Neo League 726 - #730: Roberto vs Ingrid

Description: After not seeing each other for many months, Ingrid and Roberto face off in Southtown. Psychic powers and soccer balls abound in this fight that proves once and for all that what goes up must come down. ( Winner: Ingrid )



At this point the soccer star was no longer surprised to see emails letting him know that he was wanted for an appearance in Neo League match ups. The soccer star/fighter was currently in the top 3 in the rankings and because of that, he's realized that he has a bull's eye on him from those who want to challenge him and also it stands to reason that he also might end up in more matches against random fighters due to that high ranking. Roberto didn't know which of the two it was since NL headquarters kept mum about his opponent.

The soccer player decided to show up anyway since he had no desire to allow himself to get rusty. When he arrives he comes to the board walk wearing navy blue swim trunks down to his knees and a white t-shirt, with black low top sneakers, and a mesh bag over shoulder filled with soccer balls. There's a bit of sweat dripping from his hair. Perhaps he got in a game of beach soccer before the fight.

It was an interesting coincidence. One might even think the young woman was selectively picking people she thought she could defeat in order to rocket straight to the top of the League ladder after waiting out much of the current Neo League season. Perhaps the only thing that might convince people otherwise is that she's never been very competitive in the Neo League, though for some that might only add to the 'evidence' against her.

Only Ingrid can know the truth, the Norwegian having specifically requested Roberto as an opponent from the League officials. Many of her matches were set up that way, perhaps more than many. If nothing else the Neo League was an excellent way for her to track people down who she hadn't seen in a long time, and for that purpose it was well suited.

The young woman showed up exactly on time today, not arriving early as she tends to do. With only a few minutes left before the match is set to begin she strolls up, wearing the well tailored outfit she can almost always be seen in, apparently unfazed by the heat. A smile forms on her face when Roberto is in her view, and she gives him a quick once over before speaking up. "Did you decide to go for a swim?" Her eyes turn to the beach just down the way, and then looks curiously back towards Roberto.

Seeing Ingrid there was a pleasant surprise for the soccer star. He had been hoping to have another match with Ingrid when he didn't feel himself at risk for going berserk. With a tip of his visor with red gloved hands he acknowledges Ingrid before answering, "Nah. I decided to warm up before the fight began." And if anyone gets a close look at the scuff marks on one of the balls, they would know exactly what that warm up consisted of.

The Taiyo graduate takes a moment to dump the contents of his mesh bag onto the board walk. After that he performs stretch before rolling his neck and then he's ready to go. Sliding into his stance which looks more like a soccer goalie's ready position than any actual fighting stance and then beckons Ingrid in with a glove clad hand. "There shouldn't be a repeat of last time."

COMBATSYS: Roberto has started a fight here.

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Roberto          0/-------/-------|


"My, it seems you'll have me at a bit of a disadvantage- but then of course I suppose walking is itself a very nice way to warm up, so perhaps not." Ingrid gives him a soft smile, and a dip of her head acknowledges his comment, "I'm glad to hear that you're doing well, then. It's never good to see someone go through such difficult times, but I hope you may have at least gained something from your ordeal." It has been said that adversity builds character, and if so at least the bad memories could serve some purpose.

The soccer balls are dropped to the ground, and Ingrid hums to herself, approaching to a nominal distance. She'll stay a bit farther from Roberto than she would most other fighters, figuring that while he's probably got the advantage in range, the added distance will give her a tiny bit of extra reaction time. She's quick on her feet, so that distance can be made up rather quickly if need be anyway. It looks like it's going to be a slow start, the blonde holding back rather than rushing in, tactical fighter that she is. "I can't wait to see how much you've progressed, Roberto. I can only hope I've at least matched pace."

Roberto is the type of fighter that while dangerous at range, he's also quite dangerous from close in as well. His time as a field player and goal keeper had the unintended side effect of making him a multi-faceted fighter. That isn't to say he's not going to take advantage of the distance given because he definitely will.

Moving to the first of his numerous soccer balls he begins to dribble it quickly closing in before releases it. He doesn't stop to take a picture of his shot though. One of the first things they teach you is to follow your shot. And so Roberto comes barreling in right after the ball.

COMBATSYS: Ingrid has joined the fight here.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Roberto


COMBATSYS: Ingrid dodges Roberto's Long Shot.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Roberto


Having given up the initiative to size her opponent up, Ingrid seems prepared when Roberto dribbles the ball and kicks it at her. A quick sideways movement is enough for her to slip out of the way, and the ball goes sailing past. She wasn't expecting Roberto to come rushing in at her like that, which catches her slightly off guard. A soft hum comes from her, and she decides to take advantage of the situation. A quick turn is made after the sideways movement, and Ingrid moves towards Roberto. She's almost always up to flinging around her potent energy, but with them both rushing at each other she has a different plan- that alone might be enough to catch him off guard, or so she thinks.

