Let's do this. Quick and clean. Two fights, go home. You'll notice a great difference between the two fights, but you'll also notice a theme tying them together! If you spot this theme, please post it in your review (you're gonna review, right?) and I will reward you with root beer. Tons and tons of root beer. Imagine me pouring it into your mouth. Taste the sweet, frothy nectar.
Enjoy the fights.
OPENING ROUND FIGHT 19: LI XIANGFEI VS HOTARU FUTABA
A high kick from Hotaru, reaching nearly the girl's own forehead. She pressed on with a forward palm, a reverse palm... her strikes looked the epitome of dainty and gentle, a reflection of her compassionate and earnest soul.
Xiangfei parried the strikes as they came, firing back with a closed fist; Hotaru stopped the wrist with the ridge of her hand, and spun Li's strike off-course, spinning around and attempting a counter backfist, which only connected on Xiangfei's defensive palm.
Xiangfei, more power-oriented, took a deep step and thrust BOTH fists simultaneously; Hotaru took a low stance to dodge it, and came forward with a double palm in response, the mid strike sinking into Xiangfei's stomach... and disturbing the hearty breakfast she'd devoured.
She looked over at the stands... he was still there.
Hotaru came forward, dancing beautifully; a near perfect sweep kick traced a circle in the dirt, a second one following when the first missed. Xiangfei's footwork was too elusive to get caught, as she stepped back and then shot forward with a combination: an open palm high, followed by a closed fist mid. Hotaru's hand speed proved exceptional, brushing aside the aggressive attacks with elegant strokes.
Desperate for a clean hit to even the match, Xiangfei launched a high kick... she suddenly dipped low, spinning around with a fist! She was almost certain when Hotaru brought both hands up to block the kick, Li could catch her to the lower body...
Hotaru proved her wrong. Aesthetic perfection in every move, her knees bent as she extended her arms like a majestic crane's wings, one hand dipping low to absorb the punch, while the other hand rested north above her head. Quick as her defense was, so too was her switch to offense; she rolled the punch away and smoothly flapped those "wings", catching Xiangfei two-fold, across the chin and to the face. She swung her arms through the air, as the next step of her swan-like dance, returning to a low stance and thrusting her palms upwards: as she hit, she manifested her sky blue chi, creating a point-blank explosion, blowing Xiangfei into a tumble across the ground.
She looked over at the stands... he was still there.
Xiangfei picked herself back up, more annoyed than hurt... though her midsection was flaring up rough. She needed... food! Yeah! Food always cured everything. Scarfing down a dumpling from her pants, she lightly dusted her hands off and returned to fighting stance, facing Hotaru with determined eyes... eyes that spoke of power, aggression, spunk.
Meanwhile, Hotaru's eyes looked back... passive, demure, a spirit that never desired to throw the first stone, or the first fist... not unless it was only in good nature, for fun and companionship. To hone the body, and to form bonds alongside the like-minded... that's what fighting was supposed to be.
Xiangfei charged at her, and dove into a frontflip! As her body went through the air, she flopped into a barrel roll; Hotaru was completely baffled by these unnecessary motions. She was too distracted to even see the attack come when it did; Xiangfei, back to her feet, stepped in with a fierce elbow thrust, putting the meek blue-haired girl on her backside.
"Oof!" her squeak wasn't supposed to be adorable, but she could hardly help it. As she leapt back up, dusting herself... her eyes immediately cut to the sidelines. She didn't care about her own well-being, the extent of her injuries or pain... she only cared what his eyes saw. Right now, she was rather embarrassed to be dropped in front of him like that. Not a second time... not while he was-
She yelped herself back to attention; Xiangfei was coming forward, fast and hard. A high front kick; Hotaru parried high. Xiangfei went mid with the palms; Hotaru blocked the left, but suffered the right. Xiangfei went high again, another kick! Hotaru barely had time to block it, but was still sent backwards. Focus... compose...
