Description: In a fight that pits the fearsome Kain Heinlein against Tenma Kiryuu, Grigori Yakushevic and Ayame NO GIVEN SURNAME, one question burns brightly: will they be capable enough of refraining from attacking each other? Or will their dislikes cloud judgment and blow the fight for the three up-and-comers..? (Winners: Ayame, Grigori and Tenma) (PS: starscream is awesome i wish i could be as totally tubular as him)
Another weekend, another trip to Southtown's own Howard Arena. Property of the SNF franchise and Howard Enterprises itself, the girl has gotten familiar with it during previous appearances well enough. It usually means the fight is a big deal, likely draw in a huge crowd - big budgeted affair and all. Standing in the center of the arena, her staff already drawn, a cable draped over one shoulder, Ayame's mind drifts back to the special conditions that were explained to her.
The rules were explained in person to Ayame as she arrived, the list of fighters read off one by one. 'Grigori' "Doesn't ring a bell." A picture is shoved in her face and the teen fighter ooos, "Yeah, I know him..." she remarks, cracking her knuckles. 'Tenma' "No kidding, huh. Yeah, I can definitely see enjoying this fight. So I just have to beat up those two jackasses this week? Hard work, but definitely something I'm looking forward to."
'Kain Heinlein' "Wait a second..." The official continues dryly, explaining the handicapped match of the three less experienced fighters against the current SNF World Champion title holder and Ayame shrugs. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. I can 'work with those two'," she remarks with a quick wink that indicates she has no intentions of doing anything of the sort. What better time to backstab Tenma than when he's facing down one of Kain's infamous black chi techniques, right??
The last rule is explained. If the team of three turns against each other, they automatically forfeit the fight. "So if I, say, /accidentally/ shiv that Russian perv, we automatically lose?" The SNF official, with patience developed by dealing with difficult fighters week after week, merely sighs and nods. "That's a dumb rule. Who the fu-" The official adds that this rule came by special request of Geese Howard himself and Ayame buttons up.
Two months ago she wouldn't have given half a damn what Geese Howard wanted. But two months ago she had a nice job for a mercenary outfit, a deep expense account, and all the casino food she could stand to eat. That was then. Now the SNF appearances amount to her only /legitimate/ source of income anymore and doing something that displeases the big guy himself isn't something she's willing to do...
Shaking her head from her reverie, Ayame glances around at the crowd in the stands, masking well the irritation she feels within with a fairly well composed, faint smile. "I wish I had that dancing Irishman backing me up on this one," the girl ponders out loud to herself, remembering well the last time she faced the likes of Kain with Krizalid as her partner. He was a weird guy. But pretty cool in her book.
Strolling out into the arena, Kain seems immune to the cries coming from the audience. An SNF staff member refreshed him on the rules for this fight, but it wasn't really necessary. All Kain needs to know is that everybody else standing in the arena with him is his enemy, to be put down by whatever means necessary. From what he saw of the lineup, none of the fighters appear to individually be much of a threat, but together they might be able to get past his defenses.
And... is that staffer still following Kain? Heinlein had stopped listening some time ago. Is the fellow new? He really should know better. Without breaking his stride, Kain swings his right arm up and back, the back of his fist stopping so close to the staffer's nose that the fabric of Kain's glove is actually touching him. Heinlein is left alone for the rest of his walk out onto the arena floor.
Once he arrives, Kain slips his left hand into his pocket, leaning back slightly on his left leg as he observes his opponents and the crowd. One thing about Howard Arena... Kain no longer needs to spend much time looking over the environment before a fight; he's already gotten to know it quite well. He does check a few things, however. In particular, glancing up to make sure there's nobody lurking about up there.
Apparently, having to fight Kain Heinlein intermittently is part of Tenma's destiny, decided long before he was even born.
This must be at least the third time the Guardian King leader has found himself facing off against the Ankoku flame wielder, and boy howdy have things gone well for him in the past during these events. Still, Tenma seems remarkably uncowed by the weight of history, striding out from backstage in his turn towards the granite fighting stage. The idea that he /cannot win/, as usual, simply doesn't occur to Tenma, even though he's well aware of the gap in ability between himself and Kain. But Tenma's belief in himself is enormous and insurmountable, and would probably have to be measured in astronomical terms. And yeah, sure, he heard the rules: Don't attack your teammates, or else. How often does he ever do that? He's not Luc Schroedinger or something! So self-assured was he that the youth simply refused to let the SNF staffer finish the rest of the explanation, so what he sees when he gets out there is kind of a surprise.
Bokken slung against his shoulder, already alight with that smoky, crimson aura of blood and chi, the Gedo swordsman leaves a trail of red spatters behind him, blood dripping from the bite in his left thumb, that hand dangling carelessly at his side. His gaze doesn't wander towards Kain at all, instead remaining fixed on Ayame as he approaches the stage, and when he /reaches/ it, the tall Japanese youth's mouth pulls into a wide, wolfish grin, directed at the onetime kidnapper.
"Stay the hell out of my way, Sneak Thief," Tenma mutters at Ayame, keeping a friendly face despite his words. "I'm not /that/ desperate to win... Got it?" In fact, the Gedo gang member might even consider losing /worth/ it... Though he doubts Kain would really give them the opportunity, anyway.
