Description: In a high-risk structure made of whirling platforms, there is RIDICULOUS HIGH FLYING COMBAT. IT IS RAD. (Winners: Kurow/Ayame)
No expenses spared this week on getting Howard's arena ready for this match. Four platforms have been set up, gears and gyroscopes keeping them rotating around, providing no location that will actually hold still during the course of the fight. Stability of the platforms is questionable. Made of strong wooden beams, they will have no problem supporting the fighters normally... but they are thin enough that with enough pressure it's quite possible one of the participants could be crushed through one of the landings and fall to the arena floor below. The platforms don't even have the decency to rotate at the same speed, some whirling around quite swift enough to threaten sending a fighter tumbling off if they lose their balance, while others having a more restrained speed to them.
The rules of the match dictate that falling to the main floor of the arena is an instant disqualification. They also dictate that two of the fighters are to face one, making it a handicap fight for the experienced world famous psychic, Rose, against Justice High prodigiy, Kurow Kirishima and a complete unknown who registered simply as Ayame.
The latter is in place on one of the slower rotating platforms on the edge, her tight lipped, neutral expression concealing the abject shock she has at being stuck in something like this. 'Go make money fighting!' some had told her. Setting aside her disgust at the 'people behind the curtain' of the various leagues, the girl had finally signed up to give it a shot. She's watched plenty of SNFs before, so she knew the gist of it. How she ended up front in center as part of the main event is a mystery to her. Somewhere in the back her mind she suspects she might have robbed the wrong store or something. Maybe she should have put more effort into getting that list of 'Syndicate Protected Businesses' from Camille. "This is just great." mutters the strawberry-blonde as she rests her left hand at her hip.
One glance at Ayame will make it pretty obvious what she's about. A six foot long titanium staff is in her right hand. Drapped over her shoulders is several feet of cable with a weighted metal dart clipped to one end and a much heavier meteor hammer on the other end. Sheaths suggest knives. Yeah, the kid likes to play with weapons.
Rose's only weapon is her mind - her mind, and occasionally, her purse. But the purse has been left in the locker room, and she is currently standing on one of the more quickly rotating areas, although her balance seems, for now, perfect. As it rotates around, Rose looks towards the ceiling, eyes lowering at last as the disk moves closer towards where Ayame is standing.
"This is a clever wheeze, isn't it?" she asks, arms folded beneath her breasts, and smiles as the rotation of her disk takes her further away from Ayame. This may mean the girl will have to lift her voice to give Rose an answer... or, perhaps, just wait for her to come back around.
Kurow, of course, is a fan of weaponry, though today all he carries is his usual set of clawed gloves, already ready by the time he strides out to the arena. The young man's walk out has become curiously formulaic these days -- never seeming to stray too far from a set pattern, one the crowd seems to be getting used to.
The way he puts himself in the ring, however, is a little different today; rather than climbing those steps, the youth positions himself underneath one of those numerous spinning platforms, glancing to Rose for only a moment -- and then abruptly flipping upward, landing in a full standing position, on both feet, in the center of that rotating disc. Flaring his claws out wide to the usual mix of cheers and booos that fighters like himself draw whenever a crowd sees them, he gives Ayame a brief, appraising glance as the platform rotates toward her, and then focuses his attention more completely on Rose.
The brown eged girl studies Rose as the platforms permit the two to pass within proximity. She doesn't seem to share the woman's amusement, her expression maintaining a neutral cool. Rose would sense otherwise though, most likely. A layer of annoyance and no small amount of trepidation at trying something out she's never done before. Her self conducted training never really included scenarios like this, and she's only barely begun to understand the idea of working with a partner in fights - another mostly foreign experience. But she isn't so rude as to dismiss Rose's comment out of the blue as the disc takes them apart once more, "Certainly more than expected." she remarks.
Then her partner leaps up onto one of the platforms from the ground below and she studies Kurow. A cursory glance would almost make them seem similar, both weapon users after their own heart. But Ayame has done her homework. The difference between them in ability is, well, humbling to say the least. Right now the girl stands in the arena with the two most powerful people she's ever been in near proximity to, and she's supposed to fight one of them! There is a flicker of amusement at the mixed attention Kurow gets. She's seen his antics on TV. It seems fame will draw its admirers no matter how undeserving an individual is.
Very well. Best to play along with the rules of the fight as set forth. Loosening the cord from off her shoulders, she starts to idly spin the rope dart at her side with her left hand. To say she's out of her league is putting it mildly, but she might be able to be a source of distraction for the clawed fighter in any case. For the moment though, she keeps her distance, waiting on the slower platform. Considering who's involved, she isn't going to be leading the charge or anything. She'll leave that up to the Kirishima scion. In fact she even manages to give him a forced smile and nod of acknowledgement, hoping that he'll take the expression to make it clear she isn't going to be much of a meatshield for him.
COMBATSYS: Ayame has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rose has joined the fight here.
