Description: Kain Heinlein and Kyo Kusanagi are basically SNF staples. They are known as fearsome fighters with a frightening degree of skill. Chizuru Kagura is known as well for her gentle but tactical nature whose talents with chi equip her some interesting abilities in battle. But what do you get when these three come together to fight it out among one another? The Saturday Night Main event, that's what! It's a showdown between titan Kain, sass-master Kyo and the mysterious Chizuru Kagura in a fight that will leave only one man (or woman) standing, only on this week's Saturday Night Fight main event! (Winner: Chizuru)
Now this is the kind of fight that Kain likes. Just a simple matter of being better than your opponent. Environmental obstacles are okay, but rules putting constraints on fighters for entertainment value are a bit irritating. He's also okay with a fight having more than two combatants. Being aware of people around you is an important combat skill, after all. It's just unfortunate that one of those people tonight has to be Kyo Kusanagi. On the plus side, it /does/ mean an opportunity to kick Kyo in the face.
Kain doesn't seem to be doing any particular preparation for the fight. He's just standing there on the floor of the White Arena with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. There's no need to study the arena, and both of his opponents are well known enough that he doesn't feel the need to study them for any little tells at this point. Best just to relax until Kyo disturbs the tranquility of the moment. Which he will probably achieve within seconds of his arrival.
A lot of people are probably buying tickets to this venue JUST TO SEE KYO KICKED.
But really, there are a lot of people gathered in White Stadium, and that alone is almost enough to unnerve the oft-cool and calm Yata heiress. Still, she maintains composure in her dressing room, adjusting her traditional garments as she finishes the last of her preparations. It's been quite some time since last she'd had a chance to make a public appearance; her job, after all, keeps her relatively busy.
A knock on the door later, and Chizuru makes her way down the stadium corridor toward the arena proper, black eyes fixed on the open space ahead of her. Today, she fights two rather notable opponents: the ruthless Kain and Kusanagi heir, Kyo. There's a bit to be nervous about!
Entering the arena, she offers a small wave to the audience as the SNF coordinators introduce the fighters. Offering a smile (even if he's got his eyes shut) to Kain, the Yata heiress takes her place in the arena, hands loose at her sides as she awaits the match to begin.
That is vile slander. Kyo Kusanagi is a friend of tranquility and calm moments.
When the former SNF Champion, former King of Fighters and reigning World Warrior champion makes the scene, though, the crowd goes kind of nuts; after all, he's one of the biggest names in professional fighting, hands down, and his... ugh... /Heroics/ during the Siege of Southtown have given him an enormous positive PR boost, even now, so long after the events happened. After all, he rescued innocent civilians from a hospital moments before the hospital went down in a spectacular collapse, and that's pretty badass.
The fact that the hospital fell on top of Krizalid, well, that's just gravy from Kyo's point of view.
So, the crowd erupts in cheers and general acclaim as Kyo Kusanagi emerges from one of the entryways, hands at his sides with his thumbs tucked into the pockets of his jeans, and a confident smirk on his face. He gives the crowd only the faintest of acknowledgement, though; his attention focuses immediately and completely on Kain R. Heinlein.
"Hey there, Blondie, how's it going?" Kyo wonders, his voice pitched to carry over the crowd. "Are your copycat flames still as lame as ever? Because, man, I worry about you sometimes. One of these days you're going to start copying somebody who sucks, instead of awesome ol' me, like... Benimaru, or Geese or somebody. Oh, maybe you could try copying Brian Battler a bit, huh? All you'd have to do is get a lobotomy and swear all the time, ha ha ha!"
Chizuru... Well, she's just troubling, so Kyo straight up ignores her. He's just Like That, sometimes.
Kain doesn't respond to Kyo's taunting. Anybody who hangs around the Kusanagi heir for long will probably discover that playing his game is a bad idea. He doesn't even open his eyes for a few moments. Eventually, though, he uncrosses his arms and opens up his eyes, then turns and gives Chizuru a brief nod. He then flexes his right hand, popping his knuckles with a brief burst of flame. It's a bit annoying that so many people cheer Kyo, but it's not as if Kain is lacking in his own fans. He just feels that Kyo is not particularly worthy of being praised by anyone.
With a glance off to the staff at the edge of the arena, Kain settles into a ready pose which is only slightly different from the pose he was in for the few moments previously. And he's looking straight at Kyo. It is entirely likely that Chizuru is going to have relatively little to worry about for most of this fight. At least while both Kyo and Kain are still standing.
