GILL'S REVENGE

A fanfic by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Street Fighter and all characters therein are trademarks of Nintendo and Capcom.)

CHAPTER 19

GILL'S CASTLE, FLYING OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

"Are you truly going to fight on Rose's behalf? Such sentimentality...and such idiocy," Gill chuckled.

"How...how could you, Gill? She was your DAUGHTER!" Ryu snapped.

"It was her decision to remain disloyal to me, warrior...and she suffered the consequences for it," said Gill. "Of course, I cannot expect you to understand, what with your foolish notions of justice. But no matter now - once I rule this world, none of that will matter anymore. You saw what I did with Vega, did you not? I can do the same with Rose, and bring her back to life if I choose. Then, she will serve only me. And that can also be done with any Street Fighter, for that matter."

"You won't get that chance! Not one more soul will suffer because of you!" Ryu yelled, standing in his fighting stance. "Now, you're going to pay for everything you've done! Rolento, Vega and Urien have been defeated...now you're the only one left!"

Gill smirked. "Try me."

Ryu ran forward, uttering a fierce battle scream. At the same time, Gill did likewise, roaring in defiance. Upon reaching each other, they both began to throw a volley of punches and kicks at each other. They blocked and dodged each other's attacks, but neither of the two was actually hitting the other - yet. Their attacks soon became so fast, that to the casual observer's eye, all that would have been seen would be short flashes of movement.

At length they jumped away from each other. The two warriors then dived at each other again, jumping all about the room at blinding speed for several minutes. As each dodged away from the other, each delivered missed punches and kicks that fairly left impressions in the walls and floor. Finally they came straight at each other, connecting to each other with a punch to the face that sent both men flying back.

Gill got up, rubbing his bruised cheek, and smiled. "Well done, Ryu," he said. "You have certainly gotten better since the last time we fought, two years ago. But now the true fight begins!"

With that he began to charge up his left arm, the red arm, with fiery energy. Forming it into a ball, he then hurled it at Ryu, who ducked aside. Gill quickly formed a ball of ice in his right arm, the blue arm, and hurled it at his foe. This time, Ryu countered it with a Hadoken blast that practically sent ice splinters flying everywhere. But he was not prepared for when Gill immediately charged forward and delivered a rising uppercut with his left fist, hitting him right in the gut. As Ryu doubled over from the impact of the blow, a sudden blast of fiery chi sent him flying even further back, his gi jacket ablaze. Upon realizing this, he quickly tore it off and flung it aside as it continued to burn.

Gill laughed. "That's the power of my Cyber Lariat!" he announced. "Two hits for the price of one - and the second unleashes my chi directly into my foes!"

Ryu rubbed the areas on his torso where he'd gotten scorched. "That was very clever, catching me off-guard with that attack," he remarked. "But you won't be able to do it again!"

He jumped high into the air, almost touching the ceiling, then came down spinning in his Hurricane Kick. To his horror, Gill just squatted for a second, then came charging up at him headfirst, hitting him in the leg hard. Ryu grunted in pain as he fell to the floor, while Gill landed neatly and ran a hand through his locks.

"Aerial attacks won't work on me, warrior!" said Gill. "You'll have to do better than that if you want to hit me!"

Ryu got up gingerly, looking at Gill out of hateful eyes. Summoning his energy once again, he concentrated it all into his hands and held onto it for a moment. "DENJIN HADOKEN!" he yelled as he released the massive fireball at Gill. Please let it be enough...please let it be enough...

To Ryu's surprise, Gill jumped clear over the immense fireball, then came homing in on him with an outstretched knee. Unprepared, Ryu took the knee straight in the face, knocking him back. Gill then kicked at Ryu's torso repeatedly, still airborne; finally, landing on one foot, he did a series of roundhouse kicks that ended with a massive thrust-kick to the chest, knocking Ryu even farther back and causing him to topple over.

Ryu attempted an uppercut, but Gill merely caught his fist in his own right hand, using his chi to call upon freezing energy to numb Ryu's hand. As Ryu grimaced in pain, Gill then charged up fiery energy in his left fist and ice energy in his right, and rained blow after blow down on him. On the final blow, Gill came forward with a nasty uppercut that hit Ryu in the chest – HARD – and sent him flying back a little ways.

Ryu gagged and held his chest, spitting blood. Gill, standing over him, laughed out loud. "Can this truly be the Ryu who halted my plans two years ago? I barely recognize you now. Truly you have become even more pitiful than I realized. Now, come and meet your end - it awaits you."

With that, Gill jumped back a few feet, then immediately began to charge energy in both his hands. Cupping them together, he charged up even more energy as the ball of pure chi in his hands began to grow. As Ryu slowly stood up, dazed, Gill's energy ball began to materialize into fire mixed with ice particles. He then lifted both hands to heaven, and in that instant the roof above them exploded as he fired his energy blast upward.

