Guess I failed to do a weekly update this time, ladies and gents! So sorry, but it's been a busy week. I've had some family over, some family has gotten sick... I've been sick. Could have sworn I was positive, but a piece of paper says "negative." I sure as heck don't feel negative, I'll tell you that. Who knows.
This may actually be one of my most impressive fights in Kumite history. I just hope I didn't get impatient and make it gradually sloppy with each paragraph. Welp, enough lamenting. Enjoy.
ROUND 2 FIGHT #10: VICE VS KING
Just like in Round 1, only one person in the entire Stadium was comfortably rooting for one half of the Hakkeshu Twins.
At the same time, nobody was blind to the odds either; they knew King had a massive uphill climb to stand toe to toe with a woman devoid of flesh and blood, devoid of mortality... yet still possessing the same inhuman powers that defined her in life. But the betters just kept their mouths shut, and while their money committed infidelity... on the surface, they all rooted for the Frenchwoman, everyone's resident booze expert and connoisseur of kicking, Cecille Levasseur. But don't ever let King hear you call her that.
King ran the gauntlet of supporters on her way to the combat zone; she had so many. Kasumi Todoh, Li Xiangfei, Hinako, Jenet, Benimaru, Mai, Chizuru...
"And make sure you use the Thai Clinch. And when you start working the lead leg, you've got to COMMIT to it. Really start digging that shin into the leg meat-"
"I've got it Joe. I've got it." King finally presented a hand to Joe's spiky brown hairdo and ruffled it, to shut the guy up.
She walked past her first onslaught of supporters, finally making her way to Robert. She gave him a hug, and appeared to whisper something in his ear... then made her way to Yuri.
To say the Sakazaki girl was worried, no, TERRIFIED for King, would be an understatement. Even now, before a punch had been thrown, her eyes filled with a gloss, threatening to spill over into tear-ridden streams...
King wasted no time bringing Yuri into her bosom. "How's your stitches?"
Yuri pressed her face hard against King's chest. "They're fine. Just stings a lot."
"Don't pull them. Try and stay stationary."
The two broke apart. King gave her one last doting look, lips showing a subtle but warm smile, and finally she walked onward.
"W-wait! Cec!" Yuri called out.
King turned back around. Yuri started to open her mouth, but King beat her to it. "Love you girl. Stay close to your brother and Robert. Let me take care of this."
"K-Kingy-"
"Let. Me. Take care of this."
She looked down, meekly. "O-okay... be safe..."
King pressed her finger to her lips and extended it outwards, a tiny little air kiss in the direction of the Sakazaki sister. She walked onwards.
...At last, only one person stood in her way. Tall, chiseled physique, his black Karate gi dirty and scuffed. His lip congealed with blood.
King stopped in front of him. "Don't you guys need to go check on Butt? Didn't he get jumped last night?"
Ryo shook his head. "We can all go together, after you take care of business."
With that formality over... King closed distance, pressing herself against him, immediately feeling his powerful arms constrict her from behind. Their lips met. Though King could slightly taste Ryo's blood and it was kind of gross... she didn't let it deter her.
Their lips pulled apart. King kept her forehead against his for a moment. "I love you."
Ryo brought his hand against the back of her head, to gently stroke it. "Love you too. Now go give that bitch a gift, from the Kyokugen Clan." He gave her one last kiss, on the forehead.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, two devious symbiotes were already standing in the combat zone, eyeing the proceedings with disgust. Their eyes were particularly focused on King, like she was a meal. A leg quarter meal.
"Is it wrong that I enjoy causing pain to the Women's Team, Vice?"
"Not at all, Mature."
"I want to destroy them and their stupid feminism."
"Kukukukuku... in our world, men and women will be equal... DEAD!"
"Fufufufufu...at least they'll make good compost."
The two of them ended up standing there a little TOO long: enough to attract the attention of Krauser, who was acting host while Rose was away.
"HEY!" his powerful voice barked as he stomped over to their area. "The fight's about to start. One of you is gonna have to clear the combat zone! NOW!"
They shot him an equally disgusted snarl, but upon seeing that the former Southtown Emperor wasn't backing down... they finally turned to each other. Their hands joined, interlacing.