Oh dear, Chizuru thinks. Kyo Kusanagi has not changed a bit.
Listening to the one-sided exchange between Kyo and the reticent Kain, Chizuru's black eyes awkwardly shift to the side, toward the crowds gathered and the loud cheers egging the two on. People chew this trash-talk up, which likely only encourages Kyo to be /that much more sassy/. Exhaling lightly, the woman shakes her head softly and keeps quiet.
A public venue isn't the time or place for her to go on about Orochi seals and seeking one of the Three Treasures' help, so Kyo need not worry.
YET, anyway.
"Well, let's have a good fight, gentlemen," Chizuru offers with a tiny smile on her face. It remains some vain effort to try and smooth things over in some weird way. Likely, it won't really work.
"I wish you both the best of luck."
"Ooop," Kyo says. "Looks like I hurt his feelings."
Mind you, he doesn't sound overly upset about it.
When Chizuru speaks, the Kusanagi heir does turn his attention towards her, his brows raising slightly as she suggests they have a 'good fight', and wishes them both... Luck? And she's smiling? If he hadn't met the woman before he'd be inclined to think she was messing with them as part of some nefarious scheme. What is with these implacably good-natured female fighters? Between Chizuru, Athena and Chun-Li, the world of fighting could be utterly destroyed by politeness and hugs!
"You know, that half-assed determination of yours won't accomplish anything," Kyo chides Chizuru, wagging a finger at her. "You gotta show some spirit! Get a little pissed off! Come on, how can this guy," he gestures at Kain, naturally, "not make you mad? With his Little Lord Fauntleroy suits and his hair. I'm pretty sure that's a wig," the World Warrior notes. "But, he doesn't have any passion for it either, huh?"
Kyo looks right at Kain again, that slow, confident smirk on his face. "Doesn't have any fun, he's just got something to prove, am I right? No love of the game in him at all. Tch, and here you've got me talking like Bogard, or Ryu, the Man Who Never Showers." Snapping his fingers, Kyo calls out his own flames with contemptuous ease, the very power he was born with; a brief flare of orange-crimson fire, summoned and dismissed in a heartbeat.
And then Kyo /moves/, lunging at Kain with all the speed he can muster, swinging his right fist in a hooking punch aimed at the side of Kain's blonde head, flames trailing behind his fist... And more fire erupting, explosively, at the point of impact. If that first strike lands, then Kyo continues, stepping in to deliver a second fiery punch, near mirror-image to the first, with his left fist, and then, well, then he lunges forward to smash his forehead right into Kain's face.
Who doesn't love a headbutt?
COMBATSYS: Kyo has started a fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Kain with Aragami.
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kain
Kain raises an arm as Kyo's fist comes flying in, but Kusanagi manages to slip by, colliding with Kain's jaw and snapping his head to the side with the explosive impact. And then the following blow sends him reeling in the opposite direction, only to be stopped by Kyo's forehead being rammed right into the center of his face. A trickle of blood starts to leak from the side of Kain's mouth, but he doesn't have tim to deal with that right now. He's too busy trying to get his hand on Kyo's face, shoving him away after the headbutt.
But he doesn't /just/ try to shove Kyo away, he tries to get enough of a hold on Kyo's face to push him to the side and downwards, in a motion that would eventually lead to sending Kyo sprawling on the floor, if it weren't for the lack of leverage available in the tight quarters the two men currently find themselves in. Luckily Kain can get around that by a point blank explosion in Kyo's face providing the extra force necessary.
Blinking at Kyo's remark, the Yata heiress offers a discreet frown in response. Half-assed determination? She was just being nice and friendly; after all, it's just a public bout, not some HARDCORE GRITTY FIGHT TO THE DEATH or anything. Tilting her head slightly, the woman just shakes her head lightly as Kyo continues on and on about Kain and tries to goad the hell out of him. She suspects, though, it's pointless.
Instead, Kyo fire-punches the blonde in the head before he headbutts Kain. Kain, of course, quickly retaliates; Chizuru, however, capitalizes in the moment, attempting to come up behind Kain and slide into him with her leg extended in some odd, graceful sliding strike to his ankle to knock him down.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru has joined the fight here on the top side.
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Chizuru 0|-------|-------
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kyo effortlessly blocks Kain's Quick Throw.
