Description: Igniz makes a housecall. Only instead of a house it's the Southtown boardwalk. And instead of the call it's a beatdown! (Winner: Igniz)
It's been a while since Sakura's fought on stage, thanks to the rigorous demands of her schoolwork. Really, Sakura's starting to question her choice of career: she'd picked physical education since she was in shape and pretty decent at teaching, but all this /training/ she's having to do is becoming bothersome!
She's glad to be a part of Southtown's thriving tourist industry this fine summer day! Southtown's boardwalk always seems to be a pretty popular tourist trap during the summer, with as many as six different events occuring on any given day. Today's big event, naturally, is the Neo League ring set up on one end of the boardwalk. Southtown's the fighting capital of the world, so it would only figure that one of the city's most popular ambassadors would be here, waving to passersby in the Taiyo High uniform she's most well-known for! "Hey, hey! Are you guys ready for a real fight? Yeeeeah!"
Miss Kasugano doesn't know how much longer she can keep up the grandstanding, though... she doesn't even know who her opponent for this match is! Sure, she caught the /name/, but she hasn't been keeping up with her usual fighting fangirl surveillance enough to place a face to said name. Won't stop her from hamming it up for the crowd, but still!
In search for talent wide and far, the man simply known to both the Neo League administration and Saturday Night Fight, 'Igniz', has been active in many different ways. Both his partially is lax in, moving more to simply focus on his many other projects.
However, there is always an exception to the rule, and today, the Neo League administration would hold his match against a fighter of choice, one that is well known in the circuit for being not only likable but strong as well, Sakura. No matter what she is involved in, this is much more important than such as school or training. This is research, and science must not be denied by something so trivial.
Coming upon the boardwalk, the man simply known as Igniz, cloaked in his robes from head to toe as he maneuvers through the crowd cheering for Sakura herself. He makes his way towards her, the figure almost moving as if it was a ghost, floating. And there, it stops, a great smile upon the only part of his face where the sun hits.
His smile is warm and friendly, but also misleading. "Miss Kasugano, shall we begin?"
It's true, Sakura's a bit too busy pumping up the crowd to notice an unassuming figure walking throughout. A fistpump here, a bit of shouting there, and... all of a sudden her opponent is right in front of her, having been hiding right in plain sight. Kinda creepy, really!
Sakura's empassioned smile cracks slightly as her eyes fall upon the robed figure. He's wearing... all white? Luckily Labor Day's not till next month, one supposes, but it's /really/ stark in this August sunlight. She's speechless for a moment, gawking incredulously with wide eyes at Igniz.
A moment later, she finds her voice. "Y... you gotta be pretty hot in that!" she concludes, drawing some uneasy laughs from the crowd. They're creeped out too -- Igniz is /tall!/ But with no further ado, Sakura steps away from the crowd, bounding into the center of the ring marked off for the occasion. "Wouldn't want you to melt or anything! So come on, then... if you're ready!" Balling her fists in determination, Sakura can already tell this guy will be a bit of a challenge, but she's determined to put on a good show for the crowd just the same. Don't show fear... they can /sense/ fear! Sakura shows none, as her eyes pierce straight through to Igniz's, her determination unquestionable.
Apparently, the Neo League official at the sidelines nearly missed his cue in the sudden turn of action; the starting bell dings a couple seconds later.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
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Sakura 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Igniz has joined the fight here.
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Igniz 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
The lavender robe that the man wears is gaudy, more than easy to spot amongst any crowd actually. But here and now as Igniz simply strolls up and announces that the fight can begin, he may have very well taken Sakura by surprise, and the suprise will not stop there. As she turns about and marks about his robes, the god shakes his head.
"I am not, but thank you for your consideration," The god of NESTS dictates, "I will remember that as we fight, and give you none in return." He exclaims. It is true. Igniz will most likely not be very gentle with Sakura, but, perhaps, she will not need him to be, and he will be the one left in the dust.
Standing tall, the god of NESTS waits for Sakura to prepare herself, aiming to see if she makes the first strike. She does not. With a soft "Hmm." Igniz grins. She is going to fight a man who dedicates himself on strategy and challenge him to such a thing? So be it. Standing tall, the robes give way, breaking apart and fluttering as the bell sounds off. Igniz's robes transform about him, blowing in an unseen wind before giving away his battlesuit and face, a dangerous smile still lurking on his face. "I am in no danger of melting. And am indeed ready."