"Now! Witness the beginning of your destruction!" yelled Gill.

Still holding both hands to heaven, he charged them with energy once again. As Ryu involuntarily looked up, he saw several small hailstones of red and blue, several miles into the sky but closing in fast. Immediately the warrior realized what this attack was. The Meteor Storm, Gill's ultimate attack.

Oh, man...looks like this could be it...I've barely the strength to stand right now, and I don't think I've got the energy to dodge or counter that attack...and I can't block it, either... He closed his eyes, awaiting the attack. This is it...I'm finished...

"Why do you just stand there, waiting for death?"

Ryu's eyes opened wide at the sound of a new, and strangely familiar, aged voice speaking to him. "Wha ? Could it be...?" He looked up before him, and saw an elderly man in a karate gi similar to his own, except the sleeves were intact. The man had a beard and no hair on his head, and his eyes were filled with a deep sense of concern. "Master Gouken!"

"Concentrate, Ryu-san," Gouken's voice had a certain quality to it. "You made a promise to the girl, did you not, that you would survive this battle? And now you're going to break that promise? That is not how I trained you!"

"But, Sensei...I don't have anything left. I don't even have the strength to fight back..."

In front of him, Gill could see Ryu seemingly talking to himself. "What? Have you been so frightened that you've gone mad!"

Ryu paid no attention to him, but to the figure immediately in front of him as the older man addressed him again. "All is not lost, Ryu-san," said Gouken. "There are still many techniques in the Ansatsuken Karate school that you have not yet unlocked within yourself..."

"But, Sensei, those techniques are used by Akuma! If I use them now, I will only be submitting to Satsui no Hado! I don't want to end up like that!" Ryu exclaimed.

"Ryu-san...I asked you and Ken-san to answer three questions a long time ago. 'What is the meaning of the fight? What is the meaning of victory? What is the purpose of the warrior's fist?' And, like the dedicated student you are, you have been on an endless journey to find the answers for yourself. Well, now is the time to stop wandering. Once you acknowledge the answers in your own soul...only then will you be fully able to unlock your true potential." Gouken's image began to fade.

"No, Sensei, wait! Don't leave me alone again!" Ryu cried, reaching out for his old mentor, but in vain.

"Ryu...there is something else you should know," Gouken's voice reached him. "When my own master created the Shun Goku Satsu, he secretly created a technique that would be a counter-measure to the deadly power he'd created. Once you find the answer to those three questions within yourself, you will be able to unlock this and other secrets that will unleash your true potential." And with that, the old Ansatsuken master was gone.

Gill was not impressed. "Humph. You really have gone mad...talking to yourself, indeed. Well, no matter - I'll just send you to your final resting place! Now DIE!" With that, he brought his hands back, then pulled them downward, releasing the massive energy of his Meteor Storm attack upon Ryu.

As Ryu watched the massive meteors coming at him fast, time seemed to freeze in his mind. What is the meaning of the fight? What is the meaning of victory? What is the purpose of the warrior's fist? The three questions hammered in the back of his mind. Then, like clockwork, all of the pieces slowly started falling together.

What is the meaning of the fight?

An image of the last couple of battles in his life flashed through his mind. Why do people fight? Images of rivals he'd had in times past flashed past his eyes. Sagat...M. Bison...Ken...Chun Li...Akuma. Some of those he'd faced fought for power, others for glory, and some fought for honor. But the image from the last fight stayed clear in his mind - that of Ken fighting Urien to save Mel. Why should we fight? Why should an Ansatsuken student fight?

As he thought about all of this, the answer became clear. To protect others...to protect the innocent...and not to fight for any selfish reasons...to always have friends and loved ones in mind when I fight...all this time I have never once thought about fighting to protect others, even though on several occasions I have ended up doing so because it was necessary...now I understand that it should not be a necessity, but a choice...a choice one should be happy to make...

And with this, the answer to the second question became clear. True victory is achieved only when one has defeated all selfish notions in oneself in order to fight for others. Once that concept is etched into your mind, the battle is won even before it has begun.

And now Ryu suddenly felt a burst of power rising from within him as he discovered the answers to these two questions. And with that power came new knowledge.

As the balls of flame and ice were almost close enough to hit him, Ryu suddenly seemed to disappear. Gill, able to see ahead through the blinding force of his attack, was shocked. "What! Where'd he go!" he cried out in bewilderment. He watched as the attack exploded into the wall and floor, scattering stone fragments everywhere. He then peered into the smoke for any sign of a body, but saw nothing. "What just happened? Were my eyes deceiving me?"

He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he received a full-fledged punch to the face. Reeling in surprise and pain, Gill then got a second punch, this one to the gut. Bending over, he had no time to react as Ryu jumped into the air and unleashed two massive fireballs upon him, one from each hand, and he took the full force of both blows, knocking him down to the floor. Then, as Ryu landed, he quickly performed the Shinkuu Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, spinning rapidly in one spot while turning with the speed and force of a tornado. Gill got sucked into the vortex and got kicked in the face repeatedly; finally, as he stood there, swaying with dizziness, Ryu sent another punch to the gut, even more powerful than the first, then finished immediately with a Shoryuken that knocked Gill to the other side of the room, sending him into the wall with a crash.