"Will you make her suffer, Vice?"
"Until she begs, Mature~"
"Then I trust you to get this done."
"Your trust is in the right hands."
"Good. Don't f*** up. We can't have those other clowns thinking little of us."
"That would be their last mistake."
"Fufufufufu... remember, this is our world."
"Our world."
"Nobody-"
"Else's."
The two Hakkeshu ladies sealed that demented decree as they did all others: their lips combining, in a slow, tender kiss... before finally pulling away. Mature was the one to finally vacate the area, returning to a secluded spot on the grass, enough to maintain shouting distance.
As the two got settled in the combat zone, the bad blood between them was finally allowed to marinate... King hid nothing, not the snarl of her upper lip, nor the cleaving glance of her eyes.
Vice was all too amused by the kickboxer's apparent vendetta; the redhead licked her lips, tasting the delicious salt oozing from the blonde woman standing across from her. She flashed her smile wide and proud, relishing in the bloodlust...
"Putain t'es morte, salope."
Vice's face shifted; one eye squinted, while the other opened with a raised eyebrow. "Huh? I'm sorry? I don't understand you, Frenchwoman."
King's fingers curled even tighter. "I said you're f***ing dead, bitch!"
Vice smiled wider. "That's better... kukukuku, but what are you mad at me about, hmmmm? I was standing peacefully on the sidelines when my partner cleaved Yuri to silky white ribbons~"
King stepped forward one pace. "Share a brain, share the consequences. I don't give a damn which one of you gemini f***s hurt Yuri. I beat the shit out of one of you, both of you will be humbled."
Vice's eyes went crossed as she cackled maniacally. "KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUuuuuuuuu... mmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhh... bold words, Frenchwoman. Too bold. You're picking the wrong person to hold a grudge against. I can make your life miserable in just a few simple moves~"
King was undeterred. She took another step forward... before finally getting into stance, and briefly beckoning with her dominant hand. "It's been a long time since I've to hurt somebody... REALLY hurt somebody. I might have enjoyed it a few times back then... but the work disgusted me. Hahaha... but this? Ohhh I'm gonna enjoy this, to the last punch. I don't have to feel the least bit bad about it, because there's no moral code in the world that can't say YOU DESERVE THIS. My only regret... is that you have no blood to bleed."
Vice's lip slithered across her teeth as she moaned. "Mmmhnnnnhheeheheheheheheeee... you should worry more about your own blood. As well as the bones that sustain you~!"
FIGHT!
The dance officially started; King pressed forward, keeping a tight stance, her arms up, lead leg bouncing lightly. Vice was the complete opposite: her fighting stance showed a complete lack of discipline, regard for defense. Her arms hung confidently at her waist, dangling freely, as if deadweight. Her back was hunched, head bobbing with an almost inebriated lull. Her sinister face spoke of fearless, devious intentions...
"God, I am squirming in my seat." Ryo fidgeted. Those ladies are bad news... aghhh I should have more faith in King but..."
"King is unstoppable, okay?" Yuri nudged him furiously. "You saw what she did to Big last year: nothing can stop that fire in Kingy's eyes."
"I'd say she's a freaking furnace right now." Robert declared.
King cared nothing for Vice's demeanor; she stuck to her fundamentals, and utilized her gameplan. As soon as she inched her way into range... she unleashed a thudding leg kick, which struck Vice just below the knee. She saw it bend, and Vice's stance slightly wavered... a few seconds later, she whipped out another kick, striking the same exact spot. Vice tanked it for now, but surely she couldn't keep taking those for long...
"Attagirl King!" Joe cheered. "Work that leg! Keep on it!"
King unleashed a third leg kick... this time, Vice smirked and caught the leg.
"Hnf. Merde!" King cursed.
Vice slid along the ground unnaturally, gliding beyond King, leg still in her grasp... by the time she emerged behind King, the leg was completely behind her, leaving King hopping uncomfortably on one foot, desperately trying to maintain balance.
Vice's arm swooshed with an inhuman speed as she flung the leg, sending King into a spiral so intense, she literally went 1440 before her face thudded into the dirt.
"Jesus... did you see that?!" Joe squawked.