With his hair and cape ever fluttering, Igniz makes his move upon the school girl, hurling himself forward while striking out with a quick, meaningful strike, aimed to connect with Sakura's figure if she wasn't fast enough. Of course, it's also rather hard to see. A blur.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Igniz's Medium Punch.
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Igniz 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura is pretty good at judging how powerful people are, as she's able to feel the ebb and flow of chi around them. But she doesn't even need to rely on her innate talent, as Igniz's weirdness is revealed to everyone watching!
Sakura's determined look shows a flicker of doubt as Igniz grins back at her -- the kind of expression that breaks even the hardiest of souls. He's powerful, he's confident, and capable of killing with but a thought... and it's perfectly evident in every sign Sakura can possibly think to look for. This guy means business. And what is he doing in the Neo League with this sort of power, really!?
These questions will have to be answered later, though, as before Sakura can even form an intelligible response, he's right on top of her with a powerful strike. Most likely, the audience didn't even see it, nor were they likely to see Sakura as she hops backwards, raising both hands to deflect the blow. They /are/ likely to see Igniz's fist slamming into her padded handguards, knocking the Seijyun undergraduate back a good foot or so in the process; the sound of creaking vinyl and padding should reach their ears a split-second later.
And Sakura's confident facade slips just another notch. She's fought tough opponents, but not in a very long while. This... will be a challenge! "Fair enough!" she chirps back, pausing a moment to shake the numbness out of her hands. So Igniz is a strategist, eh? Sakura's been trying to work on that, herself... and now that she's a bit further back than she'd like to be, she lurches forward, her palms flaring out to release a deluge of blue-white chi at the ghost of a fighter -- more than enough energy to cover the gap between the two fighters. "HADOOOOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Igniz blocks Sakura's Large Hadouken.
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Igniz 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
In the past few events, NESTS have been actively branching out instead of simply awaiting others to come to them. In this mindset, Igniz is slowly trying to draw opponents into the open, as well, reclaim all the experiments that have escaped. This includes K', Shurui, Maxima, and any others.
But today, Igniz finds no problem with revealing his true self towards Sakura and the onlookers. All those rooting for Sakura today will have to root hard for her to overcome such a fighter. One that simply cannot stand by and allow them to have their idol win easily! Igniz must test her, and if anything, find out her strengths and weaknesses.
Even as he floats, recoiling from his own strike, he finds that she capitalizes on every moment of his idle self. He is a challenge? Most likely to Sakura, one many years younger despite Igniz's good looks. He's assaulted by that trade mark move, except it's much larger than he had seen before. Coming towards him in a blue white chi ball that blocks much of his view, Igniz is given the problem of dealing with a 'Hadoken'.
With a wave of his hands, the god figures to allow it towards him, four forcefields of chi raising up and slowing down, actively snuffing out much of the chi that comes towards him, only a much smaller flame escaping into his chest, breaking apart pieces of his battlesuit. But it had driven him back, taken time to dissipate it. Time that Sakura could use.
And, against his better will, he allowing himself a moment of brief relief as he lowers his guard, looking over Sakura as she moves. "Show me more."
COMBATSYS: Igniz focuses on his next action.
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Igniz 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
For most people, simply -one- forcefield would suffice, but not so for Igniz! Sure, Sakura could feel his chi before, but seeing how effectively he deals with one of her strongest attacks... well, she's a bit anxious now! Igniz would be able to read her -- most fighters can, after all -- but she can't show it to the crowd. Confidence!
"You got it!" she assents, charging forward with her shoulder. Sure... she /could/ be more cautious than to place herself in harm's way. She's hoping to make the most of whatever momentum she's gaining, while she still has it -- hanging back to let a superior opponent defeat her with sound strategy just isn't her game, after all.
"Hyaaa!" cries Sakura, leading in with a fierce left cross. "Hyaaaaa!" she shouts again, leaning forward to propel her momentum forward even further with a right uppercut. And should those connect she'd surge into a fierce backhand, aiming to knock Igniz back and away. Sure, he's good with chi... but maybe he's a bit less developed in the physical realm? Maybe? /Please?/ "HIYAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Igniz counters Fierce Punch from Sakura with Void Genocide.
