The Way of the Dragon
by
Lady Mystra
Chapter: Prologue
United States, Washington: Seattle (1963)
"Where am I now!"
A young Japanese man yells into the sky. The man looks around and sees a bunch of people staring at him.
"Uh . . . sorry." He replies in English seeing as everybody is Caucasian and the street signs were in English.
The young man looked around for some place to get some food. Turning around he sees a sign for a Martial Arts school.
"Hmm . . . maybe I can challenge this school for some for some food," replied the young man as he checked his empty pockets.
" Jun Fan Kung Fu Institute, never heard of that style before."
The young man went inside and walked up the stairs to the entrance. Knocking on the glass door he came face to face with a pretty young lady with blonde hair.
"Yes, I would like to see the Sifu of this training hall." replied the young man in perfect English.
"Okay, can I ask what this is about?"
"I wish to challenge this school."
"Okay . . ."
The lady opened the door reluctantly and the man came in bowing to her as he entered. The young lady ran to the back of the studio apartment and started talking to someone. The young man took off his heavy pack and sat on it waiting for the Sifu of the school.
"Hello, can I help you?" replied a Chinese man with short black hair and was wearing sweat pants and a tank top.
"I wish to challenge you to fight a duel."
"What for?"
"What have I done to offend you?"
"Nothing, but I'm very hungry and wish to challenge you so I may get something to eat."
If all you want is food..." The man invited him to sit.
"No, I will earn my food or I will not eat."
"Very well."
The young lady went up to the man trying to stop him.
"Bruce you don't have to do this."
"He has already set the course, I must follow to maintain his pride."
Bruce took off his top and got into a Wing Chun Gung Fu stance. The young man also took off his top to get into a Kempo stance.
'Hmm, looks like Gung Fu maybe a southern style.' thought Ryu.
"Before we fight may I ask your name?"
"Hibiki, Ryu Hibiki."
"And yours?"
"Lee, Bruce Lee."
"Lets begin." They started loosening up and started stretching. Bruce launched a series of quick hook kicks. Ryu parried them and attacked with his own kicks, which Bruce parried and countered with a kick. Ryu dodged and followed with a backward spinning kick knocking Bruce down. Bruce licks up some blood on his lip from the hit.
He then gets up quickly and launches a snap kick which was blocked and followed with a high punch. Ryu parried and launched a punch to the his gut and spins into a backhand to Bruce's jaw. Another shot to his gut and then finishes it with a throw. Bruce hit the ground hard and Ryu then launched a downward strike but Bruce blocked it with his hand. Bruce then pulls Ryu down and throws him to the ground, Ryu rolls out of it and gets up in a ready position. Bruce jumps up and gets ready.
"WWWAAAAAHH!" Yelling Bruce launches a running side kick.
Ryu blocks and kicks which is also blocked. "HAAAA!"
Ryu then launches into a series of punches and finishes with another spinning back kick, knocking Bruce down again. The fight is getting furious and the two men stop holding back.
Bruce recovers and shake's his head. Getting up he starts to change his movements, he starts shuffling on the balls of his feet. Ryu is confused at this, but gets into a ready stance. Bruce makes a feint hand strike and connects with a kick. Ryu starts to close the distance, but Bruce raises his lead foot making him back off. Ryu charges in with a side kick that Bruce parries with his hand and dances around him.
Ryu returns with backhand strike which is blocked. He then keeps on the attack with spinning back heel kick. Meanwhile Bruce is dancing around.
Ryu launches a round house kick followed by another spinning heel kick. Bruce continues to dance around all of Ryu's attacks.
Ryu keeps pressing the attack with a front kick and another roundhouse kick. But Bruce keeps on dancing around his kicks. Ryu starts to breath hard while Bruce looks barely winded and attacks with lightning fast hook kicks that Ryu barely blocks.
Bruce then strikes at his shin as Ryu lifts his front leg, he gets hit in the face with a kick and is knocked back. Bruce follow ups with a front kick that is blocked but sets him up for the reverse heel kick that sends Ryu back again. Before he can recover Bruce comes in with a series of hook kicks one to the chin; two to the stomach and finally a hard kick to the face.
Ryu hits the ground shaking his head and rises slowly and attacks again with a kick and a series of high punches.
Bruce blocks and parries all of the attacks and Ryu begins to kick. Bruce launches a short kick to shin and keeps attacking like that until he sees an opening to kick Ryu in the face, he sees it and sends Ryu to the ground with a bloody nose.
