Another three weeks go by without an update, uh? At least this time I had a good reason, preparing for my driving exam and all. I'll try to make up for it in the upcoming ones.
Having received her superficial treatment from the para-medics, Mary was taken to the infirmary where a good chunk of the other fighters waited their turns in the doctor's office. She was put very delicately on the tidiest bed ever made, which the detective found really unnecessary; She was a normal person, not a goddamn neutron bomb. Looking around it seemed the major absent were, expectedly, Kim and Andy, who were taken on the best hospitals in L.A. to properly deal with their much more severe injuries.
While she wondered how they were holding up, a nagging little voice in her ear was whispering that she needed to check on "her", just in case. After the gruelling fight with Jess, Mary didn't have the mental strength to ignore it, so she instinctively went looking, if only to get some quiet inside her own head. Granted, it wasn't all that difficult, considering the infirmary was just a really large hallway; Everything that would come after that, though? A complete opposite story.
"Christ...Hotaru, what happened?" Leaning on the shoulder of her teammate May Lee, Futaba's eyes were completely shrivelled up, becoming red surely due to the amount of tears.
"Nothing happened...or at least nothing important, apparently." Hotaru unemotionally answered while vacantly looking in front of her at empty space.
"Please, stop saying that. It's not your fault that jerk was so insensitive." The korean tried as best she could to supportive, but Hotaru seemed to have shut down entirely.
"I-I thought it a simple business meeting or something. What did he say?" No response whatsoever. The message was clear as day, but Mary didn't want to leave it at that.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You really don't feel like talking right now. But if you let...whatever this is boil up inside you, it's gonna feel even worse, take it from someone who tried way too many times at your age. Promise me you'll talk to me or the others when you feel the time is right, okay?" That seemed to have got a reaction out of Hotaru, but definitively not the one Mary was hoping for.
"Tell me, do you all get some...morbid sense of fun out of patronizing me like this? Doesn't it get exhausting, even repetitive after a while?"
"What? N-no, I didn't mean-"
"Of course you didn't. It's quite the coincidence you people only say it after-" Futaba stopped herself from going overboard, maybe recognizing this is merely her anger talking and that either way, Mary was only concerned for a friend and didn't deserve to have her intentions unjustly misinterpreted like this.
"Just leave me be...please." Hotaru then quietly asked May to give her some space to lay down, desperate to get some rest no matter how unlikely it was.
"...Whoever this guy is, if he managed to make you cry...he sounds like a massive piece of shit."
Mary wasn't sure why she said that. Her own way of empathizing with Hotaru's pain? Who knows, she was never the best at dealing with kids anyway. The detective basically hid herself in the women's bathroom to get some water on her face. She put it at the coldest temperature available and splashed a huge handful on her, but it served little in calming her down. What the hell was she supposed to do now? Anyone aware of their..."particular" family circumstances could've put two and two together and guess what the topic of the conversation was. If what Gato told her is right- No, she doesn't own him anything, this. Was not. Her problem. That's what she wanted to believe, desperately trying to convince herself while slumped on the sink. Gato's spiel about "the good man doing nothing" was repeating on-loop in her brain, thinking back at the regret she heard in his voice, like he made too many mistakes already and this is the one he wanted to prevent...God, just yesterday she was playing with Anton and Terry without a care in the world, when did it all went downhill.
As she was pondering about that, someone was entering very cautiously...May Lee? Whatever, neither of them had the energy to discuss what is up with Hotaru, she's probably here because of nature's call...at least that's what Mary thought, as the korean grabbed her ear out of nowhere like an angry mom and dragged her inside one of the bathroom stalls, closing the door behind her.
"Excuse me, what the hell is your deal?"
"You sure aren't in the position to make that question, seeing you just betrayed yourself back there." May accused. Dammit, Mary knew that slip of the tongue was gonna bite her in the ass. "Wanna explain how do you know about Hotaru's dad?"