She took a deep breath, and calmly awaited Xiangfei's arrival. She thought the Chinese girl would throw a punch... but Xiangfei surprised, her, stepping in deep with a shoulder charge instead! Unprepared to avoid the funky attack, Hotaru took it on her chin and was sent stumbling into a disoriented dance... but she didn't go down.
Xiangfei was still coming. Hotaru decided to take the cost, and use her chi once more: a blue glow manifested in her palm as she flung out a quick fireball. Xiangfei was prepared; she stopped, took a deep step, thrust her own palms forward...a spherical blue ball of chi EXPLODED from her hands, vaporizing the fireball easily.
But before the Chinese girl even had time to be proud of herself... Hotaru was in her face.
"Wha?!"
A soft palm to her stomach, which hurt extra, thanks to the already accumulated blows... as Xiangfei tensed up, her face was wide open for a backhanded slap, knocking her in reverse. Hotaru kept the pressure on, going into a low stance and gliding her foot across the dirt to trip up Xiangfei's leg. She fluidly spun 180, kicking her other foot up behind her, in a weird 90 degree angle... but Xiangfei was up close, and the short range of that kick caught her on the chin with great success.
After taking four unanswered hits, Xiangfei was still standing... but only because Hotaru seemed to hit so soft. But as the girl gracefully pirouetted back around, her arms flowing through the air in two contrails to return to a forward stance... the fifth hit came, revealing her true capabilities.
"HaaaaaAHHHHHHHHH!" her body shot forward, encased in blue, as her chi focused into her feet, and she planted a flying kick into Xiangfei's stomach... embarrassingly, the dumpling Li ate a minute or two earlier came back up, all over the dirt. It was a lot of solid chunks; the girl didn't chew her food so much as stuff it down her gullet.
Hotaru transitioned almost too fast to spot. Rather than return to the ground, she used her foot's position in Xiangfei's stomach to kick off, into a backflip... Xiangfei was the recipient of another kick, from the other foot, and the two were airborne.
Hotaru controlled herself mid-flight, and the final extent of her explosive power was unleashed. Arms out at her sides, she began to spin... spin... spin...! Within seconds, she was a living turbine, producing a spiraling field of blue chi around her, that battered Xiangfei within its fierce suction.
The crowd was almost disappointed to see the blue light show end, as Hotaru landed fluently on both feet, giving a respectful bow to the crowd, eyes closed humbly... a few seconds later, Xiangfei's body hit the dirt.
WINNER: HOTARU FUTABA
"...Impressive. Truly impressive." Terry admired.
"The girl's really something, eh?" Ryo asked that rhetorical question. "And she looks like she couldn't make a baby cry."
"She's not just 'something'. That girl has true mastery of her chi." Terry analyzed deeper. "Her strikes look fragile, almost powerless... but it's economics. She knows exactly when to distrubute her chi and bring on the hurt. She doesn't even look tired! Her body and spirit are in perfect harmony... that was beautiful."
Ryo, with an awkward grin, rubbed his stubble and played it off. "Uhhhhhhh yeaaaaah... I saw all that too. Definitely. No doubt."
Hotaru walked over there and helped Xiangfei up, wisely avoiding the spot where the Chinese girl's snack came back up. "Are you alright, Xiangfei-san?"
Aching though she was, Xiangfei did have the strength to get back up. "Ooooog... I'm okay, but sheesh! Two years in a row now? This whole singles format just ain't for me, I guess."
Hotaru allowed a tiny smile to brighten her docile expression. "Perhaps we could be on a team sometime in the future~"
Xiangfei grinned wide, bits of food in her teeth. "If you'll have me!"
A bow and a soft giggle. "Of course~!"
As the paramedics came and took Xiangfei away, Hotaru was pleased to see Itokatsu come running back towards her. The furry yellow creature crawled up her leg like the ground was on fire, perching atop Hotaru's shoulder, where he felt he truly belonged.
"Tee hee! Did I do well, Itokatsu~?" Hotaru spoke in a babyish tone to him, as she nuzzled his little nose.
Her pet wasn't the only one coming to congratulate her; a new friend walked out there as well, one she had met in Castle Stronheim, and spent a therapeutic night with. The icy girl also had a smile, displaying the beauty that was too-often clouded lately by a troubled face.
