Description: In KITCHEN STADIUM two battles are raged at once. First, to see whose cuisine will reign supreme, and second, a knock-down drag-out brawl between the team of K' and Kula, and the team of Shenwoo and Rock Howard. In the end, though, there is no deliciousness. ONLY MAYHEM. (Winners: K' and Kula)
To protect K' or kill K', to help him or harm him. The latest living proof of NESTS' mad Kusanagi envy is definitely presented with a quandary in this week's SNF. At least last time she was put into a match with K' she was supposed to be hurting him. That was easier to grok. This time, still enjoying the juxtaposition of fire and ice in violent combat, Kula is teamed up with K'. With the emphasis on using SNFs as field tests for the NESTS operative, she's supposed to do her best to succeed in them, but succeeding means the opposite of what her normal goals are.
Her perplexed state of mind fades quickly as the entire premise of the battle is explained to her, however. A match set in an oversized kitchen, full of chefs competing to prepare some of the fighters' favorite dishes right in the midst of the fight. They might even try to lean on the fighters themselves at various parts of the preparation, however insane that might actually turn out to be in practice. It's a strange arrangement to be sure, but the moment some of the hapless chefs started asking Kula to list off some food she'd like them to make, her troubled thoughts regarding K' and how she's supposed to work alongside him are put aside.
And thus it is that her corner of the kitchen has cooks busy mixing fruit syrups, sugar mixtures, and other recipe components for the tasty desserts she's asked of them. Promising to not let any of those other pesky fighters interfer with the banquet of pending treats, the girl stands already prepared for the match. Icy crystals swirl around her body, and her sky blue hair seems to move as if driven by an unseen air current local to only her.
With the row of counters in the middle and stoves and ovens a plenty in the large room, fighting space might prove to be at a premium, presenting the two teams with possibly cramped quarters to battle in. 'Chill this?' one chef asks of the girl and Kula complies readily, cooling the hot gelatin with a touch before turning her attention back to the rest of the room.
After the disaster that was two weeks ago, K' had learned to check his fight card before going to fights. As a result, he knew who it was he was supposed to be 'teamed' with, and he had almost opted to simply not show. Attempts had been made to put aside his odd feelings where the younger NESTS project was concerned, but all he had really succeeded in achieving was a studied sort of cold indifference.
He was still reasonably certain she had let him leave, the first time they met, and reasonably certain that letting -her- go the second time was ultimately an ill-advised decision. But he simply hadn't been able to bring himself to kill her: an inability that he was not accustomed to experiencing, not being given to sentimentalism or mercy. She was the literal child of his choices, and he supposed that saddled him with some responsibility.
He finds it easier not to think about it. Not now, anyway. One of them will ultimately kill the other: but an SNF is not be the place for it. Instead, he dwells on the opposition, yellow eyes narrowing. Shenwoo he had no real feelings about one way or the other; K' had no illusions about the other boy's intelligence or likeability, but nonetheless could respect him for his straightforward nature and strength. But Rock?
Things are marginally more complicated there, in the way most competitive males will posture and fight when pushed together. That, and there's the issue of his training with Rock's father hanging over their heads like a cloud. It's something Howard might have heard about, should he bother to interact with his father's thugs: it's Syndicate rumor. K' is hoping Rock does not bring it up if he knows; he is attempting to hide his connections with Geese from most of the people in his life.
None of these thoughts really express themselves outwardly, K' content to stand with his characteristic aloofness off on the same side of the kitchen as Kula... but in the corner farthest from her he can get. Wordlessly, he ignores the sous chefs running around about him, and most of them ignore him too: they've heard enough about K' to be a little leery of trying to ask him to light their stoves or heat anything up.
Rock Howard is the world's greatest fighting chef! And he's going to prove it to everyone tonight, right here, on the Saturday Night Fiiiiiiiight! And any good chef knows that the meal is made during prep, so Rock got here ridiculously early and started riding his team of chefs like any good would-be Gordon Ramsay. They don't know what their secret ingredient will be, but they can prepare some common flavors in anticipation of the special surprise. And while everyone else gets situated for what promises to be the most exciting 60 minutes in Kitchen Stadium History, Rock makes himself a delicious sandwich.
Chewing the delicious layers of ciabatta bread, applewood smoked bacon, and delicious fillet of steak sliced evenly with a touch of olive oil, Rock is forced to actually think about the upcoming fight. He's teamed with Shenwoo, who he's had a little bit a history with in Saturday Night Fights. He has no problem with him as a parter -- he fights as hard as he possibly can and that's good enough where Rock comes from. His opponents -- or at least one of them -- he has more concerns about. Swallowing a lump of delicious Howard-wich, he stares at K' across from him in Kitchen Stadium.
"Hmf," he says, between bites. He did recently encounter a certain Kyo Kusanagi while beating up some Southsynd goons...
