Ukyou Kuonji,
Parasyte are not
our own. Hands off the others!
-Haiku
______________________________________________________________________________________
| Budoka no Jinsei:
| EPISODE 4:
| Satsujin, Part 1
|
|
| The Omega Tournament orchestrated by:
| opaj
| The super-spaztastic characters in this episode brought to you by:
| Hero, Spam_BIT, Cain, ragingtofu, & Nabiki
_______________________________________________________________________________________
[Black]
VOICE: Three years ago...
[Pan up a view of a muscular man in a red gi's back. He ties
a red headband around his head, which sports a buzz cut, then cuts back to
black]
VOICE: In a remote part of China...
[Pan up the body of a super-modelesque woman wearing a black overcoat
that's front is open to reveal the red bikini she wears under it. Cut back
to black]
VOICE: A tournament was held to determine who the strongest being in the world was...
[The man and the woman face off in the middle of a stone courtyard.
The man is Caucasian with black hair and dark brown eyes. The woman has
short hair that is dyed bright blue, and she wears sunglasses. Cut back
to black]
VOICE: Only a handful of people bore witness to this majestic
event, and they all claim to have witnessed the greatest jubilee of combat
ever to take place...
[The man and woman charge at each other. Cut back to black]
VOICE: On the final day, Fuande Gyojin and Kyorei fought in a battle for supremacy so intense...
[Both throw punches that intercept each other. Quick fade to black]
VOICE: That it destroyed the ring...
[Both try to knee the other, and again the knees intercept each other. Quick fade to black]
VOICE: And killed several bystanders by the mere force of their attacks on each other.
[Both elbow each other in the face at the exact same instant. Quick fade to black]
VOICE: In the end, they reached a tie.
[Show both lying on the ground, destruction all around them. Slowly zoom in as voice continues]
VOICE: No award was given, and the tournament was cancelled, forgotten by the world...
[Flash of light on screen]
VOICE: Until now.
[Shows random fight scenes as the voice continues]
VOICE: The World Martial Arts Federation is proud to announce the revival of the Annual Omega Tournament.
[Shows Gyojin and Kyorei standing side-by-side at the site of
their battle. On the bottom of the screen are the words "TAKING PLACE AT
LOS VEGAS IN JULY"]
GYOJIN: Sign-ups are still available for aspiring warriors!
KYOREI: Be there! The fate of the world depends on it!
*****
Kenji stopped in front of the TV shop as he and Nicole walked
the streets of LA. He grinned as it ended. That advertisement would certainly
attract some of the greater martial artists that he knew, two in particular
that he could think of. This would be a great training opportunity for his
student...
***In the cargo bay of a trans-pacific ship headed for San Francisco***
Mirsky stepped up to a large crate labeled "Treat With Malice."
(Mirsky had made the label himself.) He kicked it, and the box responded
with an "Ouch!" He tapped on a random point in the box, and a hidden door
opened.
"Here's your meal for the day, boy," he said, handing Luke a piece of stale bread. "Be grateful I feed you at all."
He closed the box and walked off, an expression of sadistic glee
on his face. The final time was near; he could feel it. Soon, very soon,
Mirsky would find his revenge.
***On JAL Flight 008 from Narita Airport to San Francisco Airport***
Several of the passengers sitting in aisle 52 were fidgeting.
The cause of their discomfort was the tall, muscular passenger sitting in
seat C. The Japanese, a man of about 21 years of age or so, sported a ponytail
going down to his waist. His left arm was intimidating: bulging muscle and
long, sinewy fingers gave the impression that he could snap a man's neck
in half with ease. What caused even more discomfort with the passengers,
however, was not the presence of his left arm, but the absence of his right.
Sitting next to him was a woman, shorter than he, but sharing
some similar facial features. Her hair was cut into a shorter style, and
several gray hairs were visible. She appeared to be in her late 20s; she
was in fact 58.
"Excited?" she asked.
"Yep," her companion responded. "I can't believe dad didn't have a fit about me going."
"Well..." She paused for a moment. "It was probably the award
money that convinced him. God knows we could use seven million yen."
"You're right, mom," he replied. "Isn't that just like him, though? He has no sense of honor. I'm in it for the title."
His mother was about to respond when she was cut off by a man stepping up to their seats.
"Mitsuko? Mitsuko Ueno?" She looked up at the elderly gentlemen
addressing her. "My god, it is you! My, haven't the years treated you nicely?"
Her eyebrow shot up inquisitively. "It's me! Tadashi Saoguchi! We went
to high school together!"
"Oh! Tadashi!"
The boy looked to his mother. "Ueno?"
"I guess I never told you. That's my maiden name." Mitsuko redirected
her attention to her old friend. "I go by a different name, now: Shinmen.
And this is my son, Saburo."
***Las Vegas WMAF (World Martial Arts Federation) HQ***
The man looked over the forms he had been given. {Great,} he
thought. {I had to wait in a line for an hour, only to be given 10 pages
of forms to fill out and stand in an even longer line.} He looked up at
the TV that was playing the same infernal commercial over and over again,
and his visage brightened. It would be worth it. It had been quite a while
since he had seen the Kyojin household, and there was no way that Fuante
would stay away when he saw the WMAF's version of the Omega Tournament.
He sat down and started to read the rules. {Killing is permitted?}
he thought in surprise. {Oh, but there's a fine. Fifty-thousand dollars...
That's as much as the award for first prize! To reimburse the family of
the deceased... Makes sense.} After that clause, it pretty much went on
about how the WMAF could not be held accountable for any injuries or death
in the ring, that a liability waiver must be signed, and more nonsense like
that. Finally, the man reached the actual form part.
He picked up a pen and began to fill in the first part. Last name: Bisen.
*** Blue Acres (Unknown State), Sushi Household ***
Three teenagers fought over prime position of the couch. One of
them was a male with a baseball cap, the other guy with black, spiky hair,
and a girl with what seemed to almost be cat ears struggled to make themselves
comfortable. None of them were having any success.
"Move your butt, Jake! Make some room!" Yelled the girl.
"Hey, you're taking up all the space, you move!" Was the reply from one of the two boys.
A solitary figure watched three others fight for apparent control
of the couch. He let out a dry laugh. Little did the others know that HE
had the remote control. He checked his watch, and started counting down seconds.
{Five, four, three, two, one...}
Timed perfectly, a loud shout rang out. "Hey, who has the remote?!"
After a bit more fighting and a few threats, ("Don't make me use my blaster
on you!"), the other three got settled in. The person waiting behind the
couch was a dark-brown haired, black-eyed guy that was also in his teenage
years. He pulled up a chair next to the couch, ignoring his bickering friends.
He sat down, and proceeded to take out the katana from it's sash on his back.
"It's bad enough that you have to freeload off me and my mom," he said, raising
an eyebrow. "But let's try to get along... okay?" He proceeded to swing the
sword dangerously close to their collective necks. A devilish smile crossed
his face.
The other three were sweating bullets... they DID get the guy
kinda worked up after all over the day. "Okay!" They all chimed in unison.
The brown haired teen put his sword away, and turned on the TV as the smile
appeared on his face. [I don't like to do things like that,] he thought,
[but there's no other way to get them to calm down... although, it is rather
fun to do that to them...] The TV crackled to life, and just as the sound
kicked in....
"Sign-ups are still available for aspiring warriors!"
"Be there! The fate of the world depends on it!"
"Hey... that reminds me. You all made sure you could go, right?"
Said the cat-eared girl. Her brown hair was pulled into a ponytail that went
most of the way down her back. Her eyes seemed to sparkle at the prospect
of the Omega Tournament.
