The Five Elder Tournament

Shika Ninja Clan Compound, Morotsuka, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan…

Not even two days went by and Hide (aka Crow) was already leaving the base again. However, Omani and the boys found out that Urenna would join him surprisingly. Hide went on to explain as to why he would bring Urenna with him. The Tournament of the Five Elders would have some notorious fighters in the competition. Notably, the very person Hide was investigating for would fight in this tournament. His name was Bogdan Dragunov. Hide left out some details, but overall he wanted Urenna to help with the investigation while he would fight as a competitor. As Urenna was going out the door with her suitcase, Omani escorted her to the hovercraft as Hide was waiting for her.

Omani: "Are you sure about this?"

Urenna: "Im sure Omani. I can watch out for Master while finding out any information about Cain."

Omani: "Cain? So this is about him again?"

Urenna: "I know Hide didn't wanna say it in front of the boys, but yeah. This guy Bogdan may know where Cain is. And I need to know Omani. Please understand."

Omani: "I do understand. You really have come a long way Urenna. You and Hide stay safe and try not to get yourselves killed."

Urenna (Smiling): "I will Omani. Sayanora."

Omani (Smiling back.): "Likewise."

So Urenna put her things in the trunk part of the hovercraft before jumping into the backseat of the cockpit. Omani watched the hovercraft rise up in the sky along with Santi and Brice who came outside to look as well. Santi asked her if they would come back safe. Omani reassured him that they would.

Jouzhou Yuan Temple, Fujian Province, China…

The Five Elders of China were a formation group of top Chinese Martial Artists from across the country. They were an organization that first formed in the early 1900s well after the Sino Japanese War. To prove to the world that their country still produce some high quality fighters, the founders of the group banded together and began setting up tournaments inviting not only their fighters, but fighters from around the world who were worthy enough for the competition. The Elders held this type of tournament every 4 years.

Among the elders was a future notable Tekken contestant by the name of Wang Jinrei. He was the newest addition to the Five Elder position because of his stellar track record in the tournaments. Wang won the competition 3 times in a 12 year time span before losing to his old friend Jinpachi Mishima. In fact, it was Wang who requested that Jinpachi fight so that the competition would be open to Japanese fighters. After that famous bout, Wang decided to no longer compete in the tournament and focus on full time mentoring of various fighters. Among them was a highly talented warrior who caught his attention while visiting the Guangzhou area. Wang Jinrei wanted him to be his selected fighter coming up in this tournament. His pick simply went by the name Leroy Smith.

Meanwhile, another upstanding fighter coming out of Japan would make his debut in the Five Elder Tournament. He is the son of the man who bested Wang Jinrei in the competition. That son was Heihachi Mishima. Heihachi would sponsor himself since he recently acquired the ownership of the Mishima Zaibatsu from his father. Heihachi would love nothing more than to win the Five Elder competition and rub it in the face of the Elders especially Wang. Wang never approved of the quarreling between Jinpachi and his son. For that Heihachi was gonna remind Wang to not interfere with family matters by humiliating every opponent standing in his way.

Also another Elder had chosen a foreigner as his sponsored fighter. He was the second oldest member of the organization who went by the name Kang Yingjie. Kang is not only a highly touted Martial Arts Master in his own right, he has recently been engaging in politics as an Ambassador to the country of Russia. While in Moscow, Kang met with General Bogdan Dragunov who impressed the Elder with his skill and might as a Sambo practitioner. Kang offered Bogdan a spot in the tournament. If Bogdan won, Kang would offer him a big prize.

As for Hide himself, he came into the tournament from an invite of another Elder whose name was Zhang Tsai, but Hide would fight on behalf of the United Nations. Zhang Tsai was a former police chief from Chengdu who owed Hide for his effort in fighting against the Triads in that city. So this is how Hide got in. Zhang Tsai also learned about the pick Kang Yingjie made for his fighter, so he wanted to have more than one fighter to keep Kang from having his way. His pick was something of a super cop, almost like the latter Lei Wulong. His name was Wei Yunqi. Wei and Hide both worked together in the past so Zhang Tsai made sure to have them reacquainted. When Hide and Urenna arrived at the nearby hotel, Zhang Tsai and Wei Yunqi were both waiting for them in the lobby area.