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Igniz 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Igniz's forcefields and battlesuits were his legacy! Four of them are needed because it's four times as awesome as one. So that's why the whole forcefield deal is there! Plus actually blocking with your hands and knees? Who needs that when you can simply use technology to lessen the devastating powers of other fighters.
Sakura's anxious nature isn't immediately seen by Igniz, but the suit, when called upon can detect body heat and chi fields, even going as far to determine striking power. But for now, Igniz only sees her movements in greater focus, her speed and ways to manipulate such things. And Sakura strikes forward, throwing caution to the wind in a maneuver, that if through, could easily ruin Igniz's day.
The left cross comes, and as it does, Igniz watches patiently, awaiting her moment of striking him. His physical prowess is much less than his mastery of chi, but as Sakura powers closer, she'll find his chi to suffice in such matters. A single hand is rose, almost lazily before straightening towards Sakura as she's inches away, a powerful white flare of chi, entirely immaculate looking, flares out into Sakura's chest, aiming to send her hurtling backwards, her own force deafened in a moment.
"I'm sure, today, you'll find challenge, if you seek it."
Sakura's used to opponents putting a bit more effort into blocking her! For a moment, the tomboy considers whether the well-coiffed one might actually allow her to strike him down, whether his chi was actually -misplaced- for a moment. There's none of the forcefields from before, after all...
Then it hits her, a tidal wave of energy suddenly crashing down upon her from all sides, more than enough to not only quell her own strikes, but send her flying backwards to boot. Her lungs momentarily collapse, voided of breath from the sudden dramatic impact as she flies backwards, landing in a very messy tumble upon the boardwalk. If the fans came to see Sakura triumph, they're going to have to get cheering a bit louder than this!
Pausing one moment to catch her breath, she flips back to her feet. Panting quite visibly, she nods back in return to Igniz. He's so calm, collected... and she's practically run ragged after just a handful of attacks. Drawing in another deep breath, she nods back. There's no need to reply to that statement with trash talking, is there? In what's likely to be a wise move, the brash tomboy holds her tongue (for now).
... And surges forward, once again. This time though she's leaping into a kick... though her aim's pretty horrible, as her rising kick would send her sailing right past Igniz's shoulder, if he managed to remain as calm and motionless as last time.
Her goal isn't to kick him though... as she aims to grab at him, even if he were to move out of the way. And she'd aim to lock her elbow right around his throat, dangling upon the taller executive's shoulders as she makes it just as hard for -him- to breathe as it was for her mere moments ago. "Hnnn!" Should she manage that, she'd hold on for a few moments before giving him a firm chop to the base of the neck for his trouble. "Haa!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Igniz with Sakura Strangle EX.
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Igniz 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Igniz finds out post haste that Sakura is simply not the easiest or most predictable fighter about. She is, however, impressive in her own right. Even as she comes right towards Igniz, the god of NESTS can see her. He had thought it was going to take her much more time than her strike had given him to work with. Something he was surely unhappy about.
Perhaps as much as she was to find the tidal wave of energy crashing down upon her. But now, Igniz feels something else. The feeling of being grasped by her figure even as he watches her kick forward. Simple, easy, methodically Igniz does just that, allows her to hurl by.
But then her arm grasps at it, clamping about his neck as she actually grasps onto him, strangling him even as he attempts to fight it. He loses air. The suit is powerless to stop Sakura from systematically shutting down his airways! That's unheard of to Igniz! But the move, as it is, simply does that. Try as he might, Igniz isn't able to escape until the very end where she cancels it, the firm chop striking the God in base of his neck. Even as he flinches backwards, falling from the exhaustion as he breaths, attempting to otherwise once more regain his composure.
Where he turns, attempting to flick Sakura in front of him. And there he won't be so nice about it. Hurling himself forward at an increased speed, aiming to take advantage of her close proximity, Igniz spins, his cape flicking about as it spans out, the chi-amplifiers about it sizzling with power as he goes, aiming to simply raise Sakura into the air, and from there, juggle her with the chi infused ends of the cloth.
Never has clothing been more deadly than in the NESTS God line.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to interrupt Cape Sweep from Igniz with Shou'ou Ken.
