Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament! Thanks to my love for LIS and Tekken, I figure I would be the one to submit this crossover featuring characters from Tekken and a certain protagonist that's so lovable and relatable to many!
Enjoy!
Los Angeles, California
Standing on the edge of a skyscraper, her hard blue eyes gaze out to the renown metropolis gleaming with lights, and the faint sound of traffic seeping into the air. A lukewarm feeling of amazement fills her heart as her flower skull shoes grind away from solid ground.
Los Angeles. The City of Angels. This is the city someone very dear to her heart wanted to escape to. How could she not? The skyline itself makes her want to stay here. She slightly darts her eyes down wishing she had her favorite polarized camera on her so she can capture this view. The lighting, the angle of her shot, everything was flawless. Something truly worthy of her humble scrapbook.
Her wondrous feeling fizzles away leaving a familiar aching numbness in her chest. Like a plague, it spreads throughout her body robbing her of her energy and any spark to reignite her happiness. She slouches, slightly leaning forward dangerously over the edge of the roof.
Biting her lip, threatening to make it bleed, she reaches underneath her black sweatshirt and pulls out an invaluable relic from her past: wrap in a black rubber link, three authentic bullets wrapped in a shimmering copper jacket glimmer before her soften eyes. A welcoming nostalgia restores her energy and becomes determined by what she's about to do next.
With a lump bulging in her throat, she gently leans forward until gravity takes over causing her to fall from the building in a maddening spiral.
The landing is executed flawlessly. Ducking and rolling on instant contact with the roof of a skyscraper dwarfing the previous one, she graciously stops herself with the balled up fist and bent legs before leaping forward, dashing at lightning speed. Hopping over a rusty railing, she lunges into the air and falls in the pose of a fluid crane closer to the ground.
Another perfect landing. The sounds of traffic become louder and clearer. Confident and blessed with adrenaline, she sees her destination directly in front of her eyes. The event that's sending the city into an eager frenzy, and she's going to be right in the thick of all of it.
Skillfully leaping from one structure shorter than the last, she quickly reaches the ground where cars are zipping through the streets right in front of her. Worried about the time, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out her smartphone revealing a sign of relief: The time is 8:04 PM, only 56 minutes until she needs to get ready.
Looking in the direction she needs to go, she safely tucks her phone back in her pocket and quickly registers that her necklace is exposing itself before tucking it beneath her sweater. She begins walking, hoping she won't get herself lost. She's still new in this big city.
From a distance, Los Angeles is breathtaking. But being in the thick of the urban jungle, it's overwhelming. Ignoring the knot in gut, she crosses a nearby crosswalk before the red hand appears on the light signal.
Her hands are buried in her pants pockets and brings her head down avoiding eye contact with nearby pedestrians. She soon notices a part of the sidewalk shinning brightly and with mild curiosity glances to her left to see a complex with a sleek futuristic design.
The Bright lighting illuminates from the glass windows revealing what looks like a bent metallic claw, like on a robot. Most likely the official logo she thought. Two words appear in all captial letters, probably the name of the complex.
VIOLET SYSTEMS
Her gaze is fixated on the structure before her. Whoever designed it must think about the future and wants it to look like it. She admires the sleek architecture and wishes she could snap a quick picture, but even if she had her camera, she fears that she would be in trouble because of a simple picture.
It's probably not true, but she rather not provoke a company and get the police involve.
Her eyes widen as she witenesses the crystal clear glass windows ripple with a soothing chime until everything shifts to a light grey background with little bright orbs circling around each other until they took the shape of a sleek white car with a posh ebony center. The tires have a bizarre design with its smooth surface and hollow center. As the angle of the car slowly shifts to its front, the brand is stamped in the middle showing the bent robot arm that belongs to the company.
She's paralyzed by the elegant design of the vehicle on display. Is that something that's truly being constructed by this company? If so, how expensive will it be?
It doesn't really matter because it would cost her more than what she would probably make in five years. Then again, this being her first job, she could make huge amounts of money.
Before she could move on, a cheerful feminine sing-song voice calls out, "Heeey, gang!"
Returning her attention to the building, she now sees an elegantly curvaceous woman leaning against the hood of the car with a warm and inviting smile. With a vibrant red shoulderless dress, matching long gloves and heels, a long bob cut with a chestnut color, and ocean blue eyes, she certainly looks like a woman who can make it big here in the city.
