The speed and strength by which Akuma engaged battle was nothing like Ryu had ever seen before. Ryu had barely managed to block the demon's first strike – a collarbone breaker – before he moved into a spinning hurricane kick, spinning twice as rapidly as Ryu himself had ever been able to execute it. And the power behind each kick pummeled him backward, despite Ryu's desperate attempt to keep himself balanced.
Akuma landed and moved fluidly into a dragon uppercut, rising high into the air. Ryu successfully blocked this too and saw a window of opportunity to counter the move, while Akuma descended from the apex of the move. But instead of descending as Ryu had predicted, Akuma remained airborne, floating there, pumping his fists downward, raining a series of purple fireballs down at him. Ryu was caught off guard and absorbed the projectile attacks with his face and torso. The projectiles hit him with such force that he was pushed into the ground on which he stood, smothered by the power of the Satsui no Hadou. The energy raining upon him from the projectiles that shot out from Akuma's palms crushed Ryu's skull into his shoulders, his shoulders to his spine, his spine through his legs, and out his heels that cracked the tiled arena floor that supported his full weight. Behind the protective shield of his forearms, Ryu's face was twisted into an anguished grimace, giving everything he had to withstand Akuma's onslaught without resorting to the Satsui no Hadou within his own body.
It had only lasted three seconds at the most but to Ryu, it had felt like an eternity. Akuma finally ran out of chi with which to batter Ryu and began his descent back towards the ground. This was when Ryu countered with a dragon uppercut of his own, catching Akuma in the jaw. Whether or not it was a lucky strike, Ryu wouldn't find out until later in the match when, or if, he managed to figure out Akuma's attack pattern.
Akuma was knocked off balance by the strike but recovered mid-air; something Ryu had seen no other fighter do. The dragon uppercut was a one hit blow that knocked any fighter off his feet. A fighter as small as Kenny when he was six years old to the gargantuan Russian wrestler Zangief had tasted its power, both of them floored by the single blow. But the inhuman Akuma absorbed the blow without so much as a grunt.
XXXXX
Chun Li spent the entire car ride staring nervously out the window, twiddling her thumbs around each other, or tapping her fingertips against her knees. She couldn't sit still. She was nervous for Ryu and Cammy, wondering what had happened to them since she lost her fight to Sagat. She knew Ryu saved her from certain death, she knew the scenario around the tournament grounds must've looked like a mass genocide had just taken place. She wasn't even sure she was in shape to help out with whatever trouble revealed itself. It just made her feel better that she was there to watch Shadowlaw's downfall … or the street fighters' attempts at taking them down once and for all. And whether her body was in the shape to fight or not, she wanted to play a part in it.
"Will you stop that?" Guile asked from the driver's seat, speeding down the highway, out of the city into the more remote countryside on the outskirts of Pattaya, where the Buddhist temple hosting the tournament rounds were located.
Chun Li stopped drumming her fingers on the dashboard, noticing only then that she was doing it. "I'm sorry," she said.
"It's just that," Guile began, "you're not making it easy for me to stay calm either."
"What do you think we'll find there?" Chun Li asked.
"I'd rather not think about it," Guile replied honestly. "We'll deal with it when we get there."
"The people fell like flies," she continued. "Just dropped to the ground. Like souls were being ripped from perfectly healthy bodies."
"Are they dead?"
Chun Li shook her head. "I don't think so. From what I gather, it's the result of conflicting energies. In this case, it's the Satsui no Hadou in ryu and the Psycho Power Bison is wielding. To incredibly negative energies clashing, both of them so powerful. Once the fight is over and it's gone, everything should be fine."
"Don't you think we'd end up unconscious on the ground too?" Guile was starting to question whether Chun Li was acting with her head or her heart. Working with the Interpol agent for so long, Guile was familiar with how stubborn she could be. Headstrong as she seemed, he knew it was really her heart doing all the decision making. Still, Chun Li was incredibly talented at convincing people that what she was doing was right. But she could never legitimize them to Guile. He knew her better than that.
She shrugged. "Whatever happens, it'll be worth it," Chun Li replied, before falling silent for the rest of the ride.
