGH!" The roar accompanies Rugal stretching up to his full height, fists clenched out at his sides. His body resonates with an unpleasant black presence that isn't truly his to claim. Another has awakened, kept at bay most of the time, but slipping to the surface of his mind when temporment or consciousness are too frazzled to maintain control. It bids him to kill, maim, destroy, slaughter. And it sends him driving toward the most crushable thing in the area... The man bearing down on Arika is only barely aware of the misery he's about to impart on her if she doesn't prove to be very, very lucky. Sadly, the half-watermelon hat falls off mid-transit.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Adelheid with Rhythmic Roundhouse.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Arika 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Adelheid with Chiaroscuro.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Arika 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Arika with Omega Destruction EX.
[ \\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Arika 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1 Adelheid
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Rugal
Unfortunately for Arika, fate wasn't on her side here. The monster that tears into her isn't attacking like a aloof, smirky aristocratic tyrant that landed on the boat minutes ago but rather a violent devil just now escaped from a hellish prison and determined to take out decades of agony on another living thing as if that might sate it's hurt, its pain, it's suffering.
Black, sickly chi laced punches and kicks smash into the diva as Bernstein fights as a thing uncontrolled. Uppercuts, body blows, savage kicks to the head and stomach, and each one driving that black aura that surrounds him into his victim. It's power not meant to be used. Power that was supposed to be sealed away forever. Power he thought he could restrain and bend to his will just as it controls him now. And it drives him to batter the poor young woman relentlessly.
If the tinest traces of Orochi that compell Rugal now had their way, they would have him strike her until his own body gave out and died. A fitting end for one who thought he could tame a god. It is only the man's mind that slows the assault eventually. Fighting back against the blinding rage... eventually he just stops, his breathing labored, his shoulders sagging as he backs up from Arika, mouth twisted into a growl as the man slowly reclaims control over his own body once again. Of Arika he cares nothing - of his own well being, however, restraint is a must. Control over his own mind an absolute necessity lest he strike until both she AND he died on this prized boat.
Nearly staggering on his feet for the moments after the massive unleashing of power, Adelheid appears a site dizzy in the aftermath... all the bruising he's got covering his pretty face, or perhaps a symptom of some other distraction or disorientation. Whatever the case, he steps backwards once, twice, grits his teeth... paces it out... Arika comes back in on him strong, despite weathering the blast, and his step is just a hair off. He zigs when he should have zagged, the diva's heal catching him on the chin as he dances away... staggering him that half-step enough where he barely even has time to register the whipping strike Eva unleashes. The searing sting is rather unconventional, to say the least, but worn down as he is... it drops him rather abruptly to his knees. Well. That was... not what he expected from this particular phase of his father's operation.
He watches almost dazed as the freight train that is Rugal plows Arika away from him, and Eva falls of her own accord. Despite his new melon moustache, the elder Bernstein still appears to have at least a little fight in him... part of his mind says to lash out, but with the adrenaline of combat effectively beaten out of him, the Bernstein heir doesn't seem to find the will for that last-ditch destructive impulse. Instead he sinks forward, breathing heavily, and closing his eyes for a moment. Really, he should be rooting for Rugal... right? After that demonstration... one he's seen up close, before.... well.
COMBATSYS: Adelheid takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Arika 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Adelheid can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Arika 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
... Ow. Sakura's been hit all of ... twice so far in this battle, which would -normally- be good, if she weren't the person whose =job= it was to stop Rugal. She's been =doing= said job... but despite her best and most annoying efforts to draw fire... Arika, Blanka, and Eva seem to have taken the brunt of the damage here.
In the future, Sakura's psychologist will consider this a 'key event'. But right now, the loudmouth Sakura's jaw just hangs open. This is =not= the guy she was just =trying= to piss off. And... if he =weren't= so pissed off, =weren't= so bat guano crazed... she would've been able to jump in front of Arika and save her from this, because really, she's been through enough on this boat!
... For a moment, Sakura stares at Rugal, transfixed. He's =crazy=. Eva's down, Blanka's down... Arika's shaky... and now Adelheid's down as well. Friends have, as predicted, started to drop like flies.
Chin up, girl -- it's time for you to live up to that 'hope' end of the bargain. Tensing her jaw, Kasugano spends no further time dallying about -- the Taiyo star rushes forward, no longer planning a Hadouken, or a Shou'ou Ken -- instead, she leans upon an attack she =hasn't= used in a long time, a tactic Rugal might -not- find familiar.