"Thanks for keeping him for me, Kula-chan." Hotaru greeted, pulling Kula in for a hug. The ice girl returned the favor, arms finding her in response.
"You're welcome." Kula obliged.
"He won't stay with Gato, for whatever reason... sigh..."
As the two broke apart from their embrace, both eyes fell upon the man in question... still sitting there, sourness displayed in full, with his arms folded. But the fact that he was still there...
"You should go talk to him." Kula encouraged. "I bet he's impressed with your performance."
Hotaru's cheeks reddened. "D-do you think so? O-okay! I'll do my best!"
She uttered that last line with her fists by her cheeks, and the blue haired girl cut a path through the dirt, leaving a dust trail behind her... within moments, she was standing before him, bowing.
"G-Gato-oni... uhhhhhhhhh... I mean... Gato. Did I do well?"
Half-lidded eyes focused on her for only a moment... before his face looked away. But he did give one ounce of response: a slight tilt of his head, a partial nod.
Her face darkened more. "It seems we both had great victories! So... perhaps we could go somewhere and c-c-celebrate?"
His face cut slightly back in her direction, just enough for the corners of his eyes to peer... but an exhale from his nostrils later, and he looked back away. "Can't you celebrate with your friend?"
Hotaru's face immediately dropped; she was losing him! Oh, this was stupid to begin with... why did she even bother trying to-
...She looked over at Kula. The ice girl, from afar, gestured with a determined fist, to keep her going.
Hotaru Futaba found her courage... and looked back up. "NO! You, you... you never spend any time with me, Gato! Please! I feel very good after winning in front of all these people... and in front of you. So please... TAKE ME SOMEWHERE TO EAT! NOW!"
...As soon as the words passed, she let out the most pathetic whimper and looked away. Her face was so pink, her head could be confused for a gumball. This was it... she was dead. Buried. All her Earthly possessions left to Itokatsu-
...Her head shot back forward, when she heard the rustling of his shoes. He was... getting up? He was looking at her!
With a deep sigh, Gato stood up and spoke three little words: "Very well then."
Forgive Hotaru for the slightest questioning of her current reality. But it passed quickly, and was replaced by a warm confidence inside her, knowing that she... she actually did it! She got her brother to...!
"Th-thank you, Gato-onii-s...Gato!" she bowed to him. Her head subtly cut back towards Kula; the ice girl was smiling wide, flashing two thumbs up. Hotaru gave her two in response.
OPENING ROUND FIGHT 20: RYUJI YAMAZAKI VS SHEN WOO
"Ryuji! Hey! Ryuji!"
As Yamazaki was making his walkout, he heard Big loudly whispering his name. He looked over; sure enough, the bald guy was fiercely beckoning with his hand.
"Oh for shit almighty..." Yamazaki rolled his eyes. He was slowly getting tired of Big's constant shenanigans.
The thug, clad in black, covered in his favorite white mink coat, impatiently stomped over there to where Big was camped. "What?"
Big's head cut left. It cut right. He wrapped an arm around Yamazaki and pulled him in close. "I talked to the boys. You know... the bookies. They got you at 4-to-1 underdog."
A sarcastic grin. "You flatter me, Biggie Boo. What's the special occasion?"
A grin, equal in nastiness. "I spread a rumor that you've got a torn ACL. So make it a good show. Make me some money."
"Whatever." Yamazaki gave a half-committed response, and kept on walking. Big would've liked to get a better answer... but the man knew what he was getting, throwing in his lot with Yamazaki. With a shrug, he retreated to go enact his shady plans...
As Shen Woo awaited Yamazaki's arrival, he closed his eyes and muttered a prayer... not to any god, or demon, but simply to his fists. He held them up, close to his face, as he prayed only for the strength to crack jaws, split lips, to make his fists numb with the pleasurable impacts against human flesh and bone.
He was a brawler. Born. Until death. The fight was all that mattered. Well... money was pretty sweet too.
