Description: The battle never ends. Combatants clash is a cataclysmic quarrel on the bridges here, brutal open air stone structures where the slightest hit or shove could send a man hurtling down over a five story drop past blade-lined pillars to the cold iron spikes below. On one of the lengthy bridges, Ken Masters and Kyo Kusanagi have been ordered to do battle. The air is cold tonight, unusually brisk. It feels as if you're being watched. It is said that Shang Tsung's spies and agents are everywhere. However, today it's not just Tsung you have to worry about. Bundle up tight--the blizzard is coming.
Kyo is not unused to waking up in weird places. But this is something quite beyond his experience. "Th' hell is this... some kinda theme park?" he wonders, as he walks the solitary path he finds to his end of the bridge. Looking out over it, he shakes his head. "Freaky," he mutters, to himself. Cold night--he's glad he's got his bracers on, and of course he can always warm himself up. He's a little disoriented but recognizes that fights are happening on the other bridges.
"Goddamn this is kinda extreme," he says, out loud but to himself, peering over the edge at the blade-lined pits.
"Someone's got a real goth sense of style. Maybe it's that Miu Kurosaki chick," he mutters, randomly, rambling a little. Kyo bounces on his feet, testing the bridge, which, to him, seems pretty sturdy--and just wide enough for proper combat. Side stepping will be a bit... difficult... but there's plenty of distance, forward and back.
All he knows is, he's been tapped to fight, and even though the set's kinda weird--this can't be real stuff, right?--he's kinda lookin' forward to this. After all, it's always fun taking the smile off Ken Masters' face.
"How does my hair look? Is it bad?"
Ken Masters is, more or less, Face Timing with his Wife and Kid as he wanders lazily out onto the bridge. He's not exactly paying too much attention to the fact that there are other bridges and other fights going on, because he's focused on making sure that he can see his Wife and Son. How he's managing to get a signal out here is anyone's guess, but he's making it happen. Even if, every once and a while, the frame rate jumbles up or it freezes for a little bit. His phone is still better than most people's houses so he's okay with the slight hazards.
He can see his breath as he laughs at his son's antics on the phone screen and he looks up to realize that he's walked out onto the bridge and noticed his opponent on the other end. "Hey, looks like I'm here. Gotta' get ready to kick some butt. And before you say anything, Eliza, I'll be safe. I promise. I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen? I fall off this bridge and land in a heaping pile of bloody handsomeness?" Ken cracks a big smile. "Mel, take care of your Mom for me. I'll be home soon." Ken's eyes draw up towards Kyo for a moment and then he smirks. "This won't take long. Never does. Masters, out!"
The phone is slid closed and flipped around, tucked away behind the belt of his gi and Ken reaches up to run a hand through his hair. Either for fun or for profit, it doesn't really matter. "Well, alright. Let's see if we can't make this a little less boring, huh?" Ken's smile becomes that one that people love taking off his face.
Kyo snorts. He'd accuse Ken of being arrogant... but really, Kyo's pretty arrogant himself. As a top competitor, a champion of King of Fighters, and just a fighter, Kyo offers Ken a semi-friendly smirk. "Masters," he calls, across the chasm, over the roaring sound of fighters clashing and spectators cheering and talking, smirking as he walks forward, tightening the bracers he wears, his steps steady and measured.
He doesn't really hold any enmity for Ken--actually respects him a fair amount, as a fellow champion--so his tone is pretty friendly as he gestures around at the scenery. "Hell of a place, huh," he says, gesturing down into the pit and across at the other bridges.
"I think someone spent a lot of money to build their little goth paradise here. Sure you don't have an emo twin brother somewhere?" Kyo his his starting mark, then just raises his hands. His eyes gleam with a little bit of wickedness and a whole lot of amusement. This is SNF, it's the show. So, he grins.
"C'mon, Ken. Let's give 'em a show!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo has started a fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ken has joined the fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ken
"K. Yo." Yeah, Ken has to throw a little snark in there whenever he says a competitor's name because it is just what he does. Any advantage he can get, physical or mental, over his opponent is one that he will latch onto like there's no tomorrow. Granted, he does have morals and all that stuff, so he won't be doing anything too jacked up but a little snark never hurt nobody. Except maybe Reptile.
"If I do, then Dad's got some serious explaining to do to Mom. And I don't wanna' be there for that. Because, by explaining, I mean a bigger fight than the one we're about to have." Ken just has no problem playing this up. He is, after all, Ken Masters. He's definitely going to be the guy that steals this show, win or win. Can't say win or lose because he's Ken Masters. What the hell is lose. "Seriously. She's crazy. We're talking Rated R, man. Strong language, adult content... the works." Ken shudders a bit at the thought of watching his parents battle. He might also have thought about a nudity rating and it has his face scrunching up as he shakes off those thoughts to get into focus.