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
COMBATSYS: Kurow has joined the fight here.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Rose can sense Kurow's attention towards her, as well as Ayame's. It makes perfect sense, and she doesn't try to dissuade him; indeed, why should she, when she's nearly twenty feet away from him? Of course, the plate is rotating, and she crouches as the announcers count down the last several seconds remaining - and then, just as she approaches around the cusp of the disk, they declare "FIGHT!"
Rose leans back as the disk spins, letting its momentum topple her down to her side -- only she's already got her scarf in position, balancing on the pillar of cloth for a moment as she leans around, legs arcing up over her head as she slices them down towards Kurow while coming close by. Her heels and ankles glitter with blue sparkles of light as they move, and the entire thing is enormously telegraphed...
... but it's also powerful, on its own to say nothing of the possible non-physical pain of close contact with Soul Power, and it's backed by the force of the spinning disk itself!
During the idle time before the fight, when all that mattered was the screaming noise of the easily amused masses or the unimportant chitchat between fighters who will soon be inflicting nothing but violence upon each other, Ayame didn't much care about where the spinning platforms put her.
But the moment the fight starts it becomes quite pertinent and she begins to realize just how tricky it's going to be to be in control of positioning now. Taking a moment to leap up to the platform occupied by Rose, the girl runs straight to the center, removing the need to deal with the angular momentum to such a degree.
Sliding to a stop, she turns around, still spinning that rope dart in her left hand, the girl keeps her eyes on Rose, stepping forward to kick the pointed weight attached to her rope, sending the small metal projectile zipping out toward the far more experienced fighter, aiming at head level, clearly hoping to distract the woman for a bit in hopes that it leaves her partner better able to land a hit. No taunting shout is given... after all, hey, she might get lucky and manage to conk the woman on the side of her head if she isn't following the younger fighter enough.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Rose's Medium Kick.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Kirishima is forced to make a split second decision as he sees Rose fall, trying to determine if it's a feint or a genuine spill; he sees the scarf get in position, though, and quickly sees the maneuver for what it is. The youth jumps up, letting the spinning velocity of his perch on the platform carry him to the side and out of the way. The youth almost ends up falling down as a result of this little trick, but with a sudden change of direction in air that could only be attributed to a sudden, small expenditure of chi, launches himself just far enough to land on the lowest of the platforms.
From there, he decides to mount an offense again; having to deal with these moving platforms severely limits his options, due to his relative lack of capacity to fight at a distance. The youth is forced to try something that will at least put him /on/ a platform, even if he can't hit the maneuver itself -- in this case, a sudden leap toward Rose, seeking to grab her neck with those fierce claws. If he misses, he'll at least land belly-first /on/ the platform, and if he can sink them in, he has the opportunity to whirl around her neck and leave a series of deep gashes before letting himself fall and drag her face-first onto the stone platform, giving her what might be described as an EXTREEEEME makeover. No doubt this is /worsened/ by the fact that, if he times it right, she'll probably also have been hit in the face by that metal ball!
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Kurow's Circle Slash.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rose reflects Medium Fling from Ayame with Soul Reflect.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Kurow is, of course, the closer threat. Rose doesn't say anything as she watches him approach, eyebrows raising as she takes a step back from his leaping advance. She twists down low to avoid the neck grappling, twirling away and glancing down towards the young man for a moment. He's on the platform despite its speed, she thinks: Good!
She would hate to have him fall to his mangling death due to her agility. Something else has happened, though; Rose's head snaps around as she sees the dart thrown towards her, and leaps backwards, off the platform itself. She brings her scarf around with a whipping glitter of light, striking the incoming dart with a "HAH!" and a flash of turquoise light. A moment later the dart reverses itself, flying back towards its origin point; Rose herself lands on one of the lower, slower platforms with a clatter of heels on wood.
"Have you both worked together before?" she calls, which the alert might notice that she has asked other people, more than once. She sounds almost sad as she says it; perhaps she anticipates the outcome!
COMBATSYS: Ayame parries Rose's Reflected Medium Fling!
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
The weapon screaming back for Ayame is a lot faster than what she had kicked Rose's way. This is a first for the girl, as no one's ever retaliated against her ranged weapon by trying to hit her back with it! But the dart is attached to a rope and the girl has practiced long and hard with the Chinese styled weapon...
And those long hours of practice come to use now as she's able to yank her arm out to the side, adding a bit of a circular momentum to the projectile rather than allowing it to come at her head on like it was.
The result has the dart swinging around past the girl, straining the cable and her grip on it as she leans into the spin, dealing with the projectile going faster than she's ever been able to get it to go on her own.
The end result is it swinging back around on Rose a second time, but rather than a straight shot, it's a wide, sweeping arc, coming in from the side, and noteably faster than last time!
Watching Ayame masterfully handle that rope-weapon, Kirishima gives her a small nod as he kip-ups on the platform, still dangerously close to Rose. Staying in melee, keeping himself on the platform -- probably the best Kirishima can do for himself right now, especially considering he likely has quite the advantage in close combat.
