Chapter 1: Where It All Starts
Martial Arts... the one thing, that never ceases in taking the world by storm, giving birth to a number of brave individuals, who shall stand up against the ever-growing might of corrupted minds, set on claiming the world as their own...
But there was one fighter, that was the most fearless of them all... Ryu. Trained in the arts of his master's Shotokan and truly, the embodiment of a fearless model warrior, Ryu is determined to wander the very earth to go and find the most worthy opponents he could find... to become the strongest of them all...
However, every legend has pretty humble beginnings... but some... are born from pure evil...
40 Years Earlier...
Loud crackling, emanating from big torches, that are positioned throughout the entire room, forming a circle, could be heard... and in the center of the room... there he was laying, tied to a bed, made out of pure stone...
A little boy, with a red headband and a white, completely torn Karate attire...
The sincere fear and insecurity could be seen in his eyes alone, without even listening to his silent whispers of agony...
"Please... please...! I don't want to die...! I don't want to die, damn it...! Whoever put me in here, let me out, I beg of you...!"
"Silence, brat!"
Loud banging was heard from the outside of the room, a warning for the whining to stop... this place was apparently well-guarded and whoever commanded these horrid guards to watch over the room, in which this innocent soul is held captive, it was bad news. And it wasn't too long, before the door got abruptly opened with many footsteps being heard, entering the cell... once that happened, the fear in the boy's heart became more intense by the second, especially... with him now finally seeing his personal tormentor... a cloaked, white-bearded man, accompanied by a middle-aged man, that had the hairstyle of a samurai with his hair being held upwards in a ponytail... that man, is who he is most frighteningly familiar with... it was his master's personal nemesis... Akuma. His master's most despised, personal nemesis.
"No way...! It's you...!"
"Hmhmhmhm... what a fool my "rival" is, just sending out his own pupil into this cold, harsh and lonely world, basically putting a target on his back... for me to get a hold of... but he is an even bigger fool, for not asking for more power. He could have had it all and yet he blew all his opportunities, just to waste it on a little brat like you... how shameful..."
He then throws a scornful look at the little boy, to which he responds with a dismayed look this time, with his fear slowly turning into relentless rage... even more so, once he heard these degrading words, coming out of this man's mouth...
"What was your name again, young one... Ryu...? Let me ask you something... why do you even bother with Gouken? He is a tragedy in itself... he failed to accomplish, what I was able to do... and that is controlling the true potential inside my soul... I see nothing wrong in what I did, anyone that had the same talents as me, would feel the same way... And yet he turns his back on me, missing out on so many chances to get a full taste of this amazing power..."
"My master has nothing to do with you...! He betrayed you, because he knew how much of a bad person you are and all the mean things you had to pull off in order to prove yourself...! You are rotten to the core, for having killed your own mentor... you are a disgrace...! Now let me go!"
This stone-hard resistance admittedly impressed Gouken's former training partner... for his very young age, Ryu knew how to fight for himself, even verbally and with childish tears in his eyes. His bravery in the face of evil was remarkable... but it irritated him nonetheless... he could see, that Gouken clearly "poisoned" this young kid with his own kind of wisdom... the kind of wisdom, that he deeply resents...
"Stop being so stupid, child! Do you really want to make the same mistakes, that he did...?! It would be a massive disappointment with someone as rich in potential as you...! From the look in your eyes alone, I can your thirst for more strength... wouldn't you want that inner desire of yours to become a reality?"
This only made the young Ryu even angrier... he resisted temptation, because he could sort of predict, what this wretched man was intending...
"I want power! But if I do, then I am going to achieve it by honest means and not by silencing others the way you did it! I will never succumb to your will! NEVER!"
This only made Akuma shake his head in disappointment, as he finally realizes... this boy was beyond saving at this point... so he thought... but he realized, that letting this youngster escape now would remain a waste either way... he sought for perfection, taming this demon inside himself and becoming the strongest being in existence... such a goal, as impressive as it sounds, cannot be achieved by normal conditions... and he wouldn't want to throw away any given opportunities...
"How sad, how truly, truly sad... so you won't cooperate, no matter what. Very well then, I myself cannot bring myself to let such a good chance slip... the Satsui no Hado cannot wait! Guards, prepare the ritual!"
