Yet another Shinkenger...however, he's not exactly one of the good guys! Read on, and thanks for your patience!
--------------
Located on a complex site in the center of Tokyo, on the edge of the Ginza commercial and entertainment district and the Maronouchi business district, The Tokyo International Forum is Japan's largest congress center. It was built following an open international competition in 1989 held by the Union Internationale des Architectes, which was won by the New York architect Rafeal Vinoly.
The irregular shaped site, occupying an entire city block that was originally occupied by a complex of buildings constituting Tokyo's City Hall, is also situated between two of Tokyo's busiest transportation hubs; Yurakucho Station on the site's southern boundary, one of the city's most important subway stations and Tokyo Central Station, two blocks to the north, that is the city's regional and national railway link.
For a certain horde of reptilian creatures, this was the ideal place to stalk down humans and feed on their flesh, as they came and go by the thousands every minute during business hours. Their masters Kazuya and Astaroth felt that the Lizard-men needed some free time to make sure that they did not turn on them, so the terrifying duo came to the conclusion that letting them roam free in that area wouldn't hurt their grand scheme too much.
The Tokyo International Forum was best known for being a giant concert hall, so Kazuya also felt it would be the perfect opportunity to let his latest creation make its mark on the city.
"I'd like to thank my fans for coming out today!" a loud voice shouted over the screams of civilians as the Lizard-men mangled any bystander that came across, soaking the entrance of the Tokyo International Forum with blood while he stood in front of the reptilian horde with a jet black electric guitar in his hands. The source of the voice was a little less than six feet tall and dark brown in color, wearing a black leather jacket with the same skull design that some of Kazuya's previous creations sported, as well as dark red baggy pants covering his legs with a dark blue rope dangling slighty from his right hip. His body was covered in thick dark brown fur, and his arms were lined with a brown membrane that resembled leathery wings. His hideous face was more than enough for any bystander who wasn't getting fed to the Lizard-man to distinguish what he was: a man-bat. "I am Ricoshade, the Capoeira Bat," the bat-creature pointed his clawed finger into the air before bringing his hand down to the strings of the guitar. "I hope that you enjoy my show, gringos y gringas!"
However, before he could play a note, Ricoshade was sent flying forwards as he was struck from behind by an unknown assailant. The bat landed flat on his face while his guitar broke his fall. The lizard-men who come with Ricoshade to the International Forum all stopped what they were doing and turned the man who had struck down the bat. "You almost broke my axe, muchacho," Ricoshade scrambled back onto his feet and pointed as the assailant accusingly. "That is not cool!"
The attacker was a powerfully-built Chinese man wearing a maroon Kung Fu uniform with white socks and black shoes. His long black hair was tied back a braided ponytail, and his stern face was as muscular and commanding as the rest of his physique. The man pointed at the bat, and changed his hand's direction so that he was motioning Ricoshade towards him. Once he did that, he stomped his foot on the ground and assumed a fighting stance.
Ricoshade cracked his neck and put his guitar over his shoulder before slowing moving from side to side in a traditional Capoeira "jinga." With a piercing scream, Ricoshade sent a shockwave of pure sound at the assailant, causing the pavement to crack as the wave crossed it. The Chinese man quickly put his arms up and took the wave full force, pushing him back with his shoes screeching across the ground. When he lifted his guard and looked up, the assailant received a kick to the face, followed by a second swinging leg that sent him spiraling face-first into the ground.
The assailant quickly sprung back up onto his feet while Ricoshade pulled out his guitar and played a powerful riff. The bat banged his head to the music that he was playing, adding further to the metallic trance that anyone who witnessed (that was far enough away to avoid the Lizard-men's attentions) couldn't help but listen in astonishment. As the Chinese assailant began to come at him with a full run, Ricoshade concluded his riff and reared his guitar back to swat the man away like a golfer would a golf ball.
The assailant landed of his feet once again and rubbed where he had been hit. Quickly resuming his fighting stance, he looked up to see Ricoshade glide towards him using his leathery wings. The Chinese man smiled while he clenched his fist and shot it forwards with his foot further propelling his arm, smashing Ricoshade in the face with a powerful punch and sending him flying backwards just as he had sent the Chinese assailant sprawling seconds earlier.
"Grrr…That was not cool, jefe," Ricoshade landed with a cartwheel and resumed his jinga. "Just what is your name, anyway?"
"…I am Feng Wei," the man finally spoke as he rolled up his left sleeve and revealed a bronze-colored device that was about as big as a computer mouse, with the two kanji "Tekken" etched in its sleek outer shell in rupy, emerald, and sapphire stripe. "I shall be the one who shall slay you."
