Description: Kurow and Ingrid face one another down on the roof of Pacific High. (Winner: Kurow)
The Pacific High rooftop is notable only for one thing: the helicopter pad. Among other things, the raised platform at the top of the school allows for easy transit between regional branches -- and, when the helicopter isn't on this particular branch's platform, it makes a spectacular stage for a Neo League fight. ... especially when it hasn't been cleaned, and is strewn with general-purpose school waste. (How Roy would flip if he saw the current, littered state!)
One of tonight's competitors, Kurow Kirishima, presently stands at one of the far corners of the helipad, looking out across it toward the roof access; it's been a while since he got involved in the Neo League, and with Saturday Night Fight on a bizarre sort of hiatus... well, he has to keep the public's eye /somehow/.
About ten minutes before the fight is scheduled to begin the door to the rooftop opens, and a white haired, red eyed young woman in blue steps out. She has a slight smile on her face as she takes a brief look around, examining the roof for anything notable that might help or hinder her in what's to come. Nothing specific comes to mind upon the quick inspection, this roof just like many others, with the exception of the large painted H.
Ingrid herself has only participated in a single League fight since the season changed, a curious affair against a certain pink haired witch. Once again she's been contacted by the league, this time against not one of the known blunders, but in fact the number two contestant. Either someone thinks she needs to keep her ego low due to her performance in the last fight, or perhaps that she might have a chance at defeating him. Whatever the case she picks her opponent out of the various crew milling about rather easily, and walks up to him with a smile on her face. "Good afternoon."
The young man gives Ingrid a small nod and a half-grin, evidently not /too/ interested in her but at least willing to be polite back. Gesturing for her to step up on the platform, he says, "You're early. I respect that." He does not say /why/, of course, but then, perhaps he feels he doesn't need to. Reaching into his pockets, he pulls out the clawed gloves that are his trademark, slipping them onto his hands and stretching his fingers out a little.
Adopting a confident, unusually offensive stance compared to his usual, Kirishima gestures for her to come in and start early. Curiously for the empathic woman, he seems like a sort of dead zone -- as if he /tries/ to hide himself, and indeed has some training in such. Perhaps he did his homework; on the other hand, maybe he just doesn't 'feel' too much.
"And you as well. Aren't there so many others that show up late?" Idle chat, really, but then there's nothing wrong with politely chatting with someone before engaging them in combat. The fact that she can't pick up on his emotions is very curious indeed. Unlike one Candy Diamond he seems to have them- she can tell he's there at least, but the standard affair of being able to passively feel his emotions is eluding her. He either has something to hide, or just prefers to keep his emotions to himself. It doesn't seem to bother Ingrid though, for whatever reason.
When he moves into his offensive stance, Ingrid moves into her own fighting stance, open and easy to allow maximum mobility. At the hand motion given, she smiles lightly, "Hmm, do you want me to attack? I'm afraid I'm not the type to rush in against opponents whose capabilities I'm unaware of, and I'm sure you must be very good with those claws." Rather than attacking, she'll hang back and study Kurow for a few moments.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid has started a fight here.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ingrid focuses on her next action.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-------|
Cracking a smirk, Kirishima replies, "Prudent, too. My, you /are/ an interesting one." He starts to move toward her, likewise studying her carefully. "You're... Ingrid, yes? I remember you working with that girl from Pacific." Nadine gets a /mention/, even if Kurow doesn't go into detail -- after all, he likes to keep /some/ of his cards up his sleeve, like any good strategist. "You performed well."
Unfortunately for Ingrid, Kurow knows full well what someone hanging back usually means -- and he isn't about to let her intercept him when he's at his defensive weakest. Staying back, Kirishima glances around the helipad, searching for something -- and finds it, in the form of a wastebin full of heavy helicopter parts, no doubt discarded during the last repairs. Hefting the can, he flings it full-bore at Ingrid with surprising ease, trying to use his environment to the fullest.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Ingrid with Large Thrown Object.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
"Thank you." She gives him a little nod at the first statement, making sure to keep a careful eye on him. "Yes, Ingrid Holmann; pleased to meet you. I apologize for not introduce myself earlier; I thought you would have gotten the same information from the league as I did." Ingrid doesn't really know who Kurow is referring to when he speaks of Nadine. Though she at least knew her team mates name in that fight against Maki, she knew very little else about the other two females in the fight.
Once he compliments her the fight seems to begin in earnest, Kurow picking up a waste bin full of metal and flinging it in her direction with a fairly high amount of force behind it. Noting this, Ingrid attempts to leap out of the way, but fails to account for the fact that those parts aren't tied down in the basket. The basket itself is avoided, but the more dangerous parts inside of it simply smash into her, crashing her painfully back to the ground, what appears to be a large hunk of rotary engine laying on top of her.