And so the fighters assemble. With Ayame, Tenma and the man of the evening himself, Kain Heinlein gathered, the three are ready and willing to face off against one another, two 'lightweights' with a dark history with one another set against seemingly impossible odds, the current holder of the Champion's Belt. What's more, the two fighters can't turn on one another. They must exercise the most effort imaginable to refrain from an attack going astray.
If they want to WIN, that is.
But something is wrong with this picture. Two fighters? Aren't there supposed to be three versus one?
Backstage, the SNF crew is frantically pounding on a door, shouting for whoever is on the other side to 'come out,' because they 'have a fight to attend to.' But the person on the other side remains unresponsive to their pleas. Their efforts seem in vain as the minutes tick by, every second lost another second the three fighters are forced to wait without their scheduled fourth.
Then, instantly, the door flies off the hinges with a horrible scream of brass twisting, the steel door flying into the wall behind it with a loud BANG. And in the threshold...is an inebriated Russian named Grigori Yakushevic with a bottle of scotch in his hand.
"Feh, po xuy!!" the man spits, turning his head to the side and craning his neck before she sneers. "I don't give damn about your schedules and silly nonsense." With a grunt the man lumbers forward, a shoulder clipping the door's frame before he leans into it, still sneering cruelly as the few gathered crew members cow away from the Russian.
"Grigori will fight when Grigori ready. Stop BOTHERING me!" He takes a long drink before he drops the now-empty bottle of scotch to his feet. A hand reaches up, the back of his arm running over his face as he attempts some semblance of looking presentable to the waiting crowds. "Fine, I will go. Durák."
After what likely feels like for-damn-ever, a broad-shouldered figure lumbers out from the locker room entrances into the arena, his presence met with a bit of cheer--but only because the fight is FINALLY going to begin. Basking in his perceived glory, the inebriated Russian lifts his arms up and smirks broadly, staggering forward before he approaches the three fighters.
Two he doesn't recognize. "Eh." The man shrugs carelessly.
But Ayame...
"Oh, devochka," the man offers, ignoring the two guys present to lumber forward and attempt to drape an arm over her shoulder with a confident grin. "Is long time since last we danced. How you been? Get in troubles lately? Ha ha ha! Worry not your pretty head, devochka. Grigori Yakushevic will watch your back." His body leans back a bit, peering around before his lips ease into a creepy, drunken smile.
"Be sure to wiggle it a bit, yah?" A roaring laugh follows.
Out first, Ayame gets to watch as the reigning SNF Champion steps into the arena, brushing off an annoying official as he does so. Yeah, she remembers well the power every one of his attacks can bring to bear. Her last experience ended rather painfully for certain. But the wealthy German ceases to occupy her attention as Tenma comes in afterward. His somewhat unsettling grin is met with a patient smile and a flip of her hair back over her shoulder as the girl does her best to look unaffected by her history with the Gedo High student.
"Yeah, yeah," she replies with a shrug, drawing a knife and idly balancing it on her finger as she turns to the side, one shoulder toward him, as if intending to ignore him for a moment. Of course, she can't seem to pull that off exactly, as she keeps talking at him anyway. "Whatever, tough guy. You don't have your gang of thugs to back you up in here, so don't think you're so untouchable." The knife is forced up into a lazy spin and then she catches it on its way back down, passing the time idly. "Just don't flub this fight. Your trash talk isn't going to mean much to the likes of this guy and I'm not sure what else you've got without that."
Falling quiet, time seems to be passing rather slowly to the girl. There's supposed to be a third, right? Getting a bit uneasy, the girl begins to tap her foot idly, slipping her knife into its sheath and toying with one of the thin chains around her neck. "I bet he's passed out at some bar," the young bandit mutters as the minutes pass, the crowd probably getting about as antsy as she is. "Or maybe got arrested for indecent exposure, he has a problem keeping his clothes on."
The erruption of the crowd gets the girl's attention, however. But she's slow to realize what it implies, only becoming aware of the third fighter's arrival when a heavy arm gets draped over her shoulder and the girl glances to the side, getting a whiff of the, ah, 'flavored' breath of the Russian. "Ugh!" the girl grimaces, ducking low and slipping out from his draped arm, looking thoroughly disgusted. "Just keep your hands on that guy and don't get in my way!" she snaps back, nodding her head toward Kain, folding her arms as she bristles in place, clearly ready to knife the next person who gets close.
Kain watches idly as the rest of his opponents filter into the arena, observing the interplay between them. These three have to work together to beat him, without collapsing into bickering amongst themselves? Kain may be up against a time limit if he wants to achieve a meaningful victory in this battle. As for these particular opponents, Kain has some familiarity with two of them, but Grigori is a new one, which means Kain hasn't had a chance to test his abilities. Lucky him.
After the three fighters have squabbled for a bit the call to fight goes out and Kain is instantly on the move. "I wonder, are you three actually capable of working together?" We'll find out shortly, as it takes very little time indeed for Kain to get right on top of them. As the unknown factor, Grigori gets the privilege of being the first target. And Kain doesn't appear to be slowing down as he approaches. In fact, he's still moving at full speed when he throws out a punch, blue chi surrounding his right fist as he attempts to drive it squarely into Grigori's face.