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Chizuru 0|-------|-------
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kain
Hardcore gritty fight to the death or not, it's still a fight. Besides, Kyo isn't really known for being nice and friendly even in ideal circumstances.
There's definite satisfaction to be had in punching Heinlein, especially with fire, but for all his arrogance and overconfidence, Kyo isn't stupid enough to waste time exulting over his own success; there /is/ a fight happening, and Kain is decidedly dangerous. Not that Kyo would ever give him any props out loud.
There's a brief contact of Kain's hand on Kyo's face, but the Kusanagi heir offers no resistance to the blond man's efforts to move him sideways and downwards... Slipping away just slightly in advance of the eruption of Kain's own fiery power, Kyo hits the sanded wood floor of the arena in a roll, bleeding off the momentum of the throw and ending up back on his feet in a flash.
"Too slow, Blondie," the World Warrior chides, and as Chizuru tries to knock Heinlein down, Kyo rushes in... To catch him?!
Of course, it's not as simple as that, because if Kyo gets ahold of his blond opponent, he just slams his shoulder and arm into Kain, transferring a hellacious amount of kinetic energy, far outsize of what the motion would suggest; it's probably some sort of ancient martial arts tomfoolery on the Kusanagi heir's part.
The point is: He shoulderblocks the hell out of Kain to send him flying, if all goes according to plan. And why shouldn't it?!
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Kain with Cong Cong.
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Chizuru 0|-------|------=
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kain fails to interrupt Hatsugane from Kyo with Schwarze Lanze.
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Chizuru 0|-------|------=
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Kyo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Kain
Kain isn't caught unaware by Chizuru's approach from behind, but her fluid movements are a bit harder to read than most people's. Heinlein attempts to step out of the way, but that just ends up giving him some additional momentum to make it harder to retain his balance after Chizuru strikes him in the ankle. He wobbles for a moment and starts to fall, but as Kyo charges in to take advantage of that opening Kain manages to briefly brace himself on one leg, twisting his body around so that he can meet Kyo's charge with his other foot.
And it would be quite unpleasant for Kyo, except Kain can't maintain his balance in this awkward position for long enough. He starts to slip just as Kyo gets within range, and this results in Kain taking the full force of the impact from Kyo, bouncing off of him before hitting the floor and rolling for some distance.
Though her expression remains stern, the Yata heiress feels a little guilty about taking on Kain while Kyo has the majority of his attention. She knows well, however, that Kain is a dangerous man; she barely put up a fight, as it were, in their fight during Second Victory. She cannot underestimate him, nor can she let her guard down against him.
But the same goes for Kyo, as well. They are both deadly opponents, and Chizuru must tread carefully.
Hopping back as Kain falls, Chizuru's black eyes settle upon Kyo now. Without any real expression or tell-tale emotion the woman suddenly moves, a hazy blur as she leaps into the Kusanagi and delivers a nasty downward knifehand strike at his head. Only, when she lands, she'll wink out of existence. How?
It was a clone of chi /all along/. Or /was it/?
That remains Chizuru's well-kept family secret.
COMBATSYS: Kyo fails to counter Choumon no Isshin from Chizuru with Nue Tsumi.
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Chizuru 0|-------|----===
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Kyo 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Kain
Suddenly, /treachery/.
It's pretty much inevitable in a free for all though, isn't it? Sooner or later, most everyone is going to attack everyone else, unless they have a really pressing reason not to, like a history-spanning rivalry or deep seated, near psychotic hatred of a particular target. Chizuru certainly doesn't have any of those here - at least, not so far as Kyo is aware - so he should've guessed she would attack him, especially after they both ganged up on Kain like some kind of gang.
By the way, Kyo doesn't feel even a tiny bit bad about that.
As Chizuru comes at him with a sudden quickness, Kyo lets out a faint sound of derisive amusement and turns into her attack, moving to grab her... Which becomes a problem as his hand catches nothing at all. It's not often that Kyo actually gets fooled by Chizuru's weird mirror attacks, but obviously the woman has been practicing making them sneakier than he remembered them, and so that knife hand smashes into the top of his head, strong enough to drive him down onto one knee, looking pretty surprised.
"Oh?" Kyo says, straightening up and rubbing his head. "Looks like you've been working out, Kagura. Last time, I saw those sad-sack illusion techniques coming from a mile away!"