She leaps onto Rugal's back, aiming to lock her arms about Rugal's neck to choke the wind right out of him. "LEAVE... HER... BE!" she hisses through grit teeth, =determined= to make an impact!
Rugal is not the first violent devil Arika has had to face in recent times, and she doubts he'll be the last. But her concern really isn't on him at the moment, as she's just watched her teammate fall. "EVA!!" It may not be as powerful as watching another certain fighter fall in battle, but it's enough to drive her to try and fight harder. As she makes the resolve to herself, the diva turns just in time to see the monster uncaged and about to unleash Hell upon the ship.
Unfortunately for the punk princess, the Hell he's about to unleash is on -her-. "Oh shi--" Guess what the diva's just learned? Don't pick on the pappa bear's cub. It makes him ANGRY. (Though she's quite certain the melon-hat had a good deal to do with the anger as well.) A feeble attempt is made to get her arms up in order to lessen the first few blows that come her way. The numerous blows just come in too fast and too strong when coupled with the energy, and while Arika prides herself on being able to take quite a beating, this is one she can barely hope to survive. Each strike leaves a bruise. Each blow to her body a potentially bruised or cracked bone. Uppercuts leave her with (at the very least) a black swollen eye and blood dripping down her face. A hand shoots out to steady herself...
... and that's when Arika realizes she's already on the ground.
Only then does she allow a cry to escape her lips, her body bruised, broken and bloodied. Attempting to stand, her body falters and she drops to her knees. Placing her head in her hands, she focuses the majority of her remaining energy. This may not be as flashy or as showy as she normally attempts to make it. So far as she knows, there's no cameras out here. No one to impress. Fists clench at her sides, and suddenly there's a vibrant explosion of mulit-colored chi. Lighting up the area, it glows and pulsates arcing off toward Rugal before she drops to the deck again and curls into a ball in order to force herself to get up and help Kasugano.
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Sakura's Sakura Strangle.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Arika 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Rugal reflects Siren Song from Arika with Dark Barrier.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Arika 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
Gradually the /slightly/ less insane Rugal Bernstein regains control over his body. Little by little he suppresses the urges of the Orochi remnant he bears and becomes aware of the world aroud him again. The rid brimming over in his vision melts away. There is no horror at the damage he wrought upon Arika in his frenzied state. It doesn't matter to him what he did to her. That he stopped himself before he shattered his own body is all that matters to the man as he glares down at the woman who stopped his assault tonight.
"Hah." he chuckles, realizing that Sakura is coming in to attack him from behind. He has no idea what she's trying to do. She's right in that regard. But he knows he doesn't want any of it. A step to the side leaves her attack for naught. What matters though is the blast coming from Arika and it is one he is ready to deal with now.
His right hand extends forward, fingers splayed open, palm toward the torrent of chi. And then from the air around him he uses his own mastery of chi to create a barrier strong enough to not simply absorb the blast. His right arm slams forward a little, giving the chi barrier a nudge, and in the next instant, Arika's own power is sent hurtling toward her when she's hardly in the condition to cope with it. "Hahahah. What did you think you could do to the likes of me?" Rugal laughs, finally turning around to appraise the situation...
His human eye narrows as his attention falls upon his son no longer able to keep fighting and the tyrant hesitates for a split second. Then slowly he raises his left arm toward his mouth, murmuring the words he didn't expect to have to say when this battle began. "Call back the chopper." he voices into the small black wrist band, issuing an order to get the helicopter that brought him and Adelheid here back as swiftly as possible.
Sakura's hands lash out for Rugal's neck... and she just =colossally= misses. He was there one moment, and now he's not! Sakura steps forward a bit more to keep from falling over, but luckily there's this nice big CHISPLOSION to draw attention from the fact that she just looks like the biggest goofball, her arms locked around a whole lot of nothing for a moment.
Gulping for air as she bears witness to the Dark Barrier, she hisses under her breath, "Get out of the way, Arika..." She can only hope Arika's able to follow that common-sense advice.
One bright spot, though... is the fact that Rugal called for the chopper. As much as she =wants= to finish this, the fact is... well, she =knows= the difference in power levels between her and Rugal. She's =seen= him do that crazygonuts thing. And he's already... in some fashion... admitting that this may not work.