The moment he gave the order, all the guards in the room began moving, forming a circle around the now deeply terrified Ryu and Akuma, alongside the bearded man in the dark-green cloak... while he and the unknown, elderly man approached the stone bed, all the guards began murmuring words in an unknown language, accompanying the process of the ritual... it was then, when the bearded guy then took out a large knife and handed it over to Akuma, where the interesting part came... he undid the top part of Ryu's Karate gi, before starting to engrave several cuts into the youngster's flesh, exactly on the spot, where his heart was. Of course, this caused Ryu to shriek out in agony, whenever the knife came in deeper contact with his skin... the pain was very real indeed.
After a few minutes of pure torture, the design around his heart took the shape of a circle, that resembled the sun... with his wounds still fresh... Akuma then began the final phase of the ritual. He took the knife...
"Now demon... hear me out and do my bidding... grant me... thee who shall set you free... and grant you guidance in this world... infinite power... and take my blood... as sacrifice... for your approval... behold!"
...and without warning, he suddenly starts stabbing himself multiple times, deep into his own heart. As expected, lots of blood began spilling onto the floor, but that was exactly what he planned. He began feeling the spot, where the blood was leaking out... and with his blood-soaked, right hand, he raised it high up into the air, with dark purple sparks surrounding it... and while that happened, the cloaked guy then began yelling out some kind of summoning spell, as he puts his hands over Ryu's eyes... making him not see, what was coming for him... and once Akuma's power was fully charged... with his last ounce of strength, he smashed his purple glowing palm right on the spot, where he engraved his "masterpiece" on this young boy...
At first, nothing happened... but as Ryu's struggle ended and he went totally silent... suddenly, Akuma's eyes shot up wide open, as he felt something warm growing up inside of him... as purple and red sparks surround his entire body...
"Yes... yes... yes...! That must be it...! The power...! It's finally complete...! I can feel the power...! Hehehehehe... hahahahahahahahahaha!"
While he started laughing like a maniac, his appearance also began changing... his eyes lit up, and lost all their colours and became nothing, but inky red... and the sparks then surrounded his head, causing his hair to turn dark red... and despite the pressure, his ponytail remained stable... but none of the attendants noticed, not even Akuma... that even though this ritual proved to be a 100% success... it shall be proven fatal for everyone present...
"Grrrr..."
This threateningly low and demonic-sounding growling came from no other than the young Ryu... everyone stared in disbelief, as everyone present actually initially expected him to be dead, by the end of this whole procedure... but they were deadly wrong... the growling became louder and angrier with each passing second... as the boy then broke every single one of the chains, holding him down, in half with his ever-growing, now inhumane strength... and everyone could see... that his hair has become crimson red too, much like Akuma's... with the only difference being, that only his pupils have turned totally red... and that his heart seems to be missing... indicated by the eroded hole in his chest, that was now leaking a red light...
His resentful looks then fell upon one of the guards...
"How dare you... holding me here...!? Get... out... OF MY SIGHT!"
Without warning, the seemingly possessed boy then jumped at the guard and starts beating him up like an agitated, wild beast... as if he has completely forgotten about the definition of the word "mercy" and his master's teachings... and he ended this man's agony, by stomping repeatedly on his chest, before then turning his almost carnivorous sights on another one... and the massacre continued... as each guard suffered a bloody end... with the only exception being Akuma and this unknown headmaster, those who he couldn't even touch... and as he delivered the demon his strongest shot, he grabbed his little, petite wrist... and lifted him off the ground, smirking at the youngster with malevolent intent...
"So I was right about you... we do seem to find the same destination after all... that can only mean one thing... we must be connected by destiny. Our bloods were to cross at one point and now... your true potential has been unlocked... you can either thank me or resent me for the rest of your otherwise worthless life. Either way... this will NOT be the last time... we are going to see each other... we shall meet again and until then... farewell!"
Within an instance... Akuma punches the kid in the solar plexus, hard enough... for him to lose all consciousness and his demon form... the last thing, that Ryu's weak eyes were able to see... were Akuma and his accomplice leaving him behind... when suddenly, he heard a familiar voice... it belonged to Gouken...
"Ryu... Ryu...! RYU!"
Suddenly, the present Ryu's eyes shot up wide open... it turns out, it was all a flashback dream, with him having reminisced of his dark childhood and how Akuma negatively influenced him... and how his master then had to seal away to Satsui no Hado within his heart and put him under special care, that shall help him suppress his dark side... that wasn't the first time, that this nightmare returned into his subconscious and it definitely might never become the last time... it's just as Akuma predicted.