It's highly likely she has since she's on a high quality commercial.
"This is not a fantasy." She continues happily. "Violet Systems is reaching out to bring the next generation of future cars." She pushes herself off the hood and slowly struts forward closing the distance. "I'm Anna, your host, here to tell you about all the new amazing features of this gorgeous beauty behind me." She pivots to the side allowing for a quick zoom of the car. "Remember that ugly rumbling sound when cars start up? And the occasional awful smell of oil? Eugh! Gross right? Not with the Unicorn." The interior of the hood is revealed with a chrome sphere occupying much of the space inside. "Every vehicle from Violet Systems comes with a gorgeous electric generator that can run for five months before having to recharge. That's right, dearies! Five months of non-stop driving!"
Five months? This sounds like some sort of scam right?
Turning back to Anna she starts to frown. "Awww, what's that look? You don't believe me?" She lets out a huff and marches towards the vehicle placing her gloved hand on the side. She cranes her head around showing her disappointed expression. "Fine. If you don't believe me, then you might as well see it for yourself tomorrow when 1,000 Unicorns are on sale for just $599.99. Except for this one." A rapid beep is heard and the side opens up in a vertical direction allowing Anna to slider her slender leg inside along with the rest of her. Adjusting herself in sterile white seating, she smiles and winks. "That's right, kiss your car keys goodbye. Toodleo, gang!" Anna blows a kiss before the side shuts her inside and the car drives away with a smooth whirring sound that sounds very natural.
A smooth mixture of trance and synthetic ambient music soothes her ears as the screen fades into white as words lacking sharp angles appear announcing: Unicorn. A mythical beauty now a reality. VIOLET SYSTEMS
Dimming into black, everything becomes dark for a few seconds before the light is restored and the inside of the building reveals itself again.
Hypnotized by the commercial, it takes a moment for her to register that she has not been thrown into the future. With her body restored under her control, she carries on away from the complex with her hands in her pocket and her head down.
A few minutes have passed and there are already concerns that she is trailing down the wrong path to her destination. She's been keeping her eyes to the ground for awhile now that she's been foolish to not glance up and see any street signs, landmarks, or even figure out if she's still on the same path as before. However, fortune seems to smile upon her as she looks up to see a few eager people rushing past her with the rapid chatter of not wanting to miss this moment.
Turns out she's still on the right path.
Some time has passed until she notices a faint shadow in front of her path. Unalarmed, she slowly raises her head up to see a very suspicious individual.
A middle age man with a stocky build, a clean shave, and hair that's blasted back in a vintage pompadour look. The open buttoned suit is supposed to make him look appealing towards people in general, but her gut can't help but feel this man is rather creepy with that smile of his.
"Hey, gorgeous, how're you doin'?"
Within a split second, the man is sent into the air by an upward strike of her palm. Him calling her gorgeous was more than enough to smite his face in.
She carries on leaving her head up this time in case she runs into any more creeps like the one she just pasted to the ground. Although she can hear by the intense breathing that he is not done with her yet.
"Hey there!" He calls out hotly. "Get the fuck over here, you crazy bitch! I'm not done yet!"
Out of irritation and impatience, she does a sharp spin and catch him by his wrist and with a sharp twist, several sharp cracks are heard and a cracking screech howls throughout the air.
The man, crouching on his knees, whimpers with clenching teeth and forces out. "Jesus, the fuck is wrong with you? I'm supposed to drive you to the fuckin' arena!"
She cocks her head to the side and stares at him with an eerie silence.
Her loudmouth victim breathes unsteadily. "Listen... I was supposed to drive you to your destination..." He wildly waves his free hand in front of them. "That way, right? I mean... it's not that far but... c'mon, I just do what the boss tells me okay? I've already dropped off 3 VIP's at the arena, and you're next on my list. Just..." He sucks air through his teeth before continuing. "Just let me go, please! I'll do anything!"
She narrows her eyes and throws his arm away sending the man to the ground groaning in pain. "Argh... you crazy bitch! I can't even drive thanks to you! I think I might lose my job because of what..." Just as when he struggles to stand on his two feet, he sees that the young woman is at a far distance and continues strolling down the road to her destination. The man sighs and falls back to the ground. "Yeah, nice to meet you, too..."