"We're watching the same thing you are, Joe. Shut up about it!" Mai attacked. Obviously, the last thing they needed was a recap of the hurting Vice would surely put on their dear friend...
King was crawling on her knees and elbows, head still feeling like a washing machine, not sure which way was even forward. Only blurs... but she could feel. She definitely felt the sting of her hair follicles being strained against her scalp, as Vice snatched her blonde hair and jerked her upwards.
"Ahhhh!"
A knee to the body. A second knee. King wanted to collapse and fold over, but Vice wouldn't allow her... the redhead jerked her head downwards to gather momentum, then UNLEASHED her into the sky, flinging her high with as little effort as a bag of leaves.
King was cursing in mid-air, awaiting the hard plummet to Earth... but it didn't come like she thought. The next thing she felt was her body back in captivity, as Vice had leaped high into the air to seize her mid-flight!
Vice's eyes glimmered with evil... as she finally flung King downwards, spiking her into the ground with a tremendous impact.
"KING! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ryo was already on his feet, wailing King's name. He couldn't even see her, as the dust from the impact had obscured the violence...
"KINGY!" Yuri cried.
"God, can she even get up from that...?" Jenet questioned.
Vice was sadly right; in no time, King was already feeling like the stuffing had been expelled from her. The lady was handling her like a trash bag on garbage day. She had to use her strengths... stop her grappling offense...!
Vice snatched her by the hair again, jerking her back to her feet... this time, King would punish her for it.
"Hrrgh!" King broke out of her grip and applied a grip of her OWN: the patented Thai Clinch, locking her hands around the back of Vice's head, controlling her movements, holding her in place for close-range combat.
It was King's turn to throw knees: she unleashed two good ones into Vice's stomach, a left followed by a right... Vice felt them, and the wince on her face told that it was hurting... her head started wriggling, trying desperately to yank out of King's vice grip, to create space.
King drove an elbow across her temple, slicing the side of her head. She unleashed a right elbow, crashing into her from the other side. Vice grunted as she finally, with one desperate pull, tore her head free of the Plum and quickly scrambled backwards.
King threw a smooth 1-2, expecting to miss, but Vice's head movement allowed King to fire a body kick, and her shin burrowed into Vice's stomach, like a baseball bat across her ribs.
"Grrgh...!" Vice grunted; she was clearly rattled...!
"KING'S COMING BACK!" Chizuru howled. "GO GO GO!"
A leg kick; King's shin struck so critically against Vice's lower knee, her leg buckled and Vice collapsed to the ground. She rose back up a second later... complete with a look of pure, demented rage in her eyes.
"STOP TOYING WITH HER, VICE!" Mature urged. "TAKE HER OUT! NOW!"
Vice slightly cut her eyes to Mature; King spotted the sudden lapse in concentration, and immediately threw a powerful kick.
...This time Vice was ready. With a snarl, Vice slapped King's leg downwards, closed distance on the two of them... she snatched King by the face, drew back and FLUNG her into the ground with such a force, King skidded the entire length of the dirt ring behind her, until the friction of the grass finally stopped.
"Cough cough cough...ughh... cough cough... juste ma chance de me battre contre un grappler..."
King was slow to get up... she had her back turned, which wasn't the wisest choice. Before she had a chance to turn around, Vice had her by the back of her hair.
"Aghhhhh!" King grunted.
Vice wanted nothing more than to tear it out, strand by bloody strand... but she focused on victory over pleasure. After all, the two weren't very far off.
One swift kick to the back of King's knees, and the Frenchwoman collapsed... but before Vice let her hit the ground, she slithered her arms around King's neck and put her in a rear choke.
"Gh...! Gh...ghkk...!"
King felt her air passage INSTANTLY cut off, a testament to the raw strength even a spectral Vice possessed. She still hadn't regained her feet; the end result were her legs dragging like pool noodles, as she struggled to get them back under her, all the while Vice's arms crushed the consciousness from her brain.
"That's it Vice..." Mature licked her lips. "That's it! CRUSH HER! BREAK HER NECK!"
"Oh jesus, KING!" Ryo cried out. "She's gonna strangle her to death!"
"She's not going to do that." Joe corrected. "She'll get disqualified."