There is a time for glory, and there is a time for doing what she feels is right. Knuckles white from tension, Kasugano nonetheless stays her hands, lowering them to her sides... but not =totally= dropping her defenses. One glance over to Adelheid, another two spared for Eva and Blanka. Threat? Concern? It's hard to tell: her attention remains fixed on Rugal as she paces warily backwards, once more placing herself between him and the bridge.
"So... what'll it be, Mr. B?" She's not smiling, smirking, or anything of the sort -- just offering a determined, serious expression as she looks back at the man's eyes. Er, eye and whatever that thing is.
The Suiryuu =itself= seems to be on edge, even, its own chi harmonics humming louder and louder in the distance. It'd be impossible for any fighter =not= to notice it, really -- with the electronics largely deactivated, there's nothing to drown out the mild buzzing sensation. It's even... making Sakura's aura fluctuate somewhat now, as she stares back at Rugal, defiantly hinging upon his next move.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Arika 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Arika with Reflected Siren Song.
[ \\\ < > //////// ]
Arika 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
Get out of the way? Easier said than done. Never before has she seen a barrier like that form, nor has she seen her own energy reflected back at her in such a manner. Arika is so surprised by this that she doesn't even -think- to get out of the way. As the arc of her own borrowed energy comes back at her, she glances right at Sakura and grits out, "Not... leaving... you... alone."
Okay, she really doesn't trust Sakura, so where is -that- coming from? Oh, right. Her teammate is out cold on the floor, there's a crazy guy invading the ship and she's about to die.
Her loyalty chip must have recalibrated or something.
Multi-hued chi beaming back at her, finally hits her square in the chest and toward the stairs. Just barely catching the railing before she flies down them, something catches her eye.
Black military bag.
Crawling over to it, she begins to unzip it. The fights of this evening are now catching up to her. No one can last forever. There's an end to everything.
And there's now a punk princess, holding a bazooka with a hot pink bikini top dangling from the end. She's barely holding on here, and she doesn't look at -all- menacing, but through the fogginess in her brain she tries to aim it toward the fallen Adelheid...
COMBATSYS: Arika takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Arika 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Arika has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Arika 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
... but something in her stops her. Despite what they did in Thailand, Arika's just not a killer. Still, she holds that weapon tight - a little bit of an insurance policy while she attempts to keep herself alive and keep Rugal the HELL away from her.
Sakura has placed herself between him and the bridge. He was supposed to have already claimed that control center by now - the brain of the Suiryuu as it were. To have this group come together on the fly so ready to fend him and his son off was not expected. The battle continues to rage aboard the boat but this here, this skirmish, has not gone according to plan in the slightest. He ignores Arika as her own energy is sent crashing back into her. Surely she is no longer a concern. All that is left is Sakura Kasugano.
Does he have the strength to take her down? He believes he does. He has what it takes to deal with her. Even now his strength is slowly returning, little by little. He could fight her now. He could lay it all on the line for what he wants. The sneer that slowly crosses his features makes it clear that that's what he is thinking. Sure, Sakura. Let's see how this plays out. Slowly his right fist begins to raise, clenched tightly, the leather fingerless glove creaking with the shift. His violent assault on the diva moments ago took a lot out of him. But with men like him the reservoir of power runs deep. The ease with which he repelled Arika's attack is evidence of that.
But then he becomes aware of another still moving in the immediate area. The young woman he had taken to ignoring a moment ago has assumed a position off to the side, leveling the weapon toward Adelheid, his son. His jaw clenches, the sneer fading, replaced by a tight lipped expression that betrays the anger at the predictament he's just been put in. Could he get there before she could fire it? Possibly. He is capable of feats of incredible speed... Would that weapon have the punch needed to kill his boy? He suspects not. Yet...
"We're leaving." comes the simple statement. An admission of defeat here, mere footsteps from what he wanted to claim as his own. Above the sound of the other helicopters holding position over the boat comes a new one once again - the one that had ferried the tyrant of 'R' and his son across in the first place. It hesitates off the side of the boat for a long moment before it comes into hover over the pool once more.
Kasugano had braced for the worst with regard to Arika. She's... committed to looking out for her friends, but when you're dealing with someone like Rugal Bernstein... there's not a whole lot one can do to =help=; you pretty much just have to let whatever happens happen.
In other words, hearing Arika move about, and futz around with that bazooka she'd happened to find... well, that's a positive sign.
Especially for the way Rugal's condescending sneer just drips right off his face. Kasugano expected Rugal to fight... but the hesitation was something she didn't feel right following up on. Her master wouldn't have. Maybe this is showing her maturity as a fighter... or maybe she's just enjoying the faint illusion of control -- control she =would not have= if not for Arika. She smiles on the inside with that knowledge.
