Disclaimer: See previous chapters
Chap. 41
"Haaaaaa!"
With a battle cry, the two young warriors charged at the glowing form of Bison. Bison simply stood still as they came as they came and attacked. Mel jumped in first, flying through the air with a flying kick. Bison tilted off to the side, letting Mel flying by his head. Meanwhile Shinji charged in low and launched a fist toward Bison's gut. Bison shot his palm out and deflected the blow, but Shinji used the momentum to twist around with a spin kick. Bison caught his leg in mid-flight and flung him aside, hurling him to the ground. But as he did so, Mel came in from behind and shot his knee in. Bison detected the move though and while he tossed Shinji aside, he continued to rotate and smash his fist into Mel's face, flooring him as he came.
"Ha! Amateurs!"
But as Mel was hit, the flying Shinji had rolled over the ground and then sprang to his feet. Without a moment of hesitation, Shinji jumped up at attacked Bison again. Bison was a bit surprised by his sudden recovery, but it was only momentary. Turning back to the lunging kid, he flailed his leg out in a roundhouse kick. In a quick response, Shinji put his hands out and tapped the leg just before it could hit, causing him to flip over it and drop his heel down. Bison blocked the attack with his elbow and then shot both arms up, grabbing Shinji around the waist and holding him up.
"Shinji!"
Mel shot up from the floor just beneath Bison to stop him, but with a grin, Bison dropped Shinji right on Mel, slamming them both to the ground. The two bodies collided and slammed right back into the floor and Bison kicked both of of them across, sending them sprawling across.
"How pathetic. You really think you can be a match against me! Ha!"
The two youths lifted themselves up from the ground, groaning in pain, but settling into their collective stances. Bison looked on in disgust.
"Heroic fools. Very well. I will prolong your suffering for as long as possible. And then I will snuff you lives out."
Nearby, Guy and Ibuki continued to square off. Guy was being extremely cautious as he attacked and defended. Unlike many of the opponents he had fought in the past, he couldn't simply propel into the fight and defeat Ibuki simply with quick and powerful strikes. Psycho powers aside, she was too dangerous to use that kind of fighting on. He had to time his attacks correctly and effectively, otherwise she would cripple him. And he couldn't afford that.
His attention to the battle returned when Ibuki slammed a fist into her palm. The fist shimmered and then shone in a deep purple fire. Fully ignited, Ibuki suddenly dashed at Guy, with the burning fist held back ready to strike. Guy stepped back in a defensive stance and awaited her approach. The technique she had initiated was a death-dealing blow, so he had to time it right. 'Though...it's strange that she would use such a maneuver so soon.' Nevertheless, she was still coming at him and he had to anticipate where he strike would go. Logically, it would be the mid-section, since that is were such a move would strike to take effect. However, he didn't know enough of Ibuki's technique to know for sure. He had only been fighting her for a few minutes and that not nearly enough time to learn her fighting style, more or less how it worked. He was only familiar with it and knew how to battle it.
'I have to guess right.'
Ibuki closed in and Guy bent his knees. Then when she reached a centimeter away from him, she vanished. Guy ducked lower and suddenly stepped back and shot his leg off to left. Ibuki appeared in the place his kick lash out and she was hit in the shoulder. However, she continued in with her attack, much to Guy's surprise, and struck the same leg that kicked her. The two bodies fell away from each other and Guy found himself kneeling on the ground. 'She forced herself through my attack...just to hit me?' In doing that, his attack had managed to dislocate her shoulder and seeing the way she lifted herself up, he saw it was true. 'Then why...?' His answer came as he moved to rise, only finding that his leg wouldn't respond. The scorching mark on his leg showed the impact of her attack, causing him to realize why she continued on. He struggled again to rise and halfway succeeded, standing up slightly, but still not being able to use his leg properly.
'It could have been worse. At least she's damaged at well.'
That was until she lifted her sole arm to her shoulder and yanked on it, making a loud crack. She the lifted it flexibly, showing that she could now fight with it again. Guy grimaced.