At last, Yamazaki arrived in the combat zone, grinning wide, his coat still hanging around his shoulders in the most impractical way. The two blondes stared each other down... equal in size, stature, aggression.
"Well well..." Yamazaki started. "Shen Woo, the Scourge of Shanghai. A man after my own heart." Yamazaki clutched his chest dramatically with those words.
Shen Woo let out a joking hiss from his lips. "You're pretty famous too, Ryuji. For a Japanese, you sure have made a name for yourself in MY sandbox. A lot of people are scared witless of you over there... but you're still not the most feared."
Ryuji's lips strained to widen the grin. "And who is?"
"Heh. You need your eyes checked, friend?" Shen Woo jabbed, as he cracked his knuckles.
Yamazaki's eyes narrowed, his smile maintained. "Hehehehehe... I hope you survive this fight, Shen Woo. We could get along famously. One big dumb asshole... to another."
FIGHT!
Yamazaki immediately started his usual routine: looking as little a threat as possible, his favorite right hand nestled in his pocket, his stance rather sloth-like, in the way he slouched, his face looking utterly relaxed and not engrossed in the moment whatsoever... and he still had yet to remove his white coat.
While most people would have erred with caution on the (probable) possibility of being tricked, Shen Woo walked forward with his fists brandished, with zero discretion. He knew Yamazaki would be limited to southpaw, and while Shen did prefer to fight orthodox, it would bring him equal pleasure to throw monstrous left hands and demolish that cackling joker.
Shen stepped in fast and started swinging: three heavy punches, a swift and explosive combination. Yamazaki's zany head movement avoided all three, and the thug backpedaled to a safe distance... the bastard was smiling, and beckoning with his free hand.
Shen was a bull seeing a red flag.
"GRRRR!" he rushed in headfirst, left arm cocked back to swing... Yamazaki snickered, and the next thing Shen saw was white. Before the blonde brawler could connect, the fur coat had shed free of Yamazaki's shoulders, fluttering directly into Shen's line of fire, clouding the man's vision and putting him in total disarray. He couldn't see, but he could feel a kick to his backside as he stumbled forward, indicating Yamazaki must have sidestepped him completely as he'd charged. Shen hit the ground, tangled up and wrestling with the piece of fabric. He could hear that infuriating cackling...
"Nggaah! Gaaaah! Grr!" Shen struggled to pull the coat free of his face and leap back up... as soon as his vision was restored, he was greeted with Yamazaki's fist crashing into him. To his credit, he didn't go back down immediately... but the next two hits floored him, as Yamazaki extended his shoe to stomp the man's ankle... as Shen toppled forward, a perfectly timed knee blasted his jaw, and sent him back the other way, to land flat on his back.
Yamazaki taunted his laid out foe, extending a thumb like Caesar, only to point it down, and give a shrill screech from his maniacal lungs.
Oh yeah... what was Big up to? He turned his attention away and looked over... what the hell was he doing in the stands? He was talking to someone, an audience member... they were arguing about something. That guy looked like...!
He resumed focus: damn, Shen was up faster than he thought! The brawler rushed in, throwing a combination... Yamazaki dodged them easily, but Shen stepped in and went to the body for the third one, landing flush. Yamazaki felt his insides jiggle like a water bed... he hit hard!
While he usually got off on pain, Yamazaki knew a well-timed shot could still shut his body down, and Shen wasn't stopping. As the man got close, Yamazaki stepped in and tied him up in a single-collar clinch, wrapping his free arm around the neck and pulling their bodies close.
...That didn't stop Shen. Distance be damned, the man continued to pound into Yamazaki's midsection, with short, punishing shots.
"Urgh! Ugh! Mmmm.. hehehehehehehe! Most people pay good money for this!" Yamazaki taunted his foe, even as Shen was pummeling his torso.
"Hrrrah! Haaah! You crazy... f***ing... bastard!" Shen growled out between punches.
After nailing Yamazaki's abdomen with seven straight blows, Shen realized the big man wasn't going down from it, and decided to conserve his energy, lest he burn his arms out. He quickly broke the clinch and shoved Yamazaki backwards, retreating himself in order to catch his wind.