It should be known that Shenwoo hates gimmick fights. After all, a fight is good enough on its own, isn't it? You don't need all this extra crap, the costumes and the theatrics, it's all about the test of will and cunning and physical strength!
Sadly, it seems the ratings don't agree with Shen's assessment.
So it is that the God of Battle finds himself in the Kitchen Stadium, looking rather grumpy. Briefly, he looks towards his teammate for the evening, but just what he thinks of Rock isn't immediately apparent; as long as the other fighter doesn't screw up though, there shouldn't be any problems, right? It's only as Shenwoo looks over to their opponents that some of his grumpiness fades, a shadow of his usual manic grin appearing as his dark eyes alight on K'.
K' is /always/ an interesting fight, which is all Shenwoo needs out of him.
Kula is pretty much an afterthought for Shenwoo at this time, though how long that's going to remain the case is an open question. "So, when are we gonna get this sissy slapfight on the road?!" the God of Battle shouts, probably accidentally disrupting the cooking going on... But he doesn't really care. He wants to punch K' right in the mouth!
The other two fighters are unknowns for the youngest participant by far, red hued eyes glancing over Rock and Shenwoo in turn. As most of her capacity to fight is based more on reflex and instinct than active tactics, not knowing the nuances of either of the two may not really be much of a set back for the science-raised girl. But her attention seems fixed on K' now that he's drawn near, amused a little by the grumblings of the chefs in their corner of the kitchen complaining about the temperature of the air in one way or another. Too hot; too cold, depending on which one is muttering at the moment. It seems it's impossible to please everyone!
With little spoken amongst any of the four, it would seem at a glance that the only thing on any of their minds is getting straight to the violence at hand, and the officials setting up the match seem to agree handily. Shifting her attention from the opposing team to focus on K', Kula gives the young man his space. She doesn't anticipate him gunning for her any time soon, given the way their last confrontation ended. But on the other hand, it's hard to put anything past someone like him - defective, as Igniz called it. Maybe he will just snap at any moment. At least ZakiZilla isn't anywhere in sight.
Finding the young teen at least fairly inoffensive to deal with, the chefs start to nudge her with requests to taste test their masteries in progress. While amusing at first, it's hard to deny that it's becoming a destraction, and eventually Kula raises her gloved hands to wave them off, "It isn't safe to be right next to me," she cautions, "Anything could happen in a fight. Be careful and keep your distance!" Leaning forward, she places her hand next to her mouth to add, "Make sure nothing happens to the sorbet, that's for after the fight," she adds with a skeptical look K''s way, hoping none of his destructive fire threatens the frozen delight. He might even ruin it on purpose, she muses, eyes narrowing suspiciously. That rebel!
Spinning to face Rock and Shenwoo as Howard's employees off to the side call for the cameras to roll and the action to start, Kula decides to gun for Shenwoo first. After all, Rock is having a sandwich. And interrupting a snack would be rude. Thus it is that the moment the fight begins, Kula takes off for the God of Battle, hand planting against a counter to to let her slide over, feet first, allowing her to spin into a simple enough, sideways kick as she drops down off the other side. The momentum behind it isn't the real threat, however, but rather the strong as steel ice-pick like blade of frozen water extending from the end of her foot that threatens to leave a painful slash if he isn't quick enough!
COMBATSYS: Kula has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: K' has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
K' ignores Kula pretty soundly. He treats the girl as if she doesn't even exist. If he does want to kill her, here and now isn't the place or the time. Instead, he just grins over at Shenwoo, returning some of that manic look. "Glad to see," he notes sardonically at Shen's behavior, eyes narrowing, "some things don't change."
The greeting isn't entirely disingenuous. A lot of other things in his life are changing too much for his tastes, as of late.
His gaze skates over to Rock as Kula takes off towards Shenwoo. He meets Howard's red-eyed stare evenly for some time, even as he starts in a steady stroll towards the other young man. He walks right past a tray of chocolate, which starts to melt from his proximity; a passing sous chef snatches it away before K' can ruin it any further. The boy doesn't even notice.
"You ready yet," K' wonders of Rock, right before the temperature around him spikes and he acts with his customary aggression. A swipe slings a sudden flash of fire across the counters and towards the other boy. Has he learned -anything- from his new teacher?! "Or do we need to wait on you a little longer?"
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks K''s Eins Trigger.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
Rock finishes chewing his bite of steak sandwich, setting the remainder of it onto a tray for later consumption. Like hell he isn't going to eat that later. The only thing in the world that could keep him from that are the two dudes across from him in Kitchen Stadium. And oh look, the short one is jump kicking his teammate. "Shenwoo, duck!" Rock yells, helpfully, still sort of just standing there near his little countertop. Maybe he isn't much of a team player --?