XXXXX
Wagner watched Delta Red take out what remained of Genta's squad with relative ease. He had no more energy left in him to fight. The battle with Balrog took all the strength and endurance his body could muster. And Juli was lying in his arms. With bullets flying everywhere, he couldn't leave her out in the open, unprotected, in case a stray bullet was to find its way over to them.
Wagner's thoughts came to a grinding halt. Was he willing to take a bullet for her?
He couldn't answer the question, as he noticed the Delta Red members walking towards him, bloody, bruised, dirty and weak, but very much alive. Luwanda had her hands on Katarina's shoulders, which were limp, her head hanging low. Where was Issei?
"She took out most of the soldiers," Colonel Wolfman said to Wagner, tipping his head at Katarina. "That woman can sure dodge anything you throw at her, even bullets."
"Katarina?" Wagner asked, shifting his gaze over to the weak, fragile looking ex-Shadowlaw scientist.
Luwanda shushed him. "Sit down, Katarina. That battle is over. There's nothing more you, or anyone else can do now. The rest is up to Ryu and Ken."
"What happened?" Wagner pressed Colonel Wolfman for answers.
"Issei was killed in battle. Katarina went berserk and killed a good ten to twenty members of Genta's force. She went around breaking necks, stabbing soldiers with their own knives, used bodies and live people alike as shields, taking them down one by one until enough attention was diverted to herself where we could step in and take out the remaining forces."
"Shit …"
"I'd expect nothing more from a Shadowlaw fighter."
"I thought she was a scientist."
"It's complicated … Anyway, how's Juli?"
"Unconscious, probably a concussion. She ate one too many of Balrog's punches. Did a good job fighting him off though. I've checked her over for broken bones, nothing that I can find. She seems to be ok otherwise – moved her fingers and lips a few times."
"Damn," Wolfman said, shaking his head. "This little thing can take more than one of Balrog's punches? No wonder she used to be a Shadowlaw doll."
"I think it's because she used to be one."
"HELP!" somebody cried from a distance.
Wagner and Wolfman's conversation ceased as their attention was diverted to the newcomer. Luwanda, McCoy and Ginzu stopped nursing their wounds to see who it was that approached.
"Julian!" Wagner cried, waving.
"He's carrying someone," Wolfman noted with urgency, getting to his feet.
"Help!" Julian shouted again, with a little less urgency this time, knowing he had their attention. "We need … we need …" he wheezed, out of breath.
"Kenny!" Wagner cried, now leaping to his feet too, running towards Julian.
"He's shot!" Wolfman said, reaching Julian first, noticing it looked like someone had dumped a bucket of blood all over him. Blood was smeared onto Julian's face and arms, crusting up his shirt. But Kenny looked like he'd been swimming in it.
"Julian, put Kenny down. You're bleeding all over the place," Wolfman advised, watching the blood trickle down his fingers of his hands supporting Kenny's weight.
Julian shook his head. "It's not me. I'm not cut. It's all Kenny's." Julian didn't think it necessary to mention that some of the blood was Genta's as well, after skewering him with Vega's claw.
"Holy shit," Wagner gasped, seeing so much blood. "We gotta stop this bleeding."
"I … I don't know first aid," Julian said, struggling to suppress the panic in his voice. "I tried putting pressure on the bullet wound to stop the bleeding, but I didn't want to push the bullet in some more. And it only made him gush more blood. Fuck, do something before he dies! I don't know what to … just don't know …"
"Fuck he's white as a sheet!" Wagner cried, panicking.
"Out of the way," Katarina said, shoving Wagner and Wolfman to clear a path for herself, the sudden appearance catching both men off guard.
"Kat, what are you …" Wolfman asked, but his question was answered before he could even finish it.
She extracted a small vile from her breast pocket, filled with a strange liquid with the consistency of water – except that it glowed a faint huge of purple. "Luwanda, I need one of your poison darts."
"Are you crazy?!" Luwanda cried. What are you going to inject him with?"
"I just need the needle!" Katarina pressed.
"THAT'S THE POISON PART!" Luwanda retorted.