"Is jumping to conclusions standard practice at Kim's school? I have no idea-"
"Don't play dumb, miss. Not only I saw you actively looking for her, but you worded that phrase in a way that suggests me you know more than you should." May was getting uncomfortably close to the detective's face as she aired out all her deductions. "And here's where things get complicated. You know what's going on around her, yet I can't sense an evil bone in your body to save my life. So, you can either help me connect the dots or I could go to Hotaru and let her in on your secret…and I really don't want to be forced to take the second option."
Man, if only all of Kaphwan's disciples were this smart. Suddenly, Mary felt way less tense, realizing there was no point in bullshitting this kid any longer and how she seems pretty sincere in not wanting to take blackmail route.
"And here I thought you were just some kooky wanna-be Supergirl."
"Phew, I'm so relieved. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself after doing something so villainous. Oh, and for the record, I REALLY hoped you would prove my suspicions wrong."
"Okay, okay, Let's say you were justified in this case and call it a day." Mary reopened the stall's door and left it ajar, leaving a gap small enough to see if anyone else entered. "Well, sure you want to know what's really going down?"
"Not a doubt in my mind. I can feel it, some insidious yet engulfing evil is lurking in this stadium and that jerkwad of a father Hotaru has may very well be connected."
"Right, more of your "hero-senses"? Look, I appreciate your concern for her but this shit goes even deeper than you think. I'm talking a possible murder cover-up, personal interests of the New Horizon company, the usual KOF bullshit that always crops up. Do you want all the danger that comes with getting involved with that kind of mess?"
"It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. I swore an oath to end evil everywhere, to protect this world and its habitants from the kind of cruelty and injustices you just exampled. If one is taking place right under our noses, I can't look the other way. Would you?"
This kind of idealism made Mary reminisce of better times in her life, before said life made her crash into one wall after the other. Defeatedly, Mary decided she would relent on her decision a little bit to get this whole thing out of her hair forever.
"You truly are Kim's student. It's dead obvious nothing I'd say would change your mind, but we gotta play this smart and most importantly, keep Hotaru in the dark for the time being. She needs to recover before we can tell her the whole story." Inadvertently, Mary realized just how uncomfortable it must've been for Hotaru's brother, since she's doing the exact same thing she chewed out Gato for previously, making her feel like a huge hypocrite.
"That's what I wanted to hear. To crush the evil of New Horizon and help Hotaru! Punch here." May offered a fistbump to which Mary awkwardly joined knuckles with. This kind of youthful enthusiasm is something she could really use right now, tired as she was.
Under this newfound agreement, the two went out of the bathroom feeling slightly more invigorated and just in time for Mary's turn for treatment, hoping that maybe, just maybe, something can still be salvaged of this enormous shitshow.
SECOND BRACKET ROUND°1 FIGHT #7: SIE KENSOU VS RYO SAKAZAKI
Back in the hosts area, anticipation was brewing. Not for the match-up itself, but for potentially being a huge step forward in their plans, with Misty already on the phone waiting for confirmation.
"Is everything coming together inside the sanctum?" She asked in a faux-polite manner. The poor sap at the other end of the call knew she wouldn't react well at the wrong answer.
"The chi is gathering up smoothly, ma'am. Unfortunately, when that Psycho Soldier stepped into the ring, there was no reaction from the orb. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the little kid coming up in the third bracket." The employee wagered.
"His period holding the Dragon's Spirit fragment must've ended. It's nothing more than a couple of hours worth of delay." Jian argued, overhearing the phone call.
"Agreed, and it'll probably be easier to extract too. That little cinnamon roll doesn't strike me as someone with much understanding over the true depths of his latent power."
As their deliberations concluded, the tension in the ring was nothing to sneeze at either. Both parties have their fair share of pressure hanging above them like the Sword of Damocles, and for their teammates watching in the stands it wasn't very hard to notice.
"Big brother seems so...upset. It's because of what happened last night?" Bao asked innocently.
"His heart is troubled, no doubt. I think he wants to prove his independence for once, without having to be carried by the rest of us. His actions in this KOF were hard proof of that." Chin commented, being equally restless as his pupil.