^LIT^
The beautifully crafted dome shape arena has a graceful sterile white exterior and carries itself with the size that is slightly larger than the famous football stadium for the national teams. A gift to the city from the Mishima Zaibatsu. As the full-fledged arena is gifted with a mass horde of eager spectators, those who are impatiently waiting outside are gifted with a high-quality holoscreen that hovers over the entrance.
Some audience members fixate their eyes on the holoscreen as a serene utopian theme commercial of the next generation of humanoid robots by Violet Systems is displayed. Courtesy of its partnership with the Mishima Zaibatsu. The sudden change in the scenes elevates to a grand and heart-pounding showcase of tonight's highly skilled contenders. On on side of a screen shows a fighter renown throughout the martial arts realm and two King of Iron Fist Tournaments, and an unknown underdog shrouded in a deadly enigma. The virtual portrait on the left show's a man with smooth neat neck length hair that is painted a shimmering black color. His face expresses an animalistic ferocity and his eyes send chills down his spine. The contender on the right looks just as mysterious as her description. Her hair and face are blanketed by the hood of her midnight colored jacket and a dark grey bandana. Her ocean blue eyes show a hardened resolve, but not without a trace of soft innocence tuck within them.
Contender: Craig Marduk
Age: 28
Height: 7'0
Weight: 376 lbs
Fighting Style: Vale Tudo
Nationality: Australian
VS
Contender: Ninja
Age: 19
Height: 5'5
Weight: 109 lbs
Fighting Style: Mix martial arts
Nationality: American
The screen fluidly ripples like a pebble into a still pond and a new display is shown of a flamboyant looking man with distinct bright silver hair and sunglasses. With a violet slightly unbuttoned vest revealing a small part of his well toned bare chest, his style of clothing definitely puts partygoers on Beverly Hills to shame.
His silver-blue eyes carry a welcoming gaze that can hypnotize the eager crowd. "Hello, everyone!" His voice expresses a cheerful carefree tone. "Allow me to say welcome one and all to the next step for the next generation of fighting and fighters! Not just for humans, but for machines as well! That's right, this is no longer science fiction, ladies, and gentlemen! This is the future of fighting tournaments! And tonight, you all are esteemed guests of honor in the grand opening to this new age of fighting! So, without further ado, welcome and thank you all! Enjoy yourselves!"
One man in the audience stares up at the screen as the exotically dressed man, and his old friend, ripples away to resume the usual advertisements for Violet Systems, The Mishima Zaibatsu, and a whole list of the fighters competing tonight for fame and the $2,000,000 reward.
^LIT^
Ninja must have been the only one in the crowd to witness the giant window up above shielded by the shutters. It matters little to her as she aggressively swaths through the bog of rowdy people to reach the locker rooms where she can hopefully have a few moments of solitude.
Normally, contenders such as herself have a special VIP entrance to avoid crowded events like this, but she cared little about how she entered as long she's on time to fight her opponent. She's seen who he is, and with a man of that height and strength, Ninja knows that she cannot afford to take any chances. Especially since this is her first fight in a real tournament.
The time has come to see if her rigorous training has paid off.
After brushing several people, Ninja reaches one of the exits that leads out into a wide corridor with a sophisticated futuristic outlook. Without thinking twice, she pushes the door open and sneaks away from the arena.
Seeing a neon blue digital sign displaying the direction where the locker rooms are located in another welcome sight as Ninja makes haste towards her destination.
Taking the first few steps down the pristine hall, Ninja is alerted by a soft humming that grows louder with each passing millisecond. She lowers her guard to see that it's a harmless-looking robot that resembles the shape of a bizarre shampoo bottle. Ninja cocks her head slightly to the side seeing the robot gliding down the same hall she's in, and her eyes soften seeing it's adorable white pupils on a small black screen built in from the top and producing innocent chirps. It stops right next to Ninja and slowly turns to her with its small eyes staring at the fighter.
The robot chirps two times as it's expression turns cheerful with a display on the screen reading: "Hi there! May I get you anything?"
