Author's note: It's been a while since I last wrote on this story. I promise to write more in it now that Trouble in the East is currently on a hiatus. I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 8: New Friends
In a faraway land, in the Lordship of Namco
Crash had accidentally entered the palace's garden, where a large pool was lying in it. But so were two women in their bikinis. They screamed after seeing Crash, and the young bandicoot was filled with embarrassment.
"Ehhhh…sorry…..my mistake" he said dumbfounded.
The women snapped in outrage by hearing his apology. They couldn't understand any of this. So they both slapped his face, leaving sore marks on Crash's face. The young bandicoot rubbed his face.
"I guess deserved it" he said while rubbing his face. "But did I really scare you girls?" he then asked dumbfounded.
"Of course you did! What's the big deal of sneaking into private property!?" the brunette asked in outrage.
"In case you didn't know, this palace actually has a doorbell!" the blondie said while crossing her arms.
But Crash was given another surprise. It was two muscular men in bathing shorts who had just jumped up from the pool to check on the situation. The first one had reddish-brown hair and the second had slick blonde hair. What was noticeable to the blonde-haired man was the scar that ran across his left arm. As they approached the two women, they chuckled in amusement at Crash's condition.
"Whoa…..I kind of feel sorry for that guy" the boy with the reddish-brown hair remarked while eyeing Crash's injuries. "Those girls sure know how to leave a few marks" he added.
This made both women snap in anger as they saw the two men standing there. The brunette was furious and crossed her arms. "Hwoarang, Steve, how long have you two been standing here!?" she demanded an answer from them.
The one called Steve rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Hey, we also deserve some relaxation here! You promised us, remember?" he said with his British accent.
"That doesn't matter! We are the ones who employed you two here!" the blondie hit back.
While Crash was watching this bickering, he also felt an urge to ask them about where he was. Even though he was not up for it, he had to do this, for his own sake.
"I don't mean to interrupt you or anything…but could some of you tell me where this place is?" he asked them and they all faced him confused.
"You're kidding, right? Don't you know what this place is!?" the brunette asked while feeling insulted by Crash's question.
"Ummmm…..I was washed up to this place by the sea so….." Crash stopped once he noticed how the four people before him began feeling sorry for what he just said. "Yeah, I'm not lying. I was separated from my family and friends thanks to a storm!" he added with irritation.
"Oh, we're sorry!" the blondie apologised and began treating Crash's injuries. "You're free to stay here as you please! We thought you were a pervert who stalked women but you sure don't look like one of them" she noted.
Steve smiled at this and walked over to Crash. "I can tell you where this is. You've just arrived at the sunny lordship of Namco, one of the most prosperous regions in the Kingdom of Segendo" he explained, much to Crash's surprise. The young man then reached his hands towards Crash. "My name is Steve Fox and I am from Namco" he introduced himself.
Hwoarang chuckled and stood aside Steve. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Hwoarang and like Steve, I'm also from Namco" he said while shaking Crash's hand.
Crash mused at this and decided to speak up. "Well those are cool names you got! My name's Crash Bandicoot" he introduced himself. He also noticed that the blondie was finished with treating his injuries, so he thanked her. "Thanks a lot for the treatment, Miss….." Crash stopped, considering that he didn't know her name.
The woman smiled in return. "You can just call me Peach. And this is my best friend Daisy. I am the owner of this summer palace" she said and the brunette waved her hand at him. But her mentioning of summer palace made Crash's eyes widen.
"Hold the phone! Did you just say….summer palace!?" he was out of words, but Peach only nodded her head. "Holy smokes! You must be loaded if you were to own this crib!" he exclaimed in surprise.
Peach nervously chuckled at this. "Let's just say that I come from nobility" she said.
"You don't know who that chick is? This is the Queen of…." Hwoarang was cut by Daisy, who covered his mouth with her hand. Crash only stared at this with confusion, but he was approached by Steve who helped him up on his feet.
"Hey Crash! You probably don't have a place to stay, so you can come live with us as long as you want" he said, making Crash surprised by this.
"Wait…..you would do that…..for me?" the young bandicoot asked.
Hwoarang, who had just let go of Daisy's grip, joined in. "Sure, as long as you don't wreck our home, that is" he said while grumbling. "Previous people who wanted to live with us mastered that. I hope you are different" he said.
Crash smiled at this. He had arrived at an unfamiliar place and he was already accepted among its inhabitants. Things couldn't possibly get any better. And so, Crash politely accepted it and followed his newfound friends.