A bit of pain registering on her face and a gasp is all that comes from her, though it should be fairly obvious to anyone watching the dramatic effect the attack had on her. She picks herself off the ground slowly, working through the pain. "My, you're quite strong, aren't you?" With those words, Ingrid immediately takes to the offensive, rushing in towards Kurow with all the speed she can muster, knowing that if she's going to stand a chance she'd better at least land a hit, and fast. Once she's nearing him she raises her arms high, and then stops in front of him, sweeping her hands down and forward and releasing a stream of glittering, golden energy to try and completely immerse him in it.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Kurow with Sunbeam.
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Ingrid 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
The beam of burst of energy catches Kurow, immersing his whole body; in an instant, though, he knows what it is. One doesn't work for Shadaloo for years without learning that familiar feeling, after all -- he instantly focuses his will, and though he feels a little pain, it does not seem to stagger him too much. "... interesting," he hisses under his breath, starting to pull himself back a few steps away from Ingrid, rolling his shoulders. "So, you use..." He trails off, eventually finishing, "... where did you learn to use that energy?"
It doesn't take him long to decide to up his offense; seeing how badly wounded she got after that one toss of the rubbish bin, he decides that it would probably be best to keep working her with hard strikes and fast blows, rather than trying to beat her at the 'explosions of energy' game or lock her joints. As such, he finally puts those fierce-looking claws to good use, moving back in toward Ingrid.
He looks as though he's going to come in for a hard knee strike at first, but this is quickly revealed as a feint; the youth leaps up, coming down on Ingrid full-force with a series of claw slashes that seek to tear her defenses wide open with a series of wide, sweeping slashes.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid fails to counter Yami Kagura from Kurow with Sun Delta.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Kurow
Though her attack strikes perfectly true, it seems that Kurow isn't terribly affected by it. That isn't entirely surprising to her, however. People who can throw objects as heavy as he has proved to be able to do are more than likely a fair deal above her fighting ability. Simply because of this doesn't mean she'll give up though- if anything it means she's going to have to try and do her very best.
When he comments on her energy, and then specifically learning to use it, she lets out a soft laugh. "I'm afraid you can't 'learn' to use this power. It's something that's been with me since the time I was a child. It's a gift that one is born with, as far as I can tell, and not something that you can simply be taught." And that's about the entirety of Ingrid's knowledge on the subject.
Back to the action, Kurow rushes in at her, and she goes for broke. A bright flash of energy surrounds her as she focuses her power, suddenly leaning forward towards Kurow and pointing as the knee comes in. In front of her a triangle of energy appears, and then Kurow reveals his feint, slashing at her with her claws before her most powerful defense can fully complete, slashing long lines through her clothes and into soft flesh underneath. Again she goes to the ground, this time not from backward force, but simply from the pain of it, briefly overcome by the power of the attack. Once again she removes herself from the ground, but this time it's much more slow and deliberate. In two attacks he's almost put her on her last leg.
Kurow is a little surprised at how little of a fight Ingrid seems to be putting up; the energy that she throws off with every little move is incredible, but she doesn't seem to be built to take punishment. This makes his job easier -- it won't be long now before the coup de grace, he thinks to himself. Just a little more...
The youth takes a few steps back, saying, "But surely, someone must have trained you to harness it. Having real skill with that energy seems to be something earned with blood, sweat, and tears." Hanging back, Kirishima studies Ingrid intently, looking her over with almost disconcerting scrutiny. "Are you one of Vega's, scattered after his fall?" His eyes travel up and down her body, and not in any puerile manner -- he isn't looking for that. He's studying every muscle, every aspect of her aura, every little twitch and flex. The youth's expression remains impassive, through all of it; evidently, he's trying very hard to make himself a complete enigma.
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Kurow
Ingrid reaches back with her hand and brushes her hair back over her shoulder, visible shaking ceasing after a few moments as she regains control of herself. "Blood, sweat and tears. Yes, I suppose that could explain it. I've spent many years doing the very best that I can in order to learn to control my powers to the extent that I do. I've never had a master to teach me to control my energy, however. There was one who attempted, but when it was found that my power was not the power that the majority of martial artists control he realized it was futile."
And why is it that no matter where she goes, no matter what she does, the subject will invariably shift to that one man. In this case it is likely that the only cause is that they use the same form of power, but it seems like she's destined to have to deal with this subject on a constant basis. Her features darken, if slightly. "No. To say that I am one of his allies or minions would be the greatest of errors. If anything, I am one of his greatest enemies, though I lack the power to do anything more than amuse him."
Kurow, for the moment, doesn't appear to be taking the offensive. The fact that he's eyeing her isn't beyond her either, but there's little she can do. Rather than collect herself or attempt to figure him out further than she has, she simply continues the battle towards it's end, swinging her arm in an underhand motion and lobbing a large shining ball of that very energy into the air, where it will curve parabolicly back down towards him.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Ingrid's Sun Shot.