"You think that ghost bitch cares about winning some stupid competition?!" Yuri slapped Joe in the back of the head. "The other was more focused on slicing me up!"
King's face was turning pink; her eyes shut tight, as she strained with every muscle imaginable to try and endure just a few more seconds. Finally... she found some fight, as she raised the arm most available to her, presented her elbow like a thrusting lance, and started raining the sharp tip into Vice's adjacent ribcage.
One. Two. Three... she felt Vice's body language start to react, like they were doing some damage. Just a little longer...!
...The next thing King felt were both their bodies start to go down.
Vice, maintaining the grip, transitioned into a neckbreaker, as she dropped her body weight downwards and flopped to the ground, taking King's body with her in a brutal slam. All King could do was mentally curse, as Vice's hold on her neck locked in strong once more... only now, they were completely on the ground, their bodies in a north-south position that left Vice free of retaliation.
King was starting to get hazy... the world around her was closing in, fading to a blur... at this point, her adrenaline, whatever hysterical strength flooded to the human body in a time of panic, HAD to kick in...!
"Ghhhkkkk... nggggghkkk...hnnnnnnghhh... HNNNGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
King dug her feet into the dirt and pushed up with her powerful legs. Yes! Back on their feet!
Vice's body was still far apart from hers, enough that King was able to sink her fingers into the arm around her neck and pry it loose... FREEDOM!
"YES! ATTAGIRL KING!" Ryo and Yuri were up on their feet whooping at the same time. Yuri, however, collapsed back to the seat in pain a second later... Robert held her in his arms, gently chastising her.
King wrenched the arm downwards, taking Vice's body completely south... CRACK! She threw her finest knee to the chin, and Vice's head went north. It's a wonder the ghastly woman's head didn't completely fly off...!
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAYUM!" Joe admired. "Did you see that knee? Did you see that sexy f***ing knee?! That's my girl!"
"Shut up, Joe. You're taking a little too much credit here." Mai berated.
"My god..." Chizuru sighed. "I thought King was done for..."
Still wobbled from that perfect knee, King continued the pain: she kicked Vice's lead leg once more, and Vice buckled. A front kick to the stomach followed. Vice's head dipped low, and King brought a slicing elbow from a weird angle... it started south and traveled north, cracking Vice across the head like an uppercut.
Vice's eyes grew bloodshot with rage, as she rushed King from the front; King met her with a crossing elbow, and it didn't hit clean, but the tip of her elbow sliced across Vice's temple as their bodies crossed. Vice would be bleeding, were she an actual human.
They both had their backs to each other; King beat her to the punch, spinning around with a kick, glowing pink with chi. "VENOM STRIKE!"
Her fireball zoomed and hit Vice in the back, dropping the redhead on her face.
The audience was in a joyous uproar. Their screams and cheers were deafening, enough that one couldn't even make out the one-syllable word their were chanting:
"KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING!"
The fighters in the stands were no different: They were up on their feet (even Yuri, with the help of Robert) and all expressed their infinite joy at the notion of King putting Vice down.
"YEEEAH KING!" Mai cheered, bouncing up and down. "I'M SO GLAD I SKIPPED THE LOCKER ROOM FOR THIS!"
"KEEP GOING, KING!" Chizuru shouted. "YOU CAN DO IT!"
"MY TRAINING HAS DONE WONDERS FOR YOU, KING!" Joe vainly complimented (himself mostly)
King was so focused on surviving and winning, she hadn't taken a moment to really... savor it. But standing here, right now, looking at Vice laid out, spread eagle, her face tasting dirt... it felt good. It felt good, and RIGHTEOUS.
Her eyes cut to the sideline: Mature was leaping up and down, screaming encouragement, threats, borderline incoherent. Heh. The bitch was squirming... and King loved it.
This was for Yuri. She was going to enjoy it as much as humanly possible, and feel not a tinge of guilt.
Suddenly.. a switch in volume. The ravenous roars were gone. The Stadium was nearly dead silent.
King cut her eyes to her downed opponent; she was starting to get back up. Her movements were... eerie to say the least. Slow, shambling... almost corpse-like. Her arms hung at her sides... her head WHIPPED around, and King saw two insane eyes, crossing, quivering, deep, crimson vessels there for no actual utility... just to exhibit the eyes of a psychopath.