1 hour later, the city of Smileydai
This city was the capital city of the Namco Lordship. Since the unification of Segendo, people from other lordships had settled themselves in the city. But above all, it was home to the people of Namco. It was very big, with skylines and modern buildings. The Lord of Namco was named Pac-Man. He was a jolly fellow, who only wished the best for his people.
"So this is Smileydai, huh?" Crash asked while watching from his car window. He had never seen a city like this. "It looks so…active" he said.
Hwoarang, who was driving the car, mused at this while watching Crash in the mirror. "Yeah, it is a bustling place of activity" he told him.
"But despite all these corporations and firms settled here, Smileydai doesn't offer much job to those who could use one" Steve muttered while crossing his arms.
This hit Crash in his head, so he decided to ask them. "That reminds me. What kind of professions do you two have? I mean, you didn't educate yourselves to be servants for a couple of sassy girls, did you?" he asked them and both men snapped.
Steve and Hwoarang didn't know what to say, but Hwoarang suddenly came up with an answer. "We're mechanics, actually. I own a bike back at our apartment so we do that" he said, much to Steve's outrage and Crash's confusion.
After driving a while, they finally reached their destination. It was a quite newly designed apartment. Crash began wondering how in the world those two boys could even afford living there.
"Well, here we are! This is home" Steve said while Hwoarang switched off the car's engines. "What do you think, Crash?" he asked the young bandicoot.
"It's looks nice and comfy, but I have a question. Doesn't it cost much living there? I mean, can you guys afford it?" he asked them curiously.
This time, it was Steve's turn to act all-knowing, so he gladly responded to Crash's question. "Don't worry. Aside from working at Peach's castle, we also do some gambling during nights. We always win and have absolutely zero debt" he answered with confidence. Hwoarang only stared at Steve with outrage on his face.
"Since when did we start gambling!?" Hwoarang asked in his head while staring at Steve with disbelief.
Inside the apartment
But in an apartment, Crash was sitting on the sofa with Hwoarang and Steve sitting on chairs before him. The thing was….Crash had told them were he specifically was from and their reactions…..well…
"You were living on the Wumpa Islands!?" both Steve and Hwoarang asked the young bandicoot. He only nodded his head as a yes.
"I was, but then those mean guys from the Sony Organization came to our village and then this huge tsunami nearly swallowed the entire islands! And guess what, I was the one who stopped it!" he told them.
But both men didn't seem to quite catch what he was talking about. In fact, they didn't get the picture Crash explained to them straight.
"Maybe you should take this a little slower. You almost sound as if you electrified yourself" Hwoarang said while waving his hand in a silly manner.
Crash became irritated by this. "This isn't a joke! Once I managed to stop that tsunami, I fell into the sea and drifted through it. That's the things I remember" the bandicoot told them.
Steve was beginning to see the picture. "I see it now, Crash. Based upon what you're telling us, you must've had a hard experience" he said while trying to support Crash.
The young bandicoot nodded. "I know that. But for some reason, I don't feel like returning home to the Wumpa Islands" he said and both his newfound friends widened in confusion at this. Crash sighed deeply. "It's not that I don't wanna see my family again, but it's just that…maybe what happened in Sandover…was merely the beginning of something much more sinister" he revealed to them.
"This story you tell us just keeps getting more interesting by the minute. And this Azulmona, maybe she has a better understanding of these hidden threats" Steve remarked. But he eyed Crash with concern in his eyes. "But are you determined to remain hidden, not even letting your family know that you're still alive?" he asked the young bandicoot.
Crash closed his eyes to think before opening them up again. He also let out a sigh. "On that day…..I promised Coco and Crunch that I would just come home to them…..without doing anything stupid" he explained with a hint of sadness in his voice. "But that never happened. Instead, I was lost at sea. However, I will regroup with them someday. But even now, the Sony Organization will begin a witch-hunt for my skin. So no, I must stay hidden…..stay anonymous" he stated his intention while eyeing his friends.
"I see. So you wanna keep a low profile now? Well I can't blame you, considering all the things you've been through" Hwoarang said in support of Crash's choice.
"It's good you have made up your mind, Crash" Steve said. But suddenly, something hit the young man. "Say Crash. Are your familiar with a fighting competition being arranged here in Namco?" he asked the young bandicoot.