"Just give it," Katarina insisted, her tone telling Luwanda that she was dead serious. The Delta Red member handed over one of her darts hesitantly. She, the other Delta Red members, Wagner and Julian watched in horror as Katarina inserted the needle into her mouth and sucked the poison off, spitting out whatever she could remove from the needle.
"Be careful!" Wolfman advised. "If you swallow any of that …"
Katarina nodded and spat out another wad mixture of saliva and poison. She licked her forearm to get any residual chemicals off her numbing tongue and wiped the needle clean with the tattered remains of her white skirt.
She unscrewed the needle from the dart and uncapped the small vile, screwing the needle onto it.
"You're making a mistake," Luwanda said. "Do you have any idea how potent the poison on those darts are? Ingesting even fraction of it could kill a rhinoceros! Sucking on it won't remove everything!"
Katarina didn't listen. Instead, she grabbed Kenny's hand and thrust the needle into a vein in the crook of his arm. A soft gasp from the group followed.
XXXXX
"Tatsumaki …" Ryu wound his body, "Sempuukyaku!" and released his energy in a flurry of kicks, spinning his body so fast, it sucked Akuma right in, battering the Shotokan demon from every direction. All Akuma could do was block and ride out the attack. As Ryu spun, he knew Akuma was defending the attack and Ryu forced himself to continue the assault as long as he possibly could, knowing Akuma was waiting to retaliate as soon as he recovered from the move.
And retaliate Akuma did – in the form of bone crunching, three hit dragon uppercut. Something stirred from within Ryu, an energy so powerful bursting to be unleashed upon the demon. And Ryu was tempted to use it but it was this very power that Akuma wanted him to turn to – the Satsui no Hadou.
"I sense it," Akuma said, wiping a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Don't hold back, Ryu."
The yearning for revenge for his master was strong and Akuma was a difficult opponent. He could understand how Master Gouken had fallen. Akuma harnessed a power that Gouken refused to; a power superior to what Gouken had taught them. But wielding that power came with certain risks. Ryu would have to sacrifice his very humanity to use it, and even then, he wasn't sure it'd be enough to defeat Akuma.
Then he caught the sudden attitude in his thinking. Defeat Akuma. But Ryu didn't fight for victory. He fought for the thrill of the fight, the discipline it took, and the valuable lessons he would walk away with from one. That was what he told Kenny back at the hospital after the youth had criticized his ways. Ryu had convinced him otherwise, but now, he was sure that this desperate need to destroy Akuma, driven by revenge or whatever else, was exactly what Kenny was getting at.
"Dude, NO!!"
Ryu felt strong arms lock around his body, pinning his own arms to his sides, and felt himself get taken down to the ground.
"Snap the hell out of it!"
Ryu blinked, noticing it was Ken Masters who brought him back to reality. Ryu hadn't even realized he'd zoned out for that brief moment. Ken looked legitimately afraid for him.
"Ken, what's wrong?" Ryu asked.
"The Satsui no Hadou," he replied, controlling his temper. "Don't you fucking act all innocent. You were going to use it!"
"You don't know that!" Ryu snapped back, roughly pushing Ken away as he staggered to his feet.
"Like your glowing eyes weren't a telltale sign!" Ken snapped back.
Neither fighter saw Akuma coming. The demon dashed at them both launching himself into variations of basic moves intended for two targets as opposed to one. Ken and Ryu outnumbered him but Akuma was dealing with the two of them well and showed no signs of slowing down.
XXXXX
An hour and forty-five minutes later, Guile and Chun Li arrived at the war zone – it looked enough like one. Guile wasn't ready for what he saw, but Chun Li seemed to have an idea of what to expect, watching the scenario unfold before her eyes on television just under two hours prior.
'What the hell …" Guile gasped. "All these people …"
"They're not dead," Chun Li said, sounding like she was convincing herself as she was saying it. "At least, not all of them are."
Guile scanned the surrounding area for any form of life. "Where's Ryu and the others?" A loud boom within the inner courtyard of the temple was his reply.
"Let's get going," Chun Li said.
"Wait," he interrupted. "We need to get an ambulance over here … or a whole armada of them."
"I'll leave that to you," Chun Li said, touching his elbow gently before running off towards the inner courtyard.