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kain 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ayame has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
COMBATSYS: Tenma has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
COMBATSYS: Grigori has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Grigori
"Huh... That's funny," Tenma muses in response to Ayame's words, cocking his head to one side as though thinking. "From what I remember, the time I beat you even uglier than you already are, I didn't /have/ any thugs with me..." Yeah, he's a charmer. Real smooth with the ladies, our boy Tenma. Though as it turns out, someone is about to make him look wonderful by comparison.
And that someone is Grigori.
The drunk Russian's arrival draws a curious look from the Japanese youth, especially as he moves to maintain physical contact with and apparently /hit on/ Ayame. Clearly he is entirely too drunk. But, that just makes Tenma laugh, none too pleasantly. "Aww, Sneak Thief! You got yourself a /boyfriend/! That's adorable. Be sure to invite me to the wedding, huh?" Ha ha ha. Yes, Kiryuu looks entirely too pleased with himself. Right up until Kain comes to knock knock knock on Grigori's face.
Kain's one of the big dogs, Tenma knows this for a fact: He's had very direct proof of the matter. But, he's not invincible... This Tenma knows just as well. So with Heinlein apparently focused on the Russian, Tenma slips forward, twisting in an apparent stab with his chi-emanating bokken, the bloody energy focusing at the wooden blade's tip: His intention is to 'catch' Kain with the point of the bokken, using it as a lever to twist and swing the German man over his head, flinging him away. "Tch-!!"
COMBATSYS: Grigori blocks Kain's Fierce Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
Sliding up beside the girl, the Russian is all smiles as he gets real comfortable with her shoulder, offering liquor-laced promises he'll keep an eye on her for more reasons than one. Her response is precisely the one he expected of the blonde and, as a result, he laughs all the more, hands sliding easily into the pockets of his jeans as his shoulders sag. His pervert's sneer lingers, as she motions to the German.
"Whatever you wish for, devochka," Grigori replies, leaning forward ever so slightly at the waist, peering intently at the much-shorter Ayame eye to eye. The smirk on his lips broadens, white teeth bared as he adds, hands lifting from his pockets to make grabbing gestures toward her, "It will be hard though. Devochka is pretty when she is angry. Gya ha ha ha ha!"
With a loud, breathy sigh of contentment Grigori rises fully once more, broad shoulders rolling casually as he turns his pale blue eyes back to the others gathered--particularly Tenma. "What? Boyfriend? Weddings?? Ha ha ha, you funny guy there, whoever you are, Japanese boy." He waves a hand absently, dismissing Tenma's amusement at Ayame's expense, before he lifts a hand and points to his hair.
"You need a haircut, hippy boy. What self-respecting man wears hair long? That is for girls! And you too--!"
He begins to turn and look to the German...who is suddenly barreling RIGHT at the Russian with a fist raised, his arm flaring to life with chi. Pale blue eyes go wide, his jaw going slack in surprise before his teeth clench and his arm shoots up and forward. Kain's fist collides with the Russian's meaty forearm, a loud slap of flesh on flesh, the force enough to send the man staggering back a foot and a half, away from Kain.
He's strong. Very strong.
With a wide-eyed expression and a horrible laugh the man suddenly charges at Kain, attempting to snare the German by his throat and lift him up, strangling him fiercely before he'll simply discard him to the floor of the arena.
The answer to Kain's question is 'probably not', but Ayame is too busy glaring at Tenma to notice that the fight is seconds away from starting. "Oh, sure, you had to jump me at the same time as your best rich friend, Bernstein Junior, though. I could handle the likes of /just/ you, heh. Just got a lucky hit is all." Or two, or three, or lots. But when it comes to matters of her Russian admirer, she's a lot less flippant, jaw clenching immediately. "Just shutup and fight already!"
Whirling away from Tenma, Ayame comes face to face with Grigori leaning over at her, clearly finding her irritation amusing. Somehow the match she thought sounded like a good idea in the first three seconds of the explanation is turning into a nightmare. Her right hand comes up to rest over her noise, "You really should lay off the battery acid you must be drinking, I can smell your rotted guts from over here."
But the Russian is already busy giving Tenma and Kain hair advice by then, leaving Ayame the last out of the four to realize the action has started. The Russian's laugh has her shaking her head. He must not quite know how much pain he's in for. "I need to get a better job," the girl mutters, resting her right hand against her forehead, waiting for Tenma and Grigori to charge.
And then she joins them, sprinting forward, putting her agility and speed to use with an aggressive leap and spin, attempting to bring one end of her metal polearm down against Kain's neck. The instant her feet touch the ground, however, she's spinning around in the opposite direction, attempting to take the German veteran's feet out from under him with a low level sweep of the six foot long staff, before trying to back up quickly and get a better feel for how things are playing out.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Tenma's Asura.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Grigori's Medium Throw.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Ayame's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
Having knocked Grigori back gives Kain some room to move about. Convenient. Smoothly stepping to the side he avoids the thrust of Tenma's bokken, then ducks under Grigori's grasping hand and steps forward to get out of the Russian's path. That just leaves Ayame's staff swinging toward his neck. Kain's arm snaps up, blocking the first blow, then he kicks back against the strike to his legs, bouncing the staff back with little pain.
The instant Kain's foot hits the ground, though, it starts back up. Black flame engulfs Kain's leg as he snaps a sharply angled upward kick toward Ayame's chest. The explosive impact of the kick should be enough to launch her skyward, and should Kain be successful in the endeavor he'll leap up to follow her, before swinging his arm to unleash another explosion to send her flying back down.