Rock knows that Shenwoo works best when he's got someone in his face messing up his grill. That kid runs off of fury and anger. So letting Kula Diamond add insult to injury just enhances his team's ability to lay down the hurt. Turning his attention over to K', Rock adjusts his gloves and starts pacing around the perimeter of a cooktop counter in parallel to K''s approach. Behind him, chefs are whirring around between stoves, burners, and chopping blocks putting everything together.
Then the fireball comes without the usual fifteen minutes of banter. Rock's eyes widen and he reaches for the first available thing he can get his hands on to try and block it. This just so happens to be a dessert tray with an unbaked Alaska being prepped. Howard twists the silver platter tray around, K''s fire blasting against it and skimming across the Alaska -- turning it into a delicious Baked Alaska with a poof of blue flames. They burn deliciously while Rock is forced to throw the tray to the ground, the edges burning red from the sudden heat.
"I always knew you were a foofy pastry kind of guy," Howard says, craning a red eye towards the flaming Baked Alaskan and shaking his hands out to get more ready for warfare. K' will notice him keeping his back facing away from both him and Kula. "You probably like strawberries too."
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Kula with Kyakuten Touchi.
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Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Shenwoo
Of course, Shenwoo is as constant and unchanging as the sun in the sky. He is, after all, the tiniest bit crazy... And crazy people aren't really noted for changing easily. As things begin to get underway, the berserker's mood starts to improve, though unlike most of the others it seems the chefs and staff seem to know to stay the hell away from him: After all, they've probably seen at least a thing or two about him on TV. If he'll beat up his teammates from time to time, what's to stop him from picking on random people who get in his way?!
Except that it's no challenge.
Instead, Shen is privy to the sight of Kula sliding over a countertop and trying to kick him... With /ice/. Considering his only real friend in the world is a guy who uses /fire that is green/, the God of Battle pretty much takes this in stride. Snorting contemptuously, Shen doesn't try to avoid the hit or anything, instead lunging /into/ it, his hand making a reaching grasp for Kula's neck... But he can't quite reach her, the force of the ice-enhanced kick enough to keep him at bay, driving Shenwoo back and putting some cuts in his bare chest.
This, of course, results in Shenwoo... Laughing. "Ha ha ha ha!" Shen's shoulders shake with mirth, one gloved hand going to his face. "Ha ha ha!" Slowly, he lowers his head to look again, peering at Kula with dark eyes between his leather glad fingers.
His grin is enormous. Feral, wolfish. Possibly insane.
"You're interesting," Shenwoo says, sounding /very happy/.
Coming out of the swift, 'sharp' kick, Kula's feet drop to the ground, the ice that adorned the toe of her insulated shoe shattering off with the landing (Watch the wet floor). She felt her strike connect and while that kept her safe from retaliation for a brief moment, it also meant she wasn't really able to gauge Shenwoo's style of fighting...
But regardless of what she was expecting out of him, his reaction was definitely not predicted. Laughter. Not just mild amusement either, but rather coming across extremely entertained by the swift exchange of attacks that had just transpired. And it seems to be contagious, the girl pleased to have apparently made Shenwoo's day by kicking and gouging his chest. Thus it is that by the time he lowers he looks back toward Kula, his eyes framed by the fingers over his face, she's smiling back at him over her shoulder, not having stuck around for him to finish, a constant violet blur of motion. "You're interesting too," she calls back before looking forward to her new target, the light blonde Rock Howard.
Springing up onto a counter near Rock in order to have as clear a shot as possible, the girl brings her right hand to her mouth, palm up, fingers toward him. "What's wrong with liking strawberries?" she asks Rock plainly before taking in her breath. A quick inhale then a forced exhale preludes a burst of air headed his way. Air alone is hardly threatening, but the crystaline shards and razor edged rings of ice that form within the plume of frigid air just might be; propelled forward at extreme velocity.
A couple months ago, K' would have thrown himself headlong towards Rock in a violent onrush, continuing his assault even despite the way Howard's obviously preparing for something. He'd have exhausted himself throwing everything he had in a violent rage, easily set off even by the most innocuous of taunts. But in the past few weeks, he's discovered-- painfully-- that throwing yourself at the receptive, waiting style of a Howard is just asking to get -ppukened.
His previous encounters with Rock hadn't been numerous enough to teach him why it was he kept losing to that snakelike Howard style. But eating enough pain from Geese has finally taught him why he shouldn't let himself lose it.
Even so, the smirk he throws over at Rock in the wake of the latter's comments is somewhat strained. Like he'd rather be putting those teeth to use tearing out Rock's throat. And instead of violently attacking Rock, as the latter might expect, he just... turns shoulder on the boy and faces Shenwoo, settling in. "...think I'll give you a little time to warm up some real taunts," he shrugs back at Rock, his eyes focusing on Shenwoo.