"No, come back here!" Guile ordered, but his words were useless. She continued running without looking back. "I … I can't speak Thai!!"
XXXXX
"It's okay," Katarina assured. "The residual poison won't harm Kenny. Not with this." She motioned to the vile connected to the needle, emptying its contents into Kenny's body.
"What is it?" Wolfman asked.
She gave him an incredulous look. "It's the Shadow Nanotechnology."
"That purple shit?" Wagner cried. "I thought it was … a computer chip or something."
"It's version two," Katarina explained. "It's the same Shadow Technology that Kenny had, only ten times more powerful and in nanotech format. The liquid is just saline. The Shadow Nanotechnology is floating around inside."
"You're creating a monster!!" Luwanda screamed.
"I just lost one brother!" Katarina snapped. "And I'm NOT going to lose another! I've heard it straight from Sagat's mouth. It was the original model of the Shadow Technology that kept Kenny alive even after Ryu punched a hole through his chest! This stuff ... this will definitely help seal up the bullet wound sooner."
"And make his body draw energy from light itself, turn him into a mere silhouette of himself … a SHADOW!!" Wolfman countered. "You weren't there when Chun Li and Charlie were subjected to it. Charlie DIED because of it!"
"This is a different model. This is my model, the one Genta and the bodyguard panel were outfitted with. They can harness the Shadow power without losing their minds."
"That shit's caused him so much pain, though," Wagner said regretfully. "Katarina, don't you think he'd rather be dead than have to live with it again?"
"He's only been living without it for two days, if even," she replied, slipping the needle out. "Besides, he's going to need it if he's to defend himself against Genta."
"What are you talking about?" Wagner asked.
"Genta's dead," Julian said, almost defensively. "I stabbed him. Drove Vega's claw straight through his body. He's not coming back."
"He's been injected with this," Katarina said, holding up the now empty vile. "You don't honestly expect him to stay dead, do you?"
There was silence from the rest, and Katarina shook her head in disapproval at herself. "It's all my fault. Everything that's happened – if I hadn't resurrected Vega, if I had just let the Shadow Technology die…"
"You were made false promises," Wolfman said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder, "and you did what you were told in hopes that those promises were kept. The only people who knew what they were doing were the heads of that corporation.
"Besides, the most important thing is now you realize what Shadowlaw is all about. And you've joined us in our fight against them. I just hope you're with us for good."
"Until the end," Katarina promised, clutching the empty vile to her heart.
XXXXX
Chun Li spotted the ragtag group of fighters from a few hundred feet away, recognizing their silhouettes against the fading sunlight from that of the irregular pieces of rubble and dead bodies strewn about. She bee-lined it straight for the group as fast as her healing body would allow her to move. When her progress was too slow for her liking, she screamed out.
"Wolfman!"
The group turned their heads to look in her direction. Now that she had their attention, she could afford to slow her pace and catch her breath. But she couldn't. Something didn't feel right. Something inside of Chun Li told her something sinister was about and whatever it was recognized itself in her as well. She stopped cold in her tracks.
"You should be resting at the hotel," Wolfman said. "Chun Li … are you okay?"
She could hear his words but didn't pay them any attention. Instead, her narrow eyes scanned the surrounding area, searching for the source of her uneasiness, finally resting on Kenny, still being held aloft by Julian.
"Put him down, Marquez," she ordered.
"It's okay," Julian said, trying to reassure her. "Katarina just …"
"I said PUT HIM DOWN!" Chun Li screamed so loud that it startled Julian. He hastily rested Kenny's body on the ground and stepped away, letting her approach him. Chun Li knelt down by Kenny's unconscious body and reached out to touch his forehead.
But before her fingers could make contact, Kenny's eyes burst open, startling anyone who was watching. There was no life in them, no glimmer of emotion; just cold, pale irises glowing green. His pale skin blackened in an instant, along with the colours of the tattered clothes he still wore. Kenny didn't get up from his position lying down. He rose up, as if his body was being propped by an invisible board. The energy he absorbed from the weakening sunlight was enough to power him, erupting around his body so powerfully, it hurt to just look at him.
"The Shadow Technology!" Chun Li cried. That was what she had recognized inside him; the evil technology that had once possessed her body so long ago.