"Ugh. I just thought about it. Emo Ken would have to dye his hair black. UGH. No. Just no." Ken flashes a grin in Kyo's direction, before giving him a nod. His feet get planted and he brings his hands up, taking just a moment or two to make sure his sparring gloves are on nice and tight. He's definitely going to be using them for a while. "Give 'em show? Meh. Let's just steal theirs." Ken waves a hand towards the other fights that are going on and nowhere near as exciting as the one Ken and Kyo are about to do. And then he's back into his fighting stance.
"... watch the hair, though."
Kyo shakes his head--maybe he was picturing Emo Ken too? Then again, it could've just been Ryu with a black wig he saw in his head. Eh... whatever. The Kusanagi heir starts bouncing back and forth on his feet. "Careful not to fall," he says, with a little smirk. He's not gonna try to toss Ken over the side, and he expects the same out of Ken, but accidents happen, and the bridge isn't *that* wide. There's no announcers, no lights other than that of the supremely bright moon, but it's enough for a fine show.
And in any case, both Ken and Kyo possess the talents needed to... light up... the arena. Case in point, Kyo shows off a bit--his hands and forearms bursting into flame, pure bright orange, flaring dramatically before he clenches his hands into fists, putting the flames out.
"Alright, Masters--here we GO!" On the last word, Kyo springs into action, crossing the bridge with a quick dash before planting his feet and cranking his left hand in a flaming hook punch, followed up with a right hook punch, and ending the sequence with a hammering elbow.
COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Kyo's Aragami.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Ken
Ken's balance is impeccable. At least, that's what he believes anyway. So when he's warned about falling off the side, he just gives a dismissive wave of his hand. "Whatevs, dude. I got this." And then his foot slips on one of the rocks and he loses balance just for a second. His eyes go wide just long enough for him to see how bottomless that pit is and he straightens back up. Immediately tossing his head to clear the hair from his eyes and gives Kyo the 'bring it on' motion with his forefinger.
And here he comes. Ken doesn't do much of anything except watch Kyo's movements, telegraphing them in his mind and he takes a step back. The flaming hook punch gets blocked with a right forearm, followed by Ken's left forearm going for the block of the right punch and both hands come together to put a stop to the elbow that's hammering down at him. "Heating up, already?" Ken says with a smile, disguising the wince from blocking FLAMES. "Now I know how your girlfriend feels."
With the witty banter on the books, Ken has a moment to push backwards and give himself some room. Just a half-step of room, so that as his blocking hands part, he can bring his leg up and over his head and back down towards Kyo's own skull!
The precarious perch the two masterful fighters are facing off against on seems ill suited to showcasing their abilities. The nearest audience in sight seems to be limited those participating in another bout in the distance, too far to be heard except for the occasional faint shout dimly echoing along the canyon. Illumination of the locatin is a shared responsability of flickering beacons of flame suspended from thick chains and the nearly full moon resting heavily in the horizon. Not a camera is in sight. No official exists to call the match or even announce its start. Whatever the motives may be behind this exhibition match, simply entertaining the masses seems to be of no particular priority.
It does seem well suited to someone getting injured, however, given the precipitous drop located not far from either side of the Kusanagi scion or the self-made entrepreneur. It also seems someone is specifically trying to exacerbate the risk of severe injury by mixing up the fight cards. Which is why Kula Diamond finds herself arriving at one end of the bridge the same instant the two gifted fighters begin exchanging attacks.
Already prepared for battle, her mouth curls into a faint frown, crimson eyes studying the exchange. She was told SHE was supposed to be the one to take down Kyo. Why is the American martial artist fighting HER opponent? Gloved hands clench then unclench before the NESTS weapon sprints forward, crossing the span of the bridge with seemingly reckless speed as Ken wards off the flames of Kyo's attack and replies with word and kick.
Unfortunately, if Masters isn't careful, this will leave him blind sided as Kula seems intent on ambushing him from behind. "Go away," she hisses with all the irritability of a petulant child. To emphasize how much she wants him gone, she's reaching for his right shoulder with her right hand, her left hand slamming toward his lower back, both limbs unleashing a surge of frozen, white energy that will chill flesh to the bone as she tries to put her momentum and force into shoving Ken harshly out of the way with little regard to where he might land.
COMBATSYS: Kula has joined the fight here in the center.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|------=
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Ken's Inazuma Kakato Wari.
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|------=
Kyo frowns, a moment after throwing his punch. Not because he didn't hit, or because he's worried about Ken's response--he's worried when Kula shows up. Does that mean NESTS is involved in this? But this seems more elaborate than NESTS would do... Kyo is thinking about it so much that he almost doesn't react in time to Ken's heel kick. It's almost instinctive, his reaction, if by instinct one means years of training--Ken's heel meets crossed forearms.
