The waves rose over the waters. My waist turned and my fist snapped out with tremendous speed and power. The waves crashed into the shore. Seagulls cawed and the muddy sand stuck to the bottoms of my feet. I kicked out and felt the loud, tight sound of my foot slicing through the air. The breath was smooth and the salty air was so invigorating. I felt so alive like this. My whole body was so free and fluid. I launched myself in the air and snapped my feet out.
I flew. Landing, I spun around shadow boxing. My feet stepped forward, backwards, and side to side. My hands struck at the center line of an imaginary opponent. The head was open so I faked a kick and drove my elbow into his solar plexis. Bringing my body closer I hooked my foot in and uppercutted my fist upward.
My whole body launched in the air, my fist rocketing higher and higher. Everything around me spun gracefully and I realize in that moment I felt like my hands touched Heaven. In that moment I am the center of the universe.
"Hey there," A friendly voice shouted at me. I turned around, my bandana fluttering in the breezy wind.
I saw a well-built man with an impossible hair style look at me. A large, happy grin was planted on his face. It seemed to remind me of a monkey that was going to play a prank on another monkey for some reason. I smiled: I didn't sense a presence at all. This man was good. He must be very good.
I opened and closed my eyes feeling my body open with energy. Warmth spread through my chest, my arms felt coated in a golden aura of ki. I smiled and looked at him, feeling all that energy rising from my shoulders in small bluish flames.
"Can you tell me what fighting style you are practicing?" He asked politely. His grin grew ever wider, like a child who was asking his mother for more candy.
"Um…it's called…" I wasn't much of a talker, so I found it hard to talk to people sometimes.
"Ansatsuken, the most bad-ass style in the world," A loud, familiar, and warmly obnoxious voice chimed in for me. If I had trouble talking, Ken had trouble shutting up.
Ken looked at the man in front of us and gave a wolfish smile. "Do you want to see a free demonstration?"
"Sure!" The man was happy, a bit…too happy.
"Ken Masters: US M.A.T. Champ four times in a row." Ken shook the other man's hand confidently. I suddenly noticed Ken's face change. He seemed surprised at the power of the other man's grip.
"My name is Goku." The man introduced himself.
"So, Goku do you have any experience in the martial arts?" Ken was asking a stupid question and both he and I knew it. It was so obvious that this man was special in some way. He reminded me of Master Gouken in some way I couldn't understand, except this man was a lot more cheerful.
"Well, when I was growing up my Grandpa taught me Shaolin Kungfu. Then, there was Master Roshi who taught me Turtle Sect fighting arts. Then, there was Kami-san. Then, there was King Kai. After that there was the Supreme Kai. Um, that's about it I think. Sorry, my math isn't very good, but I think I've been practicing for a very long time."
Master Roshi. The name seemed awfully familiar to me. Wait, I remember.
"Master Gen, has there been anyone stronger than Akuma?" I asked him.
Master Gen looked at me. "One" He showed me a single finger for emphasis.
"Master Roshi, the Turtle Saint. It is a shame that he mysteriously disappeared. It is said that his style is the ancestor of Ansatsuken."
I wondered if this could be the Master that this man was talking about. I had no idea who the other people were, though.
Meanwhile, Ken began leading Goku aside and he stepped into a standard fighting stance with his fists raised.
"Alright, let's see what you've learned from your Grandpa and his friends." Ken smiled and winked. "Don't worry; I'll go easy on you."
Goku smiled and stepped into a strange fighting stance that none of us have ever seen before.
Ken moved into Goku's zone of defense quickly and let out a few flashy kicks. I noticed that he was making the movements large and slow. He really was taking it easy on this guy. Goku dodged them gracefully, sliding low as Ken's crescent kick came by, but then as Ken's axe kick came down he was suddenly gone.
I spun around and saw Goku standing behind me with his arms crossed. He was giving us the monkey playing pranks grin.
Ken gave me a look of utter disbelief. "Ok, ok, I was taking it too easy on you. 'Seems you're not bad"
The thing about Ken is that sometimes what comes out of his mouth and what he really means can be different. He knew that Goku was a martial artist and a powerful one. He also knew that Goku didn't seem to be the overly offensive type. His brief match was just a friendly exchange of moves. But none of us have ever met a martial artist that moved so fast we couldn't even see him.
Ken gave me a look that said: Why don't you try him?
I walked forward and eased into my fighting stance. My belt fluttered for a moment with the kanji of wind, forest, fire, and mountain written on it.
"Swift as the Wind, Silent as a Forest, Fierce as Fire and Immovable as a Mountain."
Goku reassumed that strange open stance again. He looked at me with strangely intense eyes. I charged forward and leapt into the air. The blade of my foot lunged out and I positioned myself so that if he sidestepped I would be able to strike him with either my fists or my other foot. Instead, Goku inched down and I suddenly felt my body thrown forward. I saw the sandy ground rush up at my face. I rolled tightly and spun around with my fists cupped.