Like a bullet, moving at inhuman speeds, Kenny leapt at Julian faster than Julian could see coming. His reactions kicked in and Julian raised his arms to protect his face, but Kenny landed quickly behind him, holding Vega's claw in one outstretched arm.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Julian whispered in awe.
Julian's gaze traced the direction Kenny's arm was pointing in, back over his own shoulder towards another figure identical to Kenny's Shadow state. The claw – the figure had thrown Vega's claw like a projectile at Julian so fast, he hadn't seen it coming. Kenny had snatched it out of midair before it could pierce Julian's body the very same way he had rammed it through Genta's. And Genta was standing right there …
The realization had barely hit Julian when the two boys once again locked in combat. And this time, they were powerless to stop it.
XXXXX
Kenny and Genta attacked each other with devastating fury, and frighteningly calculated strikes and blocks, with speeds that would put a Bushin ninja to shame. The most frightening aspect was the silence with which they fought. There were no emotions involved; just strategic calculation. Neither boy uttered a word, let alone a whisper. The only sound being produced was that of their clothes flapping and the hiss of parting air as limbs pierced it like a bullet. The two Shadow Soldiers fought like ninjas with the speed and precision of machines, moving around each other, punching and kicking in combination attacks, countering with more endless strikes strung fluidly in one swift motion.
Kenny suddenly switched attack patterns. He somersaulted in the air at Genta, letting himself fall head first. When he was at waist level with the other Shadow Soldier, wrapped his arms about his torso and used the momentum to flip around again, throwing Genta into the ground with a pile driver. Instead of letting go however, Kenny ran along the ground, dragging Genta along with him while the other struggled against his grasp.
He didn't slow down but picked up speed as he ran farther, dragging Genta the whole way. Gathering strength in his arm, Kenny suddenly jammed his heels into the ground, using all the momentum he'd gained thus far by flinging Genta's body whole into a large pile of rubble that once served as the spectator bleachers.
Genta crashed into the pile of wood and steel rubble but stayed down for barely a few seconds before emerging from the rubble as if shot out of a cannon, and went straight for Kenny. Thin strips of what looked like lasers shot out from his fingers but wrapped around Kenny's body like ribbons of red light. The strings of light, still connected to Genta's finger tips, tightened their hold on Kenny's body and detonated. Kenny emerged unscathed from the smoke and fire but it was clear his movements were starting to slow.
And so was Genta's, apparently, as he didn't spot Kenny emerging from the clouds of dust soon enough, before he ate a heel to the chin that launched him high up into the air. Kenny jumped after his target and met him in midair with a left hook, right elbow, double kicked with his left leg and a flip kick with his right, sending Genta crashing back to the ground. Kenny didn't stop his assault there as he descended upon his target like an owl to a rat, feet first. Before Kenny could execute another combination attack on Genta however, something larger and heavier than him slammed into his body, throwing him off course.
Kenny hit the ground hard. His mind swam in the waters of disorientation and he struggled to make sense of where he was, what he was feeling, and what he was doing.
"Get up," he heard someone say, and felt his body being helped off the ground. His legs stood on their own, leaning on someone else's weight to support him.
Through his blurry, focusing vision, Kenny saw the dark form of Genta, black as night, emitting a greenish aura from his body. Just a stone throw away was the same demon that had attacked him and Cranky at his apartment in Osaka. The two didn't seem to be fighting on the same side, but they had one thing in common – their targets were standing in the same spot.
"Ryu," Kenny croaked.
"We have to end this," Ryu replied quietly. "This is no time to quit the battle."
"I'm not quitting," Kenny said, "I'm just …" he opened his palms and stared into them, seeing the colour return to them. No … He didn't need this now. He didn't need the Shadow Technology to go back into recession. What he needed was …
Genta's fist slammed into his jaw before he could finish his thought. Ryu stepped in front of Genta to prevent a further attack, but Akuma unleashed a flurry of air projectiles at Ryu, who failed to block them in time. Their two broken bodies struggled to get back up as Genta and Akuma stalked slowly towards them, enjoying the sight of Ryu and Kenny realize their fear before they dealt the finishing blow.