Kyo disengages as Kula comes in, but when it becomes evident that she's not coming for him--yet--he takes advantage of the distraction. He can't get into Ken's blind side, but with Kula coming in, Ken will have to deal with two attackers--Kyo just shakes his head at Ken's little rejoinder, as if admonishing him for not being inventive, and perform his own backstep--
--before planting his feet again, letting momentum and energy transfer as he kicks upward, intending on planting the toe of his right shoe into Ken's chin.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Ken with Power Throw.
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|-----==
COMBATSYS: Ken fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Kyo with Shoryuken.
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|-----==
Ken was all smiles about three seconds ago, before he found himself being attacked from both sides. His hair whips back and forth (Shout out to Willow Smith) as he attempts to pay attention to both attackers at once. He backsteps, but only manages to find himself being grabbed on the shoulder and before he can even react to such, he's getting shoved in the general direction of Kyo's foot, which pretty much takes his chin clean off his face. His teeth chatter from the connection of toe to chin, which sends airborne for a moment or seven, sailing out of the way, over Kula's head to where he smacks down onto the bridge, kicking up dirt and feeling the pain most definitely. "... kay. That sucked."
There is only a moment spent attempting to find a place where he can actually find his breath again, but with this being a BRIDGE, Ken can only lay there and hope that Kyo and Kula are sharing some words or something while he catches his breath. Also, he pats his black belt to make sure that his cell phone is still there. The insurance doesn't cover SNF bouts. Not yet, there's still some Red Tape to get through on that one. As Ken turns his head to try and stave off the collective double helping of pain, he notices that one particular shoulder is harder to move and covered in a thin layer of frosty sheen. The same sheen that is all down his spine. /That's/ what he feels. "... Nope!"
Kyo does feel momentarily bad for Ken. Maybe he's not used to being doubled up on like that--it's been a while since he was a free and swingin' single, after all. So he can be forgiven for not remembering what it's like to be the meat in a sandwich. But, he also knows that Ken would likely take the same opportunity to do the same to him. And, if he suspects Kula's role in this is what it is, Ken will get that chance. Unless Kyo can take him down before that becomes an issue. The biggest worry is that Kula's ice is going to send one of them careening to a very painful if not potentially lethal death--but then, that's part of the fun, isn't it? For the spectators, at least.
Don't get cocky, Kyo, don't get cocky--"Heh, can't handle two at once, Ken? Guess I heard wrong about you bein' a playboy."--Kyo got cocky.
Once again he rushes forward, his headlong rush taking him into a slight slide, thrusting his left elbow for Ken's sternum. If he opens Ken's defenses with the elbow, he'll switch up, grabbing him up by the neck with his right hand--and literally blowing him away with an explosion of fire.
Kula couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Clearly Ken will get the message that this is her fight and go find someone else to hassle. Facing off against the pureblooded heir of the Kusanagi fire is an opportunity she isn't going to pass up on. Even as Ken goes flying, leavng her standing facing Kyo directly, she realizes she can't quite ascribe a reason for that feeling of needing to fight the young man. There is no outstanding NESTS directive regarding Kyo. Now if K' were here, that would certainly be a different matter all together.
Yet even as she questions the frozen fervor she feels regarding fighting Kyo, she cannot deny its presence. Is it a desire to prove herself? Defeating the original source in one on one combat? Is it because he makes her think of her primary target - the reason for which she was given life in the first place? There's no sense in examining it further. It's time to act- wait, where is Kyo going?
Kula lowers her arms as the young man bolts for Ken, attempting to follow up on his powerful attack. Gritting her teeth for a moment, she breaths in deeply, unclenching her right hand to lift it to just below her mouth. "I'm your opponent!!" she insists. A shimmer of white ripples up along her body, energy pulled from the world to answer her call, forming a field of absolute zero just above her palm as she exhales forcefully.
Toward Kyo's back razor edged crystals of driven ice hurl as Kula does her best to get the scion's attention!
COMBATSYS: Ken dodges Kyo's Koto Moon Positive.
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Kyo 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|-----==
Considering that things are starting to get a bit hairy and dicey and bridgey, Ken Masters has decided that he better actually pay attention. He walked into this fight thinking it was going to be a piece of cake but with multiple players and not a lot of room on the board, as it were, Ken figures if he's going to find out of there really is an emo version of him at the head of all these random shenanigans, he's going to have to survive long enough to do it.
Besides, he can't lose to Flaming Kyo Fraiser and Kunilla Ice. Reputation would be beyond ruined.