"Yeah, I can go," said the blonde guy that the girl was fighting
for position with eariler. His baseball cap, which had a large question mark
on the front, covered up his somewhat messy, but short, blond hair. He definitely
didn’t seem as happy as the girl on the subject.
"Okay, that makes me and Jake. What about you, Dave?"
"But, of course," said the black haired guy. Said hair was held
back by a gray headband, and even then it tumbled over the front. He reached
over, snatched the remote from his friend, and began to flip through the
channels. “Nothing good on TV...”
"And, what about you, Tofu?"
This time the direction was focused on the one with the sword.
He was trying to get the remote back with little luck, and finally gave up.
"Well, yeah. You all realize that I was the one who spotted the ad in the
first place. Besides, my mother was the one who arranged everything."
The girl leapt to her feet. "Alright then, it's settled! Two
days from now, we leave for Las Vegas. We sign up there, and we enter the
tournament. I guess we should all prepare, huh? I think we've bothered Tofu
enough for today."
Jake and Dave walked out the front door, said their good-byes,
and Tofu closed it behind them. "Oh man... I thought that they would never
leave.” That’s when he spotted Amanda. Tofu, with a curious tone, said, “So...
how DID you get this one by your parents?” Amanda, in her usual upbeat tone,
replied, “I told my parents it was a camping trip. They’ll never know!” With
that, she let herself out.
Tofu muttered to himself, “I STILL think it would be easier if
she would just explain to her parents why she likes fighting so much....
Amanda's right, though. I should pack and make my final preparations." He
checked his watch... it was 22:48, military time. "But now... I'm tired...."
He walked up the staircase of his two-story house and went into his room.
[I've been anticipating this for months,] he thought, [but it's all gone
way too fast.]
***The Next Afternoon, Sushi Household***
“If I don’t nail the technique of the two sword style, I don’t
know if I’ll have a chance at the tournament....” Tofu had been practicing
with a pair of wooden swords, in a small extension off to the side of the
house fashioned as a dojo of sorts. He decided to take a short break. Dropping
the weapons, he paced over to a corner. There were four scrolls with Japanese
writing on them, each containing a different phrase. "Peace, Power, Mind.
The Keys To Success." Thinking for a moment, and meditating on these words,
feelings of sadness, desperation, and hope came over him. “I can’t change
the past,” he said quietly, “but I WILL change the future. You'll see, dad...
I'll become one of the greatest fighters in the world...."
***Blue Acres Track***
Amanda stood in the center of the track stadium, wearing a blue
karate gi, and a black belt. She seemed to be concentrating on something.
Then, suddenly, she yelled out, “Shotgun!” Almost immediately, a series of
small green sparks escaped from her hand. Her anger began to grow, and she
became more frustrated. “SHOTGUN!!” With that, a large amount of what appeared
to be green bolts flew from her hand, and crashed into the bleachers - making
a rather large explosion, and sending chairs flying. [I wonder why that happens...]
she thought miserably.
"I guess that I'm going to have to rely on speed until I can
find the weakness of whoever I'm fighting. Well, I know that Tofu's weakness
is that he --" (She sneezes.) "Oh, great...." Amanda said. "I still can’t
believe that this happened. Darn you, Jake...." She now had black cat ears
and a tail. "Ah, well... I still don't see why I change back and forth when
I sneeze." She went back to her concentration, but was soon interrupted by
a small black and white cat, which leapt on to her shoulder. "Hey, Sparkster...
I'm sorry, but you just can't come on this trip. You're going to have to
stay at home, okay?" The reply was a sad meow. After a pat on the head, the
cat ran off into the stands, and seemed to be watching Amanda as she practiced
various punches, kicks, and the like.
***A Small Backroom Of The Ryo Household***
"I won't fail you, dad..." said Dave. "There's always the chance
that the one who murdered you will show up at the tournament. I won't give
up hope... it HAS been ten years, after all." He held a newspaper article
in his hand. It looked rather old and yellowed, and had a headline saying,
"Local Man, Ryo, Dies Of Unknown Causes." He let out a short sigh. "There
was only one move you got to teach me yourself... don't worry, I didn't forget
it." He walked up to a 2" wooden plank set standing straight up. With a shout
of "Shinku Gado-Ken!!" he let loose a punch that splintered the wood into
tiny fragments. "I won't forget this one, Dad."
***Hazuki Household, Jake's Room***
"Huh... aim's a little off," said Jake. He had been firing his
blaster at a target at least 200 feet away in a large cavern built under
his house. Each of the eight shots was a direct hit on a target except for
one, which veered to the left a bit. "Well, that's okay. I had better get
these casters in order, and a way to smuggle all this stuff in. Let's see...
#1 should disable the nervous system for about 15 seconds, 30 on a direct
hit to the spinal cord... plenty of time to get in other attacks. I doubt
that I'll make it very far, though... I learned how to fight on the streets,
and with what happened LAST time, I don't really stand a chance. Ah well."
***Blue Acres Airport, Near Terminal 43***
"Okay, what's the plan again?" asked Dave. "I still don't get how we're supposed to get all this stuff through security."
Jake looked at Dave as if he had asked a rhetorical question. "Dave... I think that I know what I'm doing."
Amanda found this the perfect time to insult Jake, adding, "That's what worries me."
Sara, Tofu's mother, had taken all of them to the airport, and
was basically the means of transportation and hotel fees for the entire time.
She looked like she had just started college, but she was really 38. She
turned around 180 and started to walk backwards. "Okay, Jake," she said.
"Security's coming up, so you had better make your move." They all got in
line, and just before Tofu passed through with his two katanas, Jake pressed
a small button on a remote that disabled the magnetic field of the metal
detector. When Jake himself passed through last, he immediately turned it
back on.
"See? No problems." However, there were problems. Just a few
seconds later, a scruffy looking man with an overcoat grabbed Amanda’s bag
and ran off.
"He picked the wrong person to rip off today,” said Amanda with
a rather twisted smile. She took off running after him, and with rather little
effort, caught up with him. With a short "Hi!" she proceeded to send a punch
right into his face, tripped him, and while he was on the ground, gave him
a few kicks to the ribs for good measure. She picked up her bag and ran back
to the rest of the group, then sneezed. "Well, nobody will notice me with
the cat ears...." But, just to be safe, she pulled the hood of her jacket
over her head. Noticing the blank stares of her friends, she simply replied,
“Well, maybe I DID go a bit overboard.
***Los Vegas, Omega Tournament Sign-Ups***
Dave looked around. He saw some strangely familiar faces, but
he just couldn't figure out where he had seen them before. It didn't really
matter, though... he was here, and he was going to fight.
Four more entries were made into the Omega Tournament. They looked like four average kids, but looks can be deceiving...
Tofu quickly spun around. He could have sworn that he had heard
a "meow," but he was sure that it was just his imagination. He turned his
attention back to an advertisement on the Omega Tournament.
*****
A man and a young teenager strolled casually through Las Vegas.
Well, it was casual for them. If there had been anyone on the streets looking
up, they would not have considered leaping from rooftop to rooftop equivalent
to a morning constitutional. The two individuals, however, jumped like it
was the most relaxing thing in the world. Finally, the boy hesitated in
mid-air and would have fallen to a painful crunch if his companion had not
grabbed him. The taller man landed gracefully on a rooftop.
"Are you all right, Kevin?" he inquired. The Japanese, about
6'2", in his late 20's, was wearing a white tank top, green camouflage pants,
heavy dark boots, and was shaved bald. The teenager, Kevin, was American,
about 14 years old, and dressed in a white martial arts gi with a black belt
tied around the waist, and he had parted his short, brown hair loosely down
the middle.