The now fully grown up Ryu took a look at his surroundings... the sun was shining brightly through the now open window, giving him a more or less comforting greeting... but he also remembered something... this was not his home dojo in Japan. He also remembered, that he and his mentor have decided to take a trip to Thailand, with the simple excuse being: vacation. Growing closer to one another. The usual business between teacher and student. He realized too late though, that Gouken was standing right in front of him, on the opposite side to his bed... and he comically jumped from how close he was.
"Oh! Master! Did... did I miss something again?"
He expected Gouken to not be pleased, as it looked like, he must have overslept something... but as usual, he could sense, whenever something was wrong and the concerned look on his face proved the opposite of his worst prediction...
"Ryu... let me guess, the nightmare happened again, right?"
The Shotokan Karate master sighed and scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed way, because he knew, he was in the right...
"How right you are... I am becoming easy to read, don't I? I just can't let go of his words... my soul just keeps tensing up, whenever I feel this dream coming back to me... it's like some sort of omen."
"Maybe, you aren't so off-road with that claim... but it's just as I told you before... for the time being, let us not focus on that. We have training to do."
Hearing that small announcement immediately brought Ryu out of bed and he jumps up and down to warm up a little, before doing one or two quick punches... but he was quick to realize... he had no pants on. That brought Gouken to him averting his eyes, while laughing out loud at the same time with his pupil comically hiding his abdomen and smiling in total embarrassment.
"Oh, yes! Give me a few moments and then let us begin."
"Hehe, don't rush it, we are also on vacation, remember? We have all the time in the world, Ryu."
"Whatever..."
A little while later, down at the rented dojo...
Ryu was dressed up and ready to break a sweat with his master... and while the two went at it like usual, going all out... the Ansatsuken master reminisced of all the people, he has encountered in the course of his life, which was good, as it always helped him relieve his mind from anything bad, that has happened to him previously... these inspiring and deeply respected fighters made him into the kind and caring man, that he was today...
Ken Masters, his training partner and most loyal friend. Both Ryu and Ken knew each other sind Day 1. They have always trained together, when they were children and that never had changed, even with his current absence. Much like with Ryu, Gouken decided to take Ken in, as for one thing, he saw huge potential in this blonde, young boy... and for another, that he told him, that his own father had sent him to Japan, just to learn what real discipline was and he believed, that getting into the world of martial arts would prove fruitful in his regards of taking responsibility for his own life later.
He didn't really understand at first and understandably mistrusted both Gouken and his training partner... in the end though, after a while... he and the Ansatsuken disciple were to develop a strong bromance and would become inseparable. Especially after Ryu saved his bacon from a number of drunk troublemakers... and Ken soon returned the favour, by fighting him to suppress the Satsui no Hado once again... it was no longer friendship... the two saw each other as brothers from different mothers... at least, that's how Ken describes it.
But he wasn't the only one, that the Ansatsuken master had previously forged a strong bond with... there was another one...
Chun-Li, the top agent from Interpol and Ryu's "partner in crime". When Ryu was sent to Hong Kong by Gouken to go and look for a master with the nickname "The Devil of Hong Kong", that went by the name of Gen, he also met, at the same time, his best disciple... that was Chun-Li. And it didn't take long, no longer than a few days, until she realized during their training sessions... Ryu was as good as his word. The two had lots of fun fighting and working out together. There was never a session, that she could possibly declare "boring" or "dull" or "fruitless"...
At the same time though, Chun-Li opened up to him and told him everything about her own life and if Gen was her real father... that was proven false as it turns out, that her real father, Dorai, who was a well-respected police officer in Hong Kong, got murdered by someone, while he was investigating on a drug-trafficking case, that involved a company named "Shadaloo"... and that bad guy, was no other than M. Bison... that very man, was to become Chun-Li's personal arch-nemesis for life... she made an oath to herself deep down to avenge her dad, as she will be working hard to follow in her deceased father's footsteps, track Bison down and bring him to fall for good. Not just for everyone's sake, but also for her own, as she would be then able to tell herself... she did it.