That's Kyo for you though: Even when he compliments you, he insults you.
It doesn't take all that long for Kain to stop rolling, but once he does it takes a moment for him to climb back to his feet. He's taking a bit of a beating here. But he does manage to get up and turn his attention back to Kyo. After those last few blows, though, he doesn't feel like running all over the place for the moment. If Kyo wants to bring things back to close combat, he can feel free to come over.
But just because he's taking a little rest doesn't mean that Kain can't keep the fight going. He raises his right hand, which bursts into black flames. As he continues to raise his hand the flames run up his arm, until he suddenly whips his arm toward Kyo and they spring forth, forming a large fireball as they shoot toward Kusanagi.
As the 'other' Chizuru winks out of existence, the 'real' Chizuru stands patiently, black eyes focused on Kyo as he pulls himself up off of his one knee and begins speaking. His compliment, however, earns him a purse of her thin lips, her expression 'vaguely annoyed' at best as she regards the Kusanagi Scion. Really, why of all people is she stuck with Kyo as one of the Three Treasures?
Then again, Iori Yagami /really isn't much better/. It's like babysitting!
Letting a faint sigh escape her, Chizuru's shoulders sag beneath the large white shoulders of her blouse. The sound of movement, however, draws her eyes sharply aside, as Kain charges after Kyo with every intention of humiliating and hurting him by way of his black fire. Chizuru moves swiftly after, running alongside the fire before she pirouettes on her heel, swinging a leg up and around to kick Kyo in the side of his head.
COMBATSYS: Kyo just-defends Kain's Schwarze Kanone!
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Chizuru 0|-------|----===
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Kyo 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Chizuru's Light Kick.
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Chizuru 0|-------|----===
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Kyo 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Kain
So it seems that Kyo is going to have the attention of both Kain R. Heinlein /and/ Chizuru Kagura for a bit, here. You know, if he were anyone other than himself, he might actually be worried?
His attention moves casually from one of the other fighters to the other as he draws himself up in his simple Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu stance, feet about shoulder width apart and fists loosely raised in front of him. He keeps moving, a little bit, ready to move in any direction he might need to, ready to respond effectively in any way he might need to.
Which is good, because things get hairy for a second.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kyo sees Kain starting to do his thing with his evil blaaaack fiiiiiire, but he notices rather more immediately the threat of Chizuru kicking him in the head. This time, he's sure it's the real her, so he swings up one forearm, stopping her kick cold; his arm stings, sure, but it's nothing in comparison to what might've happened. "Too slow, Granny," Kyo chides, and then he pushes off of her, and moves at Kain.
Yeah, with the fireball coming at him.
Kyo sweeps his right hand upwards as the large fireball rages towards him, a 'blade' of the orange-crimson Ever Burning Flames of the Kusanagi extending and slicing /through/ Kain's fiery projectile; hewn in twain, the two halves of fiery doom continue on past Kyo, exploding impressively against the wall and leaving Kyo both untouched AND that much more convinced that he is some kind of super awesome badass.
Kyo starts moving again, rushing at Kain once more, and he twists as he comes closer, throwing out his left elbow in a quick strike aimed at Heinlein's sternum, a stunning blow; if he gets that, then Kyo strikes out with his right hand, grabbing Kain by the neck and lifting the blond man up off the arena floor. Most people can probably guess what would come next, then.
"/BURN/!" is Kyo's imperative command, and a massive explosion of Kusanagi flames punctuates it, seeking to engulf Kain and hurl the man away, again.
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Kain with Koto Moon Positive.
- Power hit! -
> Determined Hit! <
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Chizuru 0|-------|----===
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Kyo 1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Kain
It seems that Kain is just not on top of his game tonight. He grunts as Kyo's elbow is rammed into his sternum, then is unable to stop Kusanagi from hefting him up off the ground. By that point he's started to recover, but it's a bit late to do anything as he is already on a collision course with the floor. The blond is engulfed in flames as he impacts the floor, briefly vanishing from view in the explosion before he's next seen sailing away.
But at the same moment, emerging from the fading explosion in the /other/ direction is a giant blast of brilliant golden energy which finishes the job of destroying that section of the floor that Kyo started. As well as taking out an area for a bit of a distance around the initial point of impact. And hopefully Kyo as well, if he fails to leave the spot with haste.