Still, being on the platform does present a few challenges. That angular momentum makes mounting the sorts of acrobatic attacks that Kurow usually uses tricky, and it's definitely a lot harder to anticipate attacks with that factor in place. On the other hand, it gives him a few new options, too...
Such as grabbing at Rose's arm, hopefully holding her for long enough to allow Ayame to hit her with that wide, arcing strike... and then stomping her into the platform, holding her such that it grinds against her face for a few moments. Somewhere in the midst of this, he answers her question with a simple, firm, "No."
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Ayame's Cruel Barb EX.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rose interrupts Strong Kick from Kurow with Sliding.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Once again, Kurow presents the immediate problem, but Rose is alert and aware enough to realize that he is not the sole one. This is her real strength, perhaps, leaving aside the advantage of the strange energy she commands: It's hard to team up on a psychic.
The incoming grab and incoming object get dealt with in the same way - she steps abruptly to the side, towards the obvious approach path, but then drops down low to slide forwards with sudden force into Kurow's leg. When the OTHER leg comes down towards her, it strikes her in the shoulder with jarring, grinding force, pushing her against the other spinning disk hard enough to rip into her dress and draw some blood; she rolls with abrupt, shining force in the other direction, ending on one knee and breathing hard.
She straightens up slowly, tossing her hair back. "You are moving very well together," she says. "Really, many people seem to, these days..."
From her perspective in the center of the disk, Ayame smirks a little, realizing exactly how Kurow was trying to hold Rose in place for the little weight to swing around a second time. It wasn't meant to be, apparently, as the woman gets wise to the combination of attacks and retaliates against Kurow to keep from getting struck.
The dart having lost a lot of its momentum by that second swing, Ayame brings the weapon back around, spinning it over her head a few times to slow it down and get it more under control. Finally she drops her arm to her side, letting the weight fall to the ground.
Hmn. Rose is remarkably fast and her situational awareness tells Ayame that she's probably had a lot of experience with matches like these. The blonde remains as quiet as she has been since the bout started, merely trying to study the way the famous psychic operates. "Maybe there really is something to all that insight voodoo," she mumbles, having been quite the skeptic all her life.
COMBATSYS: Ayame focuses on her next action.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Kirishima takes a nasty hit in the leg, thanks to Rose -- he manages to complete the maneuver, but it doesn't change the fact that he nearly tumbles off the platform well before he could even have hoped to get going. However, a quick dig of a claw into the platform keeps /that/ from occurring, and once again, Kurow pulls himself back up. This time, though, he stays down on the platform, looking up toward Rose as /she/ gets up.
Not like that, pervs. He isn't looking at /that/, but rather trying to get used to the speed of this particular foothold, as well as to Rose's movements -- like Ayame, he's taking a few seconds to reevaluate his strategy and learn a little more about Rose's.
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Neither of them is coming right at her, Rose realizes as she looks slightly up and slightly down. Her lips thin as they press together and she breathes in through her nose, and out between her lips, in a soft sussurating sigh.
She then folds her arms before her, head tilting slightly upwards. She lets her eyes close, perhaps confident that neither will close the distance before she will notice, as light shimmers around her. It flows out from her, swirls into spherical shapes, and floats down to soak back into her body.
She opens her eyes slightly - "This is quite fun!" she calls to the others, taking a few steps to keep herself in a static position relative to the other two wheels.
COMBATSYS: Rose gathers her will.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Left alone, spinning around in the center of the platform, daring her brain to try and keep from getting dizzy with turn after turn, Ayame has had some time to watch Rose and Kurow interact from a distance. While she and Kurow have never met, the girl did do a lot of research before entering the fight. A teenager, but powerful enough to compete against many of the greatest fighters around the world. One doesn't reach that state without having remarkable cunning to back up speed and power.
Surely he knows that she can't compete against Rose herself and the best she can hope to do is provide distractions for his own techniques to carry the fight. He's already demonstrated that with the attempt at holding Rose in place, Ayame muses. The least she can do is try to aid him in that effort.
Ayame's hand slips into the black pouch affixed to one of her belts, pulling out a small, black, round cylinder. Pressure from her thumb pops the top of it off and causes it to start emiting a thin cloud of smoke in her hand. Used primarily for detecting surveillance devices while on missions, she hopes Elle forgives her having taken this one from storage.
Holding it in her hand for a moment, the girl focuses on Kurow directly, "Watch out for the explosion!" she yells, trying to make eye contact with him. If eye contact is established, she'll shake her head just slightly, alerting him to the fact that the device is a feint. It looks like it might be a grenade, what with the smoke the way she chucks it now, aiming to roll it along the spinning platform such that it should slide past Rose and Kurow on its way off the edge of the disk. Of course, there's no explosion.