"Y-youuu... youuuuuu... youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." Vice's eyes grew, to inhuman proportions. "You worthless... sack of... meat...! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
King gulped... followed by an ironic chuckle. "Ehehe. Welp. She's pissed. DOUBLE STRIKE!"
King threw two kicks in succession, sending out two rapid-speed fireballs...
Vice's lips curved wide.
SWOOSH! Her arms lashed out at blurring, blinding speed...
The audience and fighters alike all showed the whites of their eyes, wide with surprise... Vice was holding King's fireballs in her palms, like two beach balls. With a sickening display of teeth, she squeezed... and crushed King's fireballs to nothing.
King was officially sweating a bit.
Vice's predatory eyes focused on hers as she glided forward, hand drawn back, preparing to grab; King sidestepped it, and their bodies crossed once again. They spun around: King was on her with hand combinations, but Vice dodged them with uncanny smoothness... her head movement was impeccable for someone that had taken so many hits...!
"Vice has gotten some kind of second wind..." Chizuru muttered. "She has no Orochi form, so... how...?!"
They reset. King's intense eyes contrasted with Vice's... lecherous... creepy gaze. She looked less like she wanted to kill her, and more like she wanted to...
King threw a quick jab. Vice dodged, but King followed up with a body kick. She went back upstairs with her hands...
Vice cackled as she caught King's fist, spun her entire body around, and kicked her in the spine. There was no chance of King remaining on her feet, as they staggered forward for several, several yards... before finally giving out, and putting King on her face.
King had no chance of getting up clean: as soon as she was upright, Vice was back in FRONT of her, and she dug her fingers into King's neck.
"Ghhh...?!"
Vice took sadistic pleasure in lifting her with one hand, effortlessly... and she choke slammed King on the ground. But she didn't stop there; with that same uncanny strength, she lifted King back up and flung her sky-high, just like that spike from earlier.
But this time, she waited for King to descend slightly... until she finally leaped into the air to meet her, but this time, clamping her legs around King's neck and taking her back down to earth with a massive Frankensteiner.
"Good lord... Vice's true power..." Robert gasped.
"That's a mean-ass ghost." Jenet mentioned.
"She's tossing King around like a baby!" Joe wailed.
Back in the fight, King found herself in a precarious position after their landing: she was laid out, Vice sitting on top of her neck, staring down at her with mocking eyes.
"Human beings are a disease... a cancer on this magnificent planet." Vice monologued. "You multiply like stinking cockroaches, and then consume all the resources around you, marring and destroying the beauty that surrounds us! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE ON THIS PLANET! The only people worthy of inheriting the Earth are Mature and-"
King shut her up with a sharp shift of her body, throwing Vice off her unsteady top position and granting the freedom to get back up. But once she hit her legs again... she could feel the accumulation of all those slams weigh down on her, like a rain of bricks hitting her back.
"Muh...merde..." she cursed as the adrenaline high started to wear off, and she felt the realest effects of having been tosses around by a superhuman like Vice. Her back hurt so bad, she wondered if her vertebrae were shattered... it was all she could do to stand with posture. And her neck... good god! If she turned her head with the slightest urgency, she was afraid she'd be a paraplegic.
She had to wonder what Vice was feeling. While she was here, muscles like jelly... did Vice feel like she'd been merely been hit with a dodgeball?
Nonetheless, King soldiered on. She barreled towards Vice, throwing a combination 1-2: when Vice dipped her head, she tried to throw a knee, but Vice dodged it and brought their bodies against each other. A stomp to King's foot... King yelped and hunched slightly, and that was all Vice needed: she locked her arms around King's neck from the front, putting her in a guillotine.
Vice COULD have choked King out from here... but elected to use the close proximity for other means. A knee to the body. A second knee. She let King's body sink lower; with a perverted moan, she raised her arm and brought her elbow RAINING down on King's back, putting even more blunt force on a spine that King was already iffy about.
"Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!" King howled in pain as she silently begged Vice to let her go, and allow her to crumple to the ground...