... Okay, maybe it =is= maturity holding her back, because there's a =thousand= things she could possibly say this moment that would earn her a Scorpion Deathlock even =with= Rugal backing away. So considering she can't say anything =nice=, Kasugano just nods her head. There's no need to say anything threatening like 'and take your silly men with you!' because ... well, he'll do that if he darn well pleases, and the ship's crew already seems to have the "R" henchmen under control as it is.
Okay, it =seriously hurts= Sakura to just stand here nodding her head. Really. But that's all she can manage without losing her cool! Really!
Breathing labored, the punk princess winces. Her vanity insists that she hide from the mirror for at least a few days so that she doesn't have to deal with the rough shape she's in now. Glancing between Rugal and Sakura, she frowns. None of this has let her in on why the ship was invaded a second time. If they've come for weapons, they can likely try to salvage a few from the bottom of the ocean floor... but Arika's pretty certain it's for another reason.
The Suiryuu's unique chi-storage system.
Surviving on pure adrenaline at this point, she holds the weapon in place. Making sure that papa bear doesn't change his mind. Sakura likely knows that the diva isn't going to be able to fire it -anyhow-. C'mon, just look at her. Does she look like the weaponry sort? Closest she's gotten before was an umbrella she used to stab someone's foot. "Look, Kasugano..."
Ahh... but what's this? They're off? And here she was just making friends and influencing people all over the place! If by the term 'friend' one means 'potentially deadly enemy', and by 'influencing' one means 'making an utter arse of yourself in order not to look completely terrified'.
Where Sakura is holding back from saying anything due to her newfound maturity, it's something else holding Arika back. Just a niggling little thing in the back of her mind called 'survival'.
Still doesn't stop her from thinking 'good riddance' since she bloody well feels like collapsing and still needs to get Eva safely back to her cabin.
Rugal holds his ground, not moving from his position until the chopper itself slips back into position. But once the aircraft is ready to lift them off the battered Suiryuu the man finally turns and strides away. He'll stop by Adelheid and for a moment expose a weakness that infuriates him as he bends down and helps the young man to his feet, pulling one of the young Bernstein's arms over his shoulder to help him along. Having collected his wounded, the man continues silently toward the chopper, hefting his offspring into the back with ease before stepping onto the strut itself, hand clamping onto the handle near the opening. No doubt the poor boy is going to hear /all/ about this failure when this is all said and done.
A glance is taken over the Suiryuu. The tide may be turning. Perhaps his men are beginning to be slowed. But perhaps not. The assault will not slow. The waves of boats pouring over from the aging leviathan of the seas parked next to this strange craft will not abate. Not yet. There's still elite men and woman at work aboard the Suiryuu and Sakura still has her work cut out for her. Kurow, Vice, Brian, Alan, and others continue to subvert matters here. And he has other plans in motion as well. Explosives have been placed as well. Failsafe options. Good luck finding them all. And they're only /one/ of the backup contingencies. "This isn't finished," the man glares back at Sakura, his one human eye narrowed on the girl that blocked this part of his plan thanks to those who came to her side, and even set aside differences between them to be the critical allies she needed.
And with that, he disappears into the chopper and the vehicle takes off, retreating back to the deck of the Black Noah. Speaking of that deck, a number of large, menacing cannons power on. Men within the titan of the sea's hull begin preparations for the plan to fall back on if all else fails. If Rugal can't have the Suiryuu he doesn't intend that anyone else be allowed to keep it either. This has been a costly investment and he's not about to give it up so easily.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/----===/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/------=|
Suiryuu has her own ideas with regards to weaponry. With the metal netting worn in places, it's no longer the deterrent it =was=... and the ship's peculiar armaments can pack interesting punches of their own.
While Rugal walks away, though... Sakura moves very, very little. Like Arika... she's more comfortable standing in one place. It's a very obvious illusion of toughness! So... even when Arika starts talking to her, there's no response at all. When Rugal talks... there's just a tacit nod.
Only once he steps onto the chopper does Sakura relax, visibly. Taking a deep breath, she sideglances over to Arika.
"... weren't you just fightin' Vyle a little while ago? Geez..."
She may be poking fun, but her smile is pretty sincere just the same.
Log created on 18:51:10 10/05/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 13:39:50 10/06/2007.