What would normally be a sidestep gets turned into a standing backflip to get out of the way of Kyo's elbow attempt. Ken's feet touch the bridge only long enough for him to hurl some witty banter back in Kyo's direction. "Didn't you hear what she said? You're /her/ opponent!" Ken leaps up and immediately falls into the classic stylings of his patented Hurricane Kick. As he takes to the air and starts spinning, something comes over him. And his voice drops a couple of octaves as he finds himself yelling something he hasn't yelled before, whilst he attempts to Hurricane Kick Kyo back in the other direction.
"GET OVER THERE!"
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Kyo with Diamond Breath.
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|---====
COMBATSYS: Kyo fails to counter Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku from Ken with Nue Tsumi EX.
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|---====
"Yup, knew it," mutters Kyo. Chaos Agent--and Kula's well-suited for that. The blast of frigid chi makes Kyo stumble back, a hiss of pain issuing from between gritted teeth; slowed briefly by the chill of that Diamond Breath, Kyo is slow to react to Ken's attack--he throws an arm up, hoping to catch the incoming limb, but he's out of position, muscles still stiff from the cold.
So, instead, he takes a bunch of kicks to the face, something which improves his disposition not at all. When he's finally released from the hurricane of kicks, there's quite the bruise forming on his face, a trickle of blood issuing from the corner of his mouth--which he, backing up a couple of steps, reaches up to wipe off his face.
"Always knew you were more than just flash, Masters..." Grudging acknowledgement of Ken's skill. But the fire still burns bright in Kyo's eyes. That may have hurt, but he's not close to done yet.
The blast toward Kyo's back having connected cleanly, Kula is convinced she's got his attention now, a flicker of a smile crossing her lips as she stands up straight, hands at her sides, closing and opening her gloved fingers in preparation for the expected retaliation. Only, Saishu's boy doesn't come back to fight her at all, what with Ken being all in his face with a whirlwind of kicks that plow their way through his defenses.
Hands clench again, eyes settling on Ken squarely as he comes out of his acrobatic technique. This is all /his/ fault, isn't it. Does she have to eliminate him first to get Kyo to pay attention to her? Breathing in, she exhales, sending a small flury of frozen energy swirling about her body as the little menace sulks for a moment.
Very well. Decision made, she sprints for Ken, aiming to close in behind him before he can dish out any more attacks toward her target. Even before she's there, her right arm is pulled back, bent at the elbow, hand clenched into a loose fist. The American martial master will have precious little time to react when that arm rockets forward a short distance, aiming to drive her knuckles into his back - and then another impact would strike as her fist would close and a second, strong force would drill in to crush already weakened defenses.
Given it is another attack for his back, it is the kind of strike that can severely injure even a skilled fighter if it manages to strike cleanly. In spite her apparent age, there's no questioning the near lethal intent behind each of Kula's strikes!
COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Kula's One Inch.
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|---====
Hurricane Kicks are definitely both flash and skill and that's why Ken tends to use them as much as possible. Or at least in situations like this. Especially when he's dealing with a couple of opponents. That both seem to want him out of this for some reason. Right now, though, he's coming down from his Hurricane Kick high and his fighter's sense starts tingling. The moment his feet hit the bridge again, he's spinning around to Wax On, Wax Off that rocketing fist in short order.
This gives him just enough time to mount a quick bit of witty banter. After all, this is supposed to be entertaining. "Bored now." And then he winks at her. Because winking is what millionaire playboys do in situations like this. They wink. And then they do some violent stuff.
Ken's wink is followed up by a smile and a step towards Kula, before he takes to the air and spins once again, swinging his foot around with some extra stank on it, clearly attempting to kick Kula's head clean off or something. He's tired of her trying to steal his shine! This is his fight! And if he has to fight for his right to fiiiiiiiiight.... then so be it! Kiya!
"... wasn't expectin' that," remarks Kyo, to himself. Chaos Agents aren't usually targeted for removal like this. And Kyo... he doesn't have a soft spot for Kula, not at all, but she hasn't quite earned his ire yet. With Ken going for the icegirl, though, that gives Kyo some breathing room while they duke it out. Not quite willing to full on attack Ken in the back, Kyo instead centers himself.
Manipulation of energy comes almost naturally to him--he's well-trained in it, having learned how in conjunction with how to control the flames that are the Kusanagi birthright--and it's those flames that rise around him in a flickering, flaring circle as he draws in energy.
Unless Ken gets way over-focused, he'll remember that he's here to fight Kyo, and he'll turn his attention back. Kyo wants to be ready for that.
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|---====
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Kula with Ushiro Mawashi-geri.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|-======
Ken's defenses are more sure now than when she first ambushed him completely out of no where. Go figure. Kula finds her hand stopped, the affluent fighter warding off the initial impact with one gesture before cleanly brushing aside the secondary force with another, her arm knocked to the side, stray flakes of ice scattered over the dangerous drop in the process.