While Ryo was straightening up his gi, Kensou looked positively unnerved. Sakazaki was no psychologist, but anyone could reach the conclusion that he was not in the right mindset for the upcoming fight.
"Woah, what's with the bloodshot eyes, Kensou? You don't look so good."
"You have some other great insight to share, Kyokugen Master?"
"Hey, I'm just concerned, that's all. No need to give me an attitude."
"Look, these last few days were awful, so excuse me for not feeling particularly jolly. You wanna be helpful? Let's relieve some pent-up stress, just the two of us. I figure you need it as much as I do."
"Can't completely deny that. Still, my priority remains the reputation of the Kyokugen school and I'll be damned if I let our team get kicked out so easily. You certainly have gone through a lot lately Kensou, but in the battlefield there's no place for mercy."
FIGHT!
The Psycho Soldier went ballistic from minute one, as he charged ahead towards Ryo and threw a high roundhouse directed at his neck. The latter defended himself with his right forearm and proceeded to answer with a throw, using his legs as propulsion. Not to much effect however, as Sie prevented the hard fall by landing with his left arm and bounced back to safety after a graceful somersault in the air. Gotta thank Master Chin's exercises for that one.
"That's what happens when two diametrically different styles go into a full-on collision, folks. What will prevail? Kensou's acrobatics or Ryo's more straight-forward techniques?" Clemence asked at the audience watching at home.
Taking advantage of the distance between them, Sakazaki launched a Ko'ou Ken at Kensou, soaring through the air like a beautiful orange arrow. Sadly, Kensou sidestepped it without issue and went on to face Ryo up-close, with the Kyokugen ready to receive him. Sie went for a jab to the chest, followed by a lower knee, but both were blocked easily thanks to Ryo's perfect defense. Going for something a little more audacious, The Psycho Solider tried spinning around upwards to send his opponent flying, and while that move certainly had more weight behind it, Sakazaki kept defending himself perfectly, alternating between guarding low then high during his attack. Realizing too late his move proved fruitless, Kensou landed on Ryo's knee for his trouble and was thrown into the distance like a drilled plushie. That's where some real problems started rearing their ugly heads; Sie was by no means skinny, but Sakazaki more built physique allowed him to tank most shots coming his way, especially from someone who, by comparison, was much scrawnier than him.
Now it was Sakazaki who came running towards the opponent, intent on breaking the Psycho Soldier's rhythm. Before he could act, Ryo was forced to duck under a couple of palm strikes and Kensou's attempt to compromise his footing by going for a shot somewhat resembling a dropkick, the impact of which was just strong enough to send Ryo slightly tumbling in front of him. Ready the seize the opportunity to the fullest, Sie unleashed a rapid combo of high chops and additional palm strikes, up and down without restraint...yet something didn't feel right; The impact was certainly there but his shots lacked the necessary strength to land some decisive damage. Not helped by the fact that after a lifetime of training absorbing Takuma's wall-demolishing strikes, Ryo developed some impressive resistance in that specific part of the body. Getting the message that he was wasting his time, Kensou changed tactics and went for a back kick, which proved to be a fatal mistake almost immediately.
"Kensou is getting desperate and in the process, wasting precious energy just to land a solid shot." Chizuru observed.
"Always had a keen eye for these kind of things, Miss Kagura. His excessive desire to win is preventing him from fighting efficiently. That boy better get his act straight or he'll pay dearly soon enough." Chin added, worried for his student's behaviour like any self-respecting master would.
Ryo clenched tight on the boy's leg, grinding Kensou's right heel to a fine dust, much to his excruciating displeasure. Reaching a satisfying result, Sakazaki gladly returned it to him and without thinking, as soon as he put his foot back on the ground, the feeling of an entire knife set coursed through, leaving a pivotal opening for the Kyokugen to exploit. First, a perfectly landed side kick sent Kensou into the ring, opening up his right eyebrow too, just to make the situation even worse. Sie tried to make the best of his one remaining leg, managing to catch Ryo by surprise and nail a flailing shot on his temple before retreating like a cornered animal. After checking if any blood was coming out, fortunately there was only a moderately sized bulge, Sakazaki gave chase to the Psycho Soldier, preparing for one of his trademark running double kicks. Regrettably, he may have made his intentions a tad too obvious; Kensou stopped running away and jumped on Ryo's shoulders, who didn't react in time to avoid having Sie's sneaker planted on his face.