"Sensei... I..." Kevin stuttered. "Something's wrong... nearby..."
"Where, Kevin?" the sensei pleaded. "Tell me where!"
Kevin closed his eyes in concentration while placing a hand on
his sensei's shoulder. The sensei's mind was instantly filled with information
and without hesitation he leapt off in the direction that the information
specified.
Sure enough, about a block down, in a dark alley, a woman was
laying against the side of a dumpster, sporting a black eye and bleeding
from her lip. Standing above her was a man, grinning in anticipation. As
he reached for the woman's clothes, however, he felt a blunt pain in his
left side and he tumbled to the ground. Getting up, he snarled into the
darkness. "Who are you? Come on out!"
The sensei stepped out from the shadows. "I suggest you leave
now," he said in a calm but firm voice. The mugger, ignorant to who his
opponent was, drew a pistol from his jacket. With a scream of rage, he fired
off a shot. The bullet, however, never hit its mark, as it was intercepted
by the sensei's two fingers. "That," he said while crushing the bullet,
"was a mistake." The mugger staggered back in fright as the sensei's hands
took on a golden aura. The sensei simply smiled cruelly at the poor fool.
"Sabaku Arashiken!" he yelled as he charged.
Echoing throughout the nearby streets, an agonizing man's scream was heard.
*****
The next day, after leaving their hotel room, Kevin and his sensei
made their way to the Omega Tournament. Two more names were added to the
list of fighters: Kevin Front and Hiroshi Geppu.
About half an hour later, a third man, his body concealed in a cloak, stepped
into the registration office and began to fill out the forms. He hesitated
when the forms asked for his name. Finally reaching a conclusion, he wrote
down a single kanji: Ryuu.
*****
Corianna crawled out of the box and stretched her legs. Hime came out
and did the same. It was a good thing it was midnight because Hime wasn't
the average size of a panther and the few drunken sailors that looked at
them in astonishment just decided they were seeing a black cat and had had
too much rum. Staring at their rum they threw their bottles aside and walked
off. Corianna enjoyed her sleek companion. She frightened people and Corianna
didn't like to be around people unless they were going to be her meal. She
lashed out with her whip at one lingering drunk and pulled him in. Baring
her fangs at him she took the frightened body and without him knowing what
happened the sailor's life was gone, as Corianna drank the warm blood, flooded
with rum. When she had had her fill, she let Hime eat what she wanted. While
Hime worked on the arms, Corianna noticed an ad going on in the bar they
were near. It wasn't flashy or funny but a face grabbed her attention. It
was the parody of Kyojin that caught her eyes. Wiping the blood from her
mouth, she slipped into the bar and listened. "...All warriors come sign
up".
{Hmm,} she thought, {This Kyojin is a thorn in my side. Wouldn't it be interesting to face him?}
She had helped him before but he and his father were ungrateful of her
help. She couldn't stand the Kyojin family. Kyorei on the other hand had
become a friend. Corianna almost admired her. Cain hadn't called her to do
anything important recently, so she decided to go on and see what the WMAF
or whatever was all about.
"Hime!" she called. "We're going to Las Vegas. You can eat all the whores
you want! But stay healthy for this Tournament. This'll be no walk in the
park!"
She formed an evil grin as she repacked herself and Hime into the box and sent it to Las Vegas...
***Some Desert Field Right Outside of Las Vegas***
They got out of the box and headed for the place that was advertising the
tournament. Corianna followed all the signs (and ignored the strange glances
she got from people towards Hime) that led to the place to sign up. She
found the office and took a form and turned it in, wondering if these jerks
were going to be prejudice against her because she was a vampire.
The only good thing that had come from knowing the Kyojin family was the
fang necklace she wore that allowed her to walk around during the day...
but the way they treated her...
***Somewhere in Las Vegas***
A solitary, humanoid figure darted through the dark shadows of one of Las
Vegas' alleyways. Clothed in only the most rudimentary garments, the figure
could almost be classified as a down-and-out person, except his body was
immaculate and his face rather attractive. Even his hair was perfect.
The figure continued its quick plod through the alleyways, its destination
not set. In its mind only a few thoughts recurred: "Danger" ... "Survive"
... "Run" ... "Kill" ... "SURVIVE".
A male human dressed in a business suit stepped out from an unseen corner,
causing the running humanoid to suddenly halt in its step and stare at the
newcomer. The male looked on, just as shocked to see someone in such an isolated
place.
Before the other figure could say a word or move another step, the humanoid
being began changing. Both muscular arms suddenly began warping, and instantly
became two huge blades. The male let out a gasp before being hacked down
in a flurry of attacks.
The humanoid figure stared down at the mutilated human. No emotion showed
on the humanoid's face, and only the sudden creak of an emergency ladder
caused a response in the still figure.
Staring in seeming anticipation at the ladder, only after a few minutes
did the humanoid begin to move away from the murder scene.
As the figure began to run, its arms warped back into their original immaculate
arm form, not one smear of blood anywhere. Blank eyes moving back and forth
in their sockets, the figure caught site of a poster. Vaguely surprised to
find the slab of paper in an alleyway, the figure approached it, reading
the words.
Slowly, the humanoid realized what it had to do in order to survive. Quickly
taking a few mental calculations to assess a few things, the figure suddenly
leapt twenty stories, and, upon landing on a rooftop and casting a wayward
glance backwards, took off in a dead run towards its first desired destination.
The Omega Tournament.
*****
It was raining hard in the Las Vegas moonlight. Hiroshi walked down the
streets, following his sixth sense towards the ki source he knew and scorned.
The ki was slowly diminishing, as if his target was falling asleep. Just
as he was about to give up hope, he spotted steam coming at a slow but constant
rate from a rooftop across the street. Smirking, Hiroshi leapt backwards
against a wall and rebounded onto the steaming rooftop.
"Well, I haven't seen you in a while," Hiroshi jeered. "Where ya been?
I've missed pounding you into the ground." There was no reply. The source
of the steam, though hard to distinguish, was seen to be a muscular figure
sitting in a lotus position, surrounded by a thin layer of red ki. It appeared
that the man was using his hot aura to evaporate the rain as soon as it came
near. Hiroshi was slightly impressed. "That's some trick you've got there.
I see you've control over the Tatsu Ken has increased." Still no reply.
"Don't feel like talking? Heh, well I'll see you at the tournament. We'll
'talk' there." With that, Hiroshi turned and began to leave.
"You talk too much," Bisen finally replied.
Hiroshi spun around at the voice, but saw nothing save the remnants of
the steam drifting off into the sky. 'Hmph'ing, he made his way back to
the motel.
*****
Dave flopped onto his hotel bed, hoping that he could get some sleep for
the tournament tomorrow. As he shifted around, attempting to get more comfortable,
he finally managed to drift off to sleep...
***Blue Acres, About February 1991***
"Give up, Ryuu." A cold, high voice sliced through the air. Two men
faced each other. One with short, black hair tied into a ponytail of sorts
that was shoulder length. He was in a Tiger Stance. The other man, who was
much taller, had long, red hair leading down to his waist. There was no effort
to manage it in any way. He was in a rather comfortable, prone stance. In
fact, he was stretching. "I told you to give up, Ryuu. You knew it was only
a matter of time before I reached you. You can't hide forever."
The black haired man (presumably Ryuu) fixed one of his eyes on his opponent.
