Chapter 6: Fists and Feet
Neptune rubbed the back of her head as she got up. "Oooww. Just what was that all about? First I'm fighting hacked monsters and then some dingus had to go blinding me and possibly lowered my accuracy! Unless..." Neptune gasped "Wait. Am I... on a beach!? Oh nononono! I swear, this always seems to happen in my franchise. Lemme guess, I'm in another dimension right about now. I'm surprised I didn't fall onto anyone."
"N-neptune?" came the timid, stuttering voice of Tekken, who shook sand from her grey hair, picking up her spiked gloves. "Where… are we?"
"Whoa! It's Tekken! Long time no see." Neptune grinned.
"What? But… we were just fighting a moment ago." Tekken's lips carved a confused frown onto her face.
"Oh, time's always acting like a big buttmunch with these sorts of things. One year in this world may mean one week back in our dimension. You know how it works." Neptune smiled, but Tekken only shook her head in disagreement saying that she really didn't. Neptune then looked over to see a pair of legs and a tail sticking out of the sand.
"Yoink!" Neptune grabbed onto the tail and pulled out a dizzy Broccoli. "Ooh ooh! I plucked a Puchiko!"
"Really? Of all the people I could have gotten stuck with, of all places I could have been, I just had to wind up with Neptune, nyu." Broccoli's flat tone complimented her unamused face.
"Let's not split pears… or watermelons since we're on a beach and all, Puchiko." Nep, Tekken, and Broccoli looked over in the distance to see a family on vacation, the young blindfolded son, smashing a wooden stick down onto a watermelon.
"I propose we stick Nep's head there next, nyu." Broccoli pointed.
"Aw, you're so cute when you're trying to make jokes, Puchiko." Neptune patted Broccoli on the head. At this point, Broccoli was so aggravated that she turned to the spot where she had been stuck in the sand and smashed her face back inside like an ostrich.
"Hey! No need for all the passive-aggressive sarcasm, Puchiko! Help me out Tekken!"
"Leave me alone. I am laying to rest the remainder of my brain cells, nyu." Broccoli's voice muffled through the sand.
Tekken grabbed one of Broccoli's little legs as Nep grabbed the other, "Don't say that, Broccoli! I-i am here too! Don't you go dying on Tekken now! Besides. We need… to find out… what's going on!" Yoinking Broccoli out, the girls rolled in the sand before Broccoli landed on top of Tekken.
"I didn't know you were here, Tek. Well, I guess maybe you will help keep my sanity in check, nyu. Besides, exploring new worlds is a pastime by now." Broccoli got up before picking up a stick on the beach. "Now, let us think a bit about just what happened, nyu."
"What do you think, Neptune?" Tekken looked over.
Nep placed a finger on her chin "Well, last I knew, You and the other makers went after the new… Sage alliance or somethin'. And we were left fighting strange, powered up monsters."
"You had all told us to go after Marvy and Tamsoft, nyu." Broccoli replied.
"Mhm! The Sages and Arfoire Syndicate were on the run." Tekken added.
"Do you remember anything in your memory of memories? Like what happened during your encounter?" Neptune asked.
"Well… I-i remember holding back Anonydeath's fist with my own. And, and I know Iffy had gone all fiery and started burning up... I think." Tekken stuttered.
"That girl was on fire? I didn't think she had enough MP to use that Materia yet." Neptune scratched her chin.
"It was just flame awakening." Broccoli blurted, drawing quick sand paintings with her stick to illustrate her experience. "Anyways, I managed to knock that pervy Trick out of my sight, nyu. I was about to go over to help Falcom with the anger management issues robot when I saw it."
"It!? Oh no! Don't tell me a clown popped out of the sewers, Puchiko!" Neptune's eyes widened as she began to sweatdrop when suddenly she got bonked on the head.
"BROCCOLI NOT PUCHIKO!" Broccoli cleared her throat "Anyways… it was an unusual circle, nyu. It was mostly hollow except for a strange light in the middle. And it housed a small orange gem on each end, nyu." Broccoli drew a strange set of circular rings, intersecting each other around a sparking light to form the odd sphere. "Next thing I know, Iffy shoulders CFW Magic out of the way, when she and Marvy reached for the item at the exact same time and then... I woke up with my head in the sand, only to find that I am accompanied by the person I least enjoy being around, nyu."
"Broccoli!" Neptune gasped, "How can you say something so mean about poor Tekken?"
