Tournament - Vanessa (KoF) vs. Vi (Arcane)

[JohnnyChany]

 

The streets of Zaun were alive with an eerie vibrance and neon lights casting jagged reflections off slick, uneven cobblestones. Vanessa adjusted her black gloves as she walked beside her longtime secret agent partner, Ramon. Her usual attire, consisting of a white sleeveless collar shirt, red tie, and suspenders, appeared to fit right in with several of the citizens of the undercity.  Her red eyes scanned the shadows for signs of trouble.

“So,” Vanessa said in a tone half-curious, half-annoyed, “are you going to explain why we’re heading to some seedy club instead of following up on that lead from yesterday?”

Ramon’s bright green and leopard skin outfit was a little more conspicuous where they were, but not by much.  Her partner's grin widened as he gestured ahead. “Vanessa, mi amiga, you’ve got to learn to trust me. Zaun is a powder keg right now. Piltover’s occupation has everyone on edge. If we want to get information on the Shimmer trade without drawing too much attention, we need to work at the street level. Clubs like this? Perfect for finding the right kind of talkative people.”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow as they approached the club’s entrance. A thumping bassline vibrated through the air, and the sound of muffled voices spilled out when the door in front of them opened.

Inside, the club was dimly lit. Fluorescent green and purple lights pulsed to the beat of the music. Ramon guided Vanessa’s gaze to a muscular woman at the bar, leaning against the counter. Her black hair was cut short, and her frame powerful. She was clad in a cropped jacket and leather pants with tattoos snaked along her arms.

Ramon nudged Vanessa. “That’s Vi. She’s a bit of a legend down here with all sorts of interesting ties. Think you can run interference with her friend over there? I’ll work my magic with Vi.”

Vanessa looked over to a wide framed muscular man seated near Vi.

Vanessa sighed. “Fine, but you owe me for this one.”

Ramon gave her a wink with his unpatched eye before he strode confidently toward Vi. Vanessa turned her attention to Vi’s companion and approached him with preformative interest.

Vanessa flashed a flirty, disarming smile. “Mind if I join you?”

The man, Vi’s companion Loris, gave her a once-over.

“Suit yourself,” he said and gestured to the seat beside him.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Vanessa kept one eye on Ramon and Vi. Ramon had managed to engage her in conversation, and soon the two were dancing to the house music. Soon, Vi’s demeanor shifted as Ramon leaned in to say something. In a blur of motion, Vi unleashed a rapid-fire jab combo followed by a right cross that sent Ramon stumbling back and crashing into a stool.

“You think you can sweet-talk me, topsider?” Vi growled. “You’ve got about five seconds to get out of my face before I really lose my patience.”

Loris rushed over and grabbed Vi’s arm. “Vi, relax. We don’t need to make a scene again.”

Vanessa was already by Ramon’s side, helping him up. “You okay?”

Ramon winced but managed a grin. “I haven’t felt a combo like that since the last time I made an inappropriate pass at you.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Did you at least get any useful information?”

“Nothing new,” Ramon admitted. “Maybe not my best idea.”

Vanessa glanced back at Vi who was still in an alcohol fueled rage. Loris caught her eye with a look of recognition on his face before he walked away with Vi.

The next day, Vanessa received a call from her other long time partner, Seth. 

“You guys were right to try to go through Vi,” he stated. “Heidern’s intel confirms she's an ex-Enforcer. She’s connected up top and down below to most of the major players of the area in one way or another. If anyone could get you to the Chem Barons, it would probably be her. If you can convince her.”

Vanessa sighed. “Might have been an easier proposition if Ramon hadn’t already tried his best moves on her.” She looked down at a picture on her phone of Vi sent to her by Seth. “What are these oversized gloves I’m looking at?”

“Gauntlets powered by the Hextech technology that is all the rage in Piltover,” answered Seth. “Apparently Vi is quite the puncher.”

Vanessa chuckled. “I could have told you that.”

“So, are you going to take another crack at her or try something else?”