However, the other remained on a five-year-old boy that looked almost exactly
like Ryuu himself. {Damn,} thought Ryuu. {Rando's got me cornered... I can't
possibly stand up to him. Not here, not now. But what about Dave? I can't
insure his safety...}
Once again the cold voice pierced his ear, jarring him from his thoughts.
"I'll cut you a deal... you give me the boy, and no harm comes to you. Don't
worry, I'll be sure to train him... he'll receive very, very good training."
This seemed to strike a chord with Ryuu.
"Well, Rando... I know I can't beat you. I guess that I'll just have to go with your deal."
"Dad, what are you doing?" asked the young Dave. This guy scared him, and
his dad was basically handing him over to the freak. As Ryuu-sensei, master
of the Ryo dojo, seemed to forfeit his own son over to the enemy, Dave sensed
something. Something strange. His dad's left hand, behind his back, was glowing
a bright blue. Slowly, Ryuu moved towards Rando. Suddenly, and without the
slightest hint of warning, Ryuu shouted out "KOURYUH REKKA!!" He slammed
a ki charged fist right into Rando's head. "DAVE! RUN!" shouted Ryuu.
Dave had ran out into the courtyard of the house, when he heard that same
sickly voice... "Very nice, Ryuu... now prepare to find out the power of
your own attack. KOURYHU REKKA!!" Shortly after, Ryuu was sent flying out
into the courtyard himself. "Dave... please, just get out of here...." These
words never really registered with Dave. "Don't you hurt my dad! He yelled,
charging Rando with all his might. The demon simply picked up the boy by
his shirt, and flung him high into the air. "Remember this one?" Said Rando
with a twisted smile.
"Omega Shotgun!" Almost immediately, a wave of huge black ki bolts with
just a hint of purple shot straight at the five year old boy. And they would
have hit, was it not for the body of Ryuu Ryo. He had leapt in between the
blast and his son, and taken the full force of the blow.
"Dave...." was all he could manage to say before he passed out. Meanwhile,
the child haphazardly landed in a large snow bank. "How the mighty have fallen,
Ryuu." Came the cold voice once again. "I wonder what attack I should use
against... what the--"
He felt (and shortly saw) a highly negative dark blue aura charging at him.
"SHIN-KU-GADO-KEN!" Yelled Dave. With that, he smashed his fist into the
scar on Rando's chest. With a hideous scream, the demon reeled back, clutching
the large, open wound that was the result of Dave's strike. "You hideous
little child! How could you have done... that same attack... ten more damned
years to recover!!"
It wasn't long before Kaiko, Dave's mother, got home. There was something
about those last twelve hours that impacted Dave forever. "Son," said Ryuu,
"that attack that Rando did... it spreads. Like an infection. I don't have
long to live, and there's so much more I need to tell you. There is a box
in the dojo. Go and open it, and study what you find. You'll become a great
fighter, son. An incredibly great fighter."
Ryuu Ryo, sensai of the Striking Viper School of fighting, died on a cold, snowy day in February.
"I'll beat you, Rando."
***Night Before the Omega Tournament***
Dave once again woke up in a cold sweat. That dream... that same dream
that had plagued him for such a long time. Could Rando really be at the tournament?
The man who killed his father... it HAD been ten years, after all. There
were so many questions. He had regained his memory about a starship incident
a few years before, and he wondered if one of the people he had seen there
was an agent of Rando, possibly trying to take Dave's life. None of it really
made sense.
Dave checked his clock. 4:03 A.M. He tried to get back to sleep, but one thought kept entering his mind. "Rando..."
***Day 1***
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Second Annual Omega Tournament!"
the announcer cried as 32 of the world's finest stood in the center of the
massive arena. "You, our loyal viewers, have come to expect a high quality
of combat from the WMAF. You've come to expect bone-crunching punches, earth-shattering
kicks, and life-crushing suplexes! Well, you've come to the right place!"
At that, the crowd went wild.
"Let me introduce you to our state-of-the-art arena," the announcer continued
from his booth safely away from the fighting area itself. "The fighting
area is an elevated platform, composed of magnetic tiles. Using these interlocking
tiles, the stage can be completely rebuilt in between any two fights. Of
course, we're going to need it every time it gets destroyed!"
The announcer patiently waited as the applause died down. "Now, while
we whole-heartedly support violence, we only want those willing to get hurt
to... well, get hurt." He motioned to the ten-foot tall concrete wall surrounding
both the fighting platform and the area about ten feet around it. "This
is set up to provide you with complete protection, as well as the five-inch-thick
Plexiglas separating you from the action." One could practically hear crickets
chirping in the stadium, until the announcer added, "Because the fighting
is going to be so fierce, we'll need it just to make sure none of you die!"
"Also, the WMAF supports a good, sportsman-like attitude from all of the
competitors. While of course we won't stop the fighters from killing each
other," he waited again for the commotion to die down, "we must incur a penalty
of fifty-thousand dollar penalty- the same amount as the prize money- to
reimburse the family of the deceased."
"In order to increase your viewing pleasure, timers and giant video screens
have been provided, so you can see all of the action!" Sure enough, there
was both a video screen and timer on each of the four walls, high above the
arena. "Between fights, we will be presenting a break-down of the fight
you just saw, complete with commentary."
"In the midst of all of this, we at the WMAF also remember that the combatants
have their needs, too. And so, underneath the bleachers, their are four
lobbies- one on each side- that can comfortably hold 50 people each." He
pointed to a door on each wall. "Of course, each lobby is fully furnished
with a snack bar, lockers, and televisions so that the fighters can see what
is happening. And of course, each fighter can bring back 5 relatives and
friends, and each fighter has a complimentary luxury suite at the hotel for
the duration of the tournament."
He took a much-needed deep breath before continuing. "Enough about the
accommodations- let's take a look at what is going to happen over the next
five days." He pointed to the screens, which now displayed the roster for
the tournament. "Stage 1- the preliminary stage- will occur over two days,
in which 16 of the fighters will be eliminated. On day 3, we begin stage
2, and again the competition will be halved. The following two days will
be the same as we go through stages 3 and 4. And day 5, after stage 4 is
completed, the final round will be fought and the champion of the world will
be declared!"
"Finally, here's a rundown of the rules: The match goes until ring-out,
KO, or death. In the event of a tie, either the surviving member or the
judge’s choice goes on to the next round. Now, LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUMBLE!"
At that, thirty of the thirty-two competitors scattered into the four lobbies.
***Sher-Cahn vs. Hime***
Hime froze as her name was called. "Me?" she growled at Corianna. "You put me in?" she almost whimpered.
"You'll do just fine!" Corianna smiled patting her strong feline friend. "Now go and show 'em what you're made of!"
"Yeaaa!" Hime growled as she bared her long fangs and her sharp claws shot out.
The black-cloaked beast named Sher-cahn stepped out, baring his teeth which
were silver and sharp. His claws were no match for Hime's, but his size
made everyone gasp for he was twice Hime's size (even though she was an
oversized panther herself). His sleek white and black coat stood out in the
spotlight. Hime smiled, baring her long, poisonous fangs. "I can't wait
to have fun with you!" she hissed at him.
"Ooooh, a chick panther," he laughed. "This should be a piece of cake!"
He lunged at Hime, his paw out going right to her. She jumped right at
him, and as the crowd gasped at seeing what she would do, she swatted him
with her larger claws, tearing at his flesh and muscle in the arm outstretched
towards her. Sher-cahn howled in pain as he flew to the other side of the
stage. Hime stood there and glared cunningly at the stupid tiger. Sher-cahn
smiled. "So you will be a match."
Slightly limping now, Sher-cahn paced one side and Hime paced the other.