'This may take time. Time I don't have.'
Reaching up from the crevice, Sean hauled himself up and over the cracked ground, with Elena slung over his shoulder as he did. With soldiers still in guard up front, Sean had to sneak around toward the back and climb up the rocks. Normally that wouldn't have been so difficult, but with Elena, it was tough. Nevertheless, he did so and made it up undetected. Lifting up, he continued to carry Elena, who was still unconscious from her ordeal. Sean looked down at her as he walked; worried and hoping that whatever it was that was done to her didn't do any serious damage. He reached a grassy area a distance away when he stopped. His eyes were wide as he turned around. The ground was trembling lightly beneath him, but that wasn't it.
'Wow. I've never felt...such a concentration of ki before.' The skies above the crevice were glowing lightly in rainbow-like colors.
'This could be dangerous.'
He didn't know what it meant, but he could just feel that something bad will happen if it continues. The trembling grounds were just the start. He had to get back to Kairi and Sakura fast. He didn't want to leave Elena behind, but he had promised to return if able. And Elena was as safe here as anywhere else on this...island. Placing the African woman by a tree stump, he gently brushed her bangs away and planted a light kiss on her forehead.
'Elena...I'll be back. I promise.'
But first, he had to fulfill his first promise. Standing up, he dashed back to the crevice and the base within, not thinking for a moment that it was insane.
"Come on, wake up."
Ken stood over Dee Jay after pulling him out of the status chamber. He had managed to get a few out of the chambers since they were already open. Waking them out however was another story as it seemed that they were drugged somehow. Right now, the Jamaican street fighter was reviving, but slowly and with his eyes rolling over a couple of times. Ken continued to shake him when he ducked his head down suddenly. A leg had swooped over and Ken kicked back on the attacking soldier, knocking him to the ground. Standing up, he saw a group of shadow soldiers beginning to advance on him.
"I really don't have time for this."
Ken charged at them, surprising them all and causing them to stop for a brief moment. But a moment was all Ken need at he propelled himself through the air and smash his fist into the first one he reached. Stepping down, he lashed out with a wicked roundhouse kick and followed up with another back kick, taking two out and causing the few behind them to stumble from them. With the extra room now, Ken was now ready to take them all on, save for one problem.
"Gh!"
Ken staggered a bit to the side, wincing in pain. He was still injured and fatigued from his fight against Shadowgeist. 'Just what I don't need.' He held his stance still, but it was a bluff. He hoped that his earlier display was enough to scare these guys away. But that wasn't the case as they began to encircle him cautiously.
"Target confirmed."
Turning around, Ken saw the soldiers' part aside and a massive frame of a man step in before him. And at seeing whom it was, Ken's chances seemed to drop rapidly.
"Alex?"
The massive fighter towered over Ken, his eyes now a clear purple color, with no show of emotion in them. Ken tightened his fists, remembering how tough a fighter he was before in the third Street Fighter tournament. That ended with a draw and both fighters had to separate to different fighters. But this wasn't a tournament and there would be no ties.
"Engaging battle mode."
As chaos ensued through the complex, Juni stealthily made her way through the halls, evading what little security forces there were. As she continued on, she suddenly froze. 'What...? There it is, again. That...energy...' It was trace energy, but it was more than enough to make her blood run cold. Hesitantly, she moved toward the source and found a holding area. A single body was laid out on the ground in the semi-devastated area. The figure was barely moving, but he was easily recognizable to her.
'Colonel...'
She quickly rushed over to him, ignoring the dread energy that seemed to linger around the area. Bending down, she turned him over upright. He was scorched and burned on various parts of his body, but still alive.
"Colonel Guile."
Guile's eyes opened as well as his mouth with a light gasp. His eyes rolled as he looked up at the light-haired woman. "Guhh... Who...?"
Guile began to try and sit up, but Juni held him down to prevent him from rising too quickly. "Not too fast, colonel."
His eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to focus, ultimately seeing the figure that was helping him up. "What are you doing here?"