Aw, shoot. Tenma staggers a bit as Kain dodges out of the way of his strike, leaving both him and the Russian having failed to even scratch Kain thus far... Of course, Ayame's ability to gain attention from people spares Tenma any unpleasant burning sensations. For now, at least.
"Okay, new plan," Tenma mutters to himself, backing up a little bit... Obviously not really bothered how badly his 'teammate' for the match might get hurt by going toe to toe with Heinlein. Instead, Tenma slants his bokken against his shoulder, and watches the way Kain moves as he attacks. Nobody has a perfect defense after all, not even the powerful German... So the Guardian Kings' leader takes a moment while nothing important is happening to try and find an opening. There's got to be /something/.
COMBATSYS: Tenma focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
Grigori's response to the weapons girl is little more than a laugh as the fights begins, his very sore arm shaking as he drops it to his side. The chi wielded by the German has left a lasting mark along the expanse of the Russian's meaty forearms, a scorch mark marring the man's flesh quite painfully. Inwardly he's cursing a storm. He hates that shit so much. He hates it. He hates it.
A low grunt slips past his dry lips, teeth pulling tightly together before he charges the blonde fighter leagues above the other three. But just as that angry hand thrusts out to grab him with a sneer he moves, deftly avoiding the German's grasp and summarily dodging the stab of Tenma's bloody wooden sword before dealing with Ayame. The guy is likely a decade younger, perhaps more...and he is leaps and bounds more skilled.
It makes the Russian man angry thinking about it, the hands at his sides pulling into tight fists.
When Kain takes off after Ayame, Grigori follows shortly after, pale eyes wide as his lips pull into an angry, spiteful sneer. Closing in behind, he'll attempt to lift a leg up and drive the heel of his expensive boot right into Kain's lower back and knock him off his balance...if he's lucky, that is.
COMBATSYS: Ayame dodges Kain's Schwarze Lanze.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
Ayame knows, from experience, that dealing with men of Kain's calibur in fighting, not a split second can be wasted. The moment Kain defends himself well against her staff strike, she still goes for the sweep, but only partially invested, focusing more on getting the heck out of the way. Something about her seems to draw a lot of attention in fights when there's multiple targets. She's still trying to figure that one out.
Youthful agility pays off the girl kicking backward, body just barely slipping out of range of Kain's initial kick that would have sent her flying, the flames coming just shy of burning her even as the foot flies by. Her feet slide through the dust, the girl knowing full well that she can't count on surviving attacks like that over and over. She does, however, consider some recent advice she was given by someone years ahead of her in skill. Avoid the showy flashy stuff when dealing with the real talents... Keep it simple, conserve energy.
Her mind slipping out of her irritated mood into a more calculated, tactical line of thinking, she catches sight of Grigori coming in behind Kain as quickly as he can. Perhaps she can distract the German without getting immediately in harm's way? Another hop back gives her a bit more distance, her right hand already slipping off the coiled cable from her shoulder. In one smooth motion, she spins the rope dart dangling at the end of it up over her head then sends it hurtling toward Heinlein's chest. Normally a trash talker in fights, something about her last run in with Kain tells her that for once she's better off not provoking him terribly much.
Tenma is different though. He doesn't get a pass. "Don't just stand there, do something useful!" she snaps in the Gedo youth's direction. "Don't be too scared!"
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Grigori's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Ayame's Medium Fling.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> ////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Grigori
With Grigori coming up behind him, Kain swiftly spins around. He doesn't have enough time to fully get off a kick, but he is able to bring his leg up enough to block the Russian's stomp. Dropping his foot back down, he turns again in time to see Ayame letting her dart fly. A sweep of his arm keeps the weapon from getting a clean hit, though it does manage to prick his arm as it's swatted aside. He glances at his sleeve briefly, but doesn't pay it much mind. He's got more suits.
Tenma didn't come rushing in, and Ayame kept her distance... maybe they're conspiring against Grigori? If so, their plan seems to be working. Kain doesn't see much need to go running after a target when he's got one right here he can deal with. Grigori tried to strangle him earlier... so perhaps Kain will return the favor. His hand snaps out, seeking to snag the Russian by the throat so he can dig his fingers in tightly. And then the black flame springs into being, spreading out to engulf the man's head as Kain chokes him for several moments before finally tossing him aside.
Of course, Ayame just has to try to ruin Tenma's concentration, doesn't she? When the girl snaps at him, Tenma just turns dark blue eyes towards her, and then proves he's a bastion of maturity and professional conduct as a fighter.
He grimaces and sticks his tongue out at her.
Still, while Tenma could simply choose to do /nothing/ now out of pure spite, the Gedo swordsman instead elects to test his study of Kain. He's fought the guy before, more than once; he should have an idea of how the stronger, more experienced fighter moves by /now/. The ultimate question, though, is whether or not it'll do any good.
Rushing forward at Kain, Tenma tries to close with the suit-clad fighter before he can finish with Grigori, that chi-emanating sword of his grasped in both hands. Once he gets close enough to strike, he swiftly raises the wooden blade over his head, swinging it down in a simple vertical slash, trying to catch Kain with both the solid, blessed wood and the bloody chi that surrounds it; if he manages the first slash, then Tenma reverses the blade at the bottom of the motion, swinging the blade back up to form a shallow V-shape. "Hyaa-!!"