As he said that, Feng stomped on the group and positioned his fingers so that only his middle and index fingers were sticking up, pushed together while his ki crackled across his body. After a second of powering up, the device uttered in a metallic voice, "Standing by…" Upon hearing the device, Feng quietly whispered into it a single word, which the device repeated instantly.
"Henshin."
A powerful orange glow enveloped the muscular Asian while he entered a Kempo stance and closed his eyes. Ricoshade's jinga slowed for a moment while he looked on in curiosity…but when the light faded, the bat realized what the light had meant. Feng was no longer there: in his place stood a powerful warrior sporting a fearsome combination of maroon, gold, and bronze.
Feng's torso adorned with shimmering golden body armor with two large shield-shaped maroon pads of the same color attached to it. Attached to the shoulder pads was a long, flowing bronze cape that flowed in the wind behind the Chinese fighters. Embedded in the body armor were three jewels that shone as man took deep, concentrated breaths: a ruby, a sapphire diamond, and an emerald. The rest of the body was covered with a bronze body-suit. Jutting from his knuckles were three silver knives sticking out like claws, and around the waist was a black belt, bond together with a golden buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." Two arm guards of the same color were wrapped around his wrists, and his boots shared the same pigment as the armguards. Feng's face, as well as his entire head, was masked with a bronze helmet that was perfectly round save for a long chain that jutted from the back of the helmet that had a distinct resemblance to Feng's braid.
And on the side of his helmet was the number "100," just like a number was on the helmets of the city's protectors, the Tekkenshu Sentai Shinkenger.
"So that is your story," Ricoshade nodded his head before getting into a handstand and slowly spinning around and around. "My managers have told me that I am supposed to kill you: I shall do so now!" The spinning soon became faster and faster, until finally he was spinning like a top. Ricoshade began to ricochet rapidly across lampposts and trashcans surrounding the area like a pinball hitting targets as he made his way towards Feng Wei. Sometimes he would hit a Lizard-man minding its own business, and it would pay for its ignorance with death, their heads being cut off by the cyclonic speeds of Ricoshade's legs.
Feng Wei brushed back his long cape as resumed his fighting stance, causing the fabric to flow elegantly into the wind and making him seem almost beyond human. As he entered his stance, his eyes calmly followed Ricoshade as the bat gradually spiraled closer and closer to him. Finally, Ricoshade had bounced off yet another Lizardman and was certain to hit Feng as his next target. However, rather than getting his head chopped off like the reptilian warriors, Feng shot out his palm with a loud "HA!" and stopped Ricoshade's leg cold. Before the Capoeira Bat could do anything about it, his head was kicked off the ground and he went tumbling into the air. Feng contined the assault with a pair of walking punches and concluded with a shoulder strike that sent Ricoshade screeching across the pavement.
"You broke through my flawless rhythm, jefe!" Ricoshade pulled out his guitar as he pointed an accusing finger at Feng. "Now I shall have to make up for it with some music!" Putting his pointing hand to the strings of his guitar, Ricoshade proceded to strum his instrument calmly in what seemed to be the main guitar riff for "Smoke on the Water." However, after the tenth note, Ricoshade guitar shot forth a bolt of purple lightning at Feng Wei. Feng Wei calmly began to step towards Ricoshade while the bolt rocketed towards him. However, he did not attempt to endure the hit: instead, he kicked the bolt away with his foot, and redirected it to a telephone booth, which exploded upon the power of such a blast.
Ricoshade repeated the renowned riff once again, except this time, a bolt of lightning erupted from every note that he played. The first note Feng swatted away with his hand, altering its course to a Lizard-man that would be electrocuted instantly. The second and third came at the Chinese martial artist in succession, and he simply put up his arms and endured the shock, grunting in pain but refusing to slow his steady advance. The next four blasts arced wildly like a snake about to strike its prey. Anticipating where the lightning would hit, Feng casually took a step backwards and the lightning barely missed him, leaving black spots in the pavement where they struck. The remaining bolts of lighting followed a similar path as the first bolt, swatted away by Feng's blazing hands and redirected to hapless Lizard-men, which each of them exploding a fiery plume.
"Oh, you think that you're so tough just because you survived my warm-up, eh?" Ricoshade rolled his glowing yellow eyes as he lifted his playing arm high into the air. "Let's see how well you do against my main song!" With that remark, Ricoshade brought his hand down back to his guitar are played a rapid succession of notes, banging his head as the riff he created brought forth a massive volley of lightning streaks that closed in on Feng simultaneously.