Crash felt puzzled as he didn't know what he was talking about. "I'm sorry, Steve but I don't have a clue of what you're saying" he said.
Hwoarang eyed Steve with curiosity. "Slow down. Are you talking about the King of Iron Fist Tournament?" the young man asked his friend who nodded in return. Hwoarang smirked after seeing this. "Heh, it's been a long time since the last one. I'm up for a good fight" he said.
"Is this tournament about fighting?" Crash asked them, wanting to know more.
"Yeah, it's a martial arts tournament hosted by the most powerful and influential firm in Namco: the Mishima Zaibatsu" Steve told him, much to Crash's interest. "The winner of this tournament will not only win prize money, but he or she will also gain access to the Zaibatsu's advanced libraries and use them to whatever you please" the blonde-haired man added.
This suddenly hit Crash in his head, because he thought about something after hearing Steve's explanation. "Libraries…I've got to get access to them!" Crash said while his friends widened with surprise. "Perhaps the Mishima Zaibatsu possesses information about Azulmona, as well as older stories about Segendo" the young bandicoot said.
"Well that's great to hear, because we also plan on entering the tournament" Hwoarang said, as he and Steve rose up from their chairs. Crash eyed them with wondering eyes.
"I think it's time we were open towards you, Crash. The truth is: we aren't gamblers. We are actually fighters" he revealed and suddenly began showing off some of his fighting style. This made the young bandicoot amazed. "I'm a professional boxer" he said.
Hwoarang then began showing some of his fighting moves to Crash. "And I train in the art of Tae Kwon Do" he said. But he suddenly grumbled. "However, the master who taught me all of this is a big dope" he sarcastically remarked while thinking about his teacher.
"I don't have any fighting styles…but I am athletic" Crash said with embarrassment.
"That doesn't matter, Crash. Your demonstration of strength will impress the tournament organizers" Steve said with an encouragement.
The HQ of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Smileydai
Night befell upon the city, but there was light in every skyscraper, especially this one. This large skyscraper made of glass and stone, served as the headquarters of the Mishima Zaibatsu. It was considered one the most influential corporations in Namco, if not the entire of Segendo.
On the highest floor was where the office of the Zaibatsu's CEO could be found. The one who was sitting by his desk was a young, raven-haired man in his twenties, dressed in black coat and black pants. He was reading something on his technological advanced computer. That young man was the current CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu: Jin Kazama.
Even though Jin was related to the namesake Mishima clan by blood, the young man refused to adopt that name, considering the issues he had with his family members from his paternal side. He took the surname Kazama after his mother, who he loved deeply. Tragically, his mother was allegedly murdered by a foul monster and Jin swore revenge by defeating that monster in the King of Iron Fist Tournament. But that was when he was in his late-teens.
"Mr Kazama, you have Nina Williams visiting you" an electronic voice from his office's monitor called out to him. Jin didn't move his gaze, continuing staring at the computer's screen. However, he did respond.
"Very well, let her in" he said lowly and the door to his office opened. In came a woman with blonde hair. She was dressed in black leather suit. Even though she looked like in her twenties, she was biologically in her forties. She was Jin's must trusted bodyguard and assistant: Nina Williams.
"It's good to be here again. It's going to be great relaxing now after all this stress" Nina said while sitting on his table. "However, the visit to Mushroompolis was a success. The T.F.C Summit went smoothly" she then revealed to her boss, making him chuckle.
"Good, that's the exact words I was expecting from you, Nina Williams" he said with a compliment. Nina accepted it as if it was nothing. But Jin's face was fixed to that of seriousness. "However, there is no time for us to take vacation just yet" he said.
"You're talking about the upcoming tournament, is that so?" Nina asked her boss, as he closed his eyes to think.
"The reason why this tournament will be different from the previous ones is the fact that people living outside the Namco lordship is allowed to participate. That means fighters across Segendo will journey to Smileydai to test their strengths" he noted, still closing his eyes.
He then opened them and clicked on his computer's keyboard. The screen then showed him a map of the Kingdom of Segendo. It was a satellite image of the country's areal. Nina walked over to see the map on the screen.
"There is without any doubt that fighters from the Sony Organization will participate. However, I don't think Warchief Kratos would show up himself" Nina remarked while observing the screen.