Once at close range she looks to be attempting to run right past Roberto, waiting until she's directly next to him before trying to reach out and grab onto one of his arms. If successful she'll use him as an anchor to whip herself around, planting her feet once she's on the other side to transfer momentum into him in an attempt to send him tumbling to the ground. And if she misses his arm? It should be easy enough to just run on past.

COMBATSYS: Roberto interrupts Quick Throw from Ingrid with Quick Punch.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0          Roberto


Roberto was absolutely surprised by the fact that Ingrid was running at him. So much so that he really couldn't do much about her grabbing his arm. However there was plenty of options that the soccer goalie had once she plants her feet on the ground, Roberto takes his free hand and swings out gloved fist right for the blonde's rib cage with an off balanced punch.

Even still Ingrid's attack is partially successful since the transferred momentum sends him away with a violent wrenching on his arm. Unfortunately, for her, the soccer goalie is able to keep himself upright after a bit of stumbling.

He then takes a moment to rub his shoulder before getting back into his 'stance'

That's about what Ingrid gets for trying such a maneuver on a sports star like Roberto. There can't be a doubt in anyone's mind that he's far more physical than she is, even if she's able to jump around with incredible efficiency. Still, the maneuver was a partial success, even if she took a fist to the ribs. The blonde aborts putting extra oomph into the attempt to ground the young man as soon as the blow hits, not willing to risk follow-up strikes to complete it.

"Nicely done. And here I thought I'd catch you off guard." There's almost a little pout at the end of the sentence to punctuate it, but it's quickly gone, a friendly smile replacing it. Her words spoken she rushes towards the young man a second time, but this time doesn't attempt anything along the lines of grabbing or striking him. Instead her hands lift above her head and sweep down and towards him, a large stream of golden sparkles emitting from them, the blonde attempting to immerse him in her energy in a way Roberto has no doubt encountered before.

COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Ingrid's Sunbeam.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0          Roberto


Roberto's shoulders shrug as Ingrid does that 'not quite a pout' at the end of her sentence. "Sometimes it happens that way." As she rushes him once again, Roberto brings up his hands. When he sees the glow he decides he doesn't want to feel the full brunt of the attack. The palms of his gloved hands meet with that energy.

Even though he manages to put up a defense he slides back slightly before he launches himself forward in an attempt to grab her waist. If he should do that successfully, he'll throw her down on her back before following up with a kick to her hip.

COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Ingrid with Mundane Save.
- Power hit! -

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Ingrid           0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0          Roberto


Ingrid gets snagged easily enough after Roberto is quickly able to stave off her energetic assault. That's mainly because rather than attempting to slip his grip she allows him to toss her to the ground, attempting to hit the ground rolling and avoid most of the damage of the impact. A miscalculation on her part ends up costing her dearly, however, as she twists too far as she's going down and ends up crashing head first rather than on her shoulder, destroying her attempt to cushion the landing. The kick that comes a moment later adds additional injury, and perhaps a bit of insult.

Simply laying down to nurse her wounds wouldn't be a very good idea, so she rolls sideways, pressing her arms down and shoving off, allowing herself a rather graceful return to her feet. Perhaps that'll make up for her klutzy trip down.

Once up she springs forward towards Roberto, extending her elbows outwards and entering into a fast spin, energy lacing her entire body as she attempts to batter him with the outstretched limbs. She'll land right next to him before launching immediately into a high flashkick, her body bending backwards before her legs snap out powerfully, a long stream of psychic power flowing out from her heels as she launches skyward, "Yosha!"

COMBATSYS: Roberto fails to reflect Sunrise from Ingrid with Shining Clutch.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0          Roberto


The soccer star cringes the moment he slams her down, especially after seeing her hit head first but he was at the point where his leg was already in motion he couldn't draw it back at the last moment. Even still, Ingrid is able to fight and so he attempts to get himself ready for the next attack.

Ingrid takes to the air with her golden energy. The soccer player attempts to bring his hands together to stop the energy but the glowing hands are just a few moments too slow and he gets caught by the powerful kick lifting him up into the air before dropping him on his back hard.

Roberto wears a pained expression on his face as he slowly pulls himself back to his feet. "Man... That hurts."