Well, this isn't the first time she's fought the man, but the last time she had a whole team on her side and they mobbed him all at once. This time she's forced to contend with his capabilities on her own. Eyes narrow as she starts to draw back, combat algorithms reconsidering how best to remove this annoyance from the fight with minimal hassle. Eyes flick to the side of the bridge then back toward Ken even as he takes to the air. Yes... that's a good way of getting this over with quickly!
Moving aggressively in on his attack, she raises her left arm, attempting to brace the expected kick. All she needs to do is ward off that strike then try to shove him off balance enough that instead of landing back on the carved stone bridge, he instead lands on empty air before starting his rapid descent through the mists to whatever hellish pit lies below!
The idea seemed sound, but the impact of his foot crushing through her guard and right into the side of her head suggests her combat algorithms need a little fine tuning if she thinks to eliminate Ken Masters that handily. Her head whipped to the side, Kula is sent reeling, sliding back several yards before skidding to a stop, a cloud of previously undisturbed dust kicked up from the bridge in the process.
Ears ringing, Kula lifts her hand to rest at the side of her head. Crimson eyes settle back on Ken only to notice the surge in flames flickering in the moonlight as Kyo takes advantage of the window afforded him. Gritting her teeth, Kula fixates on the young man once again, sliding forward with a sudden surge of energy. As she moves, the sensation of cold builds as energy seems to be drawn from the already crisp air.
The flaming lanterns alongside her as she sprints are blown, leaving the bridge in that section dark but for the light provided by the moon as Kula takes to the air, a trail of frozen energy following in her wake. A forward flip has her gathering all the energy into a single massive attack - a snowflake of irresponsibly large size, which Kula sends crashing down toward the preparing Kyo.
Let's see if his flames can survive /that/, she thinks to herself, as the Ice Maiden proceeds to land herself. The snow flake is a tad more dangerous than your average snowball, however, as at the point of impact, it will explode into a hemisphere of dangerous shards of ice!
Ken Masters can see that things are starting to get both heated and icey. Which is why he's decided to take some time for himself. He sees the collision on the horizon and makes a break for it, running for a few steps then dropping and rolling beneath the leaping ice chick and making sure he rolls away from Kyo as well. He might as well give them some time to fight and such.
Once he's clear of what is sure to be a dangerous battle of fire vs ice, he pops back up to his feet and stands aside, one hand reaching for his belt and his peripheral vision locked on both Kula and Kyo. His fingers come from that belt with his phone and immediately his thumbs get to work with some super speedy typing before the phone is once again put behind that belt for safe keeping and Ken turns his attention back towards his opponents. Y'know, just in case.
@KenMasters: Two Way? Try Three Way! No Problem! #Winning
COMBATSYS: Ken starts to get serious!
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|--=====
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Kula's Diamond Shoot.
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Kyo 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|=======
It looks like a snowflake. But it's really a frozen slice of hell. Okay, it looks like a really -big- snowflake. Kyo grunts, bracing himself, his chi flaring around him in a bright nimbus that has a brief war with the explosion of icy chi. When that's over, Kyo is a little more ragged, a crust of frost crossing his brow--which he wipes away. Sternly, he points at Kula. "I'll deal with *you* later," he snaps. Turning his attention to Ken, he considers for a moment, if only for a moment, before once again going on the offensive. Kyo is not known for his patient, calculated fighting--he's known for being instinctive, for being impulsive.
He already has quite a bit of energy built up, so he decides to loose it in the most expedient way possible--he sweeps his left hand out and forward, unleashing that fire into a hissing projectile that flares along the ground towards Ken.
It roughly rises to about knee height on Ken, moving pretty fast, and Kyo? He's just a little bit behind it, using the projectile as cover to improve his position.
Standing up from her landing after launching the world's most unfun snowball ever toward Kyo, Kula waits to see if she managed to snuff out the Kusanagi flames long enough to force his hand. Wasting him without him ever actually fighting her back is hardly the skill proving challenge she was anticipating when she started on her way to this bridge.
But while he actually does acknowledge her interference for once, his vigor is still directed toward showing the blonde Ansatsuken fighter the power of the famous Kusanagi fire first hand. Kula pivots as Kyo rushes in to follow in the wake of his famous projectile. Mouth curling into a frown, she breaths in then exhales slowly. It seems like she's going to have to do something more drastic here, she decides.
Closing her eyes, she leans forward into an aggressive crouch on the front of her feet, hands planted against the ground. It takes effort and concentration, but this island seems unnaturally steeped in energy that pulling it from the world around her comes with trivial ease. Where her fingers touch the ground, ice begins to spread, at first taking on the form of simply a blanket of frost but quickly changing into an expanding pool of thicker ice as she literally begins to slick the surface of the bridge with the element she holds so much affinity for.