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Ingrid 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Kurow
The ball of lobbed energy is telegraphed, to Kurow's trained eye; whipping his body to the right, he pulls himself out of the way of the energy harmlessly, saying, "... interesting. So many of the practicioners of those arts, in the end, seem to draw /some/ sort of connection to that man..." Not fully unexpected, but something of a curious trend -- after all, not all users of chi seem to be connected to Kain Heinlein or Igniz in some way.
He has to finish her now that she's so staggered, he tells himself -- people like her seem to draw a certain amount of power from being at the ends of their ropes. But how... that's the question; certainly he could simply kick her, or slash her, but that doesn't seem to quite be a fitting end to a match against someone who obviously fancies herself some sort of ally of 'light' and 'justice', if an understated one. No, he'll have to either choke the consciousness from her or get her to give up... and he knows a method by which he can probably do either.
Leaping forward, he tries to position himself behind her, and the second he lands, whirls around to face her back with incredible speed. He hooks an arm around her front and then back again, suddenly taking a tight grip of her neck in a vicious chokehold, all the while pulling his weight downward, trying to bring her down and make it harder to mount a counterattack, simply trying to get her to slump over if she doesn't have the good sense to tap out.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Ingrid with Quick Throw.
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Ingrid 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Kurow
"It isn't such a hard thing to understand, when he makes it his business to attack gifted children, myself included." She shakes her head a little bit. "But enough talk of him, shall we continue?" Kurow easily enough avoids her attack and then comes in to deal a final blow. It's not quite in the form she's expecting, but then the idea that he'd put her in a hold of some type wasn't exactly a foreign one in her mind. Someone as strong as he is wouldn't find it too difficult to overpower her, after all.
So rather than attempting an evasion, when he comes in to her and takes her by the neck she simply attempts to mitigate damage, trying to gain enough leverage to make his hold a temporary issue. Unfortunately, this does not turn out to be the case, and she's grabbed from behind, choked, and then forced to the ground. The only other person who has attempted such an attack on her before was Megumi, who proved that it's a rather successful endeavor. Locked down like this she can't precede as she wishes, but has to try and come up with something else. Another flash of energy surrounds her, and her body is suddenly laced with energy. Not only that, but she uses her power in a more subtle way, using it to enhance her strength and attempt to break the hold he has on her. If she can, she'll throw him off and immediately attack, righting herself using her psychic energy alone and spinning around quickly, one arm and leg out to kick him away from her, ending in a hopping kick. The characteristic yell isn't made, however- she's a bit out of air for that.
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Ingrid's Sunshine!
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Ingrid 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
Rather than try to fight Ingrid, rather than try to keep her locked in that hold, Kurow accepts that tonight will not be the night he makes someone submit rather than beating them by more conventional means; in accepting that, he takes more control, though. He lets Ingrid break the hold easily, and when she starts coming in with that first kick, he gives her a wide smile... and grabs her foot, pushing her leg up. Not enough to send her over, just enough to unbalance her a little.
He wastes no time capitalizing on that imbalance, of course. Dropping low to the ground, Kirishima dashes forward toward Ingrid's other leg, the one still on the ground, shouldering forcefully into it if she isn't very careful about how she handles it -- and from there, things might get... messy.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid fails to counter Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa EX from Kurow with Sun Lower EX.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Ingrid can no longer fight.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|
Rushing cleanly through Ingrid's legs and bowling her over just behind him, Kurow keeps on dashing forward; Ingrid, unfortunately, gets dragged along for the ride, as the youth conjures wave after wave of claw-like chi just behind him, each little whirl of energy pushing Ingrid over to the next one in the sequence. As abruptly as they started, though, the waves suddenly stop, and launch Ingrid upward; the youth wastes no time swinging a hard kick into her airborne form, sending her away.
Unfortunately for Ingrid, Kurow's assumption that using physical force on her was the best means of her disposal was the easiest method. In fact, the energy that he manifests now would be it. The downside to having power like hers is that it makes her rather vulnerable to what is normally used. An advantage if she can avoid getting struck with it, but others fighting her have an equal advantage. The energy combined with the first shoulder rushing blow is enough to completely destroy any semblance of a defense she can manage if she's hit. To this end, she hunkers down and attempts to intercept him with a disk of energy... but he's simply too fast for her. He crashes into her, and then tears her up with blades of energy, assaulting her to the point that she's unconscious after only the first few hits, the kick when she's in the air being against a limp body, and causing her to crash to the ground in rag doll fashion. Needless to say, the medics rush in immediately.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has ended the fight here.
Log created on 00:25:36 10/28/2007 by Ingrid, and last modified on 11:16:41 10/30/2007.