Neither of them took one eye off of the other. Hime decided it was her turn
to attack and flew through the air at a more rapid speed than Sher-cahn would
have liked. However, the tiger was ready and slapped her down onto the platform
and began to smack her with his claws. Flesh and blood flew everywhere as
the cats went at it. The savage growling and whimpering made the crowd nervous.
Hime managed to get out of the mess and back to her platform. Angered and
pissed that her shoulder was practically hanging open, she glared hard and
the more Sher-cahn laughed the harder her glare got until a redness burned
in her eyes. She hated to be laughed at.
{I'll show him,} she thought with a smile as she crouched low, ready...
Sher-cahn kept laughing. With a shout of "Now I'll finish you!!!" he lept at Hime.
And as Sher-cahn flew through the air Hime simply stood up and sneezed
fire. The flame engulfed the giant tiger and he fell to the ground with a
thud. As the dust and smoked settled the paramedics came out and declared
Sher-cahn to still be living.
"But he has been knocked out of the ring!" cried the announcer. "And what a toasty way to go...ehehehe..."
"THE WINNER IS HIME!" said the announcer again as his joke didn't really
get to the crowd very well. This time the crowd roared with applause for
the oversized panther.
Limping off the stage Hime smiled to herself.
"Good work!" cried Corianna as she touched Hime's wounds, healing them. "You showed that pathetic male what you are made of!"
***Dave Ryo vs. Rando***
Dave calmly walked out onto the center stage, with his three friends, Jake,
Tofu, and Amanda watching him. Tofu, of course, gave him a thumbs up; Amanda
flashed a peace sign, and Jake went about cleaning his gun, giving an occasional
glance. A faint smile crossed Dave’s face, but only for a moment -- he sensed
something that he had been fearing for over ten years. With a quick spin,
he faced the other competitor in the arena. What really disturbed him, however,
was that it was another 16 year old boy... slick, pointy black hair, a grey
headband... Dave had just turned to face himself. Whereas Dave was wearing
a white shirt and cammo cargo shorts, the other Dave was wearing a blood
red karate gi, with the sleeves apparently ripped off. One thought entered
Dave's mind. [Rando.]
"Let the fight begin!!"
"Haven't seen you for quite some time, Dave... I'm sure you'll be pleased
to die such an honorable death as your father," said Rando in a slick, cold
voice. In a sudden burst of light, he disappeared. Dave simply jabbed his
left elbow behind him, catching Rando in the stomach. "My, but haven't you
learned!" he said with a cough. "It's going to take a lot more than that
to take me down, however... you're going to die just like Ryuu. Say... after
your gruesome death, I think I’ll add your blood to this gi of mine.”
Once again Rando disappeared, and reappeared in the corner opposite Dave.
Facing the cold stare of the demon who had killed his father was a lot for
Dave to comprehend, but he knew that he couldn't let Rando win this. He charged
at his adversary, who was in the same Tiger Stance as his father so long
ago. Dave went on the attack, throwing punch after kick at his enemy. He
had to find an opening, but how could he? He went on the defensive as Rando
began his assault on Dave. He blocked a punch, then took a kick to the stomach,
but continued to protect his body in one seamless motion. With a shout of
"Dankuh-kyaku!" Rando leapt up into the air and proceeded to land a kick
right into Dave's face. It caught him off guard, smashed him to the ground,
and sent him sliding right off the edge... but for some reason, he managed
to keep his right foot on the platform, and through some strange energy,
proceeded to lift himself up back onto the platform. "You should have given
up, boy. Now die!" A bright orange ball began to form in Rando's left hand,
aimed straight for Dave's head. "It really is sad that you couldn't put up
a fight like your old man." For the first time, Dave noticed an eerie red
glow emanating from his eyes.
That's when he saw it. Dave slid under Rando's legs, which were just a
bit too far apart, and jumped up behind him. "Oyaji Blast!" He shouted, as
a dark blue ball formed in his right hand.
Rando was too busy thinking of what form he should take on after the fight
to disguise himself to notice what Dave had done. "Warui Bla -- what the
hell?!" Were the last words of Rando before he turned around and catch a
dark blue blast of ki right in the face. If you blinked, you would have missed
Rando becoming a crumpled form on the ground. He changed to the form of a
man in his early to mid 30's... Ryuu Ryo. "You got lucky, kid...” he said
as he turned to look at Dave, now surrounded by a very dark and very negative
blue aura. "Now, while you're at it, finish me off."
Dave turned to face Rando. "You know, that sounds like a good idea... but
I think I'll let you die from your own shame and self-pity. I’ll be you’re
not even the real Rando, anyways.”
"WHAT?! You insolent punk! I'll show you who the real Rando is!" With that,
he shouted, "Collapse!" The entire arena shook violently, and the tiles started
to pull themselves apart. A brilliant flash of light ensued, blinding everybody.
About thirty seconds later, the light was gone, and only Dave was left
standing... or better to say floating. Rando was more or less imprinted in
the wall, his body ravaged, but still alive. The floor tiles were activated
and pulled back together. After coming back to reality, the announcer spoke
out. "Um, I- I guess it seems that Dave Ryo is th- the winner by ring out
AND knock out! (Thank God for this protective barrier. I mean, what did they
do that could cause so much damage to the walls like that? Huh? What do you
mean the microphone is--)" While Rando was wheeled off to intensive care,
Dave walked out of the arena, limping a bit. [This just wasn't the right
time, or the right place... but I will defeat you, Rando. You can be sure
of that.]
"It's official... Dave Ryo is the winner!"
*****
As the next pair of fighters walked on stage, a man in a black business suit stepped into private viewing booth number 13.
"When is our man on?" the room's occupant, a middle aged man also in a business suit.
"After this fight is over," the younger of the two replied. "He is fighting one Kevin Front."
The elder glanced at the tournament roster. "You entered him under the
name Christopher Brothers... How very creative." He glanced up. "C had
better not be a disappointment. The fiascos with A and B have left you in
a very compromised position.
*****
(“The first two fights? There were only two fights so far. Maybe I missed something....)
As the fight came to a close, the stadium was silent enough to
hear a pin drop. After the spectacle of the first two fights, this one was
one huge disappointment. At least the next fight showed some promise...
***Kevin Front vs. Christopher Brothers***
Christopher Brothers glanced up at the TV screen as his name was called.
"It is time for your fight," his associate said. "Go, prove yourself."
Christopher looked at his companion, then stood up. He had slicked back
brown hair and wore a pair of black sweat pants and a tank top. He took
off his sunglasses, revealing light-grey eyes, then strided out the door
towards the arena.
Upon stepping up onto the platform, he walked to one side and took a tiger stance, waiting for his opponent.
Kevin breathed heavily before walking firmly up into the fighting area.
Bowing his head in respect to his opponent, he assumed a rather awkward
pose with his hands lying dead at his sides. He looked as if he was standing
in line for a movie, not waiting for a martial arts match. He gathered his
focus and tried to ignore the various comments from the crowd.
On the sidelines, Hiroshi smirked as he gazed over the seated spectators.
{Where are you, Fuante? I wanted you to see how skilled my student has
become. His skill alone is proof that I am the most powerful of us three.}
Sighing, he turned his eyes back to the platform.
Christopher stared blankly at Kevin for several moments. Suddenly, his
eyes grew wide, and he rushed right in, leading with a downward-left punch
to the neck.
{Crap, he's fast!} thought Kevin as he saw the approaching attack. Reacting
at the last moment, he sent a telepathic suggestion into Chris's head. [He's
rolling to the right under your punch...] At the same time, Kevin sidestepped
to the left.