Zhang Tsai: "Is that you Crow? Welcome to Fujian!"

Hide: "Master Tsai. It's been a long time."

Zhang Tsai (Wei Yunqi is beside him.): "Yes it has. I appreciate that you considered taking my offer into this tournament. I know your skills are not rusty. We have some magnificent fighters here this time around. "

Hide: "So I've heard and you know why I really came here."

Zhang Tsai: "Yes. The man you seek is in fact participating in this tournament. The other one that your commanding officer told me about, well I do not believe he is here as of yet."

Urenna: "Is he talking about Cain?"

Zhang Tsai (Looks at Urenna.): "Your apprentice Crow?"

Hide: "Yes she is."

Zhang Tsai: "It is a pleasure to meet you. Zhang Tsai is my name. Over here to my left is Wei Yunqi, my selected fighter for this tournament."

Wei Yunqi nods at the ninjas but says nothing…

Urenna: "Nice to meet you."

Zhang Tsai: "How is it that you know Cain young lady?"

Urenna: "He is responsible for my family's murder. That's why I am here."

Zhang Tsai: "I see. Even a tournament such as this is no place for a young woman. I hope you don't plan to actually fight in this event."

Hide: "She is not fighting. I told her not to cause any trouble. Her reason for being here is simply for the investigation."

Zhang Tsai: "Well that's a relief. Only 2 women competed in the Elder tournament and neither of them did well. Anyway if I or Wei find out anything about our opponents we will let you know. Until then, stay safe you two. See you tomorrow for the opening ceremony."

Zhang and Wei both leave the hotel lobby…

Urenna: "Hmph. They surely do not think of women in high regard now do they?"

Hide: "As you are now, you would not last very well in this tournament, which is why I don't want you fighting in the competition."

Urenna: "Still I would like nothing more than to prove the naysayers wrong."

Hide: "In time that will come Urenna, but you must abide by the rules. No fights outside the tournament."

Urenna: "I know Master. I will not do anything out of the ordinary. I mean that."

Hide: "Good. Let's find our room and once we are settled we can find a place to eat.

Urenna: "Hai Master."

Sometime later…

Hide and Urenna did not have to attend the early dinner banquet that was taking place in the hotel's 2nd floor. Inside the ballroom was a wide range of well to do businessmen, martial art masters, women, and fighters all eating and drinking amongst each other. Perhaps the most rowdy of the guests were those out of the Mishima Zaibatsu camp. They were easily the most flamboyant men in the whole banquet. Their noise was getting on people's nerves. So Wang Jinrei, who reluctantly attended the banquet, went over to Heihachi to speak with him since they have yet to meet since Heihachi's wife died.

Heihachi (Laughing while being fed by a groupie.): "Well well! Look who it is! It's been a while! Wang Jinrei!"

Wang Jinrei: "Heihachi, I see you have indulge yourself quite eagerly in this banquet tonight."

Heihachi: "The food is good! I cannot lie! Isn't that right men?"

Most of his entourage agrees in unison…

Wang: "I am happy that you are having a good time Heihachi, however your group is causing too much of a fuss. Our leader Xuxu could ask you to leave if this keeps up."

Heihachi: "What? I thought this was a banquet, not a tea ceremony! Gehahahahaha!"

Wang (Shakes his head.): "Oh dear."

Leroy Smith approaches, noticing the problem wasn't getting much better…

Leroy: "Is there a problem Master Wang?"

Heihachi (Sees Leroy boldly approach): "Huh? Who is this? Did you hire an American to be your fighter Wang? How amusing!"

Wang: "I can assure you that he is a great talent. I rather not have him get in trouble already because of you Heihachi."