"Jesus, you have to admire Kensou's stubbornness. Getting kicked around for almost the entire match but still having something to offer." Clemence noted, to his own surprise.
Trying his damnedest to land on his good feet, the Psycho Soldier shook off the fatigue that was starting to assault him, aware that Ryo wouldn't stay down for long. Predictably, the Kyokugen went back on his feet a little grogged up, but nonetheless ready once more to continue fighting. Having zero intention of letting him recover, Kensou went for an elbow to the abdomen, parried in an instant by Ryo, followed by a sloppy palm strike in the same zone. With the second parry, Sakazaki could counter with ease, pushing Sie away with his right foot and connecting with a spectacular roundhouse with the left. Kensou's pitiful guard could do nothing to stop it, with a forceful spit following in the same direction the boy's whole body was sent. The cobwebs formed up at the speed of an overflowing river, giving Ryo ample time to lay down the finer arts of the Kyokugen School onto his dazed opponent.
"ZANSETSUKEN!" An incalculable myriad of punches came down on Sie, who had no more energy to even attempt defending himself. One of the most complex techniques of Kyokugen, it required an absurd amount of concentration and stamina to pull it off with one arm, but the bountiful reward during a confrontation was more than worth it and this time it was no different. No part of his body was safe, getting battered at an inhuman speed, to the point Kensou was pretty sure he saw his own blood flying in a thousand different directions.
By some miracle, Sie was still standing but that wasn't going to last. Coming forward with a fantastic straight fist, Ryo floored him for good, sending to scrape the pavement for a good numbers of meters. The amount of dust lifted was one of the most impressive seen in New Horizon so far, further proof of the incredible craft on display during this competition. Once the poor boy stopped twitching, the verdict rang out clearly for all spectators and fighters present.
WINNER: RYO SAKAZAKI
Kensou fought valiantly, using all the years of his training to the extreme, yet the result ended up being what both the public and the commentator predicted from the start.
"After a fierce battle, the Psycho Soldier just couldn't match the resilience of the veteran Ryo, marking him as the first true elimination of New Horizon. I think we can all attest on how the Kyokugen prodigy was never in any precarious situation and held his ground without much difficulty. One could argue it was unfair for Kensou, but that's just the unluckiness that simply comes along with tournament match-ups, I'm afraid." Clemence somberly mused.
Sie probably wished he never regained his senses at all, as he was punching the ground in raw frustration due to, from his perspective, his pathetic loss. Ryo, ever the sportsman, tried to extent his hand in respect all the same, only to get it abruptly slapped away.
"I don't need your fucking commiseration, okay?! I'm not five."
Badly trying to cover his tears, Kensou hurriedly walked away in the direction of the locker rooms and then out of the stadium who witnessed his humiliation. Athena wanted to go after him, but her master advised against it, reluctant as he was.
"Follow him now and he'll feel even more patronized. Let him boil over first." Chin whispered.
"I can't leave him in such a state-"
"I understand perfectly, but trust me...you would only make things worse for both of you."
This definitely wasn't the ideal state of mind Athena and Bao needed during the competition, especially considering that neither of them fought yet. Regardless of their feelings on the matter, the judgement of their master proved to be almost always right in the past, at least when these kind of personal matters were involved. All they could do now was hope Kensou could find a way to manage this inner turmoil by himself for the time being.
NEXT TIME: While relaxing away from the noisy tournament, Iori receives the visit of one the most wanted men in the criminal underworld. At the same time, the second bracket reaches the conclusion of its first round when Japan's second best, Benimaru, faces the self-proclaimed legend Joe Higashi...or does it?