COMBATSYS: Ayame assists Kurow.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
Cracking a smile as he sees Ayame go for that semi-obvious feint (and hoping that Rose doesn't use her immense psychic power to pick up on the lie), Kirishima rolls to the side and does another quick kip-up, this time rearing one hand back just as the little cylinder hits the platform. Another visual distraction comes, and indeed augments that of the smoke as well, as Kurow's hand begins to gather energy into itself; the longer he stands there, getting ready, the brighter the sickly purple light that amasses becomes, seemingly readying for a technique that has been... less than successful in recent weeks.
And as that little distraction slides /off/ of the platform, it is then that Kirishima at last decides to come in for the kill. His feet move across the platform lightning-fast, each of his movements accomodating for the fact that the platform is indeed spinning -- everything seems to come together for that one vicious attack, as Kurow apparently comes in for that vicious stomach strike.
It never comes, though -- the youth leaps up and off the platform entirely as he gets near enough to Rose, encasing his entire body in that black and white ball of whirling chi that has given Rose a great deal of trouble more than once in the past. To add a little extra pain, Kurow pushes toward Rose even as the platform pushes her in toward him, trying to shred her as fiercely as possible with those vicious swipes of chi.
COMBATSYS: Rose blocks Kurow's Yasha Guruma.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-------|
The thrown cylinder makes Rose's eyes flick to the side, making her move a moment later backwards, the rotation of the disk making her stumble just a little... which is enough, of course, to expose her to Kurow's incoming strike. She's seeing him come in before she can do anything about it, and she looks at two of the possible outcomes.
She picks the one where she can't see her intestines. She puts her arm down with a "AH!" and the scarf flashes with light, but all that it really does is keep her from taking that brutal lead-in strike. The remaining flurry carves a dozen furrows in her neck and shoulders, her face twisting sharply away to avoid the worst of it as she hisses in obvious pain. She teeters at the edge of the disk...
And straightens, tossing her hair back. She laughs, though not with great strength. "Are you /certain?/ I think that your motions there show a commendable degree of foresight and unity of action! However -" and then she jumps into the air, twisting around to descend towards the same disk as Ayame. She lifts her voice so she can keep haranguing the youth, stepping closer to the teenager, "- I would like to think, that I am not so simple as that."
Rose has her moments as well, and this may be one of them. As she comes on Ayame's flank, she gives her an almost apologetic look before stepping outside of her own body. The illusion makes sense after an instant - she's duplicated herself somehow - but that may be cold comfort, as both duplicates are advancing towards Ayame. The lefthand one suddenly jerks into action, dashing in and crouching as one scarf-wearing arm snaps out towards her midsection; the one on the left swings the sparkling scarf around, each strike fueled with that peculiar not-burning sensation of Soul Power! Easily confused, of course, with Psycho Power - or other forms of wild talent.
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Ayame with Soul Illusion.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|
Uh oh, it looks like she finally got Rose's attention. That's really bad news for the teen. She has no idea what she's in for as the woman leaps closer to her and... duplicates herself? Hey, this is great day for firsts. First SNF, first main event, first time seeing someone capable of bending their energy control into the creation of illusions, and the first Soul Power obliteration!
Trying to back away from the two figures she's forced to contend with now. Trying to weave to the right to avoid the Soul Power imbued swing, she steps right into the attacks coming from the right which only serves to bounce her back into the imbued strikes from the left. Defenses shattered, nerves wracked, the girl cries out as she drops to the ground at the end of the assault, not even remotely able to figure out how many ways she hurts right now.
No longer centered, she's now left rolling rapidly toward the edge of the disc. It's a ways to tumble which gives her enough time to realize that's where she's headed. Part of her is kind of glad at the prospect, since hitting the floor would mean she doesn't have to go through this anymore. But flicker of pride and maybe a little determination to pay the woman back for that beating gets her to hang on, spreading her arms out at her side, slowing her course just before she drops over the side, getting a one handed grip with her left arm just before she would have freefallen.
Muscles strain to pull her back up onto the disc, her right hand still holding onto that staff of hers, as the girl stays on hands and knees for a moment trying to collect herself well enough to stand up without just flopping right back off the edge. "...they can't possibly be paying enough for this," she mutters, making a mental note to go smack everyone who ever said she should give the leagues a shot upside the head with her polearm. But if she's going to go the second lap, she might as well get her head back into the game. Using her staff for support, she manages to get standing again, shaking her head to clear her vision.
COMBATSYS: Ayame focuses on her next action.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|
The other fighter up against Rose, meanwhile, finds himself in possession of something that he almost never gets in battles like this: a break. Rose moves over toward Ayame, leaving Kurow to his own devices altogether as she batters the young girl senseless. The youth looks down at the platform, considering trying to simply steady himself and catch a breath as his partner is beaten down; it's an attractive option, since it'd allow him to reenter the fight almost altogether fresh.