...but Vice wasn't having that. She let go of the neck, but snatched King up by the sides of her waist instead. She lifted... lifted... King's crotch was above her head.
SLAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
A powerbomb, and King was laid out flat.
The audience screeched with horror, as they were all certain King was knocked out cold. She looked limp, motionless... was she even alive?
"Oh my god... Kingy..." Yuri felt tears welling up, as she saw her best friend and role model just... laying there.
"Is she...?!" Ryo irrationally blurted.
"Look, her chest is still rising and falling." Robert quelled. "She's fine."
"W-we gotta... we gotta stop the fight!" Mai yelped. "Why is it still going?! What the hell is Krauser seeing up there?!"
They all seemed to turn in unison; all eyes fell on Krauser, who was just sitting there, stern look on his face... his arms were folded. He cut his eyes to them, shook his head, and then looked back at the combat zone...
"Chiz, go talk to him!" Yuri pleaded.
"I..." Chiz shook her head. "I have no power, Yuri. He won't-"
"She's going back at her!" Ryo jumped from his seat, and had to be physically restrained. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
Vice's tongue licked circles around the corners of her mouth... she approached King with her hands up... a sickening crack, and her fingers flexed.
"That's a good look for you humans: laid out on the ground, like a piece of trash stuck on debris, awaiting a dumpster. Kukukukukukuuuuuuuu... mmmmmm...mmmnnnmmmmmmm... I'm going to make sure you're naught but a gelatinous fish before I'm done. Then I'll return you to the dust you came from."
Her arm swooshed down, snatched King up...
"T...Tuh..." King strained to get her words out...
"Sorry, what was that, little pup~?" Vice cooed, her face closer...
"T...TRAP SHOT!"
A lightning-fast backflip; Vice felt two feet crack her chin, and she went airborne.
King was back on her feet, determined eyes, as she saw Vice's body descending... to finish her special move, she thrust her foot forward and let loose four, rapid-fire, machine gun kicks, that caught Vice's face with perfect accuracy.
"WHAT?!" Mature growled.
The volume was back; positive reception roared like a raging fire, as the fighters all leaped back up to sing King's praises. Not so much confident she would win... just happy to see her keep trying.
"ATTAGIRL KING!" Ryo cheered.
"THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT!" Robert seconded.
"GOOO KINGYYYYY!' Yuri whooped.
"MAKE HER PAY!" Chizuru yelled with vengeance.
Vice attempted to scramble to her feet; King met her with a deep lunge, throwing a push kick that nearly rammed her foot down Vice's throat. The force of the propulsion took Vice right back off her feet, planting her on the ground.
"I like you better down there!" King spat, as she boldly DIVED on Vice, tackling her flat to the ground, much to the surprise of everyone in the Stadium: they didn't take King for the type to abandon her discipline so... rashly.
Now achieving a full mount, King rained two elbows down on the bridge of Vice's nose, snapping the red-haired woman's head back, conking it against the ground beneath her. She wouldn't deny herself a hint of pleasure, seeing Vice's head bounce like that...
...Unfortunately, these indulgences were never meant to last.
As King postured up and tried to rain another elbow, she heard that menacing SWOOSH! and the snake-like appendage of Vice's arm reached out, grasping King by the throat.
"Dam..ghhhkkk...!"
Vice's strength was... uncanny. She lifted King with such ease, even on her back... holding her up with one hand, like a child with a stuffed animal, she casually stood up, a smile on her face... as if those delightful blows King had rained down were less than nothing.
"Are you finished now, Frenchie~?" Vice mocked.
King obviously couldn't respond. "GHhh! GHHKKK!"
With a roll of her eyes, Vice's arm swooshed back, like a fishing rod... and her arm cast out, throwing King across the Stadium. She closed her eyes and took in the sounds: the grunts, the pained yelps, as King's body battered against the ground, like a stone being skipped across a pond. Until... that final THUD. Her body hit the wall of the Stadium.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Yuri shrieked. "KINGYYYY!"
"She was so close...!" Ryo's fist clenched. "Is she okay...?!"
With now more than 50 yards between them, King was afforded all the time in the world to get back up from that heinous throw... her eyes were dazed, legs sauntering. She looked out on her feet...