Ryu attacks but is blocked or parried. Meanwhile Bruce was getting in more punches and kicks into Ryu's head and body wearing him down.
Ryu starts to shuffle his feet like Bruce and tries to kick him but his attacks are useless.
Bruce goes in for the kill with a series of fast punches knocking Ryu down. Ryu's vision starts to blur and he shakes his head to recover. Slowly rising Ryu kicks out but his legs are swept by Bruce.
Rising again Ryu attacks with another series of punches but they are blocked and parried by Bruce who charges in with a hit to the face that sends him back and to the wall. Bruce then pressed the attack with hook punches. Ryu recovers enough to launch a punch but Bruce blocks his punch and hits his arm and kicks his leg breaking both of them.
Ryu starts to get up leaning on the wall for support.
"Give up, its over," replied Bruce.
"No . . . " Ryu replies. Ryu tried to stand but fell as he tried to get into a fighting stance.
"It doesn't have to be like this." replied Bruce.
"This is my life if I die then I die a warrior." answered Ryu before he fell to the ground unconscious.
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Ryu woke up to find himself lying on a bed in the hospital.
"Where am I now..."
"Your in a hospital bed."
Ryu looked up to see the Bruce and Linda standing in the door way.
"What happened..."
"You fell unconscious."
Ryu looked down at the cast's on his arm and leg.
"Sorry about that." replied Bruce.
"No, you did what you had to do."
"You are very good." replied Ryu.
"Thanks, your not so bad yourself I have the bruises to prove it." replied Bruce.
"I don't have any money to pay for the medical services."
"Don't worry about that now, will think of something." answered Bruce.
"I guess I should say thanks for helping me get here."
"Don't worry you heal up."
Bruce and Linda went to leave but Bruce stopped and whispered in Linda's ear and she shook her head and left closing the door behind her.
"Ryu."
"Yes."
"Tell me what your doing in the states."
"I'm lost."
"Lost where did you come from?"
"I believe I was in Osaka."
"Osaka, Japan."
"Yes."
"Then how did you get over here, by boat?"
"No, one minute I was walking down the street asking for directions the next I was here."
Bruce looked at him wide-eyed.
"It's a curse that has plagued my family for century's."
"I don't now much about it, but I live with it everyday."
Ryu looked down and tried to straighten up. Bruce helped him and raised the bed.
"Strange, how is you can speak English so well?" replied Bruce.
"I know I can speak twelve languages and read and write seven."
"It just seems to come easily to me."
"You have alot of potential do you know that."
"What do you mean?"
"During the fight you had me for the first round, but when I broke the rhythm and fought differently."
"You just keep trying to do the same thing."
"I don't understand?" replied Ryu.
"Let me ask you this who taught you to fight." asked Bruce.
"My father a little but mostly what I could pick up from the streets."
"I see."
"Why?" replied Ryu.
"Because your way of fighting is good, but you don't adapt well to changes."
"Your strength and endurance is very good, probably from all the traveling you do."
"But you have great potential and I want to ask you if you would like to train with me while your here."
"I would like that, but I also want to pay you back for helping me when you did not have to."
"No helping was the right thing to do and don't worry about paying me back."
"When you get well your going to help me alot. replied Bruce.
"What do you mean I don't understand?" asked Ryu.
"I want you to be my sparing partner, since you stamina and endurance is so good.
"What I'll do you build up your speed and agility."
"By the time I'm done with you, you'll probably give me a run for my money in a fight." answered Bruce.
"Now rest up and heal up, your going to need it."
With that Bruce got up and left, seeing Linda just down the hall he went over to her.
"Linda I was thinking that Ryu should stay with us for a little while till he heals up, what do you think."
"Are you sure that's a good idea Bruce." replied Linda.
"He did try to kill you."
"Yes, but he did it to survive and he needs are help to heal not just his body but his mind as well."
"Ok Bruce if you think it's wise."
With that they left the hospital and went home.
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A/N: Ok here's my new story. I wanted to answer a question I had. 'What if Ryoga was really trained in a way of fighting that is just as good as Ranma's style if not better.' Most authors out there over power characters with special techniques and chi attacks. I'm guilty of this myself, but I remember Bruce saying in 'Enter the Dragon' (Special Edition) that the ultimate technique was to have no technique. So in this story I will see how Ryoga would of turned out trained in the philosophy as well as the physical way fighting as was taught by the late great Bruce Lee.
P.S.: Please read and review....