Gill got up, his face all bloody. "What...the hell...just happened!" he asked in bewilderment.

Ryu fixed the position of his headband on his forehead correctly. "Just now, Gill," he said quietly, "as I faced death by your onslaught, I finally understood something my master taught me many years ago. He taught me that to fight for the sake of others is not a burden, it's a blessing. Of course, I never fully understood it until just now, when I suddenly remembered why my comrades were fighting. For honor. For family. And for love."

"..." Stunned, but still listening.

"By fully understanding those reasons for fighting," Ryu went on, "I became even more aware of my own fight against the evil energy present within me for the last twenty years. I realized that by fighting for the sake of those I care about, the chances of me surrendering to the evil inside me became less and less. Thus, I was able to unlock two new techniques. The Ashura Senkuu, with which I was able to safely teleport out of the way of your Meteor Storm, and the Arashi Hadoken, or Storm Surge Fireball, the aerial attack I pulled on you just now. I merely used them in combination with my Super Hurricane Kick and my Shin Shoryuken, the move that defeated you two years ago." Ryu looked levelly at Gill. "Face it, monster: your days of terror are now over."

Gill chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, but my good man, I beg to differ. You see, there are still a few things I have yet to show you." With that, to Ryu's surprise, he began to levitate. "I have learned much in the last two years," he went on, as his body glowed with a mysterious purple aura, "and I have integrated my energies into one sharp focus, pushing myself to the limit!" A sharp blast of purple light suddenly emanated from Gill, so sharp that Ryu had to cover his eyes; when it subsided, Gill was back on the ground, completely rejuvenated!

"Surely you remember my Resurrection technique?" Gill asked. "As you can see for yourself, warrior, I have restored my body to full health, and now I'm really going to fight. And another thing..." Purple energy seemed to suddenly emanate from his entire body, and Ryu could feel Gill's power level growing stronger and stronger. No - this isn't happening!

"What I gave you just now was only a sample of my power," said Gill, in a voice as cold as the grave. "And what I gave you two years ago wasn't even one quarter of my full strength. But now...now that I have seen your true potential...mark my words, I will NOT be holding back on my power any longer. As of this moment, you will see me at full strength...you will witness true power at its finest...and I will have my revenge for the disgrace you dished out to me so long ago...now, prepare to kiss your ass goodbye!"

Howling, Gill raised his hands to the sky, and immediately the entire room exploded with the force of his chi. Looking around, Ryu realized - He wasn't kidding about showing me his true potential...so this is the true strength of the man called Gill!

"Whew...that's the last of them, thank God," said Cammy.

"Yeah," said Ibuki, holding on tightly to two bloodstained daggers. All around the five warriors lay the scattered bodies of unconscious or dead soldiers. The five were standing straggling-like, back-to-back.

"Well...at least now we can take a rest or something..." Guy paused suddenly, cocking his head to one side. "Hey. Do you guys sense that?"

"Sense what?" asked Cody. "Hey, wait - I can feel it! A very powerful, evil energy coming from above us..."

"And at the same time another energy source, battling the evil energy," Alex confirmed.

"I'd know that evil energy anywhere," said Ibuki. "It belongs to that maniac, Gill. And that other energy...it belongs to that Japanese wanderer guy..."

"Ryu's fighting Gill! Come on, we gotta go see this!" Alex sprinted off, and the others hurried to catch up with him.

"Spinning Bird Kick!" Chun Li turned upside down and split her legs, spinning like a top as she kicked out at the enemies. Then, as she righted herself again - "Hey! Do you guys feel that?"

Ken kicked a soldier away, then looked up. "Yeah - that energy, so powerful and so evil...it must be Gill!"

"Oh, crap!" Guile spat. "With all these guys swarming around us, by the time we're finished with them we'll be too worn out to help Ryu!"

"Well, Guile, worn-out hands are better than none at all," said Ken.

"You boys can do whatever you want - I'M not stopping anytime soon," said Chun Li. "Not while Ryu's in danger and needs our help! I'll do whatever I can to assist him in battle, even if it's not much!" With that she turned and delivered a powerful uppercut to one soldier's chest, the force of the blow sending him flying into his comrades.

"Well, I know what I'm going to do!" said Ken, and with a flourish he snatched Mel up and hoisted him on his back. "Hang on, son! We're going roughhouse jogging!" and with that he barreled through some of the remaining soldiers and sped up the stairs nearby.

"Hey, no fair! Wait for us!" Chun Li and Guile knocked away some of the opposition and turned to run after their teammate, hoping to catch up before it became too late to help or save Ryu.