Christopher jumped several feet back as he realized that his attack had
not reached his target. He confusedly glanced to the right of his attack,
and then at Kevin. Suddenly, he jabbed straight down at the tile in front
of him, ripping it from the floor and hurling it full force at his telepathic
opponent.
The tile never reached its target as it was shattered in mid-air by a jump
kick from Kevin. Not missing a beat, he used his fingers to tag the resulting
fragments, sending them flying back at Christopher. Upon landing, Kevin rushed
his opponent in a quarterback fashion, hoping the aerial barrage would distract
his opponent for a second.
Christopher leaned back for a split second, then shot straight forward
and down. Landing in a push-up position right under the tiles, he shot back
up as they passed, aiming for a head-butt to Kevin.
*****
The cloaked figure known as Ryuu and the loner known as Bisen both were
staring intently at the fight. They could feel, as Hiroshi had those years
ago, the incredible untapped power emanating from Kevin. The boy was virtually
dripping with it! He would warrant keeping an eye out for.
*****
Meanwhile, the potential martial arts master quickly modified his attack
and aimed a kick about a foot above where his opponent's head would soon
be. [He's going to sweep your legs.]
As soon as the deceitful message reached his brain, Christopher's face
went bright red. His veins bulged as he grabbed at both where his opponent's
leg wasn't, and where it was. Making contact with the foot just as it hit
his head, he rolled back with the blow, tossing Kevin across the platform
with his own force.
Kevin's body slammed into the protective barrier around the fighting area,
or at least it almost did. Making a twist at the last second, he planted
his feet on the platform and rebounded towards Christopher. Not waiting
to get in close, he let loose with his next attack. He punched the air.
To most people watching, it appeared he was simply swinging his fist. Their
view of the situation changed when Christopher staggered back as though hit.
Kevin landed in a handspring and leapt to his feet. He then proceeded
to launch punch after punch from a distance. Each time he did so his opponent
appeared to take damage. The crowd started to mumble. They had heard rumors
of the boy's telepathic abilities. Was he telekinetic as well?
"He's not telekinetic," Ryuu muttered to no one in particular, though everyone
around him turned to listen. "He's attacking with the wind compression from
his punches."
"I taught him that myself," Hiroshi said with pride.
Christopher gave out a barbaric shriek, then launched himself into the
air. Kevin barely got his hand up to block as Christopher entered with a
punch, and didn't even make the following kick. Blow upon blow was laid
down, Kevin only able to defend himself against a strong number.
As the pair crashed to the ground, Christopher got a hold of the front
of Kevin's gi. His eyes gone totally white, he hoisted his opponent into
the air, a ball of energy forming in his hands. "AAAAAAAAARGH!"
With that, Christopher tossed Kevin straight up, preparing to end it once
and for all. "YAAAAAUGH!!!" He clutched his chest, and fell to his knees.
"YAAAAUGH!" With that, Christopher Brothers collapsed.
Kevin twisted in mid-air and landed nicely on his feet. He almost lost
his balance, however, when he felt the mental "snap" from his opponent.
Without wasting a moment, he rushed to Christopher's side and started checking
his pulse as well as scanning his quite erratic mind. Eyes widening in shock,
he yelled, "Someone get a doctor!"
Almost immediately, several physicians ran up on stage. After a short-
and unsuccesful- scramble to recesitate the victim, the head doctor declared
the patient dead. "He had a massive heart attack- I don't know how this
slipped through the cracks, but if it is anyone's fault, it is ours."
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to announce the death of Christopher
Brothers. By default, Kevin Front is this round's winner."
***Private Viewing Booth #13***
"You failed again," the elder stated. "This will not look good to the higher-ups."
"Sir, with all due respect, C was much more succesfull than A and B! With
every new unit we make, they have at least doubled in power and speed. He
would have won easily, if his cardiovascular system were stronger," the youth
argued back. "Believe me, D will be everything our project is trying to
accomplish."
"That is, if there is a D."
*****
Again, another fight that was extremely unnewsworthy occured. Many audience
members got drinks during this period, while others took quick naps.
***Nicole Peters vs. Amanda Yenah***
Nicole looked up from her conversation with Kenji as her name was called.
"It's time," she muttered to herself, standing up. Giving one more hesitant
glance to Kenji, she made her way to the stage.
{Good luck, Nicole,} Kenji thought. {I have a feeling that you have almost found your way...}
Amanda, of course, was nervous. This was her first time in a tournament,
and this was one of, if not the, biggest one in the world. However, this
was go time... whoever Nichole Peters was, she was the first opponent. How
embarrassing it would be to lose in her first fight! But who knows, right?
She sneezed just before entering the arena, once again giving her a cat-like
appearance. "Oh, this is just great," she muttered to herself. As she walked
in to meet her opponent, she got a weird feeling. She wasn't sure what it
was, but it directed her to a red-haired girl that was waiting for her. [Oh,
duh, I’m just sensing her ki,] thought Amanda. [Wow, I really AM nervous....]
Nicole glanced to the announcer for reassurance as the cat girl stepped
up. {A cat girl?} Nicole seemed to be having trouble with the concept.
{Oh, right. Kenji. Tail. Forgot.} She focused.
"Nicole Peters and Amanda Yenah! Fight!"
"Winners strike first!" she cried as she charged in with a jump kick.
As Nicole attacked, Amanda decided one of two things:
a.) Nicole was really arrogant and fast, or
b.) she was really good at martial arts and really fast.
Either way, Amanda decided that if she didn't move, Nicole's foot would
have to be surgically removed from her skull. She quickly leapt to the left,
escaping Nicole for the time being. "Now," she said, "you have to be sure
that your opponent is ready. It's all about honor, you know." She pulled
a blue headband out of the left pocket of her jeans, and proceeded to wrap
it around her head. "Okay, NOW I'm ready."
Without hesitation, she dashed towards Nicole, leapt into the air, and struck a kick towards Nicole's head.
Nicole leaned just in time to avoid getting a face-full of foot and rolled
back, landing several feet to the side of Amanda. "Sorry," Nicole said.
"I wasn't thinking." She stepped in towards her opponent abruptly, dropping
into a round-house trip.
Amanda slammed into the floor, missing her target. As she regained her
balance, she was caught by the roundhouse, sending her to the arena floor
yet again. She jumped into a handstand, then quickly leapt back to her feet.
"You're pretty agile, aren't you?" she said, rubbing the back of her head.
{I've never had to take down someone so fast, besides Dave,} Amanda thought.
{Still, she has to have some sort of weakness. At least, I hope so.}
Nicole smiled slightly. "If you think I'm agile, you're going to have trouble with some of the other contestants."
With that, Amanda made her move to dart behind Nicole. {If I catch her off guard, this just might work.}
Nicole was too surprised, and didn't start to turn until Amanda was well out of her sight. {Dangit! I dropped my guard!}
{I hope this stupid technique works this time,} thought Amanda, who had
successfully caught Nichole off guard. "Shotgun!" Almost instantly, at least
30 bolts of pale green ki shot out of Amanda's left hand and smashed into
Nichole's back, sending her flying across the floor. {That might have enough
power to knock her out of the arena, but she's pretty good at getting out
of bad situations....}
Nicole wasn't expecting it. "Argh!" she cried as she slammed herself in
the ground to stop. "That hurt!" she added, getting back to her feet. "Take...
this!"
With that, she thrust her hand out, palm forward. "Rinkadan!" A few green
sparks made a short appearance, but other than that, nothing much happened.
"Dangit! I can't even get a simple move like _that_ right???"