Feng, however, did not cringe at seeing the bolts come at him. On the contrary, beneath his helmet, he couldn't help but smirk. The Chinese martial artist slowly began to roll his head around and around, his braided chain swingly wildly with each revolution. As the lighting became gradually closer, the chain began to glow bright red, as if it were being heated over an intense flame. Then, just when the lightning was about to strike him, Feng's braid absorbed the entire volley like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust.
Ricoshade concluded his riff with a long buzz as he looked up to see what he expected to be Feng's smoldering corpse, but instead found the Chinese man rushing at the bat with a full run, his braid glowing blue and crackling with electricity. The Capoeira Bat tried to play his guitar and thus send another bolt of lightning out, but Feng was already within striking distance. Like a snake, his braided chain lashed out at Ricoshade and coiled around the bat's neck, sending all of the pent-up electricity into the winged rodent's body.
"Now that I have you where I want you," Feng said coldly as he whipped his head around to send Ricoshade sprawling behind him. "I would like you to answer a question: who created you?"
"…you sure have a very unfriendly way of asking people questions, amigo," Ricoshade was still shaking from the electrocution as he got back up onto his feet. "I will not tell you anything: maybe if you had said please and thank you, it might have been different."
"…I see," Feng Wei put his fist in front of him and gently placed it in his other hand as he bowed his head. "Forgive my rudeness. I have another request to make…"
"And just what is that?"
"…please die now."
As Feng requested the bat's demise, his hand began to glow a bright orange and once again took calm steps towards Ricoshade. Ricoshade growled from the bottom of his throat and lifted his guitar high in the air. "I am sorry, amigo, but I would need you to go ahead of me!" The bat screeched and ran towards Feng Wei with his guitar raised. However, just as the instrument was about to come down on Feng's head, the Chinese martial artist ducked under the horizontal swing and shot out his glowing hand right into the bat's chest.
Time stood still for a few seconds while Feng's white-hot palm remained on his chest while Ricoshade dropped his guitar. The hairs on the bat's chest sizzled and burned during that awful silence, until Feng finally broke the quiet atmosphere by shouting, "Behold…my Hand of Judgement!"
A glowing fissure appeared on Ricoshade's chest where he had been struck, and it slowly began to spread across the rest of his body, creating bigger and larger fissures. In mere seconds the fissures had appeared all across the Capoeria Bat. "You really know how to crack people up, amigo," The bat shouted as he knew that death was quickly approaching him. "I'll be sure to give you an encore when I see you in hell!" Once he said that, Ricoshade exploded into front of Feng Wei in a massive red fireball. As the dust faded, Feng gently lowered his hand and looked around. There were still Lizard-men he would have to deal with…
…if not for the fact that all of the Lizard-men were either dead or unconscious, and standing among the field of bodies was a man dressed in royal blue spandex with plantium body armor that sported a sapphire jewel on the chest. The man's wrists and boots were the same color as the body armor, and blue gloves that were studded with golden spikes. Around his waist was a golden belt, bond together with a platinum buckle bearing the two kanji "Tekken." The man's face, and his entire head, was now covered with a round blue helmet, with only black visor with gold trim in front of the eyes allowing for sight. At the side of the visor on both sides was the number "3" written in gold.
"Well, that was quite a show you put on, guv," ShinkenBlue clapped his hands in applause as he stepped over the unconscious Lizard-men. "Lei Wulong gave you a second chance, and you're already doing your civic duty."
"…what do you want?" Feng said coldly while he turned away and proceded to leave.
"Oh come now, Feng," ShinkenBlue ignored the Chinese man's lack of pleasantries and proceded to follow him. "It's obvious that we're on the same side: if you wound up with one of those gadgets, then you're probably meant to help us."
"…don't be foolish."
ShinkenBlue blinked beneath his helmet as Feng said that without any sort of emotion. "Come again?"
"I said don't be foolish," Feng slowly turned his head around as he repeated what he had said earlier. "I don't want to work with you."
"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud," ShinkenBlue chuckled slightly as he walked over and grabbed Feng's shoulder. "Come on, I'll treat you to a few rounds at this nice little pub I-"
ShinkenBlue's sentence was interrupted as Feng grabbed his hand and tossed him over his shoulder. The Shinkenger fell flat on his back while Feng stomped on his chest. ShinkenBlue quickly rolled away and scrambled back onto his feet to catch his breath. "What do you think you're doing, mate?"
"I thought you were wiser than this, Steve Fox," Feng spat out as he assumed a fighting stance. "You assume that I am an ally simply because of my appearance? You don't know why I dispatched that creature or what I'm doing here…"
"Well you have me there, chum," Steve shook his head before performing a small boxing kata and assuming a fighting stance. "But if you want to stir up trouble, then I'll be happy to oblige!'