"Yeah, Brocc. How could you say something like that?!" Tekken began wiping near her eyes.
Broccoli's eyes widened in her signature 'are you f**king serious' look. "Really? You have got to be kidding me, nyu."
"Hehe. I am." Tekken whispered, grinning at broccoli.
"That makes one of us, nyu." Broccoli closed her eyes in annoyance as Nep continued to rant about how mean it was to Tekken. Just then a group of kids ran past, one of them stopped and looked at Tekken.
"Whoa! Are you fighting in the tournament?" one boy asked.
"T-tournament? What tournament?" Tekken asked. The other boys then proceeded to tell them about the Yokohama Bay fighting tournament, which in the distance the group could see a small, elavated wooden ring which stood beneath wide banners reading Yokohama Bay Tournament. A crowd gathered just beneath them.
"Oooh, we should totally enter that tournament. What better way to find out more about this world than to battle in it?" Neptune smiled.
"Lots, I'm sure, nyu." Broccoli commented dryly.
"Oh, no worries. We'll just walk up to the registration and jump right in there!" Nep smiled, but it soon turned upside down when the registrar denied her entry. "What do you mean 'does not meet height requirements'!? I'm telling ya I'm a lot more experienced in battle than most of the people here! I'll show you!" Neptune scrunched up her face, her body tense as she tiptoed.
"What is wrong, Neptune? You know, I saw bathrooms over there if you need them." Tekken pointed in the direction of some portable Japanese toilets.
"She can't transform, nyu. I actually feel a little bad for her." Broccoli folded her arms.
"I am sorry miss, but allowing anyone under 5 feet (1.5 meters) is a violation of the safety procedures and rules for this tournament." The registration man replied. Just then a tall man with curly, dark brown hair casually approached. While not particularly buff, he was relatively toned, with a light tan on him and a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. With a brightly colored, flowery shirt that was slightly unbuttoned at the top and off-tan, khaki shorts, and a camera around his neck, he looked like a tourist.
The man spoke in a calm, collected tone. "I wouldn't be so quick to judge if I were you. Sometimes big things come in small packages, and that which is hidden has been in plain sight."
"Whoa. Hold the phone and dial 1-800-CRYPTIC. Who's this weirdo?" Neptune gaped.
The man continued talking to the registration employees "I sense a great deal of potential coming from this little girl. I believe she may surprise you." Broccoli began laughing at the man's 'little girl' comment, much to Neptune's dislike.
"Listen, participant. Whether she can fight or not is irrelevant. We are a small-town volunteering this fundraiser and do not want to be sued for disregarding safety. Rules are rules and we can't change them." The registration woman replied.
"Fair enough." The man turned to Neptune and her friends. "Sometimes life's greatest lessons are learned through failure. Perhaps you'll get to show them next time."
"Uuum. Yeah, so… Who are you and why were you tryin' to help me like that?" Neptune felt a small, awkward sweatdrop forming from her.
"Just consider me a participant in the tournament. As for your other question…" The man turned away slightly "I help so that maybe one day, my rights shall outweigh my wrongs. But fear not. I sense you will do something great in the near future."
"Ooh! Finally someone who recognizes my awesome power as a main character." Neptune beamed with an ignorant happiness that made Broccoli roll her eyes. But it didn't last long as Neptune's sad eyes frowned of disappointment, "But it still doesn't raise my persuasion skill enough to participate."
"If her head was a balloon, it would have floated off her neck a long time ago, nyu." Broccoli face palmed, pretending not to know her.
"Don't worry, Neptune. I-i will participate o-on your behalf!" Tekken walked up to the counter, and while she met the requirements, she soon ran into obstacles such as lack of ID and proper currency as Gamindustri Credits were not valid. The participating man stepped in again, suggesting they allow her to pass.
When asked why, he responded, progressively speaking louder so that others could hear him "Rules are rules, but these girls just wanna have fun. You've already denied one entry, albeit for a decent reason. Now you not only hold up another when they just wish to see their cool friend participate in the tournament, but you hold up an entire line of people. Is that really the kind of people you want to be seen as 'in this small town'? Which, by these numbers may not be so small after all."
The registrar whispered among each other as did the others in line. "Alright, alright!" Said the woman, giving Tekken a name tag, "But keep quiet about this!"
Neptune performed a two-finger salute while exaggeratingly saying "YES! Tekken, be polite and thank Mr. participating cool dude!... Tekken?" Nep looked over to see a stuttering Tekken looking at the man, petrified.
