Brothers of Southtown
Disclaimer: I do not own Fatal Fury or any of its characters, all of them are the property of SNK Playmore. No copyright infringement intended. I do own Baek Yong-Hwa, Jang-Ha and Gum all of which may not be used without my permission.
----
Round 4: The First Match, 27 seconds
Southtown Sports Arena locker room
Baek sat in the locker room, hyper venerating as he waited for his first match. Yong was wearing white trunks with a blue dragon decoration and trim, and wrapped on his right bicep was a red cloth that belonged to his father. Yong-Hwa smashed his gloved fists together, clearly pumped up for his first fight. Though he hated to admit it, he was excited. Despite who he was fighting for, he couldn't wait to get in there.
Yong-Hwa was also satisfied with the coach he was given, he was an experienced seasoned man. Ironically, he was also there against his will. His name was Benji. Benji sat beside him, giving him a few glances from time to time. To his other left was Eddie, his trainer. Eddie was also experienced, having been were Yong-Hwa was in his earlier years.
Baek knew that he was going to be called on in a few seconds, but it seemed forever to him. Yong-Hwa now believed that people could live a lifetime in a minute.
"Baek Yong-Hwa. It's time." A messenger told him, leaving as soon as he came.
Baek smacked his gloved fists together twice, "Alright, time to win." He told himself, making his coaches smile.
In the ring
A man stood in the center of the ring, ready to announce both fighters, "Ladies and Gentlemen, for our first match of the evening I'd like to introduce from Niigata Japan, wearing green trunks with a gold trim... Jiro Sasaki!!" He exclaimed as the man known as Jiro entered the ring. The young Jiro stood at about 5'10, had a decent built body, long black hair with small bangs tied into a ponytail, and had a confident grin on his face. Sasaki raised his fists in the air, laughing as he saluted the crowd.
Baek could hear the cheers for Jiro as he walked towards the entrance. It seems he had quite a fan base for a newcomer. Yong-Hwa had watched tapes of Jiro's fights, studying his moves and weaknesses. Yong-Hwa saw that he had a flashy style, but a lot of that flare was unnecessary and easy to see through if you were experienced. Yong-Hwa estimated that this fight would end in... 27 seconds.
"And his opponent, wearing the white trunks with a blue dragon trim, I introduce to you... BAEK! YONG!! HWA!!!" The announcer shouted, making the crowd go wild. Yong-Hwa walked out to the ring with pride, his coach and trainer beside him.
Skybox
Above, watching from his skybox, Geese sat in his chair. Geese would be the one to thank for Baek's grand announcement. In the seat next to him was Jang-Ha. Jang-Ha was observing Yong-Hwa's opponent. Jang-Ha glanced at Yong-Hwa, who was returning the look and raised two fingers then seven fingers. Jang-Ha had estimated twenty seven seconds as well. Yong-Hwa confirmed with a nod and jumped into the ring.
Baek Jang-Ha then tilted his head towards Geese, "Hey Mr. Howard," Jang-Ha began, "Wanna make a little wager?" He asked. Geese was humored by his young hostage's attitude towards this whole ordeal. He wasn't like all those girlfriends he kidnapped, who would cry and scream and worry. Jang-Ha just made the most of it, not giving Geese or any of his men any trouble or threats.
"I'm listening..." Geese responded, his eyes slightly ajar.
"I'll bet you 10 bucks that my brother knocks Sasaki out in 27 seconds in the first round." He challenged with a solid voice.
The crime lord of Southtown chortled, since he was so amused by Jang-Ha's behavior he would play in a little deeper, "That's pretty early in a fight, make it twenty and you got a deal." He modified, signaling for one of his lesser henchmen to come over. Geese ordered the man to give him one of his twenty dollar bills. Geese was in a strange playful mood right now.
The younger Baek let out a short laugh, "I'm in." he replied and brought his attention back to the fight.
Back in the ring
Yong-Hwa and Jiro stood in the center of the ring, the two touched gloves for good luck and backed away from each other. The bell rang and the match was underway. Jiro had his hands down and a smile on his face, one that rested between happy and arrogant. Yong-Hwa stayed serious, knowing that this was probably a trick.
Yong-Hwa's assumptions were proven correct when Jiro threw a fast kick towards Yong's side. The older Baek intercepted the kick with his shin and planted a firm one in Jiro's chest, knocking him back. Yong-Hwa saw that 5 seconds had passed. The Korean Kickboxer then watched Jiro closely, whose confidence was starting to emanate. Overconfidence was a fatal error in this type of sport, or in any sport for that matter.