Amanda saw her chance. She charged at Nicole, drawing her right arm back
for a punch. But just as she reached her foe, she ducked down, and delivered
a punch to Nichole's stomach. Unfortunately for her, Nicole's attack was
just on a short vacation. A bright green bolt from Nicole's outstretched
hand crashed into Amanda, sending her tumbling along the arena floor. Both
fighters lay motionless, but each slowly got up, Nichole clutching her stomach,
Amanda her left arm. "Okay, maybe you're not agile... just lucky," said Amanda,
a smile creeping across her face.
Nicole frowned. {Not good...} She tottered for a moment. {Tired...}
Looking back up, she decided that she had one last fighting chance. "This
is it!"
With that, she started to collapse. Just when it looked like she was about
to hit the floor, however, she broke into a self-propelled roll. Using the
momentum of the fall, she flung herself full-force at Amanda.
{Ye-owtch! That was a smart move, what with the delayed attack... what
the?!} It finally registered with Amanda that her opponent was on a kamikaze
mission to take her out of the ring. She thought she had enough time to get
out of the way, but Nichole managed to take out Amanda's left leg, sending
her tumbling towards the wall. This was her last chance... she used the claws
on her right hand to attempt to slow herself down. She managed to do so just
enough that by the time she reached the edge of the platform, she was able
to plant her feet right on the edge. But something felt strange, although
she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Amanda sneezed again, causing her claws and such to disappear, and sent
her crashing to the ground on her back, with Nichole rolling falling to the
ground at the same time. "Uh, we might have to go to the tape for that one,"
announced the judge. About 15 seconds passed, as both fighters regained their
composure. "Er, it was close, but it's official: Amanda is the, um, winner!"
Both Nicole and Amanda leapt to their respective feet, meeting face to
face. "Huh? I won?" said Amanda. She had enough strength to jump back onto
the platform, then hurry back to the West Lobby. She sat down (away from
her friends) and began to watch the replays. Unfortunately, they were right.
Nichole had touched the ground before Amanda had.
Damn, she thought angrily. I shouldn't have tried to save myself.
Nicole's the better fighter. She's the one that can take out all the tough
guys. She's the one that's less likely to die. She slumped into her chair.
She knew that Nichole should have won. There wasn't anything she could do
about it now, though.... That’s when she realized something. She dashed over
to the announcer’s box. “I didn’t win that fight,” she yelled at him. He
looked back at her, puzzled. “What do you mean? It’s pretty clear that you
won.” She went over to the switchboard, and watched her fight again. “See,”
she said, “my tail touches the ground... right... THERE.” The announcer,
getting a closer look, indeed realized she was right. "You mean... that thing's
real?" The announcer suddenly asked. "Yes." Replied Amanda. "Oh... I see...
I’m sorry... there’s really nothing I can do. When it’s been announced, that’s
that," (he lied).
Disappointed, Amanda stomped out, as one word went through her mind. Dammit.
As she entered the West Lobby, she made sparse replies to the congratulations
she received, and splintered a table with a ki-charged kick. She let out
a sigh, sat down, and began to watch the fights.
Nicole slinked back to her table, watching her feet as she sat down next to Kenji.
"You fought well," Kenji said.
"Yeah, thanks," was all that Nicole could muster up. {I've devoted my life to this... Why am I so weak?}
***Xim vs. Jason Marshall***
The two combatants entered the area. One of them was an entity from a different
planet, the other a down and out kid with a broken but vibrant past. The
humanoid was emotionless, genderless, heartless (literally), and in the Tournment
for the obscurest of reasons; the human was nervous, aggitated, fearful for
his life, and practically desperate for the prize money.
The two stopped at the edges of the arena, giving each other evaluating
looks. Finally, the fight was announced to have started. Jason Marshall put
his arms up in a ready stance, and slowly began stepping towards his oddly
stolid opponent.
"We're going to have a fair fight now, right?" he said nervously. "No hard feelings when I beat you, hey?"
Xim tilted its head more or less inquisitivly, then, in a split second,
morphed his arm into a deadly blade, which it quickly sent straight through
Jason's chest.
Jason Marshall, a man of only 24, with a sordid but satisfactory past,
raised his arms, gripped the organic blade that was his executioner, and
cried. After a few seconds of this wrenching event, Marshall gurgled, then
died, his arms falling to his sides.
And Xim, totally expressionless through the killing, removed his blade,
and transformed it into a humanoid arm once again, bloodless and without
a mark.
The audience, fighters and bench sitters alike, looked on with shock and disgust.
***West Lobby***
Kenji frowned at the display on the screen. "That's the second death in
one day..." Looking at Nicole, he continued. "This does not portend well..."
Corianna had been watching the fight between Jason and Xim. Even she didn't
think she was that heartless. What she wouldn't give to try her Alacrity
out on this bastard. The Vampire had to be hit in the heart precisely, not
that sloppy slice he'd given the boy. Of course, if he found out she was
a vampire and fought her he'd go for her head. But in the end... her Alacrity
would save her... She imagined it to... His blade trying for her heart
or head and as swift as Hime goes through the jungle trees she'd move and
block his stupid arm with her RBS (Really Big Sword) and roast him. Of course
there always was the armor of her dragon form... She hated him and wanted
him out.
Corianna had looked over at Nicole's fight too and recognized the guy she
was with. It was Kenji, the guy from the last little trip she'd gone on.
She wondered how many more of that little band was here. Watching Nicole's
fight she felt bad for the girl. She hadn't had any problems with Nicole
on their last little adventure and kinda hoped she wouldn't die.
Tofu, Jake, Dave, Amanda, and Sara (Tofu's mother) all watched in horror
as once again, a slow motion video of the horrific death of Marshall was
displayed.
Tofu sat motionless, emmiting a nervous laughter and pale white, as did
Sara, making a kind of "Ugh" sound. She suddenly decided that she needed
to make a run for the bathroom. After a few moments, color returned, and
Tofu said, "Crap... am I gonna have to fight THAT?!"
Jake was busy fixing a problem with his Blaster, mumbling something like, "Yep, that's pretty unfortunate."
Amanda, who had her left arm in a sling, glanced at the screen, having
picked up some food (sushi and sashimi, of course), and gave a rather disgusted
look. "Well, I feel sorry for the guy, but I guess it was just really bad
luck, huh? Aww, c'mon, Tofu... you can beat that guy if you have to fight
him," she said to her friend, who looked ready to collapse.
Dave was a bit more interested in the fighter with the curious tail. If
his memory served correctly, his name was something like "Kenjin," or "Kenji."
{Wait. Where have I heard that name before? That's right, on the... spaceship...}
Dave's train of thought derailed, as he tried to figure out what he was thinking
of. He felt a sudden flare of energy from Kenji when the video of the slaughter
was displayed. Or maybe he just thought so. Either way, they had begun to
show the next fight, and he went back to his food, but not eating. "Strange...
what the hell was that thing, and... how did it make that axe out of it's
arm?" He slowly poked at a bowl of rice and some teriyaki, trying to find
out what that thing was. {Eh, maybe Jake knows. He's the science freak...}
His gaze moved over to his friend. {We used to be like brothers a couple
years ago. Now we're so different...}
***East Lobby***
Mirsky laughed aloud. "This is the best tournament I have ever been to!"
He turned his patented evil grin on Luke. "You had better work hard if
you want to give a better show than that!"
***North Lobby***
Saburo had been watching the fights diligently throughout the tournament.
His mother, on the other hand, had taken the opportunity to get something
from the snack bar.