Despite the sassy response from Kyo, Chizuru offers no real response; instead, she simply pushes off his forearm with her shin, using the momentum to spin herself back and set her foot down, regaining her balance. It's about /then/ that Kain's fireball tries to collide into Kyo. For a moment, Chizuru is almost certain this will find its mark.
However, it does not. Instead, Kyo simply /slices it in half/.
Shaking her head, the woman keeps quiet. She would certainly be far more impressed if he weren't such a pain in the ass. Still, despite this fact, a little, distant part of the Yata heiress is glad to see that his power hasn't faded any, and that he's as formidable as ever. That bodes well, especially if Orochi's seal begins to break even further...
She again shakes her head. No time to think about that.
Noting that Kyo is faring considerably better than Kain, she is more than comfortable in pressing her assault against the Kusanagi boy. The Priestess charges, despite the ominous strength ebbing from the blonde. Dashing forth with surprising grace and speed, she seeks to close in on Kyo and duck low before she leaps up, delivering a sharp strike before leaping up and delivering a second, downward strike. And just before Kain's wicked explosion--
She 'disappears' again.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Kain's Himmlische Macht.
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Chizuru 0|-------|-======
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Kyo 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Kyo with Shinsoku no Norito.
- Power hit! -
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Chizuru 1|-------|=======
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Kyo 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Kain
Man, Kyo sure is popular, huh?
As ever, the Kusanagi heir is far from intimidated by having to face multiple opponents of a comparative level of ability to his own - again, never would he admit this out loud - and instead the young man smirks as much as ever, though this time doesn't quite go as blindingly well as it did a few seconds ago. Turning to face Chizuru's assault, Kyo decides quickly what to do, and once more her illusory/chi-double powers cause the Scion of Flame to zig when he really ought to zag.
Moving into her attack, he tries to exploit the openings almost anyone gives immediately after striking, but the /problem/ is that she's not really there, and instead her chi double strikes him repeatedly.
That sucked.
Kain's enormous fireball of doom is another trouble indeed, and Kyo can only get partway out of the area of effect before the big kaboom; he flips back, lands on his feet in a low crouch and generally uses his arms and legs to shield his head and torso, and the blast still /hurts/, but it could be worse.
A lot worse.
"What's the matter, Blondie? You're not /actually/ the Lost Puppy in a wig and an ugly suit, are you?" Kyo wonders, because he's pretty much a jerk. But Kyo doesn't even consider some of the possibilities here. Brief truce with Kain while they bring down Chizuru? No way. Dealing with Mz. Kagura instead of trying to take out Heinlein? Nu uh.
Kain is just one of those people who pisses Kyo Kusanagi off.
Lunging at the would-be Nietschean Ubermench, Kyo lashes out with his right fist in a single, speedy strike, though as per usual his Kusanagi flames trail behind his fist, and once again he unleashes an explosive burst of fire at the point of impact, if any.
But on the upside, this time he doesn't follow it up with anything else, right?
Right.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Kyo's Aragami.
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Chizuru 1|-------|=======
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kain
Although he's looking pretty battered, this time Kain is able to get an arm up in time to block the impact of Kyo's fist. And his arm doesn't even tremble, even under the force of the explosion released by the punch's impact. Kain just glares at Kyo and takes a step toward him, slipping past the the arm he's blocking. And then... "You're going to talk about fashion sense? Really?" Wait, what? Well, hey, if Kain is going to keep up an image as a nice guy, and one of the saviors of Southtown he does have to play to the crowd at least occasionally...
A bit of banter doesn't mean he's stopped wanting to hurt Kyo, though. And Kain really does want to hurt him. So at this point Heinlein decides that a show of raw power is in order. Kain's clothing flutters for a moment as he takes another step closer to Kyo, and then a pillar of flame erupts from his entire body, scorching the floor and engulfing Kain and everything within a short distance around him.
The fact she's managed to strike Kyo more than once bodes well for the Yata Priestess. After all, it means that she hasn't lost her edge just yet, despite her relatively low-key appearances in the public eye. She has been keeping up with her training, and clearly it pays off!
Still, the bulk of the fight is between Kyo and Kain, with either combatant otherwise ignoring her in favor of simply trying to punch one another out. Frowning a bit at the dislike between the two, Chizuru simply stays back for a brief moment, gauging Kyo as he recovers from her blows and deals impressively enough with Kain's assault. Either fighter is on their proverbial last leg. She almost feels bad.
