Chapter 18: Rumble

Chun li paced around the room restlessly. Eliza watched her with a somber gaze from the chair she was sitting in. ?I should be out there looking for Ryu, not waiting around here like a frightened child.? She thought to herself.

The truth be known, she was scared. Scared of again losing someone she cared deeply about. Chun li clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes. She was not going to give into despair.

"Chun?" Eliza asked.

"Hmmm?" Chun li responded.

"Why don?t you and I go out and check around. I know Ken wants us to stay here, but we could do more good out there looking. Besides, you look like you could use some fresh air." Eliza said.

Meanwhile?.

A crowd had formed around the two combatants in the street. Both fighters watched the other waiting on who would throw the first punch. Dudley came in with a low swing towards Ken?s stomach that was easily knocked away. But as Ken parried the first strike he was taken by surprise to a follow up punch to the face.

?Damn! He?s a fast one!" Ken thought to himself as he recovered from the blow. I have no time to mess around with him, lets? see how he likes this one?"

Ken dashed in to deliver a series of quick punches aimed towards the boxer?s chest. Dudley parried each with ease. As Ken was about to throw the last punch, he instead intentionally missed, and whirled around with lightning speed and threw a roundhouse kick aimed towards the back of Dudley?s head.

The boxer tried to bring up his guard fast enough, but Ken?s powerful kick connected staggering him momentarily.

That was all the time Ken needed to finish him off. Leaping into the air drawing upon the Chi burning inside of him, he lashed out with a vicious kick to Dudley?s face, followed by a vast barrage of kicks.

"TATSUMAKISEMPUKAKU!!!!" Ken yelled, as he became a whirling vortex of power.

The boxer was repeatedly hit by the Shotokan master?s foot. When Ken finally landed back on the ground, Dudley had been knocked back into a luggage rack and collapsed in a heap.

Ken retrieved his shirt from the ground and walked over to the doorman who was watching the fight. Ken pulled out a couple of hundred dollar bills and handed them to the man. "Sorry about the mess?but you saw that he would not accept my apology, right?"

"Of course monsieur. He was clearly in the wrong." Replied the doorman eyeing the bills.

"Did you happen to see which way the gentleman that checked in with my party went today?" Ken asked.

"I?m sorry monsieur, I can not recall that I did." He apologized.

"Thanks any ways." Ken replied as he headed towards the street to hail down a taxi.

Ryu had made it a good distance away from the city. The sun was now beaming down brightly and the wind had picked up somewhat making for a cool breeze.

It felt good to be on the road walking again. Not confined to a vehicle, though it made travel faster. He did not mind that it would take longer to reach his destination, it would give him time to focus his thoughts.

He regretted having left his friends without saying goodbye. It was better this way. He knew that they would insist on coming. Ryu could not allow anything to happen to them, especially Chun li.

Gouki had threatened to kill them, if Ryu did not accept his challenge. ?The Demon did not have to threaten them, I would have came even if he had challenged me otherwise? he thought to himself.

This was another reason to extinguish his evil from the world permanently. As Ryu continued down the country road heading east, a black Rolls slowly came up beside him as he was walking along side the road. At first Ryu thought his friends had found him, but this was not the case.

The car windows were tinted dark, so no one could see inside them. The rear window of the car slowly came down and a woman with purple hair and a strikingly beautiful face of peered out.

"Can we offer you a lift? She asked politely.

"Thank you, but I must decline." Ryu said giving a short bow. He readjusted the weight of his duffel bag and started to continue on his way.

"But you are ill prepared to face your ?Demon?. She called out.

Ryu stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around to face her with one eyebrow raised high. "I?m sorry, what did you say?" he asked.

"You will never conquer your ?Demon? on your present course. Let me help you." She replied.

Ryu walked closer to the car window. "What do you know of my ?Demon? I have never met you before, have I?"

"No, come with me. I will tell you." She said smiling warmly at him.

"Just who are you?" Ryu asked suspiciously.

"My name is Rose, and I am a friend. You are walking down a dangerous path right now, let me help. Come with me and I will explain. You will just have to trust me, wanderer." She said as she opened the door for him.

Ryu thought for a second. It was against his better judgement, but he was curious about what she knew. "Alright, I will listen to what you have to say." Ryu said as he climbed into the back of the car with her. The car pulled back onto the road and continued heading east.

Previous Chapter                                                           Next Chapter