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Igniz 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Sakura
Impressive in her own right indeed. This bout is one of the most talked-about in the fandom circles since it was first scheduled. The internet buzz is ALL about the inevitable DVD package. Igniz has made quite a stir since making himself known as a VERY menacing blip on the fighting circuit radar, and Sakura Kasugano, well... the Ansatsuken prodigy has always drawn attention, and often trouble, and sometimes both at once. Masters will make (more of) a fortune, the League will get new graphics and a cooler intro theme, and all will be well in the fighting world.
And where is the world's foremost bum, the strange sensei who trained the stranger schoolgirl in her deadly art? Surely he heard about the fight!?! ... well, Ryu hasn't exactly been keeping up on AFN (the ALLSTAR FIGHTING NETWORK) where he's been training, and far be it for information to stand in the way of blind, ridiculous coincidence. That, ladies and gentlemen, is called DESTINY. Ryu makes waves of his own, riding the waves in to shore. Not on a surfboard, not on a jetski, Ryu is in an oldschool, wooden dingy. He shovels water out of the boat with both hands, as if lost in a meditative trance, and lets the waves carry him, with increasing intensity as he finally nears, into shore. That... is not what he'd call a leisurely trip.
Dark eyes open, pensive and calm, and he stops fighting against the boat's leakage. He.... can sense that, there, up on the boardwalk. The boat thwumps up against the sand a short distance from shore, and Ryu splashes out, barefoot, into the surf. The tattered edges of his gi's legs darken slightly, the breeze sending his overly long, red headband out behind him as he walks steadily but calmly towards the boardwalk. That burst of power... it /had/ to be Sakura, right? But... who is that she's fighting? Ryu's stern brows furrow, and his pace doubles, down the beach and towards the first route up to the wooden walkway.
Kasugano wasn't sure if her strike would work... but she's glad that it did! In retrospect it was probably a really smart move to try and attack the part of Igniz that -wasn't- sheathed in that armor, right? Less things to get in the way, she realizes... but the chances of that working twice against such a savvy opponent are slim to none. She'll just have to wait till a different opportunity presents itself!
Landing behind Igniz, the fighting fangirl thinks she has a moment of safety. When she rises, she's presented with evidence to the contrary. Does that cape really count as an inanimate object if it's flailing around and beating the crap out of someone? Instantly on edge when she sees the tip of the cape racing towards her, Kasugano ducks beneath it, trying to sneak an uppercut past and nail Igniz again for his trouble... but then she realizes that the cape isn't moving on its own, per se... rather, it's awash in the NESTS patriarch's undeniably powerful chi. Her fist is repulsed, her body disobeying her commands, convulsing violently as it's launched upwards into the air. Suspended momentarily, Kasugano seems to be in extreme pain... but she holds it all in through grit teeth, as if it's more due to high pressure than actual impact.
She collapses back to the boardwalk afterward, panting heavily. She's not been run through the wringer this badly in a /long/ time. ... She acknowledges that Igniz is stronger -- that much is true from her silence. Nodding back in return, she rises, renewed resolve in her eyes. Two things should be clear: she's not giving up, and she doesn't want Igniz to go easy on her. This is destiny, yes! And she's got to continue onward, for herself, regardless of who might or might not be watching!
Even as Sakura is given a nasty ride, Igniz is simply unmoved by her pain. Picked up and tossed about. Igniz smiles as he comes to a finish at the end of his spin before standing entirely straight afterwards, even with the girl repulsed outwards and coming to land not too far away from where they stand, the board walk keeping her up.
The god of NESTS stands as she forces herself back up, entirely fine with simply allowing the women back up, even after the few blows she's taken. The god of NESTS simply won't allow for Sakura to catch a break. That would be too kind of him. Still the smile plastered on his face like a picture, the god of NESTS approaches, his cape following him in suit as he makes his way towards the wounded Sakura, even as she stands once more.
He doesn't notice Ryu at first, as he makes his way up towards the fight in turn. He simply moves to help Sakura the only way he knows how. His cape grasps out, slithering towards Sakura's legs to take them out right from under her, moving at an increased speed as they go.
If she isn't fast enough, they'll pull once, powerfully, and send the fighter tumbling towards the ground once more.
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Sakura with Quick Throw.