Regardless, the woman continues to press the offensive. She gives chase after Kain, biding her time carefully as he EXPLODES in flames. Only after they subside does the Yata heiress dart forward, seeking to slide gracefully in and drive a rather sturdy punch aimed for the middle of his back.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Kain's Schwarze Kreuz.
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Chizuru 1|-------|=======
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Kyo 1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0 Kain
See, that's how they should've billed this fight, the Hero of Southtown vs. the Savior of Southtown, plus some lady in shoulderpads.
Kyo Kusanagi, the aforementioned 'hero', lets out a faint amused noise as Kain manages to find the werewithal to block that strike, not to mention to actually offer some sort of banter in return. "Look, leather is always in style... And more than that, I'm surprised you aren't more angry I compared you to that Kasagi guy!" the Kusanagi heir notes, stepping back slightly as Kain is engulfed in a column of his own fire, once again having to defend himself against it.
And you know what, Kyo has really looked better.
The fight has taken its toll on him, particularly with some brutal hits from Chizuru Kagura, but Kyo isn't someone who just lies down when there's people as need punching. Probably with fire. As Chizuru tries to punch Kain in the back, Kyo takes another step back, then one to the side, and then aims a punch of his own.
At Chizuru. He was bound to hit her back eventually, right?
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Chizuru's Strong Punch.
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Chizuru 1|-------|=======
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Kyo 1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0 Kain
There's a few possibilities here. Kyo could be taking pity on Kain and focusing on Chizuru for a bit instead. This is unlikely. Chizuru's presence might have finally annoyed Kyo enough for him to do something about her, though. Or perhaps he's trying to irritate Kain by making it seem like he's not that big a concern. Some might say that Kyo is easy to understand, but there are actually complexities to the art of being a jackass. Kain briefly thinks on this as he leaps to the side of Chizuru's attack and briefly thinks that Kyo is coming in for an assault against him, only to watch the Kusanagi heir fly by to attack the Yata priestess.
And that's all well and good, but just because Kyo decides to change the layout of the fight doesn't mean Kain feels obliged to go along with him. He can already tell that he's probably too beaten down to take someone of Chizuru's caliber while she's on top of her game... but Kyo is looking pretty beat up himself, so there's still a good chance there. And so Kain cups his hands together, summoning up a spark of blue flame which rapidly expands as he points his palms at Kyo, then balloons into a massive sphere of churning raw chi energy that Kain blasts toward Kusanagi.
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Chizuru with Quick Punch.
>>> Punitive Hit!!! <<<
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Chizuru 1|----===|=======
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Kyo 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Kain
Woops, shouldn't have figured Kyo would have stuck to punching Kain.
As Chizuru moves to deftly strike at the German, Kyo sneaks in a quick punch, stepping to the side before he strikes her. The blonde dodges, but Chizuru is left with a brief 'oh, damn' moment. Then? She is punched, her lithe frame suddenly jerking to the side as she staggers away from the center of the mess. Shortly after she shakes her head, slender fingers brushing gingerly at her temple.
That hurt.
Shaking it off, the woman turns her attention back onto the fight. Kyo's still being sassy, Kain's trying to shut him up with FIRE. Really, she's left in a rather awkward spot. But what better a plan than to--
You guessed it.
Punch Kyo!
With that in mind, Chizuru moves just behind the fireball chugging after the Kusanagi, intent on waiting until it's dealt with before IMMEDIATELY lancing out with an attack, returning the favor in kind by smacking Kyo upside the head with a knifehand.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Kyo with Himmlische Seele.
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Chizuru 1|----===|=======
[ \\ < > ////// ]
Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kyo endures Chizuru's Quick Punch.
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Chizuru 1|----===|=======
[ < > ////// ]
Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Kain
No matter who you are, facing multiple opponents is more like increasing the threat level exponentially, rather than just adding them together; this is why groups of even less-skilled fighters have a decent chance of taking down a higher caliber fighter who might otherwise be able to annihilate them individually. Of course, this is not in any way a two on one fight, but free for all battles tend to be... Fluid... And with Kain's attention so strongly focused on Kyo himself, and Kyo's near miraculous ability to make people want to punch him...
This may have been a foregone conclusion. But is there any glory in a fight that 'needed' the both of them to take Kyo down?
