PREFACE: And we're back with the second chapter! It's time to follow Kunio and Hiroshi, as their trip to Cart Mart comes to a screeching halt.

What's going to happen, exactly? Read and find out!

Issue #02: "The Hunt"

Chapter Two

"They even taught you the Hurricane Kick?!" Hiroshi exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "That's so cool!"

"I know, right?!" Kunio gleefully replied. "I mean, I'm total garbage at it, but they say I'll get better if I practice it!"

"Man. . ." Hiroshi breathed, gazing at the car ceiling in disbelief. "Actually getting pointers from the Double Dragons?"

"They said I can come back anytime for advice," Kunio said. "And honestly, I wanna. I think I'll be happy if they can make me half as badass as they are."

"You'd think they'd be too busy to basically give out private lessons," Hiroshi remarked. "They've both run gyms."

"I mean," Kunio sniggered. "I guess it helps that Jimmy barely gets any customers."

"Wait, for real?" Hiroshi asked, his eyebrows raising. "I've heard that his gym was apparently a pig sty, but I thought that it was just gossip."

"Nah, it's true," Kunio grinned. "His gym's a mess. But he's one of the nicest guys ever. He and Billy both are."

"Well. . ." Hiroshi nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Unless you threaten someone he's dating."

"Yeah," Kunio laughed. "He and Jimmy practically made an example of Machine Gun Willy for trying to kidnap Marian!"

"Is. . .that what her name was?" Hiroshi furrowed his brows. "I always forget. . ."

"Can't blame ya," Kunio gave a small shrug. "She hasn't been a fighter herself for as long as the Lees have. And she only keeps watch over Downtown, so she's not well known."

"Still though," Hiroshi began, holding out his hands. "What was Machine Gun Willy thinking? Who would actually want that kind of trouble with Billy Lee?"

"I'm pretty sure these crime bosses all think they're untouchable," Kunio scoffed. "But play stupid games, win stupid prizes, y'know? At least when it comes to the Double Dragons."

"You're definitely keeping up the trend," Hiroshi gave a slight chuckle. "Maybe the next big criminal will think twice about messing with the city."

"Probably not," Kunio replied, shaking his head. "I'm gonna have to get better if I want that kind of clout."

"Beating up Sabu doesn't give you that?" Hiroshi asked, quizzically scratching his head. "What more do you need to do?"

"I gotta do it without being as sloppy," Kunio replied. "I barely beat Sabu. If I want the kind of cred that Billy and Jimmy have, I'm gonna have to start approaching my bad guys with some fighting tact. Can't just swing my fists at what's in front of me like I've been doing. That's what they told me yesterday."

"Looks like you got two things to focus on then!" Hiroshi asked. "Keep winning, and work on your technique!"

"I can use any minions they might have as training dummies!" Kunio smiled. "I'll actually be productive as I'm punching criminals in the face!"

"You do that, Kunio!" Hiroshi smiled. "You'll get there someday."

"Appreciate the faith, man!" Kunio said, giving Hiroshi a quick pat on the shoulder. "Say, is this where the place is?"

"Yep!" Hiroshi nodded. "Right down this street!"

Kunio brought the car to a stop in front of Cart Mart. The first thing he noticed about it was its sign, which was styled in an old-school 8-bit video game font. The store was small in size, which made sense to Kunio given that they lived in an age where older games had become niche in an age where gaming was currently on its ninth console generation.

Hiroshi jogged ahead into the store. Kunio strolled in behind him, looking around. Everywhere, he saw games. Old games. He saw thick-looking game cases lined with their own respective isles—much like a typical game store would. Some game cartridges were simply lined up nakedly along the shelves, not even inside cases. Like the encased games, the cartridges were organized by console, and varied in size, shape, and color. The walls were lined with posters advertising some of those games, along with consoles, and peripherals from the 16-bit era.

It was actually a bit impressive to him. Older games may have fallen out of the mainstream, but it was clear to him that these types of games had their fans. Kunio wondered how much money the place actually made.

Two smiling men stood behind the front counter. One was black-haired with glasses, and the other had a buzz cut.

"Beep beep boop!" The a black haired man with glasses said. "Look who it is!"

"Welcome back, Hiroshi!" The other one added.

Kunio raised an eyebrow at the way the men talked. Were they supposed to be imitating old video games?