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Igniz 0/-------/--=====|=======\======-\1 Sakura
With impressive agility and strength, Ryu leaps upwards and vaults over the edge of the boardwalk, landing in a low crouch, and looking out over... a crowd, watching a pitched battle. Oh. Good!
Ryu's concern and intense focus fade, though the latter only in part, and he straightens up with a small, bemused sort of smile. Maybe he's just too used to Kasugano getting into the aforementioned trouble. Then again... there's something about that guy. He barely catches a glimpse of Igniz until he's flanked around the gathered onlookers, and pushed to the front, off to the very edge of the boardwalk on the ocean side. His gaze goes to Sakura first.... she's beat up, but not out of it yet. Half of his smile returns... until he looks to Igniz.
He can sense it as soon as he takes in the NESTS overlord. The nomadic warrior has long lived a life in balance with the Earth, with its elements, with its spiritual being. Igniz twists it to suit his ambitions. Rends it in unnatural ways. It's a taint he carries with him, the slightly 'off' taste of his astounding power. Ryu says nothing, makes no move to draw Sakura's eye. In the eye of such a hurricane, even his masterful, but calm aura might go unnoticed. For the moment, the wanderer is simply a spectator.... not only is the battle itself a thing of confounding intrigue, but this seems like the wrong time to greet his student...
For Kasugano, no bones will be broken, and no bruises will show. The damage dealt is within, in both the literal and figurative senses -- Igniz's veritable avalanche of chi is more than enough to bury even Sakura. It'll be her pride that takes a hit here... for not learning more about her opponent before this battle. How can such a powerful opponent have slipped off her radar till now?!
Again, she'll have to sleep on that, because pondering is a luxury she doesn't have time for now. She tries to leap above the hem of the cape that swings towards her legs, but even the cloth is more agile than she, sweeping around her legs and yanking them out from under her. Sakura flails about... but there's little she can do but careen back to the boardwalk.
The time for brave heroics has passed... and Sakura feels a need to fall back upon her training. She's shown too much of the offensive against an opponent who can clearly anticipate her moves... and it's time she starts seeing what -he- can do. Pushing back to her feet, Kasugano draws in her breath and waits. Her skirt swishes into motion as a small vortex of air whirls about her, signifying her determination to the fight. She'd do so even if her master /wasn't/ in the audience -- and as far as she knows, he isn't, because all her attention is devoted towards Igniz. Upon giving him the best fight she can. "Haaaaaaaaa..."
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Igniz 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Even with such a padded lead against Sakura, or how it looks, Igniz simply will not stop moving forward. He stands, still looking down towards Sakura, easily watching her movements. Her strength. He's seen it, and not, he wants to see it fully. But she refuses to, instead, falling back on something else. He had thought about her strength. But now, she does not move forward. She stands. Allowing him to take the offensive once more.
Even as the obvious determination and chi swells about Sakura, the only thing Igniz is more of is interested. Each resistance against him simply allows for Igniz to want to know, want to learn about her strategies. Her tactics. Her power. And he will learn of it, even if it means forcing every eeked out bit of strength from her.
And he will. Oh he will. The small vortex encases her, Igniz grinning from ear to ear. "You've showed me much, but now, when you stand at such an end against me, believe that tried and true tactics will win against a man who knows much?" Igniz exclaims, "Maybe I overestimated you."
The man raises a hand, softly into the air itself, a small ball of white immaculate chi forming in his grasp, hurled towards Sakura at such a speed without even a simple toss by the God. More likely a simply direct.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Igniz's Divine Arrow - Air.
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Igniz 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Kasugano's headband flaps in the wind kicked up by her aura, as her smile returns. Igniz... is talking. And fluffing himself up in the process. Sakura is normally pretty accepting of trash talk, but coming from someone who's obviously superior... well, that's just plain arrogant! (Never mind that Sakura does the /exact same thing/ herself, at times...)
Sakura doesn't flinch when the bolt of white energy hurtles towards her. She mildly raises her hand, as if brushing her bangs out of her eyes -- and the energy lances into her raised handguard, jarring it backwards. Sakura obviously /can't/ muster as casual a defense as Igniz, but she's not above trying to play it off as best she can, shaking the momentary numbness out of her hand like someone might... y'know, a hornet sting, if they were /used/ to such things. It wasn't a mosquito, that's for sure!