Just as Kula crosses over, K' abruptly lunges in the opposite direction. The cold and hot air fronts attendant around them switch over as the boy whips right past Kula's shoulder... still not acknowledging her in the slightest. "Maybe you can do a little better!" he addresses Shenwoo instead, dryly, a sharp snapped kick thrown out abruptly towards the berserker's face.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to slow Diamond Breath from Kula with Double Reppuken.
- Power fail! -
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Shenwoo
Rock squints at Kula when she brings her hand to her mouth and inhales. "Are we about to make out --?" he asks, confused. But then that burst of frozen air is shot out of the little girl. Howard has dealt with plenty of weirdo crap in his lifetime. But a girl who can breath razor sharp blades of ice is a first for him. Not really sure what to make of the approaching burst of frigid air and frozen moisture.
There is only one thing you can do when you're faced with a weird attack. As K' mental monologues, someone comes at you and your last name is Howard, you throw a Reppuken at it and hope that it blows up. In Rock's case, he overdoes it. Feet planting, his red eyes narrow in onto the cone like center of the frozen air blast. He starts to cut his right arm forward, taking a half step with it to carry momentum and chi and --
Rock falls right onto his back, slipping on the melted ice of Kula's last attack. As he falls back, the razor-sharp fragments of ice tear across his red jacketed body, cutting into his skin and sending him skidding across the smooth Kitchen Stadium floor to bang into some sort of metallic basin.
The Grandmaster appears then on his podium after a few handsprings and flips. He looks down at Rock like he was pathetic. "Tonight's special ingredient is..." The Grandmaster karate chops the air and a spotlight lands on a huge tank of live lobsters. "LOBSTER!" The tank explodes, about two dozen lobsters streaming down from above all over Rock.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo endures K''s Minutes Spike.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Shenwoo
What!! How dare she just move away from Shenwoo and go after Rock Howard! He's the /God of Battle/ dammit, she's supposed to stay there and fight him and...
Suddenly Shen realises that someone is trying to kick him in the head. This naturally prompts the basic Shenwoo combat response, wherein he stands tehre and takes it like a man. K's foot hits him clean in the face, knocking the berserker back, and bloodying his nose... But it's not enough to really stop the tall, lean blond man as he instead twists around, suddenly turning his momentum one hundred and eighty degrees.
Which means he's careening directly at K'.
Of course, Shenwoo's left fist is fully extended as he aims to drive it directly into K''s sternum, the tattoo on his forearm seeming to warp as he picks up speed, his shirt and hair trailing, thin rivulets of blood running down his chest from Kula's ice. "HOW ABOUT THIS THEN?!" the God of Battle wonders of K', since he did ask.
Kula lowers her hand from her mouth, small snow flakes falling from the glove - encrusted with a thin layer of ice simply by serving as the guiding factor of her last attack. Down he goes, his traction betrayed by the slippery floor left in the wake of Kula's previous use of ice. He goes sliding back, his rough landing accompanied by a gong-like resonating basin... And then Howard's boy is swiming with the lobsters. Kula's hand comes back up to her mouth, but this time it isn't to herald another blisteringly cold assault but to half conceal the stiffled giggle that follows. "You're funny." she declares
With time to spare, giving Rock what may seem a merciful break to recover, Kula glances toward the exchange of powerful strikes between K' and Shenwoo. Of course she's come to notice that she doesn't even seem to exist in K''s world, the grey haired fire wielder not so much as giving her a grunt of acknowledgement. Lowering her gloved hand from her mouth, her expression shifts to be a bit more thoughtful. Why is K' ignoring her? Is he afraid of provoking her? Or worse, is he /not/ afraid enough? The blurring speed with which Shenwoo retaliates leaves Kula deciding to stay out of the way of those two for now, her focus shifting back toward Rock Howard.
Being drenched might put him at a bit of a disadvantage against the icy haired girl and that danger is about to be tested as Kula darts forward, her right hand reaching out to get a grip on Rock's shoulder so that she can pull him forward over her knee and slam him down to the ground. Her left hand would plant atop his chest next, and turn all that water on him to an encrusting layer of ice cold enough to make liquid nitrogen feel warm.
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Shenwoo's Gekiken.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Shenwoo
Fortunately for Rock, K' doesn't have time to notice the reason for all the noise that's happening over in his and Kula's corner. He's too busy frowning to himself as Shenwoo reacts rather predictably to his attack: the quickness of his recovery meaning K''s left airborne as Shenwoo gears up to retaliate. But he -did- anticipate Shenwoo just standing there and taking it, which is why he's able to defend himself, if not avoid the blow entirely.
Still in the air, K' catches Shen's thrown fist, intercepting it before it gets to his chest. The force pushes him back, the back of his own blocking hand smacking into his sternum, and K' twists agilely in the air to land in a skid... on a counter. More precisely, on a cutting board on the counter. Mercifully, there wasn't anything ON it at the time, but nonetheless the Japanese Iron Chefs fume at this base sacrilege.