Ninja hesitates for a moment. This is the type of marvels she's seen in those old sci-fi movies where humans have their own robotic servants. To see one right in front of her and asking if she requires anything is something she would never experience in her lifetime.
As the robot patiently waits for her answer, Ninja slowly extends her hand out and gently taps on the tab on the screen accepting it's gracious offer.
A cheerful sound is heard and new texts appear on the screen. "Okay! What will you have?"
A large selection of options appears from ice cream to juice, but Ninja simply tapped on the water icon selecting just on quantity.
Another beep is heard from the lovable machine. "Okay! I'll be right back with your order! Thanks!"
Without thinking, the robot turns away from Ninja and disappears down a turn at the end of the hall. Ninja glares at that direction for a few more seconds before returning to reality and continues towards her destination while thinking to herself if that really happened.
The room labeled as the locker room is presented of in an inviting and sleek outlook. Everything that she has witnessed so far resembles the future! She wastes no time tossing her one strap bag onto a bench and randomly choosing a locker that has what looks like a thumbprint on it. She is initially puzzled by the functions of the locker but quickly becomes adept at this new technology. The locker door flies open nearly hitting Ninja in the head, but her quick reflexes prevented that. Without even changing, she simply tosses her bag in the locker and cautiously shuts the door fearing the possibility of her belongings being trapped without her retrieving them.
She takes a seat on the bench and checks the time on her phone. Five more minutes until her match begins. She feels she has a few minutes to relax until then and slowly leans back until she is laying on the bench with her knees bent. Her eyes are fixated on the ceiling spotting small details such as a little black stain on the corner or the fire alarm. It sounds simple, but for Ninja, it's a stimulating way to pass the time.
However, her time of solitude is not a bittersweet and serene one. As her head bows down towards the smooth tile floor, Ninja's heart quenches as this whole room, so clean and perfect, reminds her of a place so similar. A sanctuary to a sinister man and his young victims. She flinches recalling the flashes from his camera, and how her immobilized body was incapable of just shielding her eyes. She remembers his husky voice taunting her as she was bonded to the couch; how he shamelessly talks about his 'subjects' and 'muses' like they were the proudest accomplishments in his life. Her breath ceases as she can feel the room around her dim, which shakes her to her very essence. She can feel his breath trickling down her neck muttering two words.
"So innocent..."
Ninja shouts violently and performs a sharp twirl lunging her hand forward in a striking motion to smash her fist into this face. But her wide erratic looking eyes could see that she merely made a mild dent in the wall.
Frozen for a few seconds, Ninja slightly relaxes and slowly retracts her hand and observes in shock of her power. A new power that's been given to her. A power she earned. Her power. And now she's going to use that power in the ring.
A familiar cheerful chirp is heard and Ninja turns to see the same adorable looking robot with gleeful eyes with a sentence towering above them.
"Hi there! I have your order! Please remove your item."
Ninja is quick to notice top of its head open and she fishes out her water bottle that's crisp and cold in her hand. The screen displayed on the robot now shows a rating on how her service was, and Ninja awards it with 5 out of 5 stars for prompt service. She feels a light guilt thinking she'd would have a robot server of a human one. Not because of a mentality of embracing the future, but because she finds them so cute.
The robot whistles gleefully. "Thanks! I'm heading out now. Heading to the lobby"
Ninja watches the synthetic server turns in a slow delicate manner and slides away towards the exit. Ninja feels more relaxed seeing the cute little guy. Her eyes shimmer thinking that robot reminded her of another part of her life.
She quickly checks the time and her eyes slightly widen to see that she only has a minute left until she is on the stage. She makes a quick note of her locker and bolts from the room and back into the corridor feeling her heart pounding with excitement and anxiety.
Ninja arrives back in the main arena just in time to see something so bizarre. A chrome robot with a sleek design unleashing multiple combinations in a short period of time on the human fighter. The man staggers into a corner, bruised and battered but shows no signs of submitting defeat. Ninja quietly observes him from a crowded booth with a frenzied crowd. He has a muscular build that is not too broad or not too thin, his attire consists of white pants with elegant white flames on both legs, and shimmering red gloves that look more like gauntlets that can cause damaging injuries.
Ninja's eyes appear amused as the man in the ring reminds him of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z because of his black spiky hair. She humorously wonders if he has some Saiyan heritage burning in his blood.