"Ooooh that's right! Tekken already has social awkwardness issues. But she had a bad experience when some scumbags tried to gang up on her." Nep said casually.
"Oh my. I am sorry if I reminded you of such an experience." The man sighed. Tekken's eyes widened more as she shook her hands, words unable to escape her mouth.
"Oh don't worry, Mr. Participating Cool Dude. Tekken just thinks all men are 'creepy crawly'." Nep responded.
"Uh!? Well, that's… awful rude. How do you interact with half the population?" the man looked a tad hurt.
Tekken stutted "N-n-n-n-n-n-neptune! Th-that's… that's that's!" She froze up when the man placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I am sorry about what happened, though. You'll be alright, miss Tekken. I'll see you in the tournament." The man walked off.
Tekken looked down, teary-eyed before grabbing Neptune by the shoulders, shaking her "Y-y-you're a meanie, Neptune!"
"Well Tek, as you always say, nyu. 'Truth hurts, right'? Now are we gonna get moving, nyu?" Broccoli's lips curled to the side in her signature unamused cat face.
As the tourney began warriors began dropping out left and right. Neptune and Broccoli, despite the latter thinking they were wasting time, cheered Tekken on as she took one victory after another. The crowds went wild over Tekken, some of whom said her moves mimicked a certain franchise. Making it to the semifinals, Tekken soon found herself against the participating cool dude.
"Glad to see you made it, Tekken." The man said.
"Mm! Likewise… A-and… I am sorry for acting so rude earlier." Tekken replied.
"You're speaking to me just fine, now?" he asked.
"When I'm fighting… or just have minimal interaction, it's like it all goes away, I get so pumped before the battle, I feel I can take on anything. B-but I have a question for you, Mr. Participating Cool Dude… You said you hoped you could outright your wrongs. What wrongs were those?" Tekken looked into her opponent's eyes, or would have had the sunglasses not been in the way.
"Hm. Let's just say my blind ignorance once hurt someone I once considered myself close to and leave it at that. And please, you may call me Komichi. Now prepare yourself, Tekken." Tekken took a fighting stance and the bell rang for the match to begin.
Komichi rushed at Tekken, who barely dodged his flying fists, countering with her leg, knocking him back. With both unusual fighting styles clashing, Komichi and Tekken took more hits than they expected. "Uuum, Puchiko. I was expecting something a lot more… epic for this fight but it looks like a… Cluster$ #! Heeey! Who just censored me!?" Neptune whined.
At one point, Tekken and Komichi locked arms. "Tell me… Tekken… Where did you learn how to fight like that? If I didn't know any better, I'd say they pulled you straight out of a video game!"
"A place called Lastation!" Tekken pushed Komichi back.
"A gas station!? Just what were they doing there!?" Komichi held his ground after the shove.
"Isn't it obvious?" Tekken performed a backwards somersault. "They taught us to fight! Now, Demon Scissors!" Tekken leapt forward with both legs, knocking Komichi down as her feet latched onto his neck. Getting up, he attempted to piledrive her, but a swift elbow to the gut sent Komichi down again. Tekken then jumped and shouldered him into the stage, where the bell rang.
"Well done… miss Tekken." Komichi grunted. Tekken hesitated for a moment, but with a shaking hand helped Komichi up. After the contestants got offstage, Komichi gave a slight bow to Tekken. "It was an honor to fight with you, Tekken. Now go give that last opponent hell!" Tekken began stuttering again.
"Aaand there she goes again." Neptune sweatdropped.
"I have to admit, even I'm starting to get a little annoyed with it, nyu." Broccoli added. With an awkward smile, Komichi bid them goodbye and left the scene.
Neptune rolled her eyes "Whoa. And I thought 5pb had it rough. Ya know, Tekken... we need to work on your people skills."
The crowds roared; Tekken gulped. That semifinal round was tougher than ever. That means the final… I can do this. Tekken braced herself as her opponent came onstage. Her opponent wore a simple, white buttoned-up shirt which was accompanied by a pink tie, with matching colored-ribbons in her long brown hair. A simple pink-plaid skirt adorned her bottom half and asides from a very fancy looking set of greaves and gauntlets, she looked like a normal girl with a smile so sweet that Tekken almost suspected her of being a sponsor messenger.
"Good luck out there!" The girl waved to Tekken "Might I have my opponent's name?"