"Hey guys!" Hiroshi gleefully waved.

Both owners turned their attention to Kunio.

"Have I been staring at my screen for too long," The black-haired owner began. "Or has the one and only Kunio come to our store?"

"Yep. . ." Kunio smiled, placing his hands in his pockets. "That's me."

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance!" He said, pushing up his glasses. "I'm player one, Kawaii Joe."

"And I'm player two," The other one said, placing a gentle hand on his chest. "Kawaii Tomm."

"We're really honored to have you here." Kawaii Joe smiled.

"Extremely honored!" Kawaii Tomm said. "What can we interest you in?"

"Actually," Kunio admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm only tagging along with Hiroshi today. Not really into these kinds of games."

"Which is why I've recently made it my mission to show just how great these games are!" Hiroshi grinned, placing his hands on his hips.

"Well, you've come to the right place!" Kawaii Joe said, gesturing around him. "We've got everything here at Cart Mart for your retro gaming needs!"

"And speaking of which," Kawaii Tomm happily announced. "We've got something for you, Hiroshi!"

"No way!" Hiroshi gasped, eagerly clutching the sides of his head. "You were able to get it in stock? This early?"

"We were one of the first they reached out to." Kawaii Joe said, proudly folding his arms.

"Awesome!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "I've been waiting for ages for this Super Cosmic Mega Babes game to come out!"

"Here you go!" Kawaii Tom handed the game to Hiroshi. "Fresh off the line for you!"

Hiroshi gasped with awe as his eyes went beady, holding the game out in front of him.

"Wait," Kunio spoke up, curiously pointing at the case. "Isn't this that manga that you like?"

"Yeah!" Hiroshi beamed. "Isn't it cool!"

"I don't get it," Kunio frowned. "Shouldn't they have stopped making games for it? I thought you told me something like that before."

"Yeah, but this isn't an old game," Hiroshi replied. "This is a remake!"

"They made this for a game from the '90's?" Kunio asked. "There can't be a cartridge in the case you're holding."

"Well, no," Hiroshi broke the seal and tore it off, opening the case. "See for yourself!"

Kunio peered inside and saw the game cartridge. He squinted, leaning in closer to the see the date to which the game had been hacked. Sure enough, Kunio saw the current year, 2019.

"See?!" Hiroshi smiled. "This is a remake of one of the Super Cosmic Mega Babes games in 1995! Now it's literally a brand-spanking new game!"

"And selling like hotcakes!" Kawaii Joe smiled. "We needed a restock just this afternoon!"

"People actually recreating these old-school games?" Kunio asked, his eyebrow's jumping in surprise.

Hiroshi's eyes went wide. Kawaii Joe and Kawaii Tomm both gasped, recoiling back and clutching their chests in horror.

"U-uhh. . ." Hiroshi stammered, nervously wringing a finger around his shirt collar. "Excuse Kunio, guys. He's still unindoctrinated."

"We understand. . ." Kawaii Tom nodded, righting himself. "No damage to the software done!"

"So I take that as a yes, then?" Kunio asked in a deadpan tone.

"You don't get it, Kunio," Hiroshi smiled. "Thanks to the indie scene, retro games are back in style again! And thanks to the independent game developers out there, tons of beloved cult classics are getting new installments!"

"Huh. . ." Kunio rubbed his chin.

Kunio's eyes fell on an assortment of games in the display case. Bounty Lass, Plumberinos, Vampire Puncher. . .

"Those. . .don't have reboots yet, unfortunately. . ." Hiroshi said, gazing upwards as he crossed his fingers. "One of these days. . ."

Kunio's eyes widened, seeing a particular game.

"Whoa, hold on!" Kunio pointed at the box. "Hot-Blooded Boys?"

"You recognize it?" Kawaii Tomm asked.

"Yeah Kunio," Hiroshi smiled. "I thought you said you didn't play games that old?"

"I usually don't," Kunio said. "But I think I remember playing this ages ago with someone I used to be friends with."

"It's certainly a good one!" Kawaii Joe smiled, gesturing to the case. "You think you'll pick it up? Relive the memories?"

"This game is on multiple systems!" Hiroshi eagerly added. "I can even help you pick out the right system to play this on! If you decide to get it, I mean."

Kunio stared at the box, rubbing his chin contemplatively.

"Don't think I will." Kunio frowned.