She watches him slowly push away from the chain and watches with slight amazement to see his withering body refusing to succumb to the injuries he must have sustained. If only she can acquire a good angle to see who this man is fighting against.
Ninja watches the battered and bruised man howl an ear-shattering roar and charges forward only to have his warcry ominously cut short. Ninja can feel the chills done her spine after the feral spectators were briefly silent. Time slows down for Ninja as she watches the man with an indomitable will flopping back to the floor motionless.
"Holy- did you see that?!"
"That's the ultimate KO!"
"That's it?! That was just 10 seconds! TEN SECONDS!"
"Argh! Nononononono! I lost the bet!"
Ninja's ears are quick to observe the few exclamations out of the thousands of voices filling the air. Only ten seconds? Feeling a little uneasy, she ponders how brutal this event was. Ignoring the melodramatic announcer over the speakers, Ninja can feel her heart accelerating remembering that she will be in that same ring. The adrenaline racing through her causes her clenched fists to tremble violently as she seeks to transfer that energy to them. Still, a small voice residing in the back of her head pleads for her not to take a step into that ring.
Ninja's eyes widen for a second to see the victor of the match is not human, but a sleek robot with tiny red pearls for eyes. The audience cheers for the machine as it heroically poses over the fallen man on the floor before departing from the ring to it's left. Paramedics efficiently remove the loser from the ring with a sterile clean stretcher and an IV close at hand.
Ninja can feel her heart sink fearing that she will have to face that robot later on tonight.
After a few minutes, the announcer's voice booms throughout the arena to introduce the next pair of contenders that will compete for the $2,000,000 reward. Ninja tells that she's first to enter the ring as the announcer specifies her weight and fighting style. Casting her doubts aside, Ninja confidently marches towards the ring and nimbly slides beneath the bars into the ring.
Ninja feels as if she's on an entirely different planet. The ring is much larger than from the audience point of view she had and notices the small stains of dried blood on the floor. Although the audience cheers for her, she can't help but feel that they're judging her because of a variety of reasons: Her clothes look foolish, she's too scrawny, she's going to get decimated by a big brute. A bitterness within her heart scolds those doubts and is quick to harden her resolve. After all, there's money on the horizon and she seeks to claim it for herself.
From the walkway in front of her, outside the ring, she can see a shadowy figure with a hulking stature. With slow intimidating movements, Ninja watches the figure come into the light and knows that this man is her opponent. She finds it strange that he's not as terrifying as he was before. She presumes that it's must have been the shadows.
But there's nothing she can do now except fight like her life depends on it, because in a few seconds, it may come to that.
Ninja could not make out what the disembodied voice of the announcer is garbling through the wild cheers from the audience but as her opponent enters the ring, the crowd erupts louder risking Ninja to go deaf. She knows for certain who's the more popular one.
She stares at the man menacingly glaring at her with clenched teeth and untamed wide eyes. Wearing only bright green shorts, his bare chest is the paragon of brute strength and power, but his fists bashing against his head shows him to be a savage barbarian that only lives for the thrill of a good fight. Or a good slaughter.
Through all the chaotic noises, Ninja could not hear what he shouted at her, but eyes read his lips and presumed that he roared, "I'll break your face!"
Just then, the entire arena darkens until the only reliable source of light is bursting from the glowing purple veins of the ring's floor. With this dim illumination, Ninja can see what looks like a cage wall erecting from all angles of the ring. The startles Ninja, but only slightly as she did not anticipate this, but as she is only seconds closer to fighting Craig Marduk, she finds the confidence needed to properly fight him.
She has a stratagy set up in her mind. First thing on her agenda is to make the giant berserker come at her with everything he has.
The blaring alarms go off and the match begins.