Kain's spark of blue flame is, sadly, a bit too quick for Kyo to avoid, though he makes an effort to... He's too battered, and Kain's attack too quick and too well placed, for him to avoid it. As the eruption of chi fades, Kyo wobbles, but there's Chizuru.
And Chizuru, naturally, whacks him in the head with a knife hand attack, staggering him to one side...
Until Kyo bursts into flames and...
...Sweeps his right arm around in a wide motion, unleashing a massive torrent of orange-crimson Ever Burning Flame, the flames enveloping his form peeling off of Kyo and joining those he's hurled as they rage at Chizuru, a wave of flame that apparently seeks to burn her off the face of the earth completely.
"EAT THIS!!" calls Kyo.
And then he falls over, because seriously. Ow.
COMBATSYS: Kyo can no longer fight.
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Chizuru 1|----===|=======
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Kain 0/-------/-------|
Well, that was unexpected. Kain was rather thinking that if Kyo got hit by that blast and managed to remain standing at all, he'd use what energy he had left to go after Kain. Chizuru must have really pissed him off somehow. Not that it's hard to do that. And Kain might almost feel bad for Chizuru, on account of the giant wave of flame threatening to crash over her, except that he's not the kind of person who really gets into the whole idea of sympathy. And while he may be a bit worn down, this is still a fight.
And so with that in mind, Kain sends a blast of his own flame racing toward Chizuru, whipping off a pair of small black fireballs that spiral around one another as they streak toward Chizuru, leaving comet-like tails trailing behind them. Not as devastating as the Orochinagi, but still sure to be unpleasant.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru just-defends Kyo's Orochinagi EX+!
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Chizuru 1|----===|=======
[ \\\\\ <
Kain 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Chizuru with Schwarze Flame.
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Chizuru 1|=======|=======
[ \\\\\ <
Kain 0/-------/-----==|
The fact Kyo retaliates so quickly actually /startles/ the Yata woman. For a brief moment she looks obviously surprised, black eyes going wide as he bursts himself into flames. Staggering back a step, she quickly lifts a hand from her side, fingertips flickering with golden energy. This can't be good- -she hardly has any time to properly defend herself..!
So she does what she can: try to ward off the energy.
Thrusting her arm forward, an impressive golden burst of pure energy erupts from her hand, exploding into the mass of crimson flames that threaten to consume her whole. Struggling against the force of his chi, the Yata fights hard, breaking into sweat from effort and HEAT as she fends herself against the torrent. Only when Kyo falls over does she exhale loudly, eyes going wide before she slouches.
Woops.
From behind her a surge of black flame crashes into the woman, sending her stumbling forward before she smacks into the ground, hands catching her before her face eats the arena floor. As quick as she can Chizuru stumbles to her feet and whips around, facing Kain with a stern look on her pale features. Without a word she moves without hesitation, attempting to draw in close and swing her arms in one, circular sweeping motion up and around--then behind and into his knees to fell him. But it doesn't stop with that; fingertips sparkle with golden chi before she thrusts her hand forward, straight into a pressure point. The resulting impact would be a sudden feeling of cold, as if the very essence of energy were in dire threat of being sealed off completely. "HAH!"
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Chizuru's Rakusui no Jingi.
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Chizuru 1|=======|=======
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Kain 0/-------/-----==|
In his current condition Kain doesn't want to mess around with trying minimal movement evasions of those sweeping strikes of Chizuru's. It might make it easier to launch his own attacks, but he's also more likely to get hit... and if he falls down again he's not sure he'll back able to get back up. So he leaps well back to safety, avoiding the sweep to the legs and being back far enough to stay out of range of any immediate followup.
Of course, he can't just hang around out of reach for long. For one thing, Chizuru is going to come after him. But he can try to leap back in before she fully recovers from her assault, lashing out with a high angled kick aimed for the side of the Yata priestess' head and enhanced by the glowing blue chi that focuses on Kain's foot.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Kain's Medium Kick.
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Chizuru 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
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Kain 0/-------/-----==|
Momentarily surprised when Heinlein leaps back and away from her assault, the woman quickly hoods her gaze and focuses. Despite the fact he's on his last leg, as it were, he's still managing to leap away and prove to be quite troublesome. This isn't good, she mulls. It means she could very well find herself on the losing end of things rather quickly.