K' doesn't notice. He's too busy grinning at Shen, -still ignoring Kula-. His behavior doesn't say either way whether he's afraid of her, or just plain doesn't care; it doesn't say anything at all. "Seen it before," he shrugs in response, shaking out his hand. Fire starts gathering around his lean frame as he straightens up, and an enterprising chef with a saucepan edges in close enough behind K' to use that holy fire for... a good flambe.
Oblivious to his usage as a cooking implement, K' holds his ground as the guy scurries off with his flaming pan. "Show me something new."
COMBATSYS: K' gathers his will.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Shenwoo
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Quick Throw from Kula with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Kula 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Shenwoo
Rock squirms around in a bed of lobsters. Being gigantic fine dining lobsters worthy of the Kitchen Stadium, they are almost three feet long and have humongous, uncovered, pincer claws. One of them chomps down on Rock's arm, the huge claw easily surrounding his forearm. He flails the arm, trying to shake it free, to little avail. Looks like he's got a friend named Rock Lobster.
Rock's attempts to free himself from the lobsters is interrupted by Kula Diamond presenting a much more painful alternative. Red eyes snapping back to attention, he focuses in on her core just seconds before she's into his defensive perimeter to try and freeze knee crush him. But he doesn't anticipate her move properly, trying to grab her by the shoulder before she can press him into the ground.
In the end, Kula does exactly as she intended. Rock is left with a case of ice across his chest and slammed into the hard Kitchen Stadium floor. Chefs swarm around them, trying to gobble up the lobsters before they skitter away through Kitchen Stadium.
Oh really KAY DASH. Shenwoo's grin doesn't falter a hair when the experiment is able to block his speedy attack, no. That just, truthfully, means Shen is having more fun. "Okay, you little bitch, you wanna see something new?!" Shenwoo isn't above a little trash talking in the middle of a fight, no, and as K' stands on top of the counter gathering himself to do something really impressive, Shenwoo hops up similarly. He doesn't care about the importance of cleanliness here, or really anything except for the fight and his own enjoyment.
Even as he kicks a wok up into his hands.
"How about I show you my STIR FRY TECHNIQUE?!" the Shanghai-born fighter inquires - probably rhetorically - as he swings that wok in a terrifying arc, aiming to waffle K' right in the face with it.
Her simple yet effective technique leaves Rock contending with a second batch of ice after being slammed back down to the floor, but Kula is already backing off, slipping backward easily over the iced floor, finding the water and ice all over the place in her area of the room no problem to account for. Her hand comes up to her hair to brush some of it back out of her face as she surveys the results of her having contended with Rock and then shakes her head, offering Geese's son a smile, "You should practice more!" she proclaims. "Every day, like me."
Helpful advice given, the genetically engineered fighter whirls back around to see what's going on between K' and Shenwoo. K' seems fixated on the other fighter. Who is he? Why do they keep bantering back and forth, exchanging hits, taunting each other? Is this another one of what K' calls 'friends' in the outside world?
She huffs, K''s indifference irking her just a little, calling into question her effectiveness against him. Maybe after their last fight, when he wasn't all alone, he found her to be insufficiently scary. Tsk! Kula's hands tighten at her sides before she turns back around to take it out on Rock. "Look at those two," she remarks, sounding a little irked. "We should be having fun like them. Do you know any funny lines?" Maybe she'll make K' jealous of her camaraderie with Rock!
Lines or not, her attack is no longer stalled as the girl extends her right hand, fingers spread apart, and draws up a large portion of the ice from the floor into a solid, translucent sphear of ice around her hand. Drawing back her arm, the girl slams her hand forward and the side of the sphere nearest to Rock suddenly transforms, jutting out into multiple sharp, long lances that threaten to skewer him to the wall.
COMBATSYS: K' interrupts Random Weapon from Shenwoo with Crow Bite.
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Kula 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Rock
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K' 1/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Shenwoo
Little bitch? Oh, it's on now. K''s nasty grin cuts wider, promising a retaliation for that barb, as Shenwoo joins him up on the counter, the pair facing off amongst the cutlery and pans; much to the plentiful distress of the chefs, many of whom now can't get close to their implements or dishes without risking being set afire or punched all the way to Mars. "I know you didn't just call me that..."
K' doesn't even spare Kula a second glance when the girl looks at him, affording her nothing more but the minimum awareness of her movements to forestall any backstabbing. He's too busy trading hits and words with Shenwoo, with the comfortable sort of foulmouthed air that characterizes two young men who've fought so many times their natural urges to punch one another in the face have translated into some sort of violent amicability. Possibly even the friendship Kula so uneasily speculates about. For him to tolerate or-- even more rarely-- like somebody, K' doesn't require that they be smart or complicated: just honest.