On the other hand, breaking the pressure on Rose would likely lose him a few options later, and also might allow her to execute yet another devastating maneuver. Better to keep her on her toes, he reasons -- and so he does something a little unorthodox. With a hard stomp, Kirishima cracks part of that spinning platform; it begins to crumble, the separated piece splitting in two and starting to fall. Not letting it get /all/ the way down, Kirishima leans forward from his position on his still-intact section of platform, picks up the heavy stone, and gives it a good, solid fling at Rose's head wordlessly. Maybe it'll even buy Ayame some time to get away!
COMBATSYS: Rose reflects Large Thrown Object from Kurow with Soul Reflect.
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Kurow 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 1/-======/=======|
Rose draws back from the teenage girl, perhaps feeling that she's getting too close to driving her over the edge - whether of the disk or into a state of utter despair, or both, is an open question. She hears cracking and rumbling as she takes a step back again, calling towards Ayame, "Do not focus on the wages. Focus on -"
A shadow falls on her, and there is a transient burst of sunlight yellow in front of her. Her eyes widen and she twists around, just in time to see a fifty pound stone, ripped from the arena below, flung directly towards her head and shoulders!
No time to dodge, barely even time to think about it; she swings her scarf around again, another turquoise-blue flash echoing out as the cloth contacts the stone. The kinetic energy within it is absorbed, sending a peculiar, painful tweak up Rose's arm - and is then reversed, sending the rock flying back towards where Kurow stands. "Ahh!" she gasps, before shouting, "Don't stand on it, it may fall!"
Well, no reason to hold back. No point in trying to conserve strength for the long haul. Ayame knows she isn't in this fight for a long stretch if Rose turns her attention back to dealing with her. She hears the comments intended for her. Not to focus on the money fighters get for getting put through this grueling ritual. She actually does spend time trying to think about what else the point is. Some probably do it for fun, she supposes, like that Kiyoko girl was telling her some time ago. She isn't sure where the fun is supposed to kick in though.
Which is partially why she stays quiet. The other reason is because she's got to give this her all if she's going to help Kurow deal with Rose for much longer. Holding her staff in front of her at a defensive angle, the girl applies pressure to a point somewhere near the center. From the end of a blade extends, unfoldnig into three seperate blades at ninety degree angles from each other, forming almost a strange, bladed cross.
Gritting her teeth, the girl charges Rose then, right about when the woman reflects Kurow's attack back at him for him to cope with. Well, Ayame may just give /her/ something to cope with! The weapon itself ignites with a vibrant, red aura as Ayame goes after Rose with the bladed end, swinging, spinning over her head, twirling around in circles to bring it in for follow up swipes, and so forth.
It takes everything she has, but hey, maybe it'll give Rose something to focus on for a moment too. Veteran fighter or not, sharp, chi-laced polearms aren't going to feel good for anyone.
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Kurow with Reflected Large Thrown Object.
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Kurow 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|
The chunk of platform is sent back at Kirishima, and he finds himself punished for his attempt to give Rose a good, solid hit -- though he starts to leap out of the way, it's too late, and he is sent sprawling by his own chunk of platform. He once again takes a near-tumble off his spinning platform, but at the last second hooks onto the side of it -- /his/ half begins to crumble now, which forces him to quickly kick off and land on another, lower one adjacent.
Unfortunately for him, this puts him even further from the rest of the action; he doesn't have a lot of options for a direct attack right now, and as such has to settle for hanging back and studying the movements of the three remaining, intact platforms, trying to find a more efficient path to Rose, while simultaneously trying to recall how Rose has, in the past, reacted to different tricks. Never go in without a plan of attack -- at least, that's how Kurow always sees things.
COMBATSYS: Kurow focuses on his next action.
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Kurow 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Rose with Final Solstice.
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Kurow 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/-----==|
And now it is not Kurow who is presenting any sort of a risk to Rose; he's too far away. She'd see a projectile before it came in - no, the real problem is that incoming charge. The raw force of it and that red aura shimmering around the edge of the blade stuns Rose for one crucial second, sending her staggering back over the radius of the spinning object, crossing her arms over her face to protect it, and her eyes, from the savaging blade!
In the end, her dress is almost completely ruined, doubtless to the long-term pleasure of Geese Howard's sales. She looks up, breathing heavily, and says with wide eyes, "Astonishing...! How did you manage to move so quickly..."
She then straightens, one hand going on her hip briefly. "Please," she tells her, "do not let this discourage you. You have great talent, I can tell - it is not your fault that you were assigned to this battle...!" And then she dives forwards, ducking beneath a possible counter-strike from Ayame's polearms to aim a punch at her abdomen. The punch itself has little force, but her scarf swirls out over her arm as it moves, a green shimmer of light reinforcing the blow.
COMBATSYS: Ayame counters Medium Punch from Rose with Bright Renewal.
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Kurow 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Rose
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Ayame 0/-------/----===|
The girl strikes until she's exhausted herself, the chi in her weapon bleed out and her limbs tired. She only has time to take a step back as Rose offers prudent words of comfort, Ayame smiles faintly, the first break from her tight lipped somewhat stressed expression the entire match. "Thank you," she replies to the compliment first. Her tone isn't exactly warm in spite the good intentions, but it Rose will sense that there is at least sincerity behind it.