Jiro smiled as he advanced again, throwing several punches and kicks that Yong-Hwa was blocking calmly. Jiro then landed a kick to Yong-Hwa's side, making the KyukTooKi prodigy stumble. As Sasaki grew more certain of victory, Yong-Hwa was smiling inside. His plan was working as he saw that 9 seconds had passed.
Sasaki then made his fatal mistake, he threw a flashy kick. Jiro jumped forward and spun, performing a 360 front kick aimed towards Yong-Hwa's face. Jiro Sasaki was going for the knockout already. In a flash, Yong-Hwa ducked under the kick and sent a hard spinning hook kick towards Jiro's abdomen. The Baek's smiled at the same time, knowing what would happen next. Jiro started to stumble, that one kick did a good deal of damage. 14 seconds had passed.
Yong-Hwa decided that it was time to stop playing around. So he did to Jiro what he did to Jang-Ha during their spars, give him 'that look'. Yong-Hwa's glare bore holes through Jiro, making him nervous. Sasaki, lacking the experience Baek had, attempted to throw a kick towards Yong-Hwa's face. This was a fatal mistake.
Baek gave Jiro a brief smile before he ended the fight. At a blinding speed, Yong-Hwa raised his left foot and kicked down at Jiro's thigh as it rose, making it swing backwards and sending Jiro's upper body downwards. In a swift motion, Baek lifted his right knee and slammed it into Jiro Sasaki's face. Jiro lifted off the ground and crashed to the mat with an echoing thud, the last thing he saw were ceiling lights before he lost consciousness. 19 seconds had passed.
"Game Over." Jang-Ha announced, saying what was on Geese's mind. Geese really didn't care if he lost the bet or not, it wasn't his money anyway. In fact, Geese was hoping for an early knockout so Yong-Hwa could rank higher quicker.
The referee ran over to Jiro and checked for any permanent damage. The referee's inspection took all of six seconds, and two seconds to wave his hands and signal the knockout. 27 seconds into the first round just as promised.
"THE WINNER BY TKO!! BAEK YONG-HWA!!!" The referee exclaimed, pointing his arm towards Yong-Hwa. Baek, remembering who he was, raised one fist in the air to salute the crowd for supporting him. As he got out of the ring, he glanced up at the skybox to give Jang-Ha a nod and a glare at Geese Howard. The crime lord merely smirked off Yong's glare, glad that he still hated him. Hatred made him focused, made him motivated.
"Hey Mr. Howard!" A voice called out, breaking him out of his thoughts. It was Jang-Ha with his hand outstretched, "Can I have my winnings now?" the younger Baek asked, starting to get used to this. Jang-Ha knew these people weren't good, but he would have some fun with them while it lasted.
In the locker room
Yong-Hwa stood alone in the locker room, his red gloves recently removed. His coach and trainer were already gone. Feelings of ambivalence plagued him, he had won the match but doing so was helping Geese. How could he be proud of being a puppet for such a nefarious man? Why did all of this have to happen to him? Unexpectedly, Baek started to chuckle, it was but a low breeze at first but as the seconds past it grew into hearty laughter. Yong-Hwa was laughing at himself, at how screwed he was, having to work for the people he hated, knowing that they might not even let Jang-Ha live after it's all said and done, and how he was going to look like in front of the other fighters in the area.
As Yong-Hwa's laughter died down, he murmured to himself in a forlorn voice, "Please... let everything be alright in the end..."
Suddenly, he heard someone come in. At first he thought it was one of Geese's men and tense, but when he got a look at the guy he relaxed. It was Jiro Sasaki. "That was a nice move back there! Who taught it to you?" Sasaki asked, smiling at the victor.
Baek was a bit confused by Jiro's cheery attitude, "Um... I made it up myself." Yong-Hwa answered, "How's your face by the way? Does it still hurt?" The Korean asked pointing to his face, changing the subject.
Jiro smile widened despite his bandaged face, "Nope, I'm fine. So why so glum?" Jiro asked, noticing Yong-Hwa's despair easily.
Baek let out a sigh and told him everything there was to tell: his parents' deaths, the thugs, his fight with Joe, Jang-Ha's kidnapping, and the deal he made with Geese, everything...
Sasaki had listened and understood everything; he was a compassionate individual, "Hmm, that's tough." He responded in a thoughtful tone. Yong-Hwa only gave him a nod in return. "But remember, I've got your back. That's a promise." Sasaki comforted, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks dude." The Korean responded, finally cracking a true smile.
To be cont.
----
Next chapter preview: As Baek Yong-Hwa moves up in the ranks, word spreads about his link with Geese. As Baek predicted, his connection with Geese has earned him the ire of many fighters. To top it all off, one famous fighter crosses his path and challenges him. Also, Jiro's knowledge of Baek's predicament puts him on the grid as well.
Next Round: Targets