And Shenwoo is nothing if not straightforward, as his idea of 'something new' demonstrates. K' barks a wry laugh as he starts forward, intruding into the arc of Shen's swing. "You're missing the fire," K' advises lowly, before his right arm ignites; the heavy steel impacts his jaw -hard- in the next moment, but K' is already swinging in his characteristic carving uppercut by that time: his counterstrike blazing up into Shen's face in a 360 spin in a roar of heat.
Landing a little unsteadily, K' instantly retreats a step. "Jesus," he comments, rubbing along his jaw. Shenwoo only really clipped him, but his face still feels three-quarters of the way to broken. "That was pretty fucking new." Nobody ever hit him with pieces of the set before, much less made it hurt that much.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Rock with Critical Ice.
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Kula 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Rock
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K' 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Shenwoo
Rock is getting pretty used to getting his ass kicked in SNF. It's kind of why he signs up for it. That and he knows that Geese will always put him in the most complicated matches, pushing him to the limits of pain and misery. That hardens you. That builds character. And that makes you a better warrior. And one day, he'll be able to --
This girl he's fighting is frickin' crazy. She just looks crazy. She's like 8 years old and able to control the moisture around her to create /ice/. That isn't normal. That's NESTs-level crap. Rock got the shit kicked out him by Zero about five times. He got kidnapped by Igniz. It took Terry Bogard and Roy Bromwell driving ATV's through a /Cargo Plane/ to save him. He hates NESTs. But banter? She wants banter? Rock will give her banter.
Climbing back to his feet, his black shirt tapered and ripped from the various violent ice episodes, he squints at Kula. "You want to take me back to Igniz again, don't you? You stupid little NEST --"
Rock swallows an ice spear to the chest. It impales him, launching him back off his feat and into the wall of Kitchen Stadium -- right below the stands. Chefs across the arena stop what they are doing and wince as the fans go silent. Howard slowly keels over the ice spear, looking like he might be dead, his sweaty blond hair swaying as he slumps.
Rock isn't dead. At least, not yet. He probably will die one day standing on his feet like this. But not yet. Suddenly looking forward, both of his hands lock onto the ice spear in his stomache, wrapping around it. With a terrible yank, he pulls it free with a small spray of red goo. The pain is amazing and it briefly stuns him, dropping him to a knee. He grits his teeth, enduring through it, thinking about his father. That gives him the anger to get back up.
It also tells him what to do next. This girl may look like a 12 year old, but she's one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet. Suddenly shooting out of his crouch, Rock comes barreling right back towards Kula. A cart of pastries is knocked out of his path with his hand, his boots tearing across the stadium. The cakes go tipping over to skid across the stadium -- the pastry chef who craft them screaming with horror. Good thing the chef is on K''s team.
Rock reaches Kula like a frenzied monster. He comes at her with everything -- fists and kicks and knees and elbows. It's looks like a chaotic, disjointed, melee -- but there is a deeper sequence, an internal rhythm. It builds chi with each striking attempt until finally Rock's hands collide together at his side. With a roar, he thrusts his twin palms forward -- a column of glowing light shooting straight forward for Kula Diamond's center.
Honestly, Shenwoo doesn't know or care about NESTS... So he doesn't really get why Rock is all pissed off of over there; or at least, the small part of his mind that registers the fact that Rock even exists right now doesn't. For the most part, Shen is focused entirely on what he's doing, which is trying to smask K' in the head with a wok... And it ALMOST goes off without a hitch, except for the part where the flame-imbued former NESTS agent smacks him right back at the same time, with flame and fist, driving him back on the counter and knocking all sorts of stuff onto the floor in a horrible crash of crockery, metal and foodstuffs.
Ooops.
"Keh... Ha ha ha!" laughs Shen, power suddenly building. A tremendous, terrifying amount of power.
Slugging himself in the face twice, first with his left fist then his right, Shenwoo throws his head back and ROARS, a wild sound that fills the Kitchen Stadium as a violent aura of power surrounds the God of Battle, shattering the remaining cooking utensils and other objects on the countertop - shattering the COUNTERTOP, the sink, sending water spouting into the air and crackles of electricity as various appliances go completely haywire.
Still bellowing at the top of his lungs like a FREAK, Shenwoo hurtles through the air directly at K', aiming to tackle him clean into the next counter over and then start laying into the leather-clad firetosser in a brutal assault of knees, punches and headbutts, a seemingly endless display of horrifying violence.
It might make Rock nostalgic for life with Geese!
COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Rock's Deadly Rave Neo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
The utterance of Igniz's name sparks a reaction in the red eyed girl that's just run him through with a deadly lance of ice. Eyes narrow, her mouth closing, lips tightening, a neutral expression adopted, fixing the blonde with a quiet stare. Rock's record with NESTs isn't entirely known to her and now she wishes it was so she could know the context of his outburst. Is he another enemy of Igniz? Does his name belong on that fateful list alongside the many others she's tasked with retaliating against?