As predicted, Marduk charges Ninja with his behemoth arms out. His speed spooks Ninja as she slightly startles before her mind quickly registers that she's feeling the overpowering weight of his body colliding with her small build. She is slammed onto the floor feeling the air being knocked out of her lungs, but her reflexes allow her to quickly recover as she hops to her feet. Ninja twirls sharply to see Marduk slam against the fence like a rabid dog and beats his fists against his chest before bolting towards Ninja again. For the second time, Ninja allows the shock to petrify her and she feels her cheek being slammed against his fist. Her vision spirals before her front takes the full brunt of the impact before she feels herself suffering a slight fall on her face. Ninja's mind is quick to register her surroundings and sees Marduk stomping his way towards her with his giant paws by his shaved head. Ninja's brows furrow and prepares to retaliate against Marduk. Her arms pushed against the floor and she fluidly rolls forward before leaping into the air skillfully hooking her knees around Marduk's neck and uses her legs and his neck to spin him around until she brutally steers him into the caged walls. Ninja is not finished and quickly twists her body to pull Marduk to the floor slamming him face first. Ninja quickly rises to her feet and mercilessly smashes her feet on Marduk's back before leaping onto the fence behind him and finds her grip to keep her in place. Just as Marduk staggers to his feet, Ninja does not take any chances and pounces from her spot and viciously plants both of her feet on Marduk's face sending him to the floor again.
As Ninja flawlessly lands in front of Marduk, she quickly glances the shocked expressions on the people's faces, thinking that she would be easily beaten. She dismisses their ignorance turns back to see Marduk struggling to emerge from the ground. Inhaling a deep breath into her nostrils, Ninja slowly slides one foot forward and extends her left arm out in front of her face while her right fist is tucked next to her cheek. Nothing Marduk can do phase her now. For a brute who's nearly twice the height she is and no matter how vast his strength is, she takes comfort that he is not invincible.
Marduk thrusts himself up grunting wildly. Any trace of rationality and restraint in his eyes vanish. He expels a series of short bloodcurdling screams as he smashes his chest and face with his fists, which causes the majority of the crowd to cheer for him knowing that he's not finished yet. With a cocked neck and rapid breathing, Marduk turns to the face behind him and plants his paws on the openings only to violently rip a sizable piece off.
Some members of the audience allow their cheering to falter as the nervously witness Marduk slowly wrapping the pieces of metal around his fists.
There would be no mercy.
Ninja decides to go on the offensive and bolts forward lunging her rear fist forward. Marduk and Ninja deliver and deflected blows with Ninja successfully landing a coupld of quick strikes to Marduk's face with her feet, but that proves to be a mistake. A big one.
As Ninja brings her leg towards Marduk's face, the Vale Tudo barbarian roughly takes hold of her ankle and throws her against the fence, like she's a piece of worn cardboard. Ninja's vision becomes a little hazy as she hops to her feet ignoring the heavy dizziness plaguing her head. She attempts to strike a critical blow to Marduk, but her cloudy vision causes her to miscalculate and she suffers for her error. Marduk lands a crushing blow to her stomach and crashes against the wall yet again.
It takes mere seconds for the excruciating pain to register in Ninja's mind forcing her to grunt loudly from the pain as she covers her stomach. She struggles to stand and quickly glances at Marduk coming towards her to pummel her to the floor, but clumsily evades his attack. Still suffering greatly from the strike, Ninja rolls as far as she can towards the other side of the ring. She didn't want to fight anymore. All she wants is to run as far as she could and disappear. She cannot believe that she was so stupid to volunteer for something as crazy as this!
Her vision blackens for a few brief seconds but still retains consciousness as her ears can still pick up the muffled roaring from the audience. Ninja can feel a rich copper taste overflowing in her mouth forces the fluids to leak from her mouth. Wincing from the pain, she half expected Marduk to finish her off now, but as she roughly twists herself around, she's amazed to see another man in the ring.
A tall man with an ebony complexion, a blasted ponytail attached to his mohawk hairstyle, and a matching set of dark grey shimmering thick pants and a hoodie stands between Marduk and Ninja. Ninja watches with his hands extended to his sides as a sign of protection most likely, but this does not tame an unchained Marduk as he savagely butts his head into the stranger sending him to the floor. Marduk beats his chest and straddles the pinned man before brutally bashing his face in.