"O-oh. . ." Hiroshi stammered. "Too painful?"

"Huh?" Kunio asked, raising his eyebrows. "No, nothing like that. I'm over it. It's just that I was never good at it. These old fighting-type games are way too hard."

"Well," Kawaii Joe said. "Hot Blooded Boys is only one title out of tons of other games in the 16-bit era. Maybe Hiroshi can convince you to give something else a try."

"They're right, you know!" Hiroshi smiled, gesturing around them. "We've got all these games here, there's gotta be something!"

"We get new customers all the time," Kawaii Tomm said. "Ones that don't even realize that they've found a retro game they can't live without!'

"Our friends over at the MEGA Arcade just down the street have a lot of the arcade games that we carry here," Kawaii Kawaii Joe explained. "When people enjoy the games they find in the arcade, it makes them want to buy the games for themselves at our little store."

"Doesn't it hurt your business if people can play the same games over at MEGA?" Kunio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Quite the opposite!" Kawaii Joe said. "Many people prefer to simply enjoy the classics from their couches!"

"Just like people like to go out to the arcade." Kawaii Tomm happily added. "The arcade experience is one that can't be replicated."

"Most home console versions of these games aren't as good as the arcade versions," Hiroshi said. "But that's because of hardware limitations. The arcade versions might be ideal, but that doesn't mean the home ports are bad. A lot of them have little bells and whistles that set them apart from the other ports, and even the arcade versions!"

"You're saying these games have console-exclusive features?" Kunio asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Hiroshi smiled.

"Guess gaming hasn't changed all that much when you think about it. . ." Kunio muttered, pursing his lips. "I have one of the two big consoles out there, and Riki has the other. We can never agree on which one is better. But just so you know, it's the one that I have!"

"Trust me," Hiroshi moaned, rubbing his forehead. "It's the same with the classics. I swear, it's like the console wars never ended. . ."

"Hiroshi's right, unfortunately," Kawaii Joe said. "We've had as many disputes in our store as we've got games over which of the leading two consoles in the '90's is better."

"The answer being both of them!" Hiroshi proclaimed, standing with his hands on his hips. "But. . .I made the mistake of saying that out loud once."

"What do you mean?" Kunio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"These arguments get. . .violent," Hiroshi nervously rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze. "When I tried to break up a fight between two guys, they stopped arguing with each other just to beat me up."

"It's that serious?" Kunio asked, his eyes going wide.

"Yeah," Hiroshi smiled nervously. "Like I said, we're basically still in the '90's. But it's great, honestly! If anything, all this drama surrounding older games just gets the excitement going about them. And all that does is bring in business for Joe and Tomm!"

"Like you need drama to surround old games before you buy 'em!" Kunio smirked.

"I meant for the other people!" Hiroshi laughed. "But yeah, you're totally right. I can't tell you how much money I've spent here!"

"He's right!" Kawaii Joe chuckled, crossing his arms. "Hiroshi's practically the one keeping this place afloat!"

Hiroshi chuckled. He blushed, averted his gaze as he rubbed the back of his arm.

"I am curious as to why you're getting new games," Kunio said, facing the counter. "Isn't this a retro gaming store?"

"Well, mostly, yes," Kawaii Tomm chuckled, crossing his arms. "But we make exemptions for modern reboots. That way fans can stay up to date with their favorite franchises."

"That leads to happy customers," Kawaii Joe added, jovally spreading his arms. "And happy customers mean the world to us! Our goal is to keep people barging in through that front door!"

Suddenly someone threw the door open. A girl in uniform who leaned on her knees, having run out of breath. Someone Kunio vaguely recognized from his school.

"Like that!" Hiroshi grinned, gesturing at the girl. "You're on a roll, guys!"

"Beep beep boo!" Kawaii Joe began. "Videogames—"

"Kunio, help!" The girl shrieked, her eyes bulging with fear. "It's Hanazono!"

Right afterwards, Kunio watched as the girl took off down the street, chased by a uniformed boy he recognized from Riki's school. He ran outside to see more, exchanging blows with other kids.

"Leave us alone, you jerks!" Another boy Kunio recognized from his school said, punching a Hanazono girl in the face.

A male Hanazono student grabbed the boy from behind. The girl came back, beating the restrained River City High student to a pulp.

"Hey!" Kunio yelled, walking up to them. "What do you think you're doing?!'