However, the instant that Steve blinked his eyes, Feng was already a mere two steps in front of him. No way, Steve thought as he controlled his surprise by throwing a powerful right hook, how did he get so fast? Unfortunately for Steve, Feng parried the punch while his sapphire diamond on his chest flashed. Feng shot out his blue-tinted palm at Steve, and from the blow came a thick sheet of ice that spread across Steve's body like a drop of dye would spread through clear water. Steve stuggled in vain to break free from his icy cage, as it eventually covered his entire body with the exception of his head. "…and just what do you think you're doing, mate?"
"The ice that you are sheathed in should only last for an hour," Feng answered with that same serious tone while he began to walk away. "When you break free, be sure to tell your comrades that it would be best to stay out of my way if they value their well-being. ShinkenBronze does not tolerate interference." The Chinese man stopped for a moment before turning his head and continuing. "Also, tell Asuka that I await our next bout with great anticipation."
----------
And then there were seven…
Just when I was starting to become accustomed to dealing with six Shinkengers, that Chinese buffoon garners up the audacity to barge in totally unexpectedly and unnecessarily under the guise of "ShinkenBronze." Fortunately for me, his ulterior motives for donning the costume made him just as much of an enemy of the Shinkengers as he was for me. Obviously, I was unaware of exactly what these ulterior motives happened to be at that time.
However, it would make little difference in the long run. He was certain to become yet another thorn in my side, so drastic measures would have to be taken.
While the Lizard-men were having their fun, I spent most of the day tirelessly hacking into Interpol records involving the other six Shinkengers. This data not only included fingerprints and birth certificates, but also hospital and psychiatric records. My next plan to stop the Shinkengers would involve creating a rift between them. In order to do so, however, I would have to know what made them tick.
Once I had felt that I had gathered enough information, I proceded to create yet another creature. This one would be far different from the ones that had come before it, as it did not know any martial art nor have the ability to speak…at least, not right away. I began work on my creation shortly after I had eaten a decent meal, and I completed the creation shortly after dusk.
My creature did not have any distinguishable features: it was, simply put, a dark blue gelatinous blob. It moaned and slithered as it stuggled to maintain a constant form, bearing a more-than-slight resemblance to the title character of a certain classic horror film.
"What is it?" Astaroth had said when he first laid eyes on the creature. "It looks like a glob of clay."
"A very accurate description, Astaroth," I replied while I watched the nameless blob continue to squirm. "Like any ball of clay, he or she will be ours to mold to our liking. Fortunately for us, I know just what to shape it into." That being said, I pull a small test tube out of my pocket. The tube's liquid contents glowed bright neon green, pulsating with the evil power that I would soon give to the clay.
"Astaroth," I continued as I carefully removed the rubber stopper and carefully spilt two drops of liquid onto the pale blue blob that continued to move around. "Did I ever tell you that my son happens to be ShinkenRed?"
"WHAT!?" Astaroth raised his white eyes in surprise. "I thought I noticed a resemblance between you two!"
"Seven years ago, ShinkenRed's mother was believed to have been killed by a legendary beast called Toshin, the God of Fighting. For the four years following the incident where he believed her murdered, Jin was consumed with rage and hate, and this was when his Devilish powers began to sprout. What we witnessed via satellite during the Shamutori incident was, in truth, that same power. For a time, I desired to reclaim this power that he inherited from my genes. However, that time has passed… for the moment."
A few seconds after I dropped the green liquid on its body, the blob squealed and began to pulsate rapidly. It started to rise like a loaf of bread as its physical structure reacted to the liquid, just as I knew it would. Once it had risen to around eight feet in height, the creature slowly an inexorably grew arms and legs. "The resulting battle between my son and Toshin resulted in the latter's apparent demise. The liquid I have given this creature is in truth the blood of the God of Fighting."
"I see," Astaroth stroked his chin thoughtfully, as he seemed to have a good understanding of my plan…until he said something monumentally stupid, "…so you have a wife."
"First of all, she's not my wife," I snapped back as my patience wore thin. "Second, that is not the point. The point is that this creature can mimic the generic structure of any organic or inorganic material it touches, including sweat and blood," As I spoke, the creature finally began to take on the appearance that I had hoped it would assume. Its mid-section was clothed in a gray loin cloth that was protected by a piece of silver armor. Shoulder and knee pads of the same cover clung to its joints, and stone armguards were buckled onto its wrists. The rest of its near-bare body was a deep shade of navy blue, its dark red hair flowing freely from its exotic silver hat. When its glowing crimson eyes found its way towards the golem standing next to me, I completed my sentence.
"Astaroth…meet the Doppelganger, also known as 'False Ogre.'"