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Grigori with Schwarze Schleife.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> /////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> //////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Grigori
If Ayame wanted a distraction, she sure got one.
At this point the surly Russian has all but shut his drunken trap in favor of fighting with two unlikely teammates against a man that is some horrible abomination of youth and decades of talent all rolled into one. The man STILL finds himself jealous of his power and strength. It's a pretty cruel world, he decides in the fog of anger clouding his mind.
While Tenma and Ayame chide one another, Grigori makes his move, charging in behind the German fighter as he assaults the girl. A leg lifts and stomps at the blonde's back, but rather than strike the middle of his back, that thick sole crashes harmlessly into Kain's leg. Pale blue eyes go a touch wide, his lips peeling back over his teeth. The nerve...
Unfortunately, Grigori has precious little time to truly dwell on his perceived failure. Instead, Kain is suddenly coming at him once more, a hand reaching out to strangle the man as payback for Grigori's actions earlier. Try though as he may to intercept the offending appendage with his arm, Kain's far swifter and, as a result, snares the man. A strangled growl escapes his dry lips.
Normally, this wouldn't affect the Russian...but when that chi suddenly spreads out and consumes the man's head, suffocating him and strangling the very breath from his lungs, the large, two-hundred and fifty pound man seems to panic, his body writhing as he lets out a choked bellow with wide eyes. He's going to die..?
Just when things seem bleak the German tosses Grigori aside, the man's large form falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Laying there, the man's body shudders and shivers, his forehead pressed into the floor of the arena as hands futilely dig and paw at the ground beneath him. Around his body an odd, bluish haze slowly draws into existence, like heat on a scorching horizon as the Russian man shivers.
His hands curl into tight fists, rising from his sides...
Before he slams them down into the ground hard, a sudden and uncontrollably angry, icy blue energy exploding from every inch of his body like gasoline poured on fire as he rips himself off the ground. Laughing uncontrollably with a horrible, toothy sneer on his face, wide, pale blue eyes stare intently at Kain, fixed on the Ankoku flame-wielding German with newfound rage that is very much palpable from the psychic flames writhing and crawling around his body.
COMBATSYS: Grigori focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> /////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Tenma
> //////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Grigori
She doesn't have time to notice Tenma's mature response to her rather useless sniping at him, for right now her focus is on the German machine of raw, destructive power combined with decades of talent. Her dart and the Russian's kick end up making little headway through Kain's flawless defenses and in the end it appears Grigori has to be the one to pay for it.
As Kain turns on the large bear of a man, Ayame freezes in place for a moment, drawing her dart back and flinging it over her shoulder, deciding that the ranged approach isn't fairing all that much better. For a moment she's rooted in place as she realizes Heinlein has gotten a grip on Grigori, drawing him up into an easy chokehold. It takes a moment to realize that he's getting a life time dosage of black flame as the seconds tick by and if Tenma and her don't do something about it, one third of the time could very well be out of the fight in the next moment.
Deciding to go for more force than style, the girl presses a button on the center of her staff, extending three blades from the top end of it, each locked at a ninety degree angle from the other, forming a sort of small bladed cross. Gripping the titanium 'spear' tightly, the girl charges forward again, targeting Heinlein's back as he chokes the hell out of the Russian. Drawing the weapon back, the girl slides to a stop from a yard out, slamming the weapon forward, attempting to simply skewer Kain in the mid-back with the sharp end of the staff. Of course, as she comes sliding in, Kain has already tossed the Russian to the side, but Ayame is pretty much committed to her attack at this point anyway!
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Kain with Ungyou.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kain 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Ayame
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> //////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Kain interrupts Fierce Strike from Ayame with Schwarze Kreuz.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> //////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Grigori
With Tenma coming in with an overhand strike, Kain attempts to simply step back and out of the way. He doesn't get quite far enough, however, before the energy sheathed bokken slashes down across his chest, then comes sweeping back up at a different angle. It's enough to force Kain back a few steps, but not quite enough to completely send him reeling. And because of this, he's able to react to the /other/ attack. Ayame thrusts out with her spear, but Kain twists about and steps past it. It rips through the side of his coat, giving him a light slice beneath, but he gets the better end of the deal.
That's because evading her strike allows Kain to move up past the staff, getting in quite close to Ayame. And as he gets closer, black flame begins to spring up all over her body. A warning for Ayame, but not one she's going to get much chance to act on. That's because those flames suddenly expand, bursting outward and engulfing everything around Kain, including the blonde girl.
The fact that he landed a solid hit /at all/ on Kain is enough to give Tenma a warm, fuzzy feeling. He doesn't manage that much, historically.
The part where Ayame gets a solid hit of her own /from/ Kain just makes Tenma feel all the better.
But now is no time to be gloating about someone getting much-deserved violence wrought on their person, and even Tenma knows that. What it /is/ time for is to try and press some sort of advantage, see if they can't whittle Kain down a little bit. So rather than back off and try to consider some alternate route of attack, Tenma sticks on Kain like white on rice, even after the German blows up Ayame. Trying to get in close enough, the Gedo swordsman doesn't lash out with his weapon, instead twisting to swing one leg up in a heavy kick directed at the blond man's damn head.
And all the while, Grigori just keeps chuckling darkly.