Ninja can see Marduk mercilessly beating him to the point where the poor man cannot defend himself. That sort of cruel domination, that sort of unchecked evil must not go unpunished. Feeling a strong hot burning emotion enflaming her veins, Ninja ignores every ounce of pain tormenting her body and mind and defiantly stands. Her fists tremble and her heart beats like a punk rock drum set. Finally, she pounces forward with her fist by her ribcage and just as Marduk glances up to see her, Ninja quickly twists her fist and lands the critical hit on his cheek, slamming Marduk on the floor. No longer taking any chances, and knowing the fortitude of this brute's strength, Ninja lands on top of Marduk, trapping him, and begins to deliver a series of unrestrained punches across the face. With no specific combination or proper aim, Ninja keeps beating him hoping that it will be enough to keep him on the ground.
But it soon becomes more than that.
Ninja's vision is manipulated with visions of a haunting past. She can see Mark Jefferson coming towards her with the needle and before he could pierce her neck with it, flashes to her in the junkyard. Her nostrils smell that horrid odor of Rachel Amber's body, and she can hear Chloe wailing violently for her. She can see Chloe falling to the ground after a loud pop and a red hole planted on the head while Jefferson smugly looks down at her. She can see the titanic tornado swirling towards her hometown and all she can do is watch. Soon, her blue punk partner in crime keeps flashing before her eyes dead. Dead. Dead. How she feels so powerless. How she couldn't stop it. She hates it.
She hates it. She hates it. She hates it. She hates it!
SHE WANTS TO KILL IT!
"Stop!" A masculine voice is faintly heard in the back of her head. The voice is unfamiliar to Ninja, but it as it grows clearer with each plea, Ninja is quickly delivered from her nightmare and back onto the ring where she feels a strong grip on her wrist.
An alert Ninja cocks her head back and quickly relaxes to see it's the man who shielded her earlier when she was vulnerable.
"I think you won the fight ten seconds ago, girl." He tells her in a stern tone hinted with genuine concern.
Still having his hold over her, Ninja swings her arm around freeing her arm and is quick to notice the eerie silence that has befallen upon the gung-ho audience. She sees the utter shock and traces of utter fear in their eyes. Acknowledging their emotions, Ninja glances down at a sight that makes her jolt slightly.
Craig Marduk's murderous face is brutally swollen with a gushy mix of purple and pink painting his bubbly face. Paramedics swarm him with various high-tech medical equipment and are quick to rest him on a stretcher and quickly evacuate him from the scene.
Ninja seems taken aback by her own brutality and slowly brings her head down feeling very uncomfortable by the silence and staring. The eerieness is cut short when she feels a quick jab on her arm. Her training becomes instinct and her hand is quick to seize the arm but relaxes to see it's just the same man angrily shouting at her. She stays silent, throws his arm aside, and walks towards the bar. Slipping through the bars, Ninja leaps to the ground ignoring the large doe-eyed glares of nearby people and disappears through a shadowy corridor all while ignoring the gigantic announcement on the screen.
NINJA WINS!
^LIT^
For Ninja, nothing is more refreshing right now than soaking herself deep in chlorine water. As she calmly floats underneath the chilly water, Ninja observes the bright lights the pool provides adding a surreal feeling to it. She casually wooshes from one side to the next as her need for oxygen becomes greater. Finally, her feet touch the deepest depths of the pool, which are amateur height wise, and pushes herself up towards the surface.
With a soft gasp for breath, Ninja delivers the much-needed air to her lungs and quickly swims to the side of the pool. Even before becoming a fighter, she's always been an adept swimmer. She reaches the corner and rests her arms and head on the hard surface feeling the need for a good rest.
As her eyes flutter, Ninja's hearing naturally enhances themselves as she is quick to pick up on the bustling sounds of nighttime Los Angeles. She can hear the cars endlessly moving, the beeps of their horns, the occasional wailing of a police siren, the alarm of a possible dumpster truck in reverse, and the soft gush of wind that is producing the goosebumps on her arms and neck. She wonders if this what it means to clear one's mind, but mentally scolds herself for merely thinking of that thought.
Ninja decides to open her eyes to see the night sky dotted with little stars. She doesn't give them much attention as she averts her sight towards the buildings in front of her illuminating light. As her eyes are glued to the skyscrapers, she finds it strange that an environment so noisy can be so serene.
Time passes and Ninja becomes aware that her hair is slowly drying off and her body is becoming colder from the still water in the pool. Ninja effortlessly emerges from the water and lays motionlessly on the surface while a dark wet blob surrounds her and slowly expands.