The ice slick expands out, mist and frost billowing up from it, stretching out even past the edges of the bridge to form what appears to be solid frozen extentions on both sides of the structure. Of course, actually standing on the ice ledges would be a risky proposition given their untested durability.
Either way, it becomes clear that the engineered NESTS weapon is building up to something more decisive, more aggressive than she has unleashed thus far as Ken is forced once more to contend with Kyo's flames.
COMBATSYS: Kula focuses on her next action.
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Kyo 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Ken
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Kula 1|---====|=======
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Ken with Yami Barai.
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\=====--\1 Ken
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Kula 1|---====|=======
Considering Ken's own personal affinity, this shouldn't hurt as much as it does but make no mistake about it... fire burns. Perhaps Ken has gotten a bit too cocky, having the audacity to pull out his phone and use it for some taunting purposes. This has put him out of his groove and made it that much easier to target him with grounded flames of death and burnination. Ken gets caught up in it, attempting to backpedal but all he can do is accept the pain and try to power through it.
It hurts, okay?
But with Kyo coming in with the projectile, Ken attempts to spot an opening and moves towards the oncoming opponent, even while his gi is on fire and burning from the flames. He takes a step and leaps, clearing the incoming Kyo and landing on the other side. He has no idea of such a feint was even worth it but he's rushing for Kula at this point, because she's just sitting over there, gathering up all this ice and he's not going to let her ruin this match too much longer. In fact, he's hoping she won't even see him coming, so that he can slide in (on the ice, at that) and attempt to snatch her up and get his backwards roll on. If he can get a full rotation out of this before kicking her off? Sweet. If not, no matter. He's still getting himself away from Kyo and even attempting to assist Kula in getting to her preferred target. All in all, this whole thing has got to at least look pretty cool.
... Get it?
Well, now Kyo's kind of insulted. Ken ought to be focusing on -him-, not Kula. But... maybe that's not a bad idea, either. Take Kula out of the fight and Ken and he can continue in peace. Kyo gives it a moment of thought, which is, his detractors would say, probably more than he gives most, and then he nods. Why not? He shouldn't expend too many resources trying to take Kula out, but going after Kula isn't a bad idea at all.
First he has to anticipate where Kula will be after Ken's done with her--once he's fairly sure where she's going to be, he sets up there, and she'll have to deal with, well...
Like he said, he's not going to do too much work trying to knock her out of the fight. Ken's still the target, and the rules of Saturday Night Fight amply allow for Chaos Agents. But, well...
... if his hand were to slip and he were to accidentally clock Kula in the head, well, it's cold out and he's been hit with a couple of cold-based attacks. He can't help being a bit stiff.
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Ken's Jigoku-guruma.
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\======-\1 Ken
[ |||||||||||||||||||| ]
Kula 1|---====|=======
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Kula with Strong Punch.
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Kyo 1/-======/=======|=======\======-\1 Ken
[ |||||||||||||| ]
Kula 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
It seems Kula finally gets some of the attention she was fighting for, but maybe her efforts were a bit /too/ effective as both of the skilled fighters justifiably turn on her at the same time. Ken boldly slides onto the ice slick in a reckless charge to catch her off guard, but the Frost Princess seems prepared for that much, at least, pulling her hands from the ground and standing up straight to face him.
Both hands coming up as she prepares to ward off an attack, expecting another one of his flurry of kicks after what she's observed out of him so far. But the kicking part is delayed as he gets a grip on her instead, pulling Kula off her feet into a backward tumble. Even surprised by this shift in tactics, however, she isn't defenseless. As his foot comes up to kick her in the stomach and launch her away, it will intersect with a frigid armored glove instead as she twists herself to defend against the impact.
Silently, she pushes off, cooperating with the launch even if not with the intended damage it was supposed to inflict. Whirling freely once she is airborn, scattering a shower of lingering flakes of ice in the process, she comes to a landing several yards away from Ken. Pushing up to her feet, she turns quickly, eager to engage Kyo now that the American interference is further away for a change, immediately lunging forward... into a swinging fist!
While hardly the strongest blow the Kusanagi heir can muster, it's more than enough to send Kula reeling back, feet slipping out from under her as she lands in a seated position on the edge of the ice slicked bridge with a pained grunt. Shaking her head to clear out the snow fairies she's seeing all of the sudden, the youngest fighter shifts quickly to a kneeling position then pushes up into a crouch, crimson eyes focused on the one and only Kyo Kusanagi.
All of that energy she's been building has to go somewhere, and it seems this moment it's destined to go his way in her ongoing pursuit to... do what, exactly? Annoy the hell out of him until he acknowledges her? Teeth grit, she slams her hands against the ground with a surge of intensity. Pristine, white chi surges over the girl, collecting in her arms as it gets channeled into the ground itself. "I really can't understand the obsession with your fire..." she murmurs, her lengthy hair billowing out behind her back, "...it doesn't seem so strong to me!"