Left to his own, the angry Russian just holds his ground, his body awash with icy blue energy that writhes from his shoulders and arms, wreathing around his body. Unrestrained and really pissed off, pale blue eyes just glare at Kain as he's struck by Tenma's bloody attack and assaulted by the tiny blonde with her titanium staff. Just when things seem to go her way, Kain explodes with energy again. Chi, the shit he really hates. The stuff he can feel across the room.
A flicker of motion catches the Russian's eye, as Tenma moves into action. Snarling viciously, the man whips his head back, lips pulling into a terrible sneer before he suddenly breaks forward. With icy 'flames' trailing behind him the man charges recklessly at Kain, attempting to grab the German by his fancy collar and, should he get a firm, unyielding grasp...headbutt the man three times, every crash of Grigori's forehead into Kain's marked with a terrible burst of blue flames as the Russian laughs.
Her staff stabbing attempt most definitely have the results she intended. While Grigori is no longer being choked to death, Kain manages to slip past the blades, only one of the side edges catching him just barely. Over extended, the girl starts to pull her weapon back as Kain moves in close, clearly hoping to draw it into a defensive position, completely unsure of what he's about to unleash on her.
The pulse in chi is easy enough for the chi savant to sense, but the magnitude is completely off the charts and climbing. Her mouth agape, the girl doesn't have the chance to curse what is about to come as she's suddenly consumed by the expanding conflagaration, blasted back as a result before she comes crashing down several yards away. Tumbling to a smoldering stop, the girl groans, rolling over onto her side, letting go of her super heated staff, the ends of it glowing visibly red before her eyes. She'll... just let that thing cool off a little bit, she decides, forcing herself into a crouch, right hand patting out a small fire on her poor necktie as she tries to get her focus back on Kain.
Gasping for breath as she tries to put the harrowing experience behind her, the girl reaches to her neck, fingers coming down on the chains wrapped there. Ignoring the burning sensation the heated metal has against her skin, she's just eager to get them off, clicking a small latch before drawing them out from beneath her blouse. Small weights of super-dense metal dangle from the chains in her hand and as Ayame rises up to standing, she decides to try and keep her distance from Heinlein for a moment. Getting close to that guy didn't work out so hot at all... or, well, it was TOO hot really!
Spinning the chain bolas over her head, the girl sends the trio of linked weights hurtling toward Kain, trying to catch him around the neck with the weapon. Hardly fight ending, and it might do little more than just piss him off, but hey, she's gotta try something!
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Kain with Random Strike.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Kain 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> /////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Grigori successfully hits Kain with Naberius.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Kain 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> /////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Ayame successfully hits Kain with Hijacked.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Kain 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> /////////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Grigori
Things go rather poorly for Kain for a bit. Tenma's kick collides with the side of his hide, managing to strike him square in the temple and send him reeling. He's stunned for just long enough for Grigori to grab him by the collar, giving the Russian the chance to slam him in the face with a series of flaming headbutts and causing Kain to stagger in yet another direction. And then, finally, Ayame manages to get a length of weighted chain wrapped around his neck.
Heinlein grunts in pain and irritation, glaring along the length of chain toward Ayame. Reaching up with his right hand he grabs the chain, and there's a flare of blue light from between his fingers. Suddenly the link in the chain closest to his hand is surrounded by blue chi. Then the next... the energy flying along the chain back toward Ayame in the blink of an eye. And when it reaches the end... then there's the explosion, a roiling storm of raw chi that swirls around, blasting everything contained within it.
Seems like Tenma is on a bit of a roll, here. The Gedo youth feels a definite sense of satisfaction as his sneaker-clad foot collides with Kain's temple, driving the scary ass German into the attacks of his other temporary teammates. And people were worried about their teamwork!
Still, this is no time to rest on one's laurels, or to get overconfident. ...Well, more overconfident than usual, in Tenma Kiryuu's case, anyway. With Kain aiming to do something rather awful to Ayame via her own weapon, the Guardian King tries to capitalise once again on the Ankoku flamewielder's hopeful distraction, moving to get behind their opponent in an attempt to grab Kain by the back of his coat, turn right around, and then lever the blond man right over him on his back, to smash headfirst into the granite floor of the arena. "Graaa-!!"
There's little on the Russian man's mind at this point, save one thing:
Beat the hell out of Kain Heinlein.
And it would appear that he, as well as Ayame and Tenma, catch a break. Assailing the German at all sides, he's caught in a volley of strikes that ultimately leave the blonde looking angry and irritable, the focus of his frustrations being poor Ayame. But the Russian man just does not CARE. All he sees is red, despite the haze of blue fire that all but consumes his form. It only angers him more when he unleashes a horribly burst of chi, sending it sailing for the poor blonde weapons girl..!
With him distracted, it gives Grigori a chance, whether he is aware of it or not. Sneering, those pale eyes drift from Kain as Tenma moves around, attempting to snare him and shove him head-first into the hard, granite arena floor. Hands twitch, an eye ticks erratically, lips peeling back over his teeth as that sneer grows terribly wide.
"H...hate it...h-hate it...ha...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"
The energy consuming Grigori suddenly explodes with anger, the 'flames' of blue intense as he suddenly throws himself into action. Dashing across the arena, Grigori attempts to slam into Kain, whether Tenma felled him or not and pin the German to the floor, his body aflame. And should he get the blonde down on his back, the Russian scrambles atop, straddling the other man as his hands curl into tight, white-knuckle fists...