"You've played with her long enough, Vice! You hear me?!" Mature screeched, clear impatience in her voice. "FINISH HER! RIGHT! F***ING! NOW!"
As her blurred vision looked forward, she angrily slapped her head a few times, until the picture restored. Vice was in full sprint, running RIGHT at her; the woman looked to be going maybe 70 miles an hour, with the intent to plow right into her with a flying spear. At this point, King didn't have much to offer: she couldn't punch or kick anymore, and even managing a small elbow seemed too painful to her muscles.
Thus, Vice was completely in the clear to charge at King, with no restraints, no hesitation. Her eyes were nearly crossed as her tongue flapped in the wind, like a dog chasing a steak. With a menacing, guttural voice, she howled:
"DIE!"
Their bodies collided, both of them tumbling to the ground in a sloppy, dust-ridden tangle.
...Ten seconds passed. Neither of them were moving.
"Wait wait wait... what? What's going on?!" Ryo interrogated aloud to nobody in particular. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"Why aren't they moving?!" Robert griped.
...Thirty seconds. Nothing?
"Maybe they took each other out?" Benimaru pondered.
"Oh don't tell me they pulled another Me!" Robert whined.
...52 seconds later, a low moan echoed from the dormant pile; King's body started showing signs of life, as she slowly struggled onto her knees, before putting two labored hands in front of her and pushing upwards, lifting herself back up to her feet...
...She looked down, and saw that Vice wasn't moving.
INSTANT REPLAY
Hey, it's Hyena again. Did you think you'd actually have to see me again? Talk about WILD!
Now, let's break down exactly what happened here. So, you can see here, Vice has clearly regained control of the fight. She throws King across the Stadium like a football, and the leggy blonde takes a hard splat on the wall. At this point, pretty much anyone with a shred of sense could see the fight was over. I mean... I can see it clear as day.
So King gets back up, SOMEHOW, and Vice is running at her. And I'm talking FULL SPRINT, like a football player. I mean, an American football player. One of those huge guys.
Now pay attention, because this part's important. Now, I'm going to zoom in here... got the slow motion going... their bodies are getting closer... closer... closerrrrrrr...
BAM! Do you see that?! Right there! King threw her own body forward, and you can clearly see, right there, in front of God and Heaven, that's her knee connecting against Vice's jaw. Ha! If you look even CLOSER, you can see Vice's jaw go sideways! No, really! I mean it, look! See? Theeeeeere it goes... oh! Sideways! That, my friend, is not what a normal jaw looks like. It's not supposed to be jutting from the side like that.
GG, King. As a fellow Frenchman myself, I couldn't be more delighted. Hey, are you single?
WINNER: KING
King just kind of... stood there a second. As best she could, at least. As her eyes fell on the motionless body of Vice, she was obviously pleased with her work. She just... didn't think that WOULD work!
And then... the explosion.
"KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING! KING!"
Thankfully, the audience was on her side, as not a living soul of the 75,000+ showed any ire towards King dropping the vile Hakkeshu agent and all-around nasty individual. At that moment, King allowed herself a smile: one not just of genuine joy... but of the selfish satisfaction that she achieved vengeance.
Naturally, her friends ran out to rush her as well. She saw nothing but bodies, swarming around her from all sides: Ryo, Robert, Yuri, Kasumi, Mai, Chizuru, Joe... even people she could have sworn she only knew on a name basis.
"KIIIIIIIIIIINGYYYYYYYYYY!" Yuri leaped into her arms and planted a kiss on her cheek. "YOU DID IT!"
Ryo was right behind her, with a smooch on the lips. "YOU ROCKED!"
"YOU'RE SO AWESOME KING!" Mai pressed herself against King's back and bounced up and down. King was... notably perturbed by the strange sensation sliding up and down her back... but kept it to herself.
"Hehehe. Well, I told her she'd pay for hurting my girls. I don't mess around." King beamed.
As King reveled in her victory, she looked ahead... something didn't look right. Signs of a scuffle.
"Huh?"
She could hear grunts, yells... she could see people in uniforms getting thrown backwards. Both medical and security personnel.
...She saw two sapphire eyes lock onto her. A snarl. Two sets of fingers fasten into claws...