She also openly admitted, that Gen's training was beyond inhumane and she would often find herself hating him for his brutal methods... but she stopped caring, once the news of her father's death reached her ears and all that she could possibly think of, is revenge... even though Ryu deeply admired her burning determination, he found it hard to find sympathy behind her motives of becoming stronger... but at the same time, he could relate to her only too well, as Akuma played a similar role for him, like with Bison for Chun-Li... of course, the two became really good friends in no time, despite her being busy nowadays in getting far with her career as officer at Interpol...
Back in their youth, Ryu would often meet up with either Ken and Chun-Li in different parts of the world, just to spend some quality time with them and even train with them, rain or shine... to say, that these two, alongside Gouken, have grown on the Ansatsuken master so closely, would be a gross understatement. They are basically family for him... and with Chun-Li, it was something that may as well go beyond that of normal companionship... at one point in their younger days, she suggested to Ryu to go to Italy with her and meet up with a well-known, local fortune teller there... at the time, the still young and inexperienced Ryu, didn't feel so well about his own future, as he feared to meet Akuma again, even though his own training was basically complete and he was already a young adult by then. So to relieve him of these more or less justified sorrows, the female Chinese came up with the idea of meeting the fortune teller, Rose.
The female Italian was more than happy to help and assure Ryu, that everything will be on good terms for the time being... so she saw into his soul and his future... indeed, she could not deny, that there will come dark times, but she could also see, that by then... he and his loved ones will be ready to face fate with their heads raised and without fear... and that there will come a time, where she and Ryu shall meet again... "meet again"... that one part was what Ryu found too ludicrous to be true, as he didn't entirely believe her... and to this day, he still has a hard time doing so... and just for the morbid curiosity of it, as daring as Chun-Li was, she could NOT resist asking... how the future looked for her and Ryu as... you-know-what. Rose did as she was asked, but... she couldn't get a clear answer, as she saw... that their bond shall reach a certain distance... and that it all relies on each of them to determine the course of their special kind of bond... the response of the two could not get any more amusing, as their faces reddened like overly fresh tomatoes...
And with Ken, it was a totally different story... ever since he found his significant other, her name being Eliza, he felt like it was finally time to take control over his own life and not let others from his family or anybody else, influence him anymore... that decision would lead to him marrying Eliza later and become father of their newborn son, Mel... Ryu could still remember the day, where he, Chun-Li and Gouken attended Ken's wedding, celebrating his entrance to a whole new and complete life... nowadays, he is busy running his own dojo, somewhere in the US, even offering some online training, selling quite the number of instruction DVDs... and spending quality time with his own family, like the happy father that he was. He couldn't be any more happier...
Ryu was sincerely glad for the life of his friends having developed forward in their own ways... he even heard, that Chun-Li had been promoted to a headmaster of her own unit... but at the same time, it has been quite a while, since he has seen them. Him missing them and wishing to see them again, was more than intelligible.
After a good hour of breaking a sweat, both Gouken and his own pupil, drenched in sweat, then took a seat on the wooden floor, laughing in a satisfied way...
"You never cease to not disappoint me, Ryu... I never got any regrets taking you in. When worst comes to worst, you may as well replace me, should we get another one in our ranks... if you know what I mean."
"Huh? What you don't refer to that one girl, do you...?"
He could guess all too well, what Gouken was talking about... he was referring to Ryu's Number #1, most dedicated fan, Sakura Kasugano. He didn't really know, when she exactly caught wind of him and his extraordinaire talents as martial artist, but his first bet was the very first World Warrior Tournament. At the time, she still must have been only a kid... making him feel even more awkward on the inside... that young girl admires him deeply and when he and her first encountered each other in a fight, that took place two years ago... it was mind-blowing for him at how well she copied his moves, despite them showing a certain kind of rustiness to them...
"Ah wait, now I remember... it was her, right? Sakura Kasugano."
"Mh-hm. Looking back, it was certainly astonishing, watching her fight you. That fire in her eyes, was indeed worth further inspection... and how would it be, if I told you, that I would consider allowing her to join us on our journey?"
Hearing that suggestion from his master, he had a hard time hiding his inner embarrassment... not that he HATED Sakura, it's just that for him... allowing a girl, that is still in the middle of building the fundament for her own future, to go and train with him... it didn't sound right.
"Huh...? Well, don't misunderstand, I like that girl... a lot actually, but... I cannot force her to leave everything behind, ignore her school studies and ruin her own future in the long run... then again, she DID go after me, even before summer vacation..."