Vanessa massaged her temples. She spent the next two days shadowing Vi, watching her closely. It was clear the woman was a strong brawler as she continually knocked out men twice her size. It was also clear she was spiraling. Vi split all of her time exclusively between fighting pits and bars. Vanessa wondered what had put her on this path. She felt empathy for Vi, she also felt a golden opportunity staring at her in the face. Vanessa was in the market for another fighter that could stand by her in the upcoming job at the next King of Fighters tournament. She made a quick decision as she followed Vi to a rundown pub in an alley littered with debris and wanted posters. Before Vanessa could speak to Vi, she was interrupted by her phone.

“Hey partner, where are you?” Ramon questioned. “I feel like I’m working this case by myself.”

“I was about to talk to Vi, before you just interrupted me,” Vanessa replied.

“You’re still working that angle? There’s no way that she didn’t see that you were with me. How do you expect it to go?”

“Only one way to find out.” Vanessa hung up on Ramon.

Fortunately for Vanessa, Vi had not yet entered the pub. She had paused at a mural of a girl with long blue ponytails painted on the stone wall opposite the establishment. It was a dedication to the anarchic Zaun criminal, Jinx.

“You know her?” Vanessa asked.

Vi eyed her warily and turned back to the mural of her sister and lied. “Nope.”

The intel Vanessa had received from Seth suggested otherwise, but she did not press the matter.

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

“If you are looking for an apology for decking your friend you can forget it, he is a creep,” Vi snapped back.

“No, not at all. I want to talk about you, Vi,” said Vanessa.

The sound of her name caused Vi’s ears to perk up a little, but her demeanor remained unchanged. “If you’re here to preach or pick a fight, you’re wasting your time.” 

“I just wanted to catch you in a rare moment of not being sloppy drunk or in a fighting pit.”

Vi’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been following me.”

“Observing,” Vanessa corrected. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”

“Not interested,” Vi said flatly.

Vanessa was not deterred. “I’ll be upfront with you. Originally you caught our eye for an investigation we are conducting, but now I also want to offer you a job. You’re wasting your potential here. You could be doing something meaningful instead of just throwing punches for the hell of it.”

Vi’s eyes flashed with anger. “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”

“I know a few things,” Vanessa countered. “Including that your defense could use some work. I struggle with that a little myself. Maybe we could learn something from one another.”

“They must have hearing problems wherever you’re from. I told you I’m not interested, get lost.”

A garishly pierced warthog faced man interrupted them and went straight to Vi. “You’re that bitch from the other night. You cost me a lot of money in that fight. I outta….”

Vanessa cut him off with a dash punch and uppercut that knocked the belligerent agitator out cold.

“I could have handled him.” stated Vi.

Vanessa pulled on her gloves. “I have no doubt.”

Vi exhaled with irritation. “I’m going to have to fight you to get rid of you, aren’t I?”

Vanessa tilted her head. “Now there’s an idea. Tell you what, we fight right here. If you win, we leave you alone. If I win, you help us get to the Chem Barons and we talk future employment opportunities.”

“Doesn’t seem like an even trade off,” Vi remarked.

Vanessa stepped into her boxing stance. “Only if you really get your rocks off fighting those dimwitted oafs in the pits instead of testing your abilities by trading punches with a true pugilist.”

Vi looked down at her own white taped hands. This strange woman was misreading her. Vi had no strong desire to be the best fighter; she just mostly did it to get her anger out, as she always had since she was young. On the other hand, she did like the idea of knocking the confident smirk off this womans face.

“Alright, Red, you’ve got a deal.”

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Vanessa (KoF)
Read more about Vanessa (KoF) at Wikipedia
Official Site: SNK Links: Wikipedia SNK Wiki Fighters Generation

Vi (Arcane)
Read more about Vi (Arcane) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Riot Games Links: Wikipedia

[JohnnyChany]

In this fight, Vi does not have her gauntlets. Some video references:

 

VANESSA KOF XV TRAILER

 

VI VS. SEVIKA

 

VI SEASON 2 EPISOODE 5 INTRO (The Time period of this meeting)