Everyone on the street paused. The River City High students that were conscious picked themselves up and fled. The Hanazono students did the opposite, menacingly inching closer.

"Kunio!" The male Hanazono student sneered, tossing aside Kunio's unconscious schoolmate. "Finally decided to show your face, eh?"

"You're damn right!" Kunio spat. "Someone's gotta put you jerks in your places!"

Despite all the praise he would receive from people in his city, Hanazono High would often start trouble with Kunio over believing that their big man on campus, Riki, was better than him, cooler, and tougher than him. Unsurprisingly, it peeved Kunio off, and he'd beat them down each time.

He didn't blame Riki for any of it. Riki was his friend—and he didn't share the sentiment of the kids in his school.

And unfortunately, the kids at River City High would do the same thing to Riki, attacking him over the opinion that he was better than him.

The whole thing was completely stupid if you asked Kunio. He and Riki both fought to protect River City. Why did everybody have to go and turn it into a contest?!

At least he'd get to make himself feel somewhat better by beating them down whenever they'd challenge him. But the satisfaction was always temporary at best. His mind would always wander back to the things that the jerks from Hanazono High had told him, and he'd get angry all over again.

Not to mention insecure.

Luckily, after the talk he and Riki had yesterday, his need to prove himself to him was in the past.

But these goons still needed to pay for messing with the kids from his school.

"Think you got it backwards!" The Hanzano boy taunted, pointing at Kunio. "Only one who's gonna get put in his place is you!"

"I do this all the time with you lightweights," Kunio narrowed his eyes. "What are you gonna do? Tickle me?"

"We're gonna do more than that!" Another one of the Hanazono boys said. "The tougher they are, the harder they fall!"

"You're gonna wish you never came out of hiding!" A female student grinned wickedly, clenching her fists.

"Put your money where your mouth is!" Kunio demanded, cracking his neck.

The Hanazono students were no match for Kunio, and he knew it. It would've been so easy to just knock them all down with one quick punch each, or to just grab and toss them all down the street. . .

But then he remembered what Billy had said. Heck, it was something he had even said to Hiroshi.

This was a chance for him to actually work on his technique. Get closer to being a better fighter.

Kunio remembered what Billy said about watching for an opponent's opening—sometimes creating that opening yourself—and then striking them in that opening.

That was as good as any place to begin. Especially given that Hanazono goons like the ones before him always fought crudely and without skill, like most delinquents did.

These guys were the perfect fodder to practice on.

Kunio ran at the first Hanazono student, wondering how he would actually go about creating an opening.

His eyes widened, as an idea came to him.

The student threw a punch straight at him, but he knocked it aside with his forearm, causing the kid to stumble back. Kunio threw a punch of his own right into the kids face, knocking him clean off his feet.

Kunio watched him tumble to the ground. His idea. . .hadn't turned out too bad.

He nodded to himself, smiling as he clenched his fists.

"Lucky shot!" A female student snarled.

The girl bolted toward him, leaping into the air with a double-footed dropkick. Kunio held an arm up, blocking the attack and making the girl drop down. The girl stumbled backwards from the impact, giving Kunio the chance to punch her across the road.

Two boys started towards Kunio from either side of him. Kunio was much faster, already getting close to one of the boys before he'd even taken his second step.

"You're in for a world of hurt!" The boy yelled, just beginning to raise his fist.

Another stride, and Kunio was only a foot away from the boy.

"Oh please!" Kunio taunted, unable to help himself from grinning as he threw his shoulder out, sending the boy tumbling.

Kunio realized that he hadn't gotten to look for a way through the kid up for an attack that time. He'd been upon him before he could actually do anything.

It was easier said than done. Aside from playing sports, a fast, frantic fight was the best way to really give him that adrenaline rush.

Whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to be a bit more patient with these guys if he was going to properly practice on them.

The other boy ran up to him. Kunio forced himself to stay put this time.

Kunio felt sweat bead on his forehead. He was almost here. . .

Almost. . .

After what felt like forever, the boy had finally reached Kunio. He threw a right hook that Kunio caught. He yanked the kid's arm down, causing him to cry out. With his free hand, Kunio grabbed the kid by the face and slammed him into the ground.

"C'mon!" Kunio beckoned with both hands. "You guys are gonna have to do better than that!"