Kyo, himself, will find she isn't engaging him in melee combat, but that doesn't mean he's safe. The ground becomes his enemy as a thick spire of sharp ice surges up from in front of him. A second explodes up behind him as well, lest he think simply backstepping will spare him the frozen onslaught!
Ken is careful as he gets back to his feet to make sure that he's not slipping and sliding all over the place as he turns to see Kyo and Kula once more engaged in fisticuffs. It is, after all, the key to this entire thing. Granted, this means his time to shine is drawing to a quick close but he's fairly certain that there's going to be some tired Kyodom at the end of this all and he's more than happy to let Kula deal with tiring out /his/ opponent. After all, that'll just make it easier for him to get the ultimate win.
He's not about to just standing idly by, though, when he can be assisting with the taking down of Kyo. Not to mention maybe even helping Kula focus on Kyo by sliding in on some of those ice shavings to simply throw a quick jab at Kyo. Nothing too intense, just a little something to try and keep him off guard and maybe make it easier for Kula to hit with... WHAT THE CRAP?! Are those giant ice things?!
Ken just swings and leaps back out of the way of those things before they slice him up too much. Who actually cares if he hits or not. Ken is not trying to get stabbed with ice. Totally uncool.
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Kyo with Diamond Edge.
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Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1 Ken
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Kula 0|-------|=======
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Kyo with Jab Punch.
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Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1 Ken
[ ||||||||||||| ]
Kula 0|-------|=======
"Oh, sh--" The rest of Kyo's exclamation is lost under the sound of ice spearing up out of the bridge takes him through the chest--the second spire scraping his back. That... is extremely painful. Kyo hangs in the air for a moment, suspended by the ice before it dissipates, dropping him to the bridge--and when he gets up, Ken is in his face. That jab punch is more like a slap to the face and, paradoxically, it seems to wake Kyo up some.
"NGGGGGGH," he groans/growls, his eyes flashing. almost literally. He's reached that point where he's had 'enough'--out of both Ken and Kula. This is supposed to be mortal combat? Well, they're going to have to deal with the very real danger of being charred, now. The Kusanagi flame isn't just a flame-flavored chi. It's the real thing, pure power in the form of fire, a scouring, clean flame, and Kyo is its master. Suddenly, his entire body is alight in that flame, burning bright, as if he'd been doused in gas and immolated--but it isn't hurting *him* at all. His voice takes on a strange echo, suffused with the power raging through and around him, as he shouts, sounding angry but also almost exultant as he surges forward, sweeping his left arm before him, casting a rolling wave of blazing fire before him.
"EAT... THIS!!!!!"
The wave of explosive energy is guaranteed to do one thing--light up *everything* it touches.
COMBATSYS: Kula fails to reflect Orochinagi+ from Kyo with Diamond Shell.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ken
COMBATSYS: Kula can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ken
Well, Kula finally got kind of what she wanted. A contest of the Kusanagi flames against her genetically frozen variant of that legacy power. Her own attack strikes true, ice spires surging up to slash, cut, tear, and spear Kyo for his trouble. And the reaction she gets? Maybe it's what she wanted, but it isn't what she's ready for, it seems. Pushing up from her crouched position, she stands straight, arms at her side, ice still swirling listly about her, carried by unseen currents local to just the girl.
Crimson eyes stay focused on Kyo. She can sense it maybe even before he's cognizant of his choice, that surge of power, that rush of energy answering the heir's enraged temper. She grins a little, in spite her earlier petulance, appeased on some level, perhaps, to see the strength of his technique first hand. She already knows she'll contest it, begining to draw up her own energy. The ice slick rapidly vaporizes, becoming chilled mist that is drawn back into Kula's gloved hands, as of she's recycling already spent effort to prepare the proper defense.
And then the hellfire is unleashed, washing across the bridge, a flaming vortex of burning death. Any lingering ice is vaporized immediately. The extinguished lanterns are reignited as the wave of fire passes them by. Kula lifts her hands, bending her knees a little, bracing to prepare a proper, perfect defense. A flash of brilliant white answers her call, forming a hemisphere in front of her, a mirror for the flames to crash against and then, per her plan, rebound against their master.
But it isn't enough. Prepared as she thought she was, the pure Kusanagi flames burn hotter than she imagined. Her barrier hisses at the initial contact, the girl surging more and more energy into trying to sustain it. But she has her limits and here and now, they aren't ready for an attack of that magnitude. Finally, the ice shatters, the remaining energy blasting into the girl. Her protective leather armor saves her from a lot of the damage as she closes her arms over her head. Her formidable aura also staves off an incredible amount of the attack's true potential. Yet for all of that, she's still exhausted as it passes, burnt, hurting, and out of the energy needed to continue fighting.