Oh well. It looks like he might be dead. Maybe it's too late to ask Igniz later about what she should know concerning the young man. The girl's hand withdraws from the sphere of ice, leaving the spear stuck to the wall with Rock affixed, the ice molding around her fingers and recongealing once she's pulled her hand free. And were Rock made of weaker stuff, maybe that would be the end of him then and there.
Kula takes a step back, ready to turn away, thinking nothing more of the possibility that perhaps she went too far. No remorse, no cringe at the blood spilling from Rock's wound. She'd do the same thing to just about anyone else given the order, and feel equally indifferent. But Rock moves, ripping the ice lance from his chest, refusing to be taken out by the severe pain such movement inflicts upon him, and Kula pauses mid-step to glance over her shoulder.
The pause is just in time to realize the surge of energy from Rock's corner of the room is intended for her. He's going to lash into her with everything he has. And were she just an ordinary, young teen girl, it might even seem excessively savage. But in this case, it's more than justified - anything less than full force will not be enough to take down NESTs's little ice angel. But just as she is capable of punishing attacks, Kula is capable of defending herself quite well. A wave of her hand has her painting the air with a sheet of ice lingering for a moment. A barrier - no where near strong enough to stop Rock's assault, but it buys her a split second to identify the nature of his assault.
She isn't actively aware of the pacing of his attack so much as her subconscious combat training kicks in, guiding her step by step away from Rock, weaving around punches, stepping out of the way of kicks, leaping back from elbow swings, and slipping around knee strikes. And whne the final spike of chi comes, Kula has moved to Rock's side, her combat algorithms predicting just in time where she needed to be to try and catch him vulnerable to retaliation, leaving her unharmed. "No funny lines then." she states somberly.
Her right hand slams out, fingers clenched into a fist, as she attempts to drive it into his side. But the force of that blow pales in comparison to the real threat - another ice lance on the opposite of Rock, this one hovering in the air, directly under Kula's control... One that she attempts to drive into Rock's other side, her left hand drawing backward as she controls that second, more deadly slash.
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Shenwoo's Bakuma Assault.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
Igniz, Rock says. NESTS, he says. K''s attention reroutes as fast as a switch being thrown.
"What the fuck do you have to do with NESTS? Did they take you too?" he demands loudly of Rock, even turning towards Rock and Kula as if to start towards them; and then Kula rather handily silences Howard, impaling him with that familiar lance of ice. K' stops, his abrupt silence added to the horror of the people watching and the fear of the chefs who have to be on set with the girl; but unlike their shocked quiet, K''s isn't surprised.
His full attention finally lands on Kula for the space of a few moments. And for that short space of time he just stares at her with a narrow, condemning look that broadcasts nothing. Nothing-- except maybe the sort of look a pet owner gets when they finally realize their dog is a little too dangerous to let live.
But he isn't given much more time to consider Kula before Shenwoo abruptly blows up... most of their side of the 'stadium.' K' turns in an instant at the sound, wary and... knowing a little bit of what to expect. Shenwoo rockets at him and K' braces, barely managing to stay upright; quickly mounting a hasty defense against the murder chain of attacks as they try to tear him apart.
"Che," K' huffs once the assault finally abates, driven to a wary three-point stance, his yellow eyes skating back and forth between Shenwoo and Rock. He wants to know why the hell Rock Howard, of all people, would be worried about being taken 'back to NESTS,' but he also knows that if he lets his guard down Shenwoo will be on his ass fast as anything. Momentarily conflicted, K' thinks on what to do.
Instants later, he ignites. Fire consumes him as he leans forwards, braces against the countertop-- and fires off, lunging at Shenwoo in a burst of speed, attempting to slam all that gathered fire into him in a searing rush. The flare of flames reflects brilliantly off all the metal surrounding them.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Behind Slash from Kula with Joudan Crack Counter.
- Power fail! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Kula 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Rock
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kula 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Shenwoo
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/-------|
Rock's player is out of adjectives for failing it. But he does get an ice spear right into the rib cage. It's a lot like when Commodus stabs Maximus in the end of Gladiator. Only Rock isn't going to fight Kula Diamond to the death because he's already a goner. There are no funny lines, nor are there any responses to K''s sudden inquiry because that ice spear to his ribs just tripped Rock's brain out.
Sagging back from Kula, Howard drops unconscious. But before he falls he manages to mouth the word: "... Crazy..."
He hits the ground of Kitchen Stadium pretty grotesquely, like a sack of potatos in one of the chef's freezers. A small puddle of blood pools out of his chest as Rock Howard learns another of life's many lessons: don't taunt the creepy ice girl. Doing so will mean she stabs you with about fifteen spears of solid ice and then dumps you off a bridge where nobody can ever find you again. Figuratively, of course. She's an adorable little murderer.