"Rescuing you and the other prisoners." she answered mildly. She shuffled him up to his feet. "We must go."
"He's alive..."
"What?"
Guile worked to steady his legs, repeating what he muttered earlier. "He's...alive. Bison."
Juni froze, now realizing the dread energy she had been feeling. Guile staggered a bit, causing Juni to hold him on his feet. "We have to stop him..." he said determinedly.
He began to push away from Juni, but wound up falling down again. Juni shook her head and proceed to help him up again. "You're in no shape to fight. We must leave this place."
Guile grimaced as he began to protest, but the truth of the matter was that she was right. Bison had given him quite a beating and he was fortunate that he was even still alive. Walking was difficult as it is, so fighting was definitely out of the question. Even at full strength, he was no match Bison. That was probably the most difficult thing to swallow. But his body had taken a beating. It seemed that his pride would follow.
"Fine."
The ninja fight continued, with each employing every technique in their art to take the other down only to be countered by some other tactic. Guy was beginning to wear out from the fighting and although he was sure that Ibuki was just as worn, her continual fighting showed otherwise. 'Is Psycho Power really giving her that much strength?' No. More than likely, it must be her programming. Even if she was tired, she would complete her objective which currently was to kill him. To that end, she would do everything she could to fulfill that. And Guy had to do no less.
'But can I?'
Perhaps it was this question that made him feel as tired as he was now. He had to dispel it. As a Bushin warrior, he couldn't have doubts in him. That would lead to certain death. Lives were depending on him, most importantly the young girl who was lying unconscious on the floor behind him. 'Cori...' Closing his eyes briefly, he flashed them open with a cold glare and sprang at her with all swiftness. If Ibuki was surprised by this change in attacks, she didn't show it as she mimicked his moved and came at her. Guy was charging in blindly though. He had a plan to utilize. Halfway across the grounds, he propelled himself in the air, spinning like a wheel. Ibuki continued on as he spun and slid on the ground as he neared her. But that didn't matter as Guy stopped and shot his elbow downward, straight at the sliding konochi. But she too managed to halt her movement by placing her hands into the ground and wheeling her way out of the elbow drop. With Guy exposed, Ibuki reared her arm back and unsheathed three kunai in her sleeve.
"Yami Shigure."
With a surge of ki, she flung them at Guy almost invisibly. But the Bushin had detected them just enough for him cartwheel aside and allow the daggers to miss him. With her now open again, Guy dashed at her and slid on the floor, foot outstretched. Ibuki somersaulted into the air and landed behind him. With her leg, she suddenly slashed out with a deadly kick. Guy blocked it (painfully) and she came again in rapidly succession and then followed that one up with a sweep, equally as fast. Guy was tripped and crashed on the floor, but shot up the moment he saw her strike down at his head to finish him. She was open again, and too close to miss with this technique.
"Bushin Senpuu Kyaku!"
The spinning kicks slapped across Ibuki's body and she was propelled into the air before being flung away by the after-force. Guy landed and so did she, albeit a bit slowly. Guy felt a little relieved, glad that he managed to score a critical blow. But that didn't stop her from charging at him once again. Guy began to rear his arm back and stop when he recognized what she was doing. 'She's going to warp on me again.' And true to his thought, her body flashed and disappeared when she came close to him. Guy simply closed his eyes and stood up straight from his stance, using his senses to feel out Ibuki's presence and if hopefully, her re-emergence. He had to. If not, she would kill him in this blow. Time slowed for the Bushin as he continued to feel her out, trying to determine where she will strike.
'There!'
Guy swiftly ducked low and struck out with a underhand chop, hitting the materialized Ibuki in the abdomen. A stunned expression was now on her face after being caught by the blow and he shuffled backward in pain. But Guy knew that wouldn't be enough. If he was to finish her, it had to be now or never. And the only way was...
Bushin Musou Renge...
It was his most deadly of arts, one that would kill a person no matter how strong they were. Rearing his arm back, he focused in on the art, summoning it into his whole body. Ibuki was beginning to recover; it had to be now. He didn't want to kill her, but it appeared that the choice wasn't his to give.