"I got you a gatora- Ungh!" she said, seeing the first- and last- blow
of the fight in slow motion on the wide screen TV. She looked at her son
carefully. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"Relax- I'm not some novice, like that guy," Saburo replied. Then, catching himself, he added, "Rest his soul."
"Wait a second..." Mitsuko continued. "That guy is in our lobby!"
"Yeah, so?"
***South Lobby***
Bisen cocked an eyebrow at that. He'd seen worse. Still... that one could get in the way of his goal in the tournament.
"Good thing I'm fighting one of you before him," he said to Geppu and Ryuu, who sat behind him.
***Private Viewing Booth #13***
"Matthews!" bellowed the middle-aged man.
"Yes, sir?" replied the younger, who was standing right behind him.
"Look into that one!"
"Yes, sir!"
***Mark I vs. The Human Tank***
Both fighters, one a mystery to all involved, the other a horribly deformed
cyborg, entered the ring to little fanfare, if any. According to some rumors
floating around, The Human Tank, Xim, Mark I, Dan Suder, and Phillip Xerxes
all had some sort of connection to each other. In such, a few fans that enjoyed
the slaughter that was Jason Marshall's fight cheered when the fight began.
The announcer remained oddly silent, just as he had when Xim and Jason
Marshall had "fought." Whatever the reason, the announcer announced the commencement,
and both fighters took up ready stances. The Human Tank glared out of glowing
red radar-eyes at his opponent. About middle aged with a large, very obvious
scar on his right cheek and having dark brown mottled hair, Mark I was not
exactly conspicuous. However, The Human Tank knew otherwise, and quickly
went about internally prepping his Explosive Turret.
Mark I's eyes moved down into slits, almost as if sensing what The Human
Tank was doing, and suddenly jumped. No, not just a jump; an amazing leap
that no normal human could achieve. His target hurtling dozens of feet into
the air, The Human Tank suddenly found his targetting systems have difficulty
to compensate. Grumbling inwardly, The Human Tank moved his metallic arms
away from his sides and prepared to defend himself. He never got the chance.
The moment Mark I landed mere meters away from The Human Tank, he darted
at his cyborg opponent, smashing full force into The Human Tank. The Tank
fell over, his Explosive Turret silently screaming in aritificial "anger."
Unfortunently for The Human Tank, he had forgotten to move away from the
edge of the rink. The announcer chose that time to perk up, and announced
Tank's defeat. Both fighters glared at each other, then Mark I helped his
defeated opponent up.
***South Lobby***
Ryuu sat comfortably in one of the chairs watching the other two fighters
in the lobby with him. Bisen was watching the fights via the television,
studying each of the combatants' styles, committing a select few of them
to memory. Hiroshi was slouched on the couch, holding his glass of scotch
in his right hand. He smirked at Bisen. "Come on, Bisen, sit and have a
drink with me."
"I'm busy," was the short reply.
"You're too serious for your own good sometimes, you know that?" Hiroshi
got up from the couch and saundered over to the reclusive martial artist.
He reached out with his free hand to grab Bisen by the shoulder, but reflexively
pulled the hand back before even making contact. The air around Bisen was
ice cold. Hiroshi stared at his chilled hand while Ryuu quietly snickered.
Bisen responded to Hiroshi's presence simply by turning his head slighly
to the left. "Like I said before... you talk too much."
As Hiroshi walked back to the couch, Ryuu decided to speak up. "You two know each other?"
"We were competitors at a martial arts tournament about a decade ago."
Bisen finally turned his gaze from the TV to look at Ryuu. "The Sankami
Ten Budoukai. Ever heard of it?"
Ryuu looked down, as if pondering the question. "Sankami Ten, you say?
Sounds familiar. Yes, I remember now. Didn't a young man by the name of
Kyojin win the last time?"
"That's right," said Hiroshi, a bit of malice in his voice. "We both fought
against him and each other in the final round. In the end, however, Bisen
here didn't have the stuff to make it to the last match." He ended his sentence
with a smirk. "In fact, the main reason I came here was to find him again.
I assume you're the same?" Bisen merely nodded and turned back to watching
the fights. Ryuu seemed satisfied with the information.
Hiroshi then turned back to Ryuu. "Say, what's with the hood and cloak?
Trying to hide from someone?" Ryuu grinned and said nothing. "Suit yourself.
I ain't gonna pry."
***Just outside***
Corianna and Hime had wandered and bought some food. However, they couldn't find their way to the lobby.
"I swear this isn't the lobby we were at before," complained Hime.
"Who cares, maybe Kyojin is in this one," Corianna said with bitterness
in her voice. She stopped and listened and caught the name she had been wanting
to hear this whole time. As they entered Corianna saw a hooded black cloaked
figure, a man wearing army pants and an aura of coldness from the big one
watching the TV screen but no Kyojin. When they came in all three men looked
at the two, one woman in a small red tanktop, loose black pants and a black
cloak, the other an oversized panther.
"Can I help you?" said Hiroshi, standing up and, completely taken by Corianna's
beauty, walking over to her. Hime glared and let out a low rumble cautioning
the martial artist not to get too close. Hiroshi gained his composure at
this and spoke again. "Are you lost, my lady?"
"I ain't your lady and I'm not lost," Corianna said with a slightly cold
voice. "I heard you speak of one Kyojin. You all wouldn't happen to be speaking
of Fuante Kyojin would you?"
"That's him," spoke Ryuu with a grin. "Why do you ask?"
"I heard you all have a bone to pick with him."
"We want to fight him again because he beat us in the last tournament."
"Yeah, well, I'd like to pound that bastard for the way he treated me even
though I came out and helped his ass when he was in trouble. His kind haven't
exactly treated mine with respect at all."
"Your kind?" said Hiroshi.
"None of your business. Do you all know if he's here?"
"He's not here," said Bisen, again averting his gaze from the television.
"And I do not have a bone to pick with him. I am simply interested in a
rematch." With that, he turned to watch the fights again.
Ryuu spoke up. "I don't really know who this Kyojin person is, other than
what I've heard from these two. However, if I happen to meet such and individual,
you'll be the third to know. All right?" he finished with a half-grin.
Corianna nodded. She didn't really like Bisen's attitude but ignored him.
He was probably the kind that didn't like to be bothered. She couldn't help
but to be a bit attracted to Ryuu. Not wanting to show it at all she sat
in one of the chairs and stroked Hime from head to tail and the two sat
and watched the TV. She put on her face of coolness but inside was deeply
curious about the black cloaked warrior.
*****
And so, day one of the Second Annual Omega Tournament came to a close.
The following night was uneventful, quite unlike the days to come...
***EDITOR'S NOTES***
Well, here we are at the end of part 1. This one was so big, we
had to divide it up into parts. Hope you enjoyed(and continue to do so)!
The characters Stroppa Mirsky, Mikhail Mirsky, Kenji Nakamura,
Tiger, Nicole Peters, Luke Masterson, Bisen, Saburo Shinmen and Mitsuko Shinmen
were created by opaj.
The characters Mark I, Xim, Human Tank, Phillip Xerxes, Dan Suder and the government guys were created by Nemesis.
The characters Fuante Kyojin, Suzuko Kyojin, Shinichi Mamono, Hiroshi
Geppu, Kevin Front, Akaro, and mysterious guy with sword were created by
Spam_BIT.
The characters Corianna and Hime were created by Cain.
The characters Tofu Sushi, Amanda Yenah, Jake Hazuki, Dave Ryo, Rando, Sparkster and Sara Sushi were created by ragingtofu.
The character Kyorei was created by Nabiki.
The character Ukyou Kuonji was created by Rumiko Takahashi.
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