He lashes out, a flaming kick that tries to strike her in the head. Immediately her arm snaps up, intercepting the blow with a light grunt of exertion. It stings, that chi--that much she hasn't forgotten about the man. That just encourages her to end this even more quickly than before. Don't get hasty, she tells herself. Don't be sloppy--
Twisting on her heel, the woman attempts to capitalize in the moment, swinging her body around before she snaps her leg out, attempting to drive her heel into the man's stomach and drive him back before anything more terrible can come from that awful chi he wields.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Chizuru's Light Kick.
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Chizuru 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
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Kain 0/-------/----===|
When Chizuru swings her body about Kain is able to guess what's about to happen, hunching down as her foot lashes out. She manages to strike him in the stomach, but not before he's able to position himself to slow her leg down and cushion most of the blow. And it definitely serves to keep him from being pushed back, although he's still the length of Chizuru's leg away. A bit too far for him to immediately counter without a kick of his own, and he's not in the best position to do so.
On the other hand, he can pivot about in an attempt to slip in past Chizuru's extended leg, getting in close enough for an upward angled palm strike toward the woman's jaw, accompanied with more of that raw chi energy. Flames may be good for explosions, but when you just really want someone to feel a blow it's hard to go wrong with pure energy. And from his slightly crouched position Kain is really able to put his whole body behind the blow as he rises back up.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru reflects Fierce Punch from Kain with Tamayura no Shitsune.
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Chizuru 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
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Kain 0/-------/----===|
How does this man keep ticking??
Sincerely surprised when he staves off the blow and manages to keep going, Chizuru quickly sets her foot back down and promptly takes to the defensive. He's going to retaliate quickly, she presumes in those FEW seconds she has; after all, he's likely riding on fumes about now. He can't really afford to push this fight any longer. So, furrowing her brows ever so discreetly, Chizuru's fingers flicker with golden energy again.
The moment her leg begins to move he's already moving himself. Planting the foot firmly, her hand snaps out, intercepting the incoming fist with but a touch of two fingers, a burst of golden energy erupting from the small touch. The resulting touch, however, is that the chi he wields blasts back INTO Kain, to shove him back and away, ultimately distancing him from the Yata heiress. Despite its success, the woman still seems on alert. He has her full attention now. She just needs to weather this a bit more, and...
Kain's arm jerks back from the point of impact with enough force to partially spin him about. For a moment it looks like he's going to lose his balance... and falling down would probably bring things to an end. But instead Kain shifts his weight, spinning around completely and trying to bring his center of gravity back in check. It's still going to be a close thing, as his body doesn't really want to listen to him any longer, but there is one thing that he can do. And that's to finish off his spin by bringing the back of his fist into contact with the side of Chizuru's head, this time accompanied by an explosion of black fire. Conveniently using her face as leverage to make it easier to get his balance back.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Kain's Medium Punch.
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Chizuru 1|-----==|=======
[ \\\ <
Kain 0/-------/----===|
Okay, now it's just warlock magic.
Regardless, Chizuru seems startled when Kain manages to attack at her AGAIN and keep from passing out, despite the abuse he's taken all this time. The moment he brings his fist forward to collide with her head, Chizuru leans back before she ducks and weaves, avoiding the assault altogether. The moment she finds her opening--
Her fingertips glow again, the strength of that golden chi even brighter than before. This time--unlike the others--she lunges forward with considerable effort, driving two fingertips fiercely toward the man's stomach. While the actual impact of her fingers winds up being surprisingly soft, the resulting EXPLOSION of energy is less than, and quite large, enough to certainly blast an unaware person back and several feet away.
And, as is wont with the Yata heiress' odd manipulation over her chi, the impact also results in a dreadful feeling of weakness, as the energy manages to somehow dampen his strength almost immediately.
COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Kain with Reigi no Ishizue+.
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Chizuru 0|-------|-----==
[ <
Kain 0/-------/---====|
Kain isn't caught unaware, but he's still in no position to deal with the explosion that rocks him right in the stomach. He's sent sailing back, crashing down hard on his back. He tries to get back up, but even without the extra effect of Chizuru's chi he still barely has enough energy to move. With the draining effect of the Yata priestess' seal on top of that he's effectively paralyzed, and certainly unable to get up for long enough for the end of the fight to be declared.
COMBATSYS: Kain takes no action.
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Chizuru 0|-------|-----==
COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer fight.
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Chizuru 0|-------|-----==
Log created on 20:58:55 01/02/2010 by Chizuru, and last modified on 02:34:02 01/03/2010.