"YOU GODDAMN BITCH! I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING LUNGS OUT!" Mature screeched as she ran at King, full speed, matching the same velocity Vice had tried to manage.
"Oh shit, watch out!" Mai yelped as she came around to the front.
"Oh no you don't...!" Chizuru barked as she stood in front, prepared to intercept.
"HEY! NO! UNACCEPTABLE!" Krauser boomed as he rushed out to meet her.
Mature's eyes looked... lost. Devoid of any shred of humanity, any semblance of a mortal being she used to be. She screamed like a banshee, enough to pierce windows, as she drew her fingers back and prepared to ram them into King's battered body...
...But as she reached the final ten yards, she was suddenly halted in her tracks: a warm, plump weight plowed into her face, and the next thing she knew, she was on her back.
As she looked up at the shadow that loomed over her, her face curled with disgust as she saw the object of her demise...
Booty.
Yuri gave a smack to her own backside, as she stuck her tongue out and taunted. "Try shredding this meat, bitch~!"
Mature got back up, angry, looking prepared to rekindle the feud that had started in Round 1...but as her eyes fell upon the spirited group that had taken defenses around King... her face took a strange turn. She said nothing; simply looked past them all, and walked around them.
Confused, Yuri and friends turned their heads: Mature was at Vice's side, on her knees, scooping the redhead into her lap. A hand reached up to tenderly caress the short red strands...
"Vice..." Mature spoke softer than she'd ever spoken before. "Why? How could you lose? This... this was supposed to be our world... our world..."
She leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on the lips, before standing up, taking the fallen body into her bosom. With one last corner-eyed leer at the people around her, Mature vacated the area, carrying Vice the entire way.
"...If Iori were here, he'd probably give you a big, sloppy kiss." Yuri laughed.
"Yeah girl. You broke Vice's freaking jaw!" Mai cackled.
Even now, King was being flanked from all sides, receiving a pincer attack of pats on the back, rubs on the shoulder. The Frenchwoman drank it up. "It felt good. it felt damn good. Hehehe... aghh... but God knows I'm in pain. Ryo, take me back to the stands will ya?"
Ryo looked confused. "Wait... don't you need a hospital?"
"Probably, yeah." King chuckled. "But I gotta watch Mai first. Women's Team gonna Women."
"Oh crap!" Mai exclaimed, suddenly remembering. "I guess I do have a fight coming up! Aw man, it must be any minute now! GOOD JOB KINGY! LOVE YOU!"
With this new and urgent information, Mai sprinted towards the locker room, to, at the very least, splash some water on her face to prepare for a fight that would be happening much sooner than desired.
"So Chiz, you must be pretty happy right now huh?!" Yuri threw her arm around Chizuru's shoulder, pulling the lady close. "King just marked off one of your chores~!"
Chizuru smiled. "I am very grateful to King. She fought well. This was a great victory."
"Anytime, Chiz." King flashed a thumbs up. "You may be a teleporting badass... with mirror clones... and uh... sacred... destiny on your side... but I still made this team! And I take care of my gals!"
A courteous bow. "Nobody doubts that, Miss King."
"So Mature and Vice are out of the picture." Benimaru spoke, arms folded. "Guess the battle's almost won! That just leaves Ryuji and..."
Chizuru shook her head. "Yamazaki is harmless. He requires other people in order to keep his interest in things."
"Even better, then!" Yuri beamed.
Benimaru put a hand to his chin. "Then that just leaves..."
...A fierce gleam in Chizuru's eyes, speaking of a tremendous resolve. She raised her fist to her chest, as the fingers tightened against her palm... and she declared:
"...We have to defeat Shermie, no matter what. Then this will all be over."
Whew. That chapter was a doozy to finish. The final product may be a little sloppy, as a result of real-life circumstances and my general impatience, but I hope it's enjoyable for you all nonetheless. I'm not a perfect writer by any means, but I always do the best I can with Kumite. Trying to juggle so much is a chore.
NEXT CHAPTER: It's the co-main event of Round 2! Will Mai be the hero destined to stand up to Shermie, and put an end to the Hakkeshu's plans of tournament dominion? FIND OUT NEXT TIME!