"Hahaha, if that is the case, then I don't see anything wrong in accepting her as second training partner for you. Admit it, don't you feel lonely, ever since Ken left? Wouldn't you like someone as back-up, in case I am not present?"
"Hmmmm... I don't know, I really don't know... and for another, she isn't even here. We'd have to go back to Japan in order to meet up with her... if she has time, that's another story altogether. I would not be able to live with myself, should her life become a mess later on, all because of me and my influence on her. Because I am idol, don't I have some kind of responsibility to follow? To make sure, that my admirers don't end up in a bad way?"
That protectiveness of his adoptive son made Gouken respect and love him even more, even though they would have to agree to disagree on that argument... Ryu then received a good pat on the back...
"It's fine. Take your time. It's not like I force you to anything. I would make me glad though. You do realize, that I care for you, right? Seeing you all isolated makes me worry..."
"No need to worry, I trained mostly isolated, so it's not that much of a big deal anyhow..."
"Well, whatever you say, boy... let's go and grab a bite. Aren't you starving?"
Suddenly... both of their tummies growled out loud... indicating one thing... they weren't just hungry, they were starving! Ryu looked at his master with wide eyes.
"What the...?!"
"Hahahaha, I suppose, training is not only a good stress reliever, it also helps you get distracted from the stressful life itself... anyways, let's get going."
"Yes."
Later...
Right now, the two Ansatsuken fighters are at a closeby resto, slurping on some fine noodle soup... and one thing, that should be noted... Ryu was actually wearing sneakers... it was all influenced by Chun-Li, with her having "implanted" the very common habit of wearing day-to-day life clothing into his brain cells, just to not stand out too much among the crowd... which is something, that Ryu could not stand at all, since he mostly preferred walking anywhere barefoot... but since the female Interpol officer was so gracious to teach him the basics, he played along... and grew accustomed to it, fairly quickly... but it isn't fully fledged out yet...
The sight alone... made Gouken wholeheartedly laugh... as he found it very unusual for his student to wear shoes... much to Ryu's dismay...
"Hahahaha, I'll bet, Chun-Li must have had plenty of fun, torturing you like this! Maybe next time, she may as well torture you some more. After all... that black suit you wore, ha! That face of yours had the value of gold!"
"Ha... ha... ha... very funny. I am so laughing with you..."
"Oh, come on, don't be like that! Aren't you supposed to be thankful for what she did for you?"
"...no comment. Next time I run into her, I will have to bring a sign along that says: NO TOUCHING ALLOWED. Or even better: NO SHOES! NO SUITS!"
"Hahahaha, you do realize, that it won't get any better, right?"
"Ngh... why me...?"
Suddenly... Ryu winces, as he felt something approaching... whatever that powerful presence is, that he is sensing... it cannot be a good omen. That made Gouken immediately stop laughing, as he was able to sense it too...
"You sensed it too, didn't you, Ryu?"
"Yes, indeed I did... and it is fast approaching... it's coming from the nearby construction site...! Let me go and check it out. I can't even tell, what this being's plans are and if it's after the lives of others... before others get put into harm's way, let me take care of it."
At first, he was hesitant, but since Ryu's training was complete and he was strong enough to handle himself, indeed... he nods and gives his pupil and encouraging pat on the shoulder.
"...good luck. I am counting on."
"Leave this to me."
And with that, Ryu ran out of the restaurant, heading straight for the location, from where he first sensed that powerful presence...
Meanwhile at the construction site...
A girl's scream was heard... it was a short girl, with egyptian-themed attire and suitable accessories, green eyes and purple hair, shaped into a bob-cut... as she is then seen landing powerlessly in front of that... thing... "beast" wasn't even the right way to describe this unspeakable, wicked evil... after having received a very painful blow by that horrid being, having tried her hardest to defend herself against it, there she was... totally knocked down with no power left to continue. Judging by the wounds, she must have fought for quite a while against this thing and since it had no visible wounds... it must mean, all her efforts were in vain... she desperately started thinking to herself...
"No... damn it... just, how tough is this guy...?! That Necalli's strength was not... how I predicted it to be...! What should I do...?!"
She gasped in horror, as this dreadlocked being, that supposedly went by the name, Necalli... slowly approached her, with animal-like intent in his eyes... as he kept repeating this one word over and over again to himself...