The blonde lands after completely the kick, falling slowly back to the ground. A little breath escapes her once she's down, knowing it was a close thing that she managed to complete the kick without having him reach right through the energy surrounding her plucking her out of the air.

But as Roberto knew that Ingrid was still good to go, she knows that a single blow, even if powerful, isn't going to be enough to take him out of the fight, whether by pain or willpower. Proof enough is how he's getting right back up even if he's still hurting.

A quick step and a half towards the young man is made and she leaps back up into the air, this time not aiming to kick him as she goes up but rather assault him as she comes down. High up she goes and then just as quickly she sails down towards him, her arm suddenly swinging out in front of her. A large swatch of golden energy spreads in front of her, seeking once again to envelop him in the energy, the young woman aiming to land directly in front of him.

COMBATSYS: Roberto just-defends Ingrid's Sunburn!

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Ingrid           0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0          Roberto


Roberto hands glow once again as if he were to attempt his Shining Clutch technique once again however there's a subtle difference. There's no attempt to redirect the energy outwards once it's drawn in by the chi generated vacuum. Instead he seems to draw it inwards in an attempt to gather his breath.

It's successful in that his breathing becomes less labored and he seems a bit more energetic than before. It especially shows in his movements and in particular the way he brings his own energized foot upwards in an attempt to kick Ingrid high into the air.

COMBATSYS: Ingrid blocks Roberto's Thrust Kick.

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Ingrid           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1          Roberto


The fast, surprising defense catches Ingrid off guard, and the blonde realizes she's put herself in a fairly dangerous situation. The kick comes out fast, and Ingrid finds herself unwilling to take any risks in defending against the chi coated attack. It impacts her hard, her crossed arms getting blown apart by the force of it.

Just barely, though, she's able to keep from getting hit anywhere vital, a half step backwards keeping the leg from impacting her body after crushing through her guard. Immediately she leaps away from Roberto, denying him the opportunity to assault her while she's in trouble. Well, she thinks a moment after she's put some distance between them, she's probably not all /that/ much safer. She feels a bit better off though, and feeling prepared is important. The blonde then lets out a breath and watches the young man carefully, trying to keep from getting caught off guard yet again.

COMBATSYS: Ingrid focuses on her next action.

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Ingrid           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1          Roberto


When Ingrid leaps back Roberto decides not to chase her. He's been punished for that in his previous fights and he'd be a fool if he didn't learn from his mistakes. That's why Roberto instead of charging Ingrid goes for another one of his soccer balls.

He takes a moment to juggle the soccer ball before sending the ball high into the air. Once it's at the perfect height, he suddenly turns before flipping backwards using a bicycle kick to slam the soccer ball at the blonde.

With the amount of time it takes to perform all of this, he doesn't expect for the ball to actually hit her. It's just a reminder to her that he can still be dangerous from far away.

COMBATSYS: Ingrid dodges Roberto's Large Thrown Object.

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Ingrid           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1          Roberto


The Norwegian is careful to watch Roberto, with the young man deciding to stay at range. It could easily prove ruinous to her if she let him blast her with one of his soccer balls, so she continues to watch his motions carefully. When the ball is thrown skyward she doesn't move, not wanting to give away the direction she'll escape towards, nor risk that he might change his plans and run up and kick her while she's of guard.

The ball -is- kicked towards her, and she finally responds immediately shooting sideways in order to circle around Roberto, the ball sailing past her body mid-level by only a few feet. Once it's past she circles for a moment longer and then stops. The moment she does a bright flash of energy shines around her, and her lands lift up to just below her chin. A little smile plays on her features, and a small, dull little sphere of energy is formed. She blows on this gently, and it floats from her hands, gently making its way towards Roberto, no doubt a far greater threat than it appears.

COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Roberto with Sun Burst.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1          Roberto


Roberto has seen that attack before and knows how much it hurts. He knows he definitely doesn't want to feel the full impact of that golden energy. However sometimes the most logical decision isn't the right one. The soccer star not wanting to try anything risky brings his forearms together like a boxer, a product of his time spent training with Heavy D! He then grits his teeth preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

The worst does indeed happen and the soccer star's guard is blasted to Kingdom Come. He's sent flying away before his back impacts with the wooden railing causing his back to bend in angles that it wasn't meant to bend in. If it wasn't for the moment he took prepare himself, he probably would be feeling the pain much more acutely than he already is now.

For now he's not going to attack. He's too busy picking his somewhat bloodied form off the ground.