Then she pauses to encourage her and Ayame nods her head to the side just slightly, "I know what my present limits are and am not disappointed. It is a lot more than I expected though."
And then comes the punch that would easily take her out of the fight, as there's no chance the girl can weather any more strikes from the far more experienced fighter. But it's in that moment that she puts that weapon to use in a defensive way, hopping backward and stabbing it out like a lance at the same time to knock Rose in the stomach, giving her a bit of distance and taking her out of range of the clenched hand...
And then the girl spins around entirely, swinging the weapon almost more like a bat than a staff, aiming the give Rose a follow up knock to her side. In her condition and considering the gap of ability between them, it's far from a devestating assault by any stretch of the imagination. But it does keep the girl hanging around a little bit longer all the same.
She risks a glance over her shoulder to scope out Kurow. Where is that guy now?!
As Kirishima watches Rose come at Ayame yet again, and once again find herself shot down, he decides that now -- while Rose is no doubt overextended and hurting -- is the best possible time to strike. The youth takes a quick breath, and suddenly rushes across the platform when he has the longest running start possible; energy flares around him in midair, giving him the smallest additional boost forward to land himself right on the edge of the platform.
He doesn't stop there, though; the youth rushes forward at Rose, hoping she's still staggered by that vicious series of staff counterstrikes, trying to shoulder into her side...
COMBATSYS: Rose reflects Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa from Kurow with Soul Reflect.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Rose
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/----===|
Rose seems astonished when that countering strike comes in, knocking her arm aside before the Soul Power can be transmitted and giving her a smack in the side for good measure. She gasps, some blood flecking her lips, and leaps to her feet again - "Forgive me, for thinking that you were at the end of your rope! Ayame, isn't it --"
Kurow's coming; she can see him, feel him. She twists around as he contacts her body, likely feeling a pleasant moment of cushioning contact --
Until SHE flashes, instead of her scarf, the force of Soul Power beating out and seeming to follow along his hostile intention as much as his energy, rebounding off his very spirit! Rose staggers after this, breathing with heaving gasps, and says softly, "So, we are all joined at last - I had wondered how long it would take!"
Whew. That was close. Ayame may appear outwardly calm, but inwardly she knows how frightfully close that defensive reaction was on her part. Rose's acknowledgement is... well, she's kind of unsure how to respond. People usually don't compliment her on her fighting... though she does tend to be more obnoxious typically too. "You're very polite for a fighter." she observes, accepting the compliment and offering one in return. It seemed the proper thing to say, she thinks.
But this isn't tea time and she's not here to talk. She witnessed Rose's timely and very effective reaction to Kurow's attack with quiet marvel. This woman is pretty amazing. No wonder she has to take handicap fights like this. Stepping forward, Ayame goes back on the offense, swinging out the end of the staff that was behind her to land a strike to Rose's side again before switching it back the other way, aiming to sweep lower, toward her ankles, giving her something to jump over perhaps.
In the end, the girl takes a step backward, holding the staff out straight in front of her, almost like a lance.
That burst of Psycho Power staggers Kurow, forcing him back to a staggered standing position and well out of that vicious, offensive stance. "Forgive me if I'm not as enthused," he spits back, evidently displeased at his high-risk maneuver getting shut down entirely by that little wave of energy.
Heavy breathing showing no small amount of fatigue, Kirishima comes in again with another full-force strike, though by this point he's started to favor speed a little more intensely in an attempt to make up for his own increasing tiredness. Taking a quick step in toward Rose, he goes for another low shot with his claws, trying to give Rose's stomach a fierce slash -- only to switch up at the last moment, driving his other hand toward her chest and giving it a good twist before pulling it back. His offense is becoming simple, direct; not flashy, but there's not much on these spinning platforms to be flashy /with/ except the platforms themselves, and with one already destroyed...
COMBATSYS: Rose dodges Ayame's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Rose
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Rose
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/----===|
It isn't neccessarily Rose's /idea/, so much as Geese Howard, who's probably pleased at how she's nearly flopping out of her dress. She does, as Ayame might have expected, leap over the swung polearm -- which puts her right in the position to get struck straight on by Kurow, right in the torso. She gasps, and is sent flying back by both his force and a last-minute jerking of the body -
She lands right in the center of the platform, and lays on her back for a few moments, breathing heavily and watching the ceiling spin. But she rises, as she has already, lurching a bit as she regains her feet and wipes her lips on a scrap of her sleeve. "Welcome back, Mr. Kirishima!"
And then she twists about, her scarf shimmering as she begins the motion; the light begins at her shoulder and follows along the cloth, accelerating as it goes. By the time it's left the tip of the scarf, the oblong ball of glimmering energy is moving quite quickly indeed -- is Kurow faster?!