"Devour-our-our...! Devour...!"
"No... stand back...! Don't come any closer...!"
Before the poor girl could have any remote chance of defending herself... she found herself getting mercilessly grabbed by the head, by no other than this monster... the amounts of strength he puts into this simple grab, meant nothing but total suffering for this youngster... as she felt her skull being almost crushed under his power... with her rapidly fading strength, all that she could do, was listen to these last words from Necalli...
"Origin... of the power...! It shall be mine... to devour!"
"Ngh, I can't... go on... is this... it for me...?!"
"I will tear you to pieces...!"
"Ma... ster..."
And just when all hope seemed lost for her... she suddenly felt the pressure around her little head loosening up a lot... and she heard someone's battle cry...
"Raaaagh!"
...and how Necalli began growling out loud in agony, as he gets pushed back by whoever just saved her... it was Ryu. She quickly regained her focus, as she finally saw her saviour.
"Huh? What?"
"Everything alright?"
She was quick to realize, who it exactly was... and it was the same man, that her master was previously talking about...
"Wait...! Don't tell me you are... THE Ryu?!"
"Huh? How do you know my name?"
"Oh! Umm, well..."
She suddenly gasped, as she saw Necalli charging at him.
"Watch out! Here he goes again!"
But Ryu was quick to dodge and avoid the incoming charging attack from this unknown monster... and even manages to push it back again with a well-timed frontal punch, right in the chest... the girl was impressed at how agile and strong Ryu was... and she was actually winning hope again, that all this might be over on a positive note after all... and when he showed her an encouraging grin, she had no choice, but to believe in him already...
"I will handle it, don't worry! Just stand back, alright? It will all be alright."
She couldn't help, but happily giggle at how brave he was... she also nodded in approval.
"Hehehe... thanks..."
"Grrrr..."
With that, Ryu turns all focus over to Necalli, concentrating as good as possible, as he then heard this monster's all too apparent threat...
"The souls of warriors must return to ME...! Grraaaaaaagh!"
"I guess we'll see about that..."
FIGHT!
Like before, Necalli goes for another frontal attack, charging directly into our hero... and despite him blocking it, by crossing his arms, he still gets pushed back, because this evil being previously put a lot of force into his charging attack and this was no different from before. However, this also gave the Ansatsuken master food for thought, as he analyzes his opponent by general facts of combat...
"OK, so this guy seems to rely a lot on brute strength... which could only mean, his defensive skills must be lacking... I might as well test that theory out."
Once again, Ryu postpones his own tactic, as he waits for Necalli to charge at him again... and as expected, he took the bait. Our hero starts blocking and countering every each of his attempts to hit him with either his elbows or shoulders and right before anything could happen, he crosses his arms again to block yet another charging attack...
"Here goes!"
...before then letting out a very sudden burst of blue energy, catching the dazed and surprised Necalli off-guard, before then speeding ahead, getting in a ducking position... and then brutally uppercutting the monster, right under the chin with a well-known move of his.
"SHORYUKEN!"
That proved indeed to be quite painful for this unknown entity, as it got sent high up into the air, before crashing back down on the rocky ground, writhing in pain... the girl watched in glee, as her previous tormentor gets what it deserves...
"Awesome...! This is awesome...! Keep going...!"
But she quickly recoiled in fear, as both she and Ryu realized, that this was not the end. Because of that one powerful blow, they only made Necalli more angrier and eager to continue his evil doings...
"Grrrrr...! You... are a powerful soul...! Devouring you would prove quite festive...!"
"I see, you didn't have enough yet..."
"Devour...! DEVOUR!"
With his rage having reached a pretty feverish tone, he starts smashing both of his fists on the ground, causing a pretty light shockwave to get sent off... but shockingly, it actually managed to stun the Ansatsuken master enough for Necalli to take the initiative and head straight for Ryu, brutally grabbing him by the head, before smashing his face straight to the ground, with him then getting mercilessly kicked away, with him rolling across the floor... the female youngster gasped in fear, as she felt slight hopelessness dwell inside herself again...
"No...! Please, don't give up, you've already done a good job so far... at least, more than what I was able to do... but still keep fighting...!"