"No problem!" One Hanazono boy called, riding in on a shopping cart full of hardware supplies.

"Check it, guys!" The student grinned. "I raided as much stuff from the department store as I could!"

He hopped off of the cart as the other students ran to it, grabbing out items in a frenzy.

"This is more like it!" A boy said, brandishing a hatchet.

"Ooh!" A girl cooed, swinging two whizzing hand saws through the air. "Look at this!"

"Yeah!" One boy said, shaking a roaring chainsaw above him. "It's cuttin' time!"

"Didn't I say you guys had to do better?" Kunio smirked.

"You don't think this is better?!" The hatchet-wielding boy angrily questioned, brandishing his weapon.

"I literally took on the yakuza!" Kunio crossed his arms. "You dopes think you can scare me with tools?"

"You'll be singing a different tune in a second!" A boy said, holding a sledgehammer above his head as he ran toward Kunio.

The boy swung the hammer down, but Kunio swung his fist up to block. The hammer shattered against his arm, leaving the boy shocked at suddenly being empty handed.

Kunio threw a right hook at the slack-jawed kid, knocking him into an airborne barrel roll.

The hand saw-bearing girl rushed toward him, wildly swinging her weapons.

"Chew on this, tough guy!" The girl yelled.

"And this too!" The chainsaw boy shouted, running at him from the opposite side.

Kunio stood still as they both leapt into the air and swung their weapons down at him. Kunio let out a burst of fire, sending them both flying back aflame, and destroying their weapons.

"OMG, I'm on fire!" The girl said, flailing her arms as she ran around.

Kunio grabbed the girl and slammed his knee into her face, bringing her down.

"Stop, drop and roll!" The still flaming boy yelled, rolling on the ground. "Stop, drop and roll!"

"You do that." Kunio sardonically replied, stepping on his head and stopping his movement.

"You're gonna get it, now!" The kid holding the hatchet said, angrily shaking the tool.

"Yeah!" A girl holding giant steel pliers grinned. "These babies can cut through steel!"

Kunio saw that the two of them were being joined by a third girl, one hefting up a jackhammer.

"Cute." Kunio deadpanned.

Kunio glanced at the shopping cart, seeing that it was empty.

He smiled, he had an idea.

Kunio ignored the students, effortlessly lifting up the shopping cart.

"What's he doing?" The hatchet kid frowned.

"Ah, who cares?" The girl with the pliers said. "Let's get him!"

Kunio ran towards the two students. He swung the cart in a wide arc, smacking both of them away with it. He spotted the remaining girl, running at him with her jackhammer held over her head.

Kunio put the cart back on the ground and roundhouse kicked it. The cart went speeding toward the girl, crashing into her and flipping her inside of it. The cart continued on its runaway course, taking the girl with it.

The next thing Kunio heard was the sound of Hiroshi screaming.

It wasn't a usual cry for help, either. It was a battle cry.

Kunio turned around to see Hiroshi running onto the scene. Hiroshi's hand was drawn back as he charged at full speed at the last Hanazono boy standing.

"Oh gimme a break. . ." The boy grinned wickedly as Hiroshi closed in on him. "What are you gonna do, nerd?!"

Just as Kunio thought, it ended badly. The boy effortlessly dodged Hiroshi's punch and grabbed him with one hand, laughing as he held him up by the collar of his jacket.

"Hiroshi!" Kunio called out, reaching a hand out.

"This wimp your friend?" The boy asked menacingly. "Then he's dead, too!"

"H-hey!" Hiroshi kicked his legs defiantly, smacking the boy's face in a vain attempt to free himself. "Lemme go!"

"Don't worry, Hiroshi!" Kunio called, clenching his fists. "You're gonna be fine!"

"You sure about that?" The student cackled, holding Hiroshi in front of him as a human shield. "Your move, tough guy."

Kunio's eyes widened. He had to find a way to save Hiroshi. But how. . ?

His eyes narrowed, like slits. He'd gotten an idea.

Kunio gave an enraged yell, running straight at the student.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hiroshi protested, fearfully waving his hands out in front of him. "Kunio, what are you doing?!"

"Any last words, runt?" The student cackled. "Looks like you're about to be a pile of mush!"

"Think again!" Kunio fired back, closing in on them.