'I'm sorry, child...'
"Hiyyaaaaahhhh!"
The two youth charged in at Bison together in outcry. In unison, they leaped into the air and launched out with flying kicks. Bison simply awaited for them to come in close before sidestepping out of the way, letting them fly on past. The boys continued to soar on, touching the ground and then rebounding back at him. Bison turned to see them charging at him again in unison, with punches this time. Unable to dodge them, Bison crossed his arms in defense and was surprised by the force of the combined blows. Though it didn't knock him down, it did create a shockwave around them. Plus, he felt it. Weakness in arms, strain of force and most of all...
Pain...
In this realization, his rage ignited, causing his usual grin to become a frown of malice. Separating both arms, he shot his fists out simultaneously, hitting both warriors in their faces. The two of them hit the floor, but managed to roll backward and spring to their feet. Needless to say, Bison was less than pleased.
"You ingrates just don't know when to quit, do you!"
Their only answer was another unison charge against him. Shinji and Mel had long realized that they couldn't defeat this menace on their own and were now fighting as a single unit, almost as if they were one warrior. And they'd realized something else, something that Bison had forgotten.
His powers were limited...
As they continued to battle on, Bison slapped them, tossed them, and hurled them aside in various areas. Yet they continued to get up and press on, weakening Bison with their continual attacks. At had gone to the point where even Bison began to notice his weakening state. Summoning his full power was proving to be a mistake, as the energy was becoming more and more strenuous to hold to. Plus, he had spent the initial part of his fight in defense, slapping the youths aside in an effort to embarrass them into seeing their futility. But they continued to charge at him with seemingly endless energy and always together at once.
"Kaaaaa!"
The two charged in with blows heading for the midsection of Bison, to which he warped out of the way and reappeared behind. Irritated at being on the defensive, he decided to change tactics and lashed out in a powerful kick. They turned around to see it, but it was Mel who was caught as the kick was heading for him. Mel spiraled down to the ground behind, leaving Shinji alone.
"Mel!"
The grin on Bison returned. "One down."
His fist glowered and launched straight at Shinji. Shinji recovered from his partner's fall with enough time to defend against Bison's blow. Bison quickly followed up with a swift knee, hitting Shinji's chin and sending him backward. As Shinji faltered back dazed and Bison decided to take advantage of that by placing his fist forward, holding it upward with his other hand.
"Kyah!"
A black bolt flashed out and flew at Shinji like a dark fireball. Shinji recover just in time to see it coming, but not enough to do anything about it. A moment later, Shinji was flying through the air, body struck by the deadly energy and hitting the ground, next to Mel. Bison strode over to them slowly, wanting them to realize what was going to happen. They were going to die. No amount of fighting on their part could stop him from killing them. And he would do it slowly and painfully. As Shinji looked over to Mel, their eye met, mirroring the same thought.
'Now!'
The two suddenly sprang up to their feet, catching Bison completely off-guard. Their hands collected together and they summoned the collective energy of their art.
"Hadoken!"
The sphere's combined together and swooped straight at him. In reflex, Bison crossed his arms and warped, letting the projectile to swoop past and demolish the wall, inadvertently creating a shock that floored Ibuki. The stunned konochi was hit by the falling debris and rendered unconscious. Guy relinquished his form and rushed over to her, glad for the boys' intervention, accidental or not. As Guy examined her, Bison materialized to another part of the chamber, face distorted in pain and anger. His body was no longer glowing brilliantly and only a dim light remained around him.
"Shinji, it worked."
"Yes. We can stop him if we continue."
Bison snarled, enraged for letting these two...children get the better of him in a fight. So much so that the dim glow around him seemed to express that rage by flaring up brightly again. Their eyes wide, Shinji and Mel took a step back as they felt the deadly energy swarm in him.
"Whoa, what a ki!"
"Oh no. Not again!"
"Yes again! NOW DIE! PSYCHO CRUSHER!"