Yamazaki took the opportunity to dart back towards the stands... Big was still flapping lips with that guy. Short, pudgy... sunglasses... dumb red tropical shirt and khaki shorts... no doubt, it was Cheng Sinzan, that moneygrubbing butterball. What were they talking about? They kept gesticulating with their fingers back and forth, like they were discussing some kind of rate. Guess it was too soon...
Shen charged back at him. Yamazaki threw a lazy kick; Shen Woo, still 100% focused on beating him to a pulp, caught the kick in one arm and quickly made him PAY. Two massive left hooks smashed into Yamazaki's jaw, and Shen brought that arm back, raised it, and brought it raining down on the captured leg, essentially hobbling Yamazaki for the time being with that debilitating shot.
The two tumbled into the dirt, Yamazaki's movement compromised, and Shen was able to easily achieve a full mount. The fists came flying from atop: a right into his jaw, a left to his nose. A right, underneath the eye, a left across his cheek.
No slouch to fighting dirty in a pinch, Yamazaki did what he did best.. with a shameless grin ear-to-ear, he brought BOTH hands out, and stuck his thumbs in Shen's eyes.
"AUUUUGH!" Shen cried out, disoriented. "YOU DIRTY F***ING RAT F-"
Yamazaki bitch-slapped him across the cheek, knocking the mounted man aside, allowing the thug to crawl backwards and attempt to return to his feet... his leg was put to the test, as he put his weight on it. Thankfully, it held up, though it hurt like hell... Ryuji felt a boner forming.
Shen Woo was back up, tears in his eyes, a red mark on his cheek, angry teeth bared. Now was probably a good time to check the stands... Big was looking at him and the man's head subtly shook side to side, before he resumed focus on bickering with Cheng beside him.
Yamazaki sighed with annoyance.
Shen wiped his eyes and RUSHED in: blazing chi fueled his fist as he slammed it into Yamazaki's stomach with all his might!
Yamazaki folded inwards, his head and body drooping...he looked like a puppet unattended by its puppeteer.
Shen was proud at his own handiwork, thinking he'd hurt the guy bad... a second later, Yamazaki's face shot back up to meet his, the thug's eyes wide, bloodshot, a kooky smile on his face.
"HEE HEE HEE!" Yamazaki baffled his opponent with a giggle and a forward headbutt. While he didn't generate much power, since he didn't draw his head back, it did stumble Shen Woo in reverse, and open him up to more strikes.
Yamazaki pocketed both hands, an insulting move, as he slammed a left sole into Shen's right knee, a right sole into Shen's left knee... a third kick went straight down the middle, stomping the man in the groin, so forceful in propulsion, it took Shen's feet out and planted him facefirst.
"Arggh...! Shen sucked in air, as his body turtled up to stifle the pain. "F***ing shit f***...f***...f***!"
Shen rolled over and looked up: Yamazaki was hovering over him, both hands still in his pockets. The next thing he saw was a shoe... darkness. Vision restored a second later. Another shoe... darkness. Vision restored. He could feel blood.
Yamazaki humiliated him with a third shoe to the face, before Shen finally got pissed. The next kick that came, Shen caught his leg... and drove his fist into Yamazaki's tibia.
"GgggaaaaHHHHH!" Yamazaki cried out as his leg buckled; the man's fun was over in a flash, as he desperately retreated backwards, a visible limp in his step. It was the same leg that got hit before... at this point, he was playing with fire, risking a fracture.
Shen bull-rushed forward again. Yamazaki threw a mid kick: Shen tanked it, and kept coming forward!
A right hook sent Yamazaki's entire body in one direction, like a tree in a powerful gust. But he didn't go down; Yamazaki's body bent back straight, his eyes wide, an insane grin outstretched... even as blood trickled down his lips. Yamazaki put his hand on his mouth... and smeared his own blood around and around, painting himself, until his mouth was the equivalent of clown makeup.