"Eh-h-hello. My name is Tekken. And yours?" Tekken asked.
"Greetings, Tekken! My name is Ayame! Let us have a good fight!" Ayame smiled before turning to the crowd. "Remember, don't throw away those tickets! As you can turn them in to my shop for a discount on all purchased items!"
The crowds cheered as Ayame waved them on. "OOH! She sure knows how to draw em in like insects to a buglight!" Neptune grinned. "Hey, Puchiko, we should totally go check out her shop afterwards. Me wonders what mysterious gizmos this world has to offer!"
"It's Broccoli. Not Puchiko, nyu. But you forgot we won't get any discount because we didn't have the right money for any tickets." Broccoli let her tongue hang out a bit as the words left her mouth.
As the bell rang, Tekken and Ayame began a slow circle around each other, each trying to anticipate the other's movements. Tekken felt a chill up her spine, the air around her seemed to tense up as her heart pounded more and her muscles trembled. This girl she was facing was something else.
Almost simultaneously, Tekken and Ayame rushed each other, fists deflecting almost perfectly off one another. Ayame kicked upward, to which Tekken responded by leaning backwards, tripping Ayame up with a sweeping kick. Now's my chance! Tekken aimed to land on her with an elbow, the same move she'd used on Komichi, but Ayame punched her off in a flash. With less than a second to catch her breath, Tekken was back on her feet just in time to parry Ayame's spinning kick. With near identical timing, both girls shook off the impact and came at each other with a wild combination of jabs, hooks, uppercuts, axes, roundhouses, and sweepers creating a flurry that made the crowds explode.
"WOOOOHA! That's what Im talkin' about! GOOOO TEKKEEEENNN!" Neptune shouted, waving her fist and jumping up and down. Broccoli looked over as a flash from Komichi's camera surprised her. Suspiciously, she was unsure of whether he snapped a picture of her or the match between Tekken and Ayame. Both girls finally knocked each other backwards, breathing heavily. Tekken wiped a small trickle of blood from her mouth.
"You are… not bad, miss Tekken." Ayame regained composure.
"You too, miss Ayame. That felt kinda good. If I weren't so focused on winning, I might just forfeit here and now." Tekken blushed lightly, to which Ayame responded with an awkward 'okay'. "but allow me to pick up the pace! Raijin Fist!" Tekken's fist glowed of an electrical aura as she rushed at Ayame, who just barely dodged the energy-infused uppercut.
"Interesting. It seems you were hiding something under those sleeveless arms of yours. So where are you from, Tekken?" Ayame asked.
"Lastation. Lastation of Gamindustri." Tekken replied.
"Lass-Stateeon? Is that Serbian or something? Or did you say gas station?" Ayame rolled her head, stretching her neck. "I suppose it doesn't matter. But you should know, Tekken. Every girl has her secrets. And mine is a Secret Ninja Art! Reverse Spindle!"
"Fujin Fist!" Tekken responded, rushing at Ayame, who's legs were spinning like a tornado. Tekken's fist wound up connecting against Ayame's attack. The high impact of both wind-like attacks created a counter-surge of energy, resulting in an energy-explosion that threw both girls backward and off the stage at the same time. The crowds gasped, pretending not to stare, as when Ayame and Tekken had both gotten up, their outfits had been ripped to shreds. Ayame screamed, turning her back and Tekken hunched over with a shameful look to hide her exposed boingy bits.
"Whoa, talk about recoil! I get the other girl, but why is Tekken so bothered? Seein' her outfit, she's two thin threads shy from lingerie." Neptune's eyes widened before sighing. "As the old saying goes, logic be damned in the name of fanservice."
"Nobody says that, nyu." Broccoli folded her arms, shaking her head.
The officials, bringing both Ayame and Tekken long robes, proceeded to help them to their feet, one of them, coming over with a megaphone. "After looking over the replay, several times, the officials have determined that this match ended in a tie. We can either hold a follow-up match or one of you shall receive your first-place trophy in the mail. Well what do our contestants have to say?"
"That was very exhilarating. We should do it again sometime. But I think a trophy is good enough." Tekken smiled.
"Yeah. Let's take what we got here. You were an amazing opponent. Not even my ni-… er, new martial art friends come close to you." Ayame said. After a brief moment of silence, both Ayame and Tekken slapped a firm hand shake together, raising both their fists into the air, prompting the crowds to cheer.