Regardless of what happens with Ken, Kula drops to her knees, the white melting out of her hair, leaving it a dampened strawberry blonde as she slumps forward to lie prone on the heated stone, waiting for the chill night air to provide some relief.
COMBATSYS: Ken just-defends Kyo's Orochinagi+!
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Ken
Maybe Ken Masters is a bastion of luck. Maybe he's just that good. Maybe it is because he's the Rising Dragon of the Flame that he's capable of merely standing his ground and bringing his hands up to cover his face as the flames are sent crashing in a wave all around him. He doesn't flinch and he doesn't move, even though the flames burn through his gi and wrap around his body like he's decided to attempt to stand in the middle of a backdraft. The flames burn his gi to various bits and he's pretty sure his phone is going to need some serious TLC, but Ken Masters continues to stand. Tall. Proud. Unsinged.
So he smiles.
As the flames die down, Ken drops his hands and he looks up to allow everyone a chance to see that smile. His eyes only sparkle when he spots the fallen Kula. He hadn't noticed her get caught in the flame as he was too busy protecting himself. He brings his eyes up to Kyo and gives him a small shrug as if he hates to be the bearer of bad news. "Oooooh. She's gonna' be /pissed/ at you, dude." Ken reaches for the burning top of his gi, grabbing ahold of one of the flames on purpose and peels himself out of it, as if there were fine females around to marvel at his chiseled body. As he tosses the flaming gi to the side, his hair whips around again and he takes a second to crack his knuckles and his neck. "Now. You know this ain't personal, right?" Ken's eyes close as he says that and starts bouncing on the heels of his feet. His breathing has centered itself and he has started to become one with his own chi. It all starts to flow as he keeps his eyes closed and takes off in a brisk run towards Kyo, even though he can't see him. He rushes with speed that he probably shouldn't have, considering the blood that leaks from him in various spots and the blackness from a couple of previous burns. Still, though, it isn't until he's close enough for Kyo to see his face and hear his cocky whisper of, "Pay attention, Matchstick. You might learn something." does his eyes open up and he winks before dropping into a low crouch and pulling back with one arm and clenching his fist. The Power of Chi explodes around his arm as he pulls forward and up towards Kyo, dragging growing flames as he moves with precision and power all combined at once. Ken becomes a flaming corkscrew of dragon power as he practically explodes with flames towards Kyo, simply aiming to do the only thing he could do in a situation like this...
Fight Fire With Fire.
COMBATSYS: Kyo fails to counter Shinryuu Ken+ from Ken with Nue Tsumi EX.
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Ken 0/-------/-<<<<<<|
COMBATSYS: Kyo can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ken 0/-------/-<<<<<<|
Well. At least he gave Kula the what-for. Kyo isn't dismayed at Ken's smile--but he does, part of him, regretfully wish he could have knocked it off his face. But... that's the breaks of fighting. And when you have equally matched titans--even when you have unequally matched titans--there's almost always a winner and a loser. Kyo doesn't subscribe to some hippie philosophy of 'if you do your best that's what's important', but he's experienced enough to know the truth in the adage that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
But he doesn't go down quietly--he attempts to turn that attack aside. And he fails. For his trouble, he takes a serious beating, and when he lands, it's flat on his back. He's still for a moment, then he pushes up to his hands, sitting on the bridge. He coughs.
"Yeah... I learned somethin', alright. You got a weak flame..." Even in defeat, he can't really be -gracious-. But, as he pulls his legs in, he admits, grudgingly, "But you got some skills. Guess you maybe didn't buy your way into those championships."
That's our Kyo. Always a gracious competitor, no? ... no. Definitely not. His lips actually curl a bit crookedly, recalling the wave of flame engulfing Kula. That's one bright spot on the evening, at least.
"Not all of 'em, anyway." Ken is a bit more gracious, even though he's standing there and making sure he's looking as victorious as ever to any possible spectators that might be looking upon them with some sort of gaze of admiration. He digs for his phone, pulling it out and seeing some smoke coming off it and he presses a button to make sure that it still comes on. It does and that's all he needs to know.
"You know I coulda' ended this a long time ago, don't you? I just wanted you to have a chance to hit on your stalker over there." Ken gives a nod in the direction of Kula's body and then he drops down next to Kyo. "Now. Say: Ken Masters Kicked My Ass!" And with a swift movement, he reaches over to attempt to wrap an arm around Kyo and hold up his phone with the other hand and snap a quick photo!
#VictorySelfie
COMBATSYS: Ken has ended the fight here.
Log created on 12:27:59 08/03/2014 by Kyo, and last modified on 11:50:25 08/08/2014.