...Shen Woo actually stepped back, for the first time. "You. Are one crazy. Mother. F***er."
"KYAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yamazaki's Snake Arm shot out, with that trademark blinding speed. He went low, not actually striking... he had grabbed the back of Shen Woo's ankle and snatched it, putting the brawler on his butt so fast, his head spun. As Shen Woo sat there, on his backside, his torso still upright... a stomping sole to the face put him down the rest of the way.
Yamazaki looked at the stands with a snarl. That bastard better be done...
...Thankfully, the news looked bright. Big and Cheng were now grinning at each other, their digits being held up in similar interest, nods being exchanged to signify a mutual understanding.
Big subtly cut his face towards Yamazaki, his eyebrows lowered... and his sunglasses shimmered ominously.
"About f***ing time..." Yamazaki mumbled.
The thug turned; Shen was back up, for what could only be described as the umpteenth time... the guy had to be praised for his resilience!
"Huff... huff... huff... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Shen Woo's growl sang of multiple things: impatience, anger, a desire for victory... and the personal satisfaction to wipe the grin off of Yamazaki's face. Many sought that merit against the infamous thug, to put on their shelves like a trophy.
Only very few could boast of such a thing, though.
Shen Woo charged in with his best haymaker... Yamazaki stepped in close, the punch passing his ear, and he grabbed Shen's neck and squeezed.
"Heh heh! HA HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Yamazaki's laughter pierced Shen's ears as he drew back and skull-bashed the man with his TRUE power. He didn't stop there, as a second headbutt came, a third headbutt, a FOURTH headbutt... somehow, Shen had a huge gash trickling down his hairline, but Yamazaki wasn't bleeding in the slightest.
Yamazaki threw Shen into the air with one hand, an impressive feat of strength, the Chinese man getting decent airtime. Smiling all the way, Yamazaki's deadly right hand emerged from his pocket...
"And bang goes the dy-no-MITE!" As he bellowed that last syllable, his uppercut flew, sending a massive torrent of hellish black and red chi smashing into Shen's face, launching the blonde brawler even higher than before.
Yamazaki slowly brought his forbidden hand back to him... with a sickening crack, he flexed his fingers, and smoothly slid the hand back into its pocket. Just as he completed this motion, Shen Woo's unconscious body landed before him.
WINNER: RYUJI YAMAZAKI
The man rotated his head clockwise, complete with a sequential cracking of his neck in multiple chilling areas. With a satisfied sigh, he strutted away from the combat zone.
For curiosity sake, he looked up at the stands one last time: Big looked happier than ever, walking away with his pearly whites glimmering, shoving green bills into his coat pockets. Cheng Sinzan walked away the complete opposite: a deflated, demoralized lump of a man, looking like he'd just been robbed of everything except his tacky tourist outfit (why did he choose that to wear to a fighting tournament?)
Yamazaki kept on walking. Away from the tournament for the day. Away from Big's nagging. Away from Yashiro the pest. None of them mattered. Nothing mattered. He simply had zero shits to give.
I had SO much fun with this chapter haha. And yes, that's my Yamazaki bias showing. For anyone who read Death Contract and Nature Warrior, the cat is out of the bag about who my favorite character is. Hehe, sorry, but everybody has one. Did you think I was some impartial robot or something? xD
Anyways, here's some notes. Yamazaki vs Shen was heavily inspired by Enter the Dragon, the scene in which Williams and Roper are trying to hustle that guy during their fights. I wanted to recreate that, but with Big trying to earn extra dough. It was kind of hard, because that scene in the movie... has ZERO logic behind it lol. It requires a huge suspension of disbelief to believe that a guy can be suckered into betting on someone DURING a fight, and especially fail to notice the facial gestures between the two hacks lol. Anyways, I hope I did that scene justice to all you hardcore kung fu fans out there.
NEXT CHAPTER: Only four fights left! At this point, you can start piecing together who's going to fight who, because there's only eight fighters remaining. The spots are getting thinner and thinner! Who's going to secure their place? Who's leaving with nothing? Round 1 is ALMOST OVER!