While her sweep doesn't connect with anything, Ayame can't be disappointed by the results as Rose is forced to leap over her staff, putting her in striking range of Kurow's slashing claws. Poor lady, the girl ponders, getting stuck against two people with slashing, cutting, piercing weapons. The present state of her dress definitely wasn't a part of Ayame's plan by any means. She might need to rethink bladed weapons in competition a bit... They work great for mugging suckers, but maybe not the best thing for TV.
Kurow is forced to deal with Rose's next blast of power, so Ayame gets a brief reprieve from having to cope with powerful attacks being flung her way. Well, best to stick to being on the offense. Maybe she can do something to help Kurow land another attack... Like holding Rose still for a bit.
Holding her staff off to the side in her left hand, the girl lunges for Rose this time, trying to hook her left arm around her waist. It's more to position herself than to hold the woman grounded, allowing her to slip around and swing her polearm up and over Rose's neck.
If she sinks the hold, she'll stay behind the psychic, staff over her neck, trying her darndest to just slow her down moreso than deal any fight turning damage. She almost feels she should apologize for the tactic, but keeps her mouth tightly shut all the same. This competition stuff is weird!
COMBATSYS: Rose successfully hits Kurow with Soul Spark.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kurow 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Rose
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/----===|
The cloth's motions tip Kurow off to something, but he misjudges -- expecting a kick like she gave him a few minutes ago, he instead gets that burst of Soul Power shoved at him. The misjudgment means that he moves /precisely/ wrong, and takes that blast dead-center in the chest, pushed dangerously close to the edge of that spinning platform yet again.
Indeed, after a second of trying to stabilize himself, he falls straight down off the back -- a little cleanly, as if he stepped off, but still straight off the back. There is only a small crunch, for the faintest of moments, to indicate that anything has happened other than Kurow being eliminated.
He flails his legs a little, something the /crowd/ can see but Rose can't, as he tries to make sure he doesn't let himself land on the arena proper; after a second, though, he puts that energy to good use, flipping up and forward... and launching himself into a swift surprise kick toward where he estimates Rose will be on the spinning platform!
COMBATSYS: Rose endures Ayame's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kurow 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Rose
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Rose with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Kurow 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Rose
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ayame 0/-------/----===|
Bad for TV, or BEST for TV, Ayame? Rose is slowing, it seems, and she doesn't do much once she's grapped. She's feeling out the line of approach of the future and she doesn't like some of what she sees, but this is not the worst possible outcome - "Ghk!" she says as she's grasped, chest heaving as she's pulled backwards. Then in comes Kurow; Rose tries to twist, but it fails, the grapple keeping her firmly in place. The spinning kick slams along her front, something sounding as if it's snapping faintly inside, as well as grabbing on the trailing part of her dress -
This DVD is not yet going to require the third camera or a special Europe-only release. Similar to the teen-friendly rating, Rose is bloodied, even pressed to the wall, but not yet bowed. She can't say much; she does not even have very much that she can do.
Except to reach up and grasp the staff with both hands a moment before twisting around, aiming to throw Ayame to the wooden floor with a flurry of pastel sparkles of force adding to the motion of her body!
COMBATSYS: Ayame fails to counter Quick Throw from Rose with Requiem For Fallen Blossoms.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rose 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Ayame can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rose 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Kurow
Ayame knows she's in trouble the moment Rose reaches up to grab hold if her staff and overpowers her hold without too much trouble. Erk. Her choices are to relinquish control over her weapon or hold onto it and try to make something of the problematic situation she's finding herself in.
There's a moment of chi lancing along her weapon again, somewhat of a defensive reaction as she tries to make it rather uncomfortable for Rose to grip it so... But it's a bit too late because by then the girl has already been flung bodily to the floor. That's a landing she can take though - light weight and pretty good at rolling with being tossed around. All she has to do is land into a tumble that brings her up-
None of that actually happens though as the Soul Power portion of the attack follows up, striking her before she can take control of her own momentum. A sharp cry and the girl arches her back before exhaling and lying still, staff still in hand. After the two attacks she's been through, her body thinks it's best that she just lie there like a good little Ayame.
As Ayame tries for that last counter-strike, Kirishima is already planning his next move, hoping to end the fight before it goes too much longer -- he's starting to fatigue drastically, but he's starting to notice Rose doing the same -- and more importantly, he notices that she's a little worse-off than he is. Now would be the ideal time to capitalize, if not the /only/ time to capitalize.
Kirishima takes alast quick step, trying to capitalize on the movements of both the girls and take the center of the spinning disc. He's about to put himself in a very risky position, but the chance is definitely worth it -- he knows he can finish her, if he can pull this off.
Kirishima drops low, extending one hand out slightly toward Rose and the edge of the platform; wordlessly, he sweeps it up, sending a bright golden corona of energy up into the air, a great yellow whirlwind that seeks to snare Rose and toss her up into the air. More importantly, though, it stays in one place -- as Rose goes up, it continues to shred parts off the platform, letting Ayame fall -- and more importantly, leaving Rose nowhere to land unless she wants to share that tiny little center with Kurow, or maneuver to another platform.