"Heh... you might know a bunch, sure... but you don't know /me/ too well!" Just to put an exclamation point on that statement, Sakura lunges forward again, the faint blue wisps of energy fading in her wake. She's a bit quicker than before, but that's likely because she's not trying to hit as -hard-, but rather to bring forth a dizzying one-two punch, before swinging both hands in an axehandle towards the executive's chin. "Hyaa! Hyaa! HYAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Igniz blocks Sakura's Medium Punch.
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Igniz 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Even as he stands, Igniz barely moves, looking towards Sakura as she's powered backwards by his arrow. It doesn't pierce her defense as well as he had hoped, but gives him new interest in the fighter that, at the moment, isn't entirely showing her fangs even in this terrible predicament. Igniz awaits, still yet watching her movements.
And she simply shakes away his fireball, even if it may have stung a little more than she shows. The God of NESTS must give her credit for being able to control her body and pain so well to simply stand up even with the most grevious of assaults panging into her.
And she assaults, powering forward towards Igniz with her figure, bursting through her strength and sending forward with a one two punch, coming up with an axe-handle to his chin. But the forcefields once more get in her way. With the wave of a hand, they appear, four of them being struck by Sakura's might, digging into the forcefields and even Igniz's armor slightly by pure will.
As Igniz floats backwards, landing some feet away, he smiles.
And then begins to clap.
"You've exceeded my wildest expectations. Fighting even as you're close to passing on. Continuing on even as your body aches." Igniz giggles a little. It's mildly disturbing. "I do not know you at all!"
The battlesuit clicks and whirrs, taking what data that Sakura had already given it and even modifying it entirely, sucking up the excess wisps she left behind. A powerful white light emerges not long too after, his own, immaculate chi appearing everywhere about him as he stands, swirling about him.
"Educate me!" He commands.
COMBATSYS: Igniz gathers his will.
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Igniz 1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
It's not something you see every day. Your premiere student facing off against a technologically augmented maniac who sticks out like a pretzeled thumb. Igniz's arrogance and confidence seem well-earned, one might even wonder why Sakura doesn't give up the battle. Why her sensei doesn't step in and demand that the deadly overlord cease his little game. It's that same spirit he's seen in Sakura since day one... the same girl who faced down the likes of Bison and Vega years ago. She's not done fighting, by a long shot. If Igniz pushes his luck past their official brawl, well... Ryu's known for his speed. For now?
The Ansatsuken master crosses his arms, sets his jaw stoically, and watches the fight unfold. He's got his proverbial fingers crossed, that much is certain.... this Igniz is unlike any fighter he's seen before. The miracle of modern science intimidates the master no more than the student, however. Their philosophy? It's all about the fight. She's right, he has no idea.
Kasugano frowns as her attacks meet not armor, nor chi... but something clearly more artificial than that. Energy fields... but not those powered by the human body. It's a bit unnerving, having something vibrate at a frequency just slightly off from what she's used to... but whatever. She's fought people with weapons before, this isn't too much different, right?
Pulling back, she glares back at Igniz's pompous display. If Kasugano thinks he was being arrogant before, he's just outright /patronizing/ now. Setting her jaw firmly, she has to wonder how her master would respond, if he would recognize Igniz's calculated measure to wear down morale for what it is.
It takes her a moment to collect herself, to wipe that distasteful frown off her face and replace it with stoic neutrality. "Yeah," Sakura offers with a mirthless chuckle. "I'm better than that." She's not going to lash out in rage, to give in to the considerable pain wracking her form right now. It may be impossible odds, but this is a Neo League fight, and Neo League is meant as a challenge to the fighter, a test to see how good they can /become/ through fighting. Giving in is worse than merely losing the fight.
Sakura can feel her own chi drawn in from Igniz's technological gadgetry. She knows it's not a question of if she can survive, but how long. And she's /going/ to show the man just how powerful she can be, if she can set her mind to it. But she's not going to turn her hand now. Not just yet.
Drawing in her breath, her hands curl to the side, cerulean energy flows into her palms. Her expression resolute, she thrusts her palms forward, crying sharply as the concussive shockwave flows forth, just as freely as before, in an attempt to wear those forcefields down. She'll make him feel this... eventually. "HADOOOOOOOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Igniz blocks Sakura's Large Hadouken.