...before he punches Kain in the face repeatedly. Over, and over, and over and over again, with every intention of trying to cave poor Heinlein's face in with fiery, very angry fists.
COMBATSYS: Ayame stops Himmlische Seele from Kain with Midsummer Fantasy.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> ///////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Grigori
The unlikely teammates manage to land a rather powerful combo on the handicapped veteran but that doesn't mean they're safe from a catastrophic amount of damage being dished out by the German fighter. Though she had decided to keep her distance for a moment, it seems that Ayame's strangling chain attack has gotten Kain's attention again right away, the links suddenly igniting, one after another.
Fortunately for her, she HAS distance on her side this time. The energy comes in, deceptively small as each of the links light up, but she can tell there's a lot more than what she can see at work there. Releasing her grip on the weapon, the girl speeds up significantly, reflexes and no small amount of panic spawned adrenaline propelling her on to sweeping up her staff up off the ground.
The window of opportunity is frightfully brief, but she's demonstrated being able to accomplish her deflective technique in a pinch when faced down with a powerful attack from another legend just recently. Spinning the weapon up and infusing it with a severe amount of energy, the theif's staff becomes imbued with a shimmering, metallic hued energy that blurs out behind the spinning weapon. The effect creates, for a brief moment, a highly reflective mirror, the likes of which energy just plain can't seem to get through.
Just in time for the detonation, the mirror forces the black immolation to pour around the girl, scalding earth and melting some strands of her hair that fly out just past the protective barrier, but when the storm passes, she is left mostly unscathed, simply dropping to her knees, supporting herself with her staff as she releases an exhausted sigh, just barely noticing how the ends of the weapon are still glowing hot after having come in contact with so much destructive power at once. Okay, she feels like she's done her fair share. Up to her partners for now while she catches her breath!
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Tenma's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> ///////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Grigori
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Grigori's Astaroth.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> ///////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Grigori
Kain manages to sense Tenma coming up behind him, stepping away from the student's grasp. Unfortunately, with Grigori coming in from the opposite direction at high speed it means Kain can't dodge /both/ attacks. The Russian slams into him, and sheer momentum is enough to fell Kain, and put him into a position for Grigori to punch him repeatedly in the face... except for the fact that Kain manages to get his arms up into a defensive position. Grigori's blows pummel Kain's arms, but show no signs of breaking through Heinlein's defenses.
Of course, if Kain were to move it would very quickly give Grigori the opportunity to succeed with some further blows. Of course, Kain doesn't necessarily /need/ to move much in order to be a threat. The flaring from Grigori's punches starts to be mixed with Kain's black flames. The Russian may have a moment to realize his predicament, but can he escape before Kain once more explodes with fire, a pillar of black flame rising from where he lies?
Can't win them all, it seems; Tenma gets totally shut down on that attack, as Kain simply avoids his attempt to grab him entirely. But the impressive feat wrought by Ayame over yonder actually manages to win Tenma's attention over his own not actually hitting Kain. Dang, that's... Pretty good, he grudgingly admits, within the relative safety of his own head.
Of course, he'd never actually /tell/ her that.
A more pressing concern, though, is the whole Grigori and Kain situation, with the berserk Russian having managed to knock Kain off of his feet, if not actually get through the German's ridiculous defense. The buildup to the eruption of black flame is palpable - at least, to Tenma it is - and for a moment he considers shouting to Grigori in an attempt to warn the guy... But he probably wouldn't listen anyway.
So Tenma switches to plan B.
With Kain sending that pillar of Ankoku flame up, Tenma rushes forward, both hands grasping his bokken again, raising it high over his head... And when he gets close enough he actually slashes /through/ the flames in an attempt to strike at Kain with a single ridiculous cut, throwing his full weight and strength behind the blow. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!"
COMBATSYS: Grigori endures Kain's Schwarze Kreuz.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
> / ]
|=======\======-\1 Grigori
For all that goes on around the angry, wide-eyed Russian, he just leaps at Kain and shoves him to the ground, straddling him with every intention to punch his face off. It doesn't go as planned, and the German just shields his face from harm, doing well to shrug off the bulk of Grigori's fiery strikes. It's a tough defense that is nigh impossible to pierce, but that doesn't seem to thwart the berserking Russian atop him.
He just keeps punching, even as the Ankoku flames begin to rise from the man's prone body, the beginnings of a particularly nasty attack waiting for the insane man trying to--still--punch at Kain.
And then--boom.
Horrible flames consume Grigori, black fire lashing out across every inch of the man's bulky frame. Incinerated, the man just bellows a horrible, animalistic yell as those fires burn viciously across skin and cloth, wracking his body with untold amounts of pain and agony. Thrashing and jerking viciously, the Russian does not try to shield himself or scramble out of the thick of it. Instead, he just stays right there.
And only when the flames begin to die off does the Russian's body consume with those psychic flames once more, burning brightly and hotly as he continues to straddle the German and, running on sheer adrenaline at this point, tries to punch the man again in the face repeatedly until his body just gives out with a groan, his huge frame collapsing to one side, unconscious.