Ninja slowly turns to her side facing the urban skyline of the city as she feels her fuming energy residing. Her eyes grow heavy and she doesn't think it'll be bad to rest here for a few minutes. She doesn't want to go back to her room. Not yet.
^LIT^
The limitless flow of traffic sounds are the first noise that reaches Ninja's ears. As her eyes squint open, they abruptly grow wide and she sprouts up realizing that it's barely morning! She sees the sky painted with a light violet color with a soft pink outline underneath.
How long was she resting? It felt like mere seconds for her. Or is she so tired she couldn't measure time properly?
Grunting silently, Ninja takes her time rising to her feet and slowly bends her neck from side to side until she's blessed with a satisfying pop. Slowly approaching the metal railings, Ninja leans against them and takes in the view of the city from a closer look. She can see the thousands of cars slowly inching through the roads of Los Angeles. She humorously ponders that it's an early work rush hour.
Ninja begins to feel a numbing emptiness hitting her heart causing her to frown and her shoulders to slump. Her hand traces the link around her neck down to the three distinct bullets. Her sad eyes stare down at the precious memento and softly caresses the outline of the left bullet. A faint sniffle runs up her nose followed by a shaky inhale. If only she could say her name, just rasp it out from her throat if she has to. But sadly just having the ability to speak is too much for Ninja.
Her hand clenches the necklace as she rams her trembling fist close to her heart. Her body jolts violently as she feels the heart-wrenching pain consuming her. With blood red eyes and tear stained cheeks, Ninja steadily opens her palm and gazes down at the necklace once more.
^LIT^
For most of her time in the shower, Ninja gazes down at the necklace while the hot water pours down onto her shoulder washing away the chemicals off of her bare body. As the mist begins to grow stronger, Ninja reluctantly releases the three bullets and finishes ruffling her hair to get the remainder of the shampoo out.
She cuts off the flowing current of hot water and jerks the curtains open allowing her to see a modest restroom with a strong mist seeping in the air. Ignoring the faint light-headedness, Ninja steps out of the tub and stops in front of the foggy mirror. Her hand gently brushes the hazy gas aside to reveal a clear reflection of an unmasked Ninja.
Ninja doubts that anyone would recognize her anymore. Her narrow face and ocean blue eyes remain the same, but her messy cropped hair is now painted with a purple dye. Her body has evolved over the past year as she gained a thin runners build that barely reveals the muscles on her belly covered in intense bruises. She's somewhat disappointed that she still has not gotten a growth spurt during her training.
After washing her the cuts and bruises on her face with cold water, Ninja departs from the restroom without so much as acquiring a towel to cover herself. She does have clothes folded on the bed after all.
Even after winning $2,000,000, the modest room she has rented suits her just fine. All she needs is a comfortable bed, a decent television set, and an outside balcony. Ninja slips on her black butterfly t-shirt and short boxers before flopping on the bed. She fishes the TV remote from the nightstand and turns on the TV, and after endless loops between channels, Ninja's interest is grabbed by a World Championship Boxing match, with sponsors from the Mishima Zaibatsu and Violet Systems.
She sees the headshots of the two boxers. On the left is a man with a shaved head and a faint scruff on his chin, while on the right is a younger man with bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and a confident grin.
Ninja sees the names of the boxers below their headshots.
Jay Wu VS Steve Fox
Ninja is not interested in betting on who she wants to win. Nor does it matter that Jay Wu is from America or Steve Fox being from England. She's not looking to side with the home team, she's just hoping that it will be a good fight.
Letting in a deep inhale, Ninja sinks into the pillows and witnesses to the two men touching gloves before the first match begins.
So there you have it! Life Is Tekken! Lemme know what you guys think and if you want to see more with this story.
To be honest, I have been thinking of doing something like this for awhile, and it's taken me quite a while to get a good grip of where I wanted this part to go. There was a lot of deleting, editing, and all those unsavory details.
To our Life is Strange fans, I'm pretty sure you can guess who Ninja is. :)
And to our Tekken Fans, yes, Lee Chaolan is now the owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu. But what about Violet Systems? What about Heihachi, Kazuya, Jin, or Eddie, or Nina? (Because Anna's here obviously) ahh the beauties of speculation.
Again I hope you guys enjoy!
Peace out! :)