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Igniz 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Even as Sakura continues to move on, Igniz simply waits. Patient as a mother of a new child, Igniz does not make any false moves. His figure is poised towards Sakura, watching her breath. Move. Gather power. All of it was intensely purposeful. Not a single move she did was by accident. Igniz would not budge himself, waiting for her own terrific assault.
But she makes none. Instead, just a hadoken. The same Hadoken she had used earlier. He looks, watching even her own shockwave blaring out towards him. But in an effort, Igniz continues to allow her strikes to build up on the forcefield, once more waving his hand as the hadoken simply connects with the shields again, forcing itself as a much small entity into the battlesuit. It still looks very powerful, opperational to an excellent degree. And here, the god of NESTS makes no movements after being driven back through the wood where he now stands.
"You defy me, child," Igniz announces with a smile. "I have given you nothing but the ability to prove yourself to me, but you do not even simply allow that." The god of NESTS chides towards Ryu's pupil. "If you will not show me, then I will give you no choice." Igniz states, beginning his advance towards Sakura as his gadgetry clicks and whirrs, softly purring even as he floats forth across the boardwalk.
Even as he covers the distance that he was sent back and more, a simple strike is given to Sakura. A quick, almost entirely unseeable punch towards her chest to bring this all to an end.
All while Igniz is smiling, entirely fine with ending the fighter with a wimper instead of valient stand.
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Sakura with Jab Punch.
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Igniz 1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sakura
Well, whenever someone says 'Give me your best shot', it's most likely because they already have an awesome and terrible counter-strategy in mind. Sakura's counter-counter-strategy is not to give it to them right then and there! "I've got nothing to prove, really!" All her fight history is on record, after all -- records which Igniz could easily pore over and analyze if he hasn't already. And in her mind, she figures that if he /really/ wanted her to prove herself, he'd quit messing around with those dorky forcefields!
Kasugano's neutral facade is broken by the brief flicker of a smirk. Igniz is smiling, sure... but she's getting to him. Maybe he knows her /now/, because he's lashing out to try and swat the mosquito. And she remains upright as she's swatted back, her sneaker treads wearing down from skipping backwards. He thinks she'll fall. She doesn't.
And her smirk grows only larger, now, as she knows she's implanted the little seed of doubt in him; she can sense the mild frustration he's not showing. She starts running back at him, to recover the distance she's lost. She starts cocking her fist back for another low punch, yet another token reprisal to continue egging him on.
Except that she's been building up a /lot/ more energy than it looks, and that punch is just a bit early -- since it's not meant as a punch, but a launchpad. The energy she's been quietly accumulating throughout the fight is unleashed in one immense blast, crackling with lightning and even more powerful than the last two Hadoukens combined. She's been hoping to surprise him ... and maybe, just maybe, this will get his attention. "Shinkuu... HADOOOOOOUKEN!" Or maybe it's what he's been goading from her all along, who knows?
COMBATSYS: Igniz reflects Shinkuu Hadouken from Sakura with Nega Genesis.
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Igniz 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Sakura
Igniz was waiting for something of this magnitude to happen. He had waited, aimed at taking the girl out before she was able to. But he wasn't at all. It came, swift and hard, his fist striking her and even send Sakura out of the fight. But she proves to be too resiliant, too much of a pest to swat down all at once. He finds this out even as she fails to fall. Such arrogance is grating, but she has yet to get through Igniz's calm presence.
Few people do, only when the God ultimately finds no purchase of anything. It, if anything, is a flaw. But his will to learn easily tears apart much of his annoyance with his chosen adversaries. It was too much of a grand excersize to do anything otherwise.
But she's been building, he can tell. An intense blast of white chi lurching out from Sakura without very much hesitation at all, crackling through the air, threatening the very fiber of Igniz himself. Fighting it entirely, the god of NESTS does not back down. Instead, he studies it entirely too much. The speed it comes at, the angle. The master of information himself could not turn this down.
And so he attempts it. To use his opponents own strike against them. With another wave, once much faster this time given the small period he has to work with, another field appears. But this is unlike the forcefields, instead, a single imaculate white disc of chi that pulses in the air, threatning all about it. As Sakura's powerful assault meets, there is a momentary duel of energy.