The Rock Lobster finally unclamps from his wrist, since his prey is destroyed. Triumphant, its beady eyes look towards Kula, pondering a second victim!?
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo fails to reflect Heat Drive from K' with Tamaken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/-------|
Today is, apparently, not a good day for the Shenwoo and Rock Howard combination.
Crazed with fury as he may be, Shen seems more amused than disappointed as K' manages to keep the worst of the damage away from himself, stumbling back a bit from the 'recoil'... He's left off-balance still by the time K' is powering up his own attack, rushing directly at the God of Battle.
Naturally, Shen faces down K''s charge.
Once K' gets close enough, Shenwoo starts to sweep an arm through the air in front of him, but he mistimes it, underestimating K''s speed. His arm doesn't get nearly close enough to the incoming fighter to do much of anything by the time K' collides with Shenwoo, flames and all, blasting the tall, lean blond away to crash into a camera crew like a ton of bricks.
He appears to be /unconscious/, which is probably something the cameramen are grateful for.
The disorienting technique of hers that involves attacking directly as well as indirectly has forced even the likes of Igniz to hesitate in trying to contend with it. That it proves difficult to defend with now, in Rock's condition, the young man having already been speared once, doesn't come as a surprise to Kula as it was precisely what she intended.
The girl draws both of her hands back, stepping away from Rock as he's sent falling to the floor, before she turns away only to find the looks of horror she's earned from the chefs that were playing with her at the start of the match. She seemed harmless enough before she started spearing Rock over and over with giant ice lances!! But now that the true nature of her attacks have been demonstrated, it's hard to look at the young thing quite the same.
Tearing her gaze away from the cooks keeping their distance, she's just in time to watch K''s powerful attack finish off Shenwoo. Well, guess he doesn't need any help then. In fact, the fire and ice wielder were barely a team at all, such much as two destructive elemental forces unleashed on their opponents. It's perhaps fitting that the two merely forced each other to opposite sides of the stage to carry out the fight.
She gives the rogue NESTs project a quiet stare. She's fairly fresh, having used a lot of her strength throughout the fight, but pacing herself as well, and avoiding the damage that was meant for her. But K' fared okay as well, which leaves attacking him here and now an uncertainty in her mind. Not to mention the conflict of interst between different objectives. Deal with K', but... not so publically. Perhaps he can read that deliberation in the girl, if he so much as pauses to look her way.
Kula looks just a little irritated in fact, that he would pay so little heed to her the whole time, as if she wasn't worth noticing. Gloved hands tighten at her sides, but thoughts of actually attacking him bleed away gradually. It must be deliberately trying to get under his skin that she finally speaks up. "Strong. Just like NESTs made you. Just like they made me." See? They're not so different!
The sudden swipe of Shenwoo's arm alerts K' to the fact that the berserker is probably trying to do what he did last time: attempt to deal with the energy of the Kusanagi fire. Given only a moment to deliberate, K' chooses to just keep going... and is rewarded when he manages to get through. He straightens, quieting his fire, looking after Shenwoo to ensure he's out. The guy will be okay. K' has seen him weather through worse.
Rock is a somewhat different story, and K''s attention turns to him next; the ex-agent still ignoring his annoyed antitype. Kula's naturally lethal fighting style has done a number on Geese's son, and SNF medics are already rushing to stanch the terrible bleeding. K' hesitates, his conflicting dislike, animosity, and grudging respect towards the other young man now forced to consider another variable: that he was once-- and perhaps still is-- a target of NESTS too.
A bit battered, but still dangerous enough to make Kula balk about attacking him, K' walks quietly over towards Kula and Rock. He spares Kula one glance, seeming to read the conflict in her own mind in that look: and then he looks down at Howard's son. There's no particular love lost between K' and Rock, but K' knows there's one thing nobody in the world deserves.
Kula talks, and K' only seems to half-listen. He just continues to regard Howard, standing there calmly, almost as if keeping watch while the medics stabilize the injured boy. Like he doesn't trust Kula left alone with Howard after what Rock said. He doesn't bother replying the implication that he and Kula were made the same; he never said they were different. It's their similarities that stayed his hand when he ought to have simply tried to kill her off. "I didn't want them to make me anything. I didn't want them to take away what I had," he eventually says, still not looking at her. "But they did it anyway."
Eventually the medics tote Rock off. K' watches with narrowed eyes. "You bother him," K' eventually states, as if discussing the weather, "and I'll murder you." His eyes meet hers, very briefly, the look little more than a flat glance, before he brushes past her and begins to make his way off the set.
Log created on 17:41:32 05/31/2008 by Shenwoo, and last modified on 02:57:38 06/06/2008.