In mid-run, Kunio dropped into a crouch, sliding along the ground. He avoided Hiroshi, colliding with the students legs instead and launching both him and Hiroshi off the ground.

They both yelled, flailing their arms as they flipped through the air wildly.

"Kunio, help!" Hiroshi cried out.

"I got you!" Kunio called, running to the spot that was falling towards.

Kunio stuck out his arms, catching Hiroshi in a bridal carry. Stars circled Hiroshi's head, as he moaned, his eyes rolling around.

"You good?" Kunio asked.

"Ohh. . ." Hiroshi groaned. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for the save."

"Don't mention it, man." Kunio set him back onto his feet. "And hey, that swing gets an A for effort."

"Thanks." Hiroshi weakly smiled, dusting himself off.

The Hanazono student crashed down flat on his head. He fell over, groaning as stars of his own circled over his head.

Kunio angrily marched over to him, roughly seizing him by the front of his uniform.

"Attacking me or anyone that goes to my school is a bad idea!" Kunio hissed. "When are you bozos gonna learn?!"

"We didn't wanna fight your sorry ass in the first place!" The boy croaked, his head lolling back.

"Then why did you?" Kunio demanded.

"This vampire dude who called himself Plaid The Impaler put us to it," The boy explained. "He used some kinda weird power and hypnotized us."

"What?!" Hiroshi gasped, his eyes going wide.

Kunio frowned.

"So you jerks really didn't wanna fight. . ." Kunio muttered.

"Not this time," The boy shot back. "I would've enjoyed trying to bash your stupid face in if that Plaid guy didn't make me bail on my trip to the movie tonight."

Kunio roughly released the boy. He groaned upon hitting the ground.

"So this was Plaid, huh?" Hiroshi murmured nervously, looking at the unconscious Hanazono students.

"Guess so," Kunio replied, gesturing at the unconscious students. "But why? How are these guys still human after running into Plaid? Him passing up all of this blood? No way."

"It is pretty weird. . ." Hiroshi murmured. "There were like, what, seven, eight people you just beat up? That's gotta be like an all you can eat buffet to a vampire."

"I'm gonna go find him," Kunio said, standing up. "He's gotta pay either way for making these guys mess with you guys."

"O-oh yeah," Hiroshi stammered. "Totally. I'm gonna keep my distance from this one. Count me out of anything involving vampires! Especially vampires named Plaid!"

"Sorry 'bout this, Hiroshi," Kunio apologized with a frown. "I know we were supposed to be hanging tonight."

"No I get it," Hiroshi gave a smile. "Go give this guy what he deserves!"

"I will!" Kunio smiled. "And I'll be back. This shouldn't take long!"

"Uh, okay!" Hiroshi chuckled, giving Kunio a wave. "I'll head back inside the store. Where hopefully there won't be any more trouble. . ."

"You do that!" Kunio called back, giving Hiroshi a thumbs up.

Kunio climbed into his car, shutting the car door with a scowl.

Plaid was going to give him answers for what had just happened tonight.

And unfortunately for him, Kunio had a good idea where to find him.

Author's Notes: And thus, we end another chapter!

So firstly, Hiroshi's being such a big fan of classic video games was largely inspired by my own love of them. I really tried to draw on all of the experiences and sights from my times visiting retro game stores. Newer, yet retro-styled games are made today so I decided that it'd be cool to have Cart Mart sell them too, in addition to all of the games that you see on sale in River City Girls. I knew I wanted to add to Hiroshi's personality in my own way, so I thought making him an old-school video game geek would be pretty fitting. I also had some fun with the idea that unlike Hiroshi, Kunio is not a fan of classic games, despite the Nekketsu franchise going as far back as the mid '80's. Whether or not I'll have Kunio warm up to them eventually, is something you'll have to wait to see.

This is also the first real action scene in the continuity of my series. The fighting in the previous Issue didn't really count, given Kunio and Riki not being able to truly give any sort of actual challenge to the legendary Billy and Jimmy. Not only were the Lees that much stronger, but they obviously had no intention of actually harming Kunio and Riki, given that they were teaching them. Such is not the case here, as I have Kunio duking it out with his Hanazono High students, opponents who actually want to hurt him, and are much weaker, allowing Kunio to display some of his strength.

That's going to be all for this chapter! The next and final chapter will have Kunio up against the culprit behind the Hanazono students' attack—Plaid The Impaler.

See you then!