And then, in a terrible, screaming moment of realization, the winner is announced in an extreme manner. Her own assault returns back to her, aiming to simply engulf her entirely. Igniz stays silent, enjoying only the spectacle at hand.
COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Sakura with Reflected Shinkuu Hadouken.
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Igniz 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Sakura
Sakura knew there was a certain peril in attacking with her strongest single attack any time after she was asked to... but naturally the Ansatsuken prodigy wouldn't jump into throwing one without a backup plan in place. No, with Igniz's chi as strong as it is, she had predicted -- rightly -- that he would try to overwhelm her attack with one of his own. It's just what overpowered demigods try to do, in her experience!
So her backup plan was to jump over her fireball, and thus, jump over /his/ fireball when it inevitably overpowered her attack. In doing so, she can nail him with a jump kick to his unprotected neck!
That would've worked great if her own fireball weren't redirected up /towards/ her. Those darn forcefields! Kasugano grits her teeth as her own Shinkuu Hadouken rockets up towards her. Luckily for her, it seems to have lost some of its momentum in the transition -- one of the nasty shortcomings of her Hadoukens as compared to her master's. But unluckily, it means that she's still having to face the shockwave slamming into her, nearly causing the undergraduate to black out...
But not -totally-. She's still moving forward, albeit a bit more erratically than before. And she's still aiming to kick the NESTS executive... just in the /head/ rather than the neck. "Hrrrrraagh!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
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Igniz 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Igniz with Strong Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Igniz 1/----===/=======|
Even as Sakura goes down, Igniz simply suggest that, after it all, there is nothing more. He forgets Sakura almost even exists, instead of simply aiming to give her a lasting moment of power. Alas, he falls for the simply escape with overwhelming attitude, aiming to simply kick him, even after all of this. He simply floats backwards.
But the kick is moving there! Bam. The kick powerfully strikes into the God of NESTS figure, powering him backwards after all of it. He smiles still, even as he's thrown backwards. He even begins to laugh a little. "Ahh... finally, you have showed me your strength. I'm entirely happy that you did, Sakura." The god of NESTS announces with a smile, even with his broken nose and bloodied up face from her last assault.
He simply hovers at first, waiting to see if she gets back up. After she doesn't, he wonders if he should continue.
Ahh, maybe next time she lurches out he'll justify her being there. For now, he's entirely fine with leaving Sakura like this. He has no other reason why not to.
The god of NESTS begins to walk away, covered in his robes once more that fold about him. He leaves with a smile, even with Sakura's final strike landing upon him. A needed strike, if any.
COMBATSYS: Igniz has ended the fight here.
Ryu steps forward after Sakura's final attack, the impressive kick dealing a worthy final note to the rather brutal conflict. The tingle of unusual chi still permeates the air, but the Ansatsuken master wastes no time in walking towards his student's side, pausing once there to look towards the retreating Igniz, "Where does one learn to... fight... like that?" He murmurs after the megalomaniac. Whether he's heard, or heeded, well... it's of little relevance. He offers his hand to Sakura, and a slight smile, "I only caught the tail end. You fought well." He offers simply, and sincerely. It's not much as flowery reunion greetings go, but what do you want? He just showed up with a duffel bag, a sunken dingy, and a dirty white gi.
After that kick... Sakura lands on her palms, flattening against the boardwalk. The last strike knocked a lot of wind out of her sails, and as it is, she's more than content to lie down for a while. Could she have survived if she'd attacked when he'd /told/ her to? ... Maybe. But that just ain't how Sakura rolls. She doesn't sit up and beg just because you /ask/ her to.
Igniz doesn't seem like he wants a response, so Sakura doesn't give him one. She's content to rest her lungs for a moment, closing her eyes as the referee calls the fight, and the cameras start shutting down. She takes a deep breath, savoring the beach air, and starts the process of calming herself down. And that... involves flopping over onto her back.
Which leaves her staring right up into Ryu, offering his hand.
Which leads to a reaction that's the /exact opposite/ of calming down. "Nn---ngh?!" He was /watching?/ Sakura's cheeks flood with color...
And then? /Then/ she faints.
Log created on 18:32:51 08/08/2008 by Sakura, and last modified on 01:27:06 08/09/2008.