While Ryu was still laying on the ground, Necalli has already jumped high up into the air, ready to dropkick the martial artist, right in the back... but suddenly, in slow motion, Ryu quickly regains control over himself again and stands up... only to then catch Necalli's ankle in mid-air, before throwing him away from himself to form a good distance... this failure made the monster even angrier, making it charge at the Japanese again... only this time, Ryu steps aside and then normally uppercuts this evil being into the air, before then pulling off another trademark move of his.
"Have a good taste of my TATSUMAKI!"
"Huh?!"
Before Necalli could comment on it, he found himself getting sucked into Ryu's Hurricane-like kicking motion, before getting eventually sent flying by the last kick, crashing into one of the metallic pillars on the site... with quite the number of rocks falling on his head... that gave the entity an idea... he growls, before standing back up, glaring maliciously at his now personal enemy...
"Impressive...! But not good enough to beat me...! Let's see, if you can withstand this, mortal...!"
He gathers all the rocks that landed on his hood before, to form a giant rock ball out of them... he evilly starts to grin, as if he was convinced, that this plan of his will definitely work out... the girl felt extremely nervous... she was questioning, how Ryu will be able to stand up to that giant bolder...
"This is not good...! I really hope, he knows what he is doing... let us pray, that my master wasn't just telling me some kind of unbelievable folklore story about this guy..."
"TAKE THIS!"
With that announcement being made, Necalli jumps high up into the air, almost as high as the building behind him, that was still under construction... and uses all his strength, just to punch this huge rock back down to earth, targeting Ryu... during the fall, the bolder gathered lots of momentum, causing flames to surround it... but this didn't discomfort Ryu for some odd reason... as he felt, that now is the time to use IT. He nods to himself, before getting his hands into a position, as if he was charging something up... and indeed... the pure energy of life itself... gathered together in between his two palms, causing it to take up the shape of a huge, blue ball of light...
"It's time...!"
Then, the hero jumps directly in the direction of the falling "meteor"... before firing off his strongest move...
"HADOUKEEEEEEEEEN!"
The projectile then gets fired off... and despite the difference in size between the two projectiles... it pierced directly through the burning bolder, causing it to explode into thousand pieces... witnessing this... both Necalli and the unknown girl were in total shock... such a little, dinky bulb of light... taking down and entire ball of rock by itself... and this was the perfect distraction tactic for Ryu too... as he then used his enemy's confusion to his advantage... and jumps off of one of the rock pieces, just to fly directly in the direction of where Necalli was standing... he was completely defenceless... the perfect opportunity to strike again... and when he realized, what was really going on, it was a tad too late for him to dodge or block now...
"This is the end for you...! Here comes another one... HADOUKEEEEEEN!"
...and before he knew it, he got already struck by another Hadouken, that Ryu had saved up in reserve, all for him. The monster shrieked in agony, before doubling forward... shielding his own stomach... with Ryu then gracefully landing back on the ground, looking seriously at his now personally sworn nemesis.
"Had enough yet? Ready to leave this girl alone?"
"Grrrr... you... win... I forfeit...! But remember my words... you haven't seen the last of me yet...! We shall meet again...! And next time, you are going to be my next meal to devour...!"
Without a warning, Necalli then disintegrates into a puddle of liquid, made out of his own slime... before then disappearing into the heart of the sun... the moment he disappeared, he immediately ran over to the girl, who he had saved from this monster. He kneels down to her, and lifts her head to see, if she was alright... he gently starts shaking her...
"Hey, hey, are you OK? Say something..."
...before she weakly opens her eyes, and showed a weak grin...
"Hehe... you did it... thanks for having saved my butt back there... I really owe you one... ohhh... I really thought it was all over for me..."
He then decides to lift her up off the ground to carry her bridal style, out of the facility, comforting her as best as he could...
"It's OK, it's OK, don't move too much. Let me take you back to the dojo, my master will be ready to treat your wounds... you will be alright, I promise..."
"Thank you..."
Ryu had to smile to himself, feeling quite good about himself having saved someone... he did save lives before, but this felt different... he couldn't really explain why, but something told him, that this girl in his arms... might possess something of great value and it wasn't anything physical... and while she was getting carried back, the girl starts thinking to herself happily...
"There is no doubt about it... this MUST be the Ryu, my master was talking about... only someone, with a heart as pure and clear as his... would show such kindness to someone like me..."
TO BE CONTINUED...