COMBATSYS: Roberto focuses on his next action.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1          Roberto


Ingrid lets out a little wince as Roberto is blasted, the powerful little sphere of energy having had a rather powerful effect on the young man. She doesn't exactly feel sorry for him, or feel bad about it though. She's been laid out by powerful assaults plenty of times, it's just the sort of thing that happens to you when you're facing a powerful opponent- and most are when they get it in their minds to be.

But with the young man getting up off the ground slowly, Ingrid considers what to do next. A quick look around brings an amused look to her face, and she jogs quickly over to one of the soccer balls Roberto had kicked at her before. Well, why not? She may not be a soccer star, but her legs are rather long for her height. A quick run up and she plants one foot before swinging the other forward powerfully, smashing it into the ball and sending it sailing towards Roberto as he picks himself up.

Still, it's nothing like the kicks Roberto does for himself. It might do /something/ if it hits though, right?

COMBATSYS: Roberto fails to slow Thrown Object from Ingrid with Blazing Strikers.
- Power fail! -

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Ingrid           0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0          Roberto


Roberto watches as the soccer ball comes in he plans for what he's going to do. The plan is simple. One prove his superiority in kicking soccer balls. And punish Ingrid for even thinking that she could hoist him by his own petard.

Unfortunately there was major flaw in that plan. He didn't account for the loose plank on the boardwalk his foot, instead of connecting with the intended soccer ball his foot connects with that plank ripping it out and sending it up high, into the air in flames of fiery chi. The soccer ball he meant to kick? It spins wildly to the side. All of this leaves the soccer star wide open when ball smacks him in the forehead snapping his head back.

When his head goes back to its natural position. The soccer star looks more stunned than actually physically hurt. Wait there's a touch of confusion on his face as well.

Even Ingrid is somewhat shocked at the turn of events. The ball heading towards Roberto was intended mostly as a feint, something to give her enough time to prepare to defend herself against what she knew would be quickly coming: the chi empowered soccer ball kicked being kicked at her. That move, she knows from experience, is incredibly painful to her, and it's something she'd like to avoid at all costs. Lucky her, then, when the plank gets in Roberto's way, getting kicked high into the air and spinning off to who knows where.

"I hope that detonates before it reaches the ground..." The young woman's eyes follow it as it spins through the air, and then looks back to Roberto. There's still a fight to continue, even with several misfortunes striking the soccer star. It'd be rude of Ingrid to go easy on him because she thought he couldn't handle the pressure. Even now, she realizes, he's easily capable of defeating her.

And so she runs towards him at high speed before leaping into the air. Rather than coming down with only a swath of energy around her, she extends her hand above herself and holds out a leg, pirouetting towards him through the air while sparkling energy gleams over her body.

COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Roberto with Sun Dive.

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Ingrid           0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0          Roberto


Roberto doesn't quite recover from the shock quite quickly enough and he's caught flat-footed once again by the Norwegian before the foot enhanced by golden energy connects with his chin, sending him spinning away from the young woman.

The kick does return him back to earth. Unfortunately, it also hit too hard for him to actually have a chance at getting back into this fight. On the other hand, the soccer star has nothing to lose. He slowly brings himself back up to his feet. It starts with one shaky step followed by another. The soccer player begins to build up momentum until he dives head first right at Ingrid's abdomen right where that first punch landed.

COMBATSYS: Roberto can no longer fight.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ingrid           0/-------/-----==|


COMBATSYS: Ingrid dodges Roberto's Diving Header.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ingrid           0/-------/-----==|


Roberto lands face first on the board walk. Remember that fiery wooden plank? Guess where it's landing. Right on his back where it detonates on impact with his back. *KABOOM*

Good night, Irene.

Ingrid lands after her foot makes that powerful connection, watching Roberto spin away and hitting the ground. That he comes back up groggy is a surprise to her, however, having expected him to keep coming after her despite being hit yet again. He'd seemed to take some of her other blows a bit easier than this final one... maybe he'd just run out of gas at the end?

Probably not, she decides, as he gets back up and rushes after her, suddenly diving head first. Thinking fast she takes to the air again, jumping up and over him, the net result apparently being him falling to the ground after that assault misses. What happens next comes completely out of nowhere, the blonde having lost track of the board after it had flown off skyward. And not only does it hit him, but it explodes with all it's charged energy as well, leaving Ingrid looking rather worried over his well-being. Hopefully some of the better medics are here, today!

COMBATSYS: Ingrid has ended the fight here.

Log created on 14:59:27 07/10/2008 by Ingrid, and last modified on 02:05:28 07/11/2008.