"I agree. Tensions have been growing between Warchief Kratos and King Mario lately" Jin noted and suddenly showed him and Nina a news website where the title of a case was the following: A CHAIN OF ISLANDS NOW UNDER SONY CONTROL. It showed them a picture of Helghasts and Chimeras marching across the shores of the Wumpa Islands. "This case just came up yesterday and from the looks of it, Kratos has now gained new allies" Jin remarked while eyeing the case.
"If I can come up with a suggestion, how about you and I are present when the competitors enter the tournament? With that, we can collect information about the various fighters and keep a better eye on them" Nina suggested to her boss.
Jin paused to think about what the blonde-haired woman suggested to her. After a couple of minutes, he eyed her with determination. "Very well, we shall do that. However, there is more that bothers me with regard to this tournament" he said while Nina showed understanding. "Since we are the arrangers of the King of Iron Fist Tournament, the G Corporation will without a doubt send in fighters to participate" he said while thinking about the Mishima Zaibatsu's rival.
Nina smirked in return. "I know. Kazuya and his slut Anna won't rest until he gets his hands on you and the Zaibatsu. At the T.F.C Summit, no representatives from the G Corporation were seen. It obvious that they were too busy plotting our downfall as the summit commenced" she explained with sarcasm in her voice.
Jin rose up from his seat and walked towards the window, where he could spot the nice view of the Smileydai skyline. He stopped and took a minute watching it. This always helped him thinking through things that were complicated.
"For some reason, I hope Kazuya actually shows up during the tournament. If so, we will finally be able to settle our score once and for all" Jin said lowly while gazing out.
Nina stood a few meters behind him and crossed her arms. She looked at him as she felt concerned about his ambitions. "Careful what you wish for, Jin Kazama" she said, although Jin didn't seem to care for her words.
Steve and Hwoarang's apartment
Crash had fallen asleep inside his room, but Steve and Hwoarang were still awake. They were sitting by the kitchen table, drinking some Pepsi. They were speaking to one another in a low voice, considering that they didn't want to wake up Crash.
"So what are your reasons for entering the tournament, other than kicking ass and taking names?" Steve asked his buddy, who only chuckled in return.
"What do you think? The reason is simple. I wanna have a perfect fight with Jin Kazama himself" he said while taking a slurp. "That arrogant douche has been bugging me for the last few years" he added while thinking about his long-time rival.
Steve mused to himself while eyeing Hwoarang's bitterness over Jin. He didn't quite understand why he was so determined to fight Jin, the current CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu. However, as much as he hated to admit it, Steve wished his reason for entering the tournament could be similar to Hwoarang's.
The red-haired man eyed his friend with a questionable look on his face. "Speaking of which, what is your reason for entering the tournament this time, Steve. I mean, you won once years ago so what do you want this time?" he asked his blonde-haired friend.
To his surprise, Steve removed the left sleeve of his jacket and showed him the scar across his arm. The blonde-haired man fixed a serious look upon his face while doing so. Hwoarang didn't know what to say, he only watched his friend's scar with remorse.
"Something has been bugging me lately, Hwoarang. Sometimes when I exercise, this pain suddenly appears in my left arm. I did discover many things during the previous tournament. However, there are still things I would like to know more" Steve explained to him.
"Okay…but what would you like to know more?" Hwoarang asked him.
Steve faced the table before lifting his head up to speak with him. "I want to know the connections between me and the Mishima Zaibatsu. After all, they treated me like a test subject" he said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "However, I almost feel as if I carry Mishima blood within me" he added, causing Hwoarang to stare at him confused.
"Easy there, Steve. I know you wanna know more about yourself and stuff, but I think such theories aren't the right answers" he said to his blonde-haired friend.
"You know…perhaps you're right" Steve replied and nodded his head.
Hwoarang smiled in return and then stood up from his seat. "Well, I better hit the sack. Tomorrow's gonna be a very long day. Sweet dreams!" he said with humour, before heading for his bedroom.
Before Steve headed to his bedroom, he took one last glance at the scar on his left arm. This made him very cautious. He was determined to know more about this. At first he thought about asking his estranged mother. But he felt it was not right, considering that she was an assassin and now Jin Kazama's bodyguard. No, he had to find out on his own.
To be continued…
Author's note: This was chapter 8. Hope you all liked it. I wanted to include some Tekken characters because I think they match the story. The upcoming tournament will feature characters from different games. I may also start writing on how Lara and Nathan has been doing since the incident, but for now, it will mostly be focused on Crash and his newfound friends. Hope you liked Hwoarang and Steve. See you around.