COMBATSYS: Grigori can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Tenma
Propped up by her staff, Ayame is given the reprieve to watch everything play out from a bit of a distance. Brown eyes widen as Tenma and Grigori go charging in at Kain together, only to have him fend off their attacks remarkably well this time. "Che," the girl grunts. Does she have to be involved for any hits to land at all?! Slowly she pushes herself back up to standing, forcing herself past the pain caused by Kain's first attack that hit her as well as aching muscles from trying to keep up with the experienced fighter.
But what really gets her attention is the one she /thought/ she already knew, in some capacity, but right now is beginning to really wonder. The Russian is raging with a furious anger the likes of which she's never seen. She really went out of her way to try and provoke him the last time the two of them smashed up some poor bar, and she saw /nothing/ like this coming out of the man. "What the hell..."
Flames ripple off of Grigori and Ayame frowns faintly, quite certain that what she sees coursing over him isn't chi at all. The anger is almost palpable even from her distance, and the nature of the power he's flailing after Kain with is no mystery to her either. Tenma goes charging back in, trying to land another key strike against the blond male, but still Ayame watches Grigori, the man combusting as he experiences first hand the same attack Kain caught /her/ with. Only his reaction is a lot different as the two differing energies collide in a /very/ painful way for the Russian fighter... And then he's off to try and crush Kain down with his last gasp of strength, leaving the girl simply noting what she saw - perhaps it will be useful information at a later time.
For now it seems she's left to work with the Guardian King leader and she's going to try and make the best of it. Back on her feet, Ayame charges back toward Kain, risking engaging in close range once again. Whipping around with the slowly cooling ends of her tricky staff, it seems to be a feint used to simply try and get herself in close enough to deliver her real attack, a simple, old school shiving with a knife she produces from a sheath mid-turn, trying to give Kain a swift stab to the side.
COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Kain with Deep Strike.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Tenma
COMBATSYS: Grigori successfully hits Kain with Astaroth.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ < > //////////////// ]
Kain 1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Tenma
COMBATSYS: Kain interrupts Quick Strike from Ayame with Himmlischer Atem.
[ < > / ]
Kain 1/--=====/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Tenma
COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer fight.
> / ]
|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ayame
> //////////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Tenma
Things go seriously wrong when Kain starts to sit up. He doesn't notice Tenma coming until it's too late, and the bokken comes down squarely on his head, knocking him back down to the floor. Then Grigori jumps on him yet again and /this/ time the Russian does manage to pound Kain's face into the stone floor, causing his head to bounce off it repeatedly. With a shout Kain heaves the Russian off as unconcious claims him, surging to his feet with a flare of black flame around him... right as Ayame comes in.
The shiv sinks cleanly into Kain's side, but he doesn't even seem to notice it. That's because at the same time as Ayame is striking, Kain is lifting his hand up with his palm in her face. She probably won't see much but a sudden, blinding blue light, but everybody else will see the giant beam of energy which explodes from Kain's hand and engulfs the girl... right before Kain falls to his knees, then slowly sinks to the floor.
It sucks being the last one to the party. Ayame comes in after the other two fighters have dished out fight-ending strikes against the outnumbered Kain. Really she was just hoping to stall, trying to figure out something better to switch gears to in order to be better effective. She doesn't really get the chance though, her knife sinking in but the strike mattering not at all. Again she senses the incredible surge building up, the black flames coursing into his hand as he targets her with more chi than she's ever been subject to in her life. When she had distance on her side, she was able to defend herself fairly well. But at this close range there's nothing at all she can do, no trick she can play, no stunt she can pull to keep herself from simply being blasted away at point blank range.
Launched back into a spiraling crash to the arena floor, the girl tumbles to a stop after several yards. Her staff rolling off to the side, the knife she had used left with Kain - he can keep that, she ends up face down at first. She stirs after a moment, though, hands pressing against the arena floor as she starts to push herself up, determined to hang in there just a little longer. That is, however, until she notices that Kain is down, meaning the match is over, her work here is finished.
For a brief moment she musters the wherewithall to give Tenma a somewhat self-satisfied, smug grin. Sure, he might've gone through the fight without being targeted at all, but that just means he wasn't really deemed a worthwhile threat, as far as Ayame sees it. The silent look given, she simply collapses back down with an exhausted gasp, content to not test whether or not she could even get back up again anyway.
COMBATSYS: Ayame takes no action.
> //////////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Tenma
COMBATSYS: Ayame can no longer fight.
> //////////////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Tenma
And in the end, the only person left standing to receive the acclaim of the crowd... Is Tenma Kiryuu. In /fact/, there's not a scratch on him, what the hell? Straightening up, Tenma looks out at the crowd, cheering simply because /somebody/ won decisively, as the announcer does his thing and declares their little impromptu team the winners of the bout. Bokken slanted against his shoulder, Tenma's free hand remains at his side, thumb tucked into the pocket of his uniform slacks, and he looks the very image of lazy arrogance. Even in the face of Ayame's smug grin.
"Hey, look, Sneak Thief. Flat on the ground as usual, huh?" Tenma wonders aloud, arching a brow in response to the girl's smugness, particularly since she followed it by collapsing back to the granite stage. "Guess it /is/ a bit of a change for you though," he adds, with a smile, "since you ain't on your back." That said, the Gedo swordsman rolls his neck a little bit, and simply starts to stride off.
And people thought Tenma and Ayame wouldn't be able to get along!
@chan/gag pub
Log created on 19:26:28 04/26/2008 by Grigori, and last modified on 21:20:30 04/28/2008.