COMBATSYS: Rose negates Kirishima Shinkuu Yamiarashi from Kurow with Aura Soul Spark.
Glancing Hit
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Rose 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Rose is astonished, not at the wave of energy from Kurow - she has seen such things before, if not this specific one in this specific place from him - as by how callously he seems to be willing to let his ally fall, possibly to her doom! She leaps into the air, as she might well, back and away from that whirlwind of destruction.
She feels light and energy ripple through her, with more difficulty than before, but she has perhaps only one clear shot left at this herself -- and so the Soul Spark that bursts down does little save disabling and interfering with the wave of yellow chi, leaving, in the end, an merely partially destroyed platform. Ayame may find it easier to land, now.
Rose herself heads for the center, which is starting to spin faster. Her hair ripples in the breeze, and she smiles, rather weakly. "So, then, it is down to us? You are doing quite excellently..." Of course, praise may not be what he wants to hear now.
Content to just stay put and wait the match out, Ayame's reprieve is cut short by large quantities of destruction! They weren't kidding about all those waivers they had her sign she gripes mentally, rolling over onto her side as she becomes vaguely aware of an impending disaster about to strike.
She's spared a complete freefall, however, as Rose's interferrence keeps most of Ayame's portion of the large disc in tact. "Whew." she breaths a sigh of relief. That wasn't so bad. And then her section drops to the arena floor.
Landing on a pile of debris, the girl just sits there, even more dazed than she was after Rose's attack. "...medic..." she mutters before flopping flat on her back.
Ayame is, ultimately, mostly disposable now that she's not involved, at least in Kurow's mind. "You're surprising me," he admits, taking a deep breath. "I thought for sure that that would have you..." However, it doesn't, which means that Kurow and Rose are still where they were a second ago, still deadlocked on this small (now halved) platform, and still fighting tooth and nail for an increasingly small margin of victory.
Kirishima grits his teeth, breathing heavily -- he feels like he's got a small edge on Rose here, but it's an edge he could lose at any time -- the youth has very little to rest his laurels on, much to his chagrin. There's still one chance, though, one shot that he sees quite clearly at Rose as she takes up that position in the center...
It's not much of an attack, really. Honestly, Kurow's trying to end this as cleanly as possible rather than going for a dramatic finish -- usually he's good for them, but after that exchange of massive energy waves, /anything/ would look good. Coming in with what looks like a quick grapple attempt for Rose's arms, Kirishima quickly switches it up, instead deciding to go for a one-handed attack with those sharp claws at Rose's sides, slipping through the ribs on either side and giving her a few nasty gashes -- nothing serious, but perhaps enough to just barely fell her.
COMBATSYS: Rose fails to interrupt Medium Strike from Kurow with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rose can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Kurow 0/-------/-------|
Rose crouches down at exactly the wrong time. There is a terrible tearing noise as her dress at last gives way as well as another carving into her rather pale skin, making her hiss in pain as she steps back out of reflex, balancing on her heels as she finds herself on the edge of falling, uncomfortably cold and bare, and facing a man with brutal cutting claws.
She's fading from blood loss already, and a moment to look in at herself tells her: No, there is not enough for any more. This is a fight for the sake of glory and standing and to flush out unnatural elements, not to save the human race from domination. So: Rose takes a deep breath, puts a hand on her hip, flashes Kurow a bright, if pained, smile - and falls backwards the rest of the way. He will hear in his head, if not on any sound tracks: 'Congratulations!'
She has enough in her to twist around and make her scarf sparkle, cushioning her fall, but then she lays on the cold floor for several moments, clearly indicating defeat. She takes this opportunity to breathe, and then sits upright, tying that scarf around herself.
Kirishima watches impassively as Rose falls -- though what shocks him is that voice in his head as she does so. The congratulations are somewhat diminished by the fact that Kurow /really/ does not like hearing voices like that -- with his own unique cross-section of knowledge, he sees it as extremely worrisome rather than mostly harmless. Still, there is some joy in victory, as Rose falls to the ground.
The young man turns to the fallen Rose, looking down on her from his spinning half-platform, then looks to the crowd with a cruel smile on his face. The announcers are already no doubt giving the standard 'is he seriously considering continuing that relentless assault,' 'that man is a lunatic' line that they've probably given a thousand times... but fortunately, Kirishima is not in the business of destroying legendary fighters. At least, not tonight.
Leaping up and letting that angular momentum carry him, Kurow lands neatly in the center of the arena; without even giving a glance to his fallen partner, he does a full hundred-eighty degree turn on one heel and walks away, hopping off the arena proper and then walking to the back without another word.
Log created on 19:14:30 11/23/2007 by Kurow, and last modified on 20:46:47 11/27/2007.