Goku's eyes shone even more brightly.
Electricity washed down my body like rain water. The fire of ki around my shoulders grew larger. A spiral of bluish energy formed, condensing and spinning rapidly. The nexus of energy crackled and the faint buzzing of static electricity popped. I launched both palms out and the whirling ball of blue flame exploded forward.
Goku simply slapped it away with an open hand and the fireball flew into the ocean. A fairly large explosion of water spiked up and salt water landed all over my body. That was only fifteen percent of what I was capable of but I've never seen anyone slap a fireball away before. Ken's face turned more serious. He never saw anything like that before either.
Ken adjusted his neck and shoulders, jumping up and down briefly.
"Well, looks like this will be a good match after all" He said. He glanced at me with the 'I can take him' look.
I shook my head. This guy was serious business. Ken smiled and jumped towards Goku. Goku stepped back only to have Ken flip in midair. His leg lanced out and his body spun like a tight cyclone. Goku's eyes widened and each kick connected soundly, his body spun and Ken's knee slammed into Goku's abdomen. Goku parried the knee only to have Ken strike out with a right hook. Goku blocked both smoothly in one motion.
Only to leave himself open for Ken's spinning back kick. The heel collided soundly and Ken continued this with another tight hurricane kick. Each hit landed perfectly. Ken wasn't holding back much anymore and I remembered how a kick like this was enough to take out Fei Long. For the finale Ken swept both legs up and brought his whole body down on Goku. There was a loud thud noise as Goku finally retaliated and landing on one arm snapped both feet out into Ken. Ken's body flew several feet before he regained control and flipped back onto the sandy coast: his feet skidding.
"That was a nice move. I had to feel it a few times to understand it." Goku nodded.
"Hmph," Ken remarked as he stepped up next to me.
"Can you guys both attack me at the same time? I think it would be more even." Goku remarked.
Ken chuckled and looked at me. I simply crossed my arms.
"Alright, you asked for it. But don't complain if we're too much to handle."
I retied my bandana.
Ken and I both stepped into the more offensive Ansatsuken stance.
Now!
I leapt at Goku again. As expected, Goku did the same counter trying to throw my body off balance with a shoulder strike. But this time I expected it, reaching out both hands and grabbing him. I arched my body tightly and in threw his body down in a triangular throw. Goku rolled with the momentum right into Ken.
Ken's fist launched forward and I saw a beautiful golden plume of flame strike out. The blow collided with Goku's chin and Ken's body continued to spin for an impossibly long moment. Seizing my chance I leapt into the air, the impact leaving behind large clouds of sand. I threw my whole body into a tight spin and at the same time focused all my ki at the dantien. I shut my eyes and let the large vacuum do it's work as Goku's body came in and I felt the my leg collide. The collision rattled my whole body. Keeping my body centered I cupped both my hands together and saw Ken already crackling with blue lightning. Goku recovered immediately, pushing himself off the ground and flipping into a position facing us.
Ken and I's auras continued to crackle. I sensed Ken's aura rising and I let my energy rise as well.
"You can handle it right?" Ken called out to Goku.
Goku smiled at us and cupped his hands together. I saw a tremendous bluish aura suddenly develop.
"Swift as the Wind, Silent as a Forest, Fierce as Fire and Immovable as a Mountain." I remembered.
I brought the swirling, fireball closer to Ken's angrily cracking one. I felt the wind tear at my old uniform as the vacuum of energy grew stronger. The sky had already darkened, and the water rose and crashed fiercer and fiercer.
Haa!
Ken and I both called out in unison as the swirling drill of bluish flame darted out.
Ka---me---ha---me
Haaa!
Goku's beam of whitish light struck just as the double shinkuu hadoken was about to hit. I felt a sudden rush of air and my whole body was blown back. Sand suddenly covered my eyes and mouth. I raised one arm, blinking furiously.
I saw a shadow approach us amidst the clouds of sand. The sand settled down. And I saw Goku's smile: it had almost a feral quality to it this time.
"That was good. A moment too late and I would have been a goner" He commended us.
Ken snorted in disbelief. He raised his fists again. I smiled. I haven't felt this happy in a long time. I raised my fists as well.
Goku returned to his fighting stance. Come at me with everything you have, his eyes told me.
I felt my body shiver like all my pores violently closed. My face darkened and Ken noticed it as well. Goku's face changed and suddenly an explosion of angry light landed inbetween the three of us like a comet that had falled from the sky.
Akuma stared at Goku with an angry glare, his hair was white and energy rumbled around him like a violent beast. The whole beach trembled and quaked.
Ken clenched his fists. I realized that mine were already clenched.
"I will wash my hands in your blood" His dark voice boomed as he looked at Goku.
A blazing golden cone of light surrounded rose around Goku. His eyes turned a fierce emerald and his hair glowed like a living, spiky organism reaching skyward.
"You're welcome to try." Goku replied.