Heihachi: "Hmph. No one here is a match for me! I will show you all soon enough! Let's go somewhere else to celebrate men! This old fossil is cramping my style! Gehahahahaha!"

Wang (After watching Heihachi and his posse leave.): "Tsk tsk tsk. What would Jinpachi think of his son now?"

Leroy Smith: "So he was Heihachi Mishima? I can see why you don't really deal with him Master. No better than the men who ran New York City to the ground with their filth!"

Wang: "That's enough Leroy. Save your energy for the fight tomorrow." (Walking back to his table.)

Heading out of the ballroom down the stairs, Heihachi accidently bumped into another fighter whose icy gaze really got under Heihachi's skin. He was accompied by Kang Yingjie. They were actually late for the banquet because of a flight delay, but his fighter Bogdan did not appreciate the stare Heihachi gave him, so he boldly stood his ground analyzing Heihachi.

Kang: "Bogdan! Don't provoke him! No fights remember?"

Heihachi (Smirking): "Hmph! Already I am meeting some interesting characters tonight! I'll see you tomorrow as well maggot!" (Turning his back.)

Bogdan kept his cold gaze at Heihachi as he and his men went down the stairs leaving the hotel lobby. He was not one who liked to be pushed around. Bogdan will prove to everyone that he is the world's top fighter and that his country makes the best warriors. His resolve would not be shaken by cocky men such as Heihachi. Without saying anything he eventually looks forward and heads for the banquet room alongside Kang.

The next day, Jouzhou Yuan Temple, Fujian Province, China …

The first day of the Five Elder Tournament was officially underway with opening ceremonies. Hide's match would be tomorrow according to the schedule. After the ceremories, the first match will begin in the next hour with Wei Yunqi facing off against a Chinese kickboxer. Right before the matches commenced, Hide and Urenna both hid in a corner of the courtyard out of the sight of the spectators. It was here where Hide gave Urenna the instructions to start eavesdropping on conversations.

Hide: "Did you see the five older men sitting in the middle of the stage? Those men are the current Five Elders of China. The only one I am familiar with is Zhang. We met him yesterday. The other four I am not too sure about, but one of them is a sponsor for Bogdan. I will investigate the hotel alone to look for anything that might tell me why he is here. You should find a safe space so you can listen to the conversations of the Elders. Are we clear?"

Urenna: "Hai! I will do my best."

Hide (Nodding.): "Very well. Let's meet back here in 2 hours."

Urenna: "Understood."

Following her master's orders, Urenna found a good spot in the rafters of the temple shrine to hone in on the conversations of the Elders themselves. Hiding in the shadows, Urenna had to sit in a ball position even while using a voice recorder. If it weren't for the competition in the center of the courtyard, this job would have been super boring for the young woman. Wen Yungi eventually won his match against his opponent. The second fight was more evenly matched and it took over 20 minutes to finish as both fighters were bloodied and battered. By the time of the third fight, Urenna actually heard something useful in regards to Bogdan and Cain between two of the elders sitting by each other on the left side.

Sun Haoxin: "I meant to ask you Kang."

Kang Yingjie: "About what?"

Sun Haoxin: "Why did you decide to use that Soviet general as your sponsored fighter?"

Kang Yingjie: "The man I chose is strong. There is no questioning that. He also has deep connections in the Black Arms market. Having Bogdan win this tournament will only help boost my path into politics."

Sun Haoxin: "Politics eh? You must be aiming to become the People Liberation Army's (PLA) National Defense Secretary. Is that it?"

Kang Yingjie: "Yes. With Bogdan's help, along with his mercenaries, I can quickly bribe my way into the military and begin mass producing our armaments. This way China can stay one step ahead of the world. That includes the pesky Zaibatsu as well."

Sun Haoxin: "Yes Heihachi must not win. There is no telling what he might do if he does."

After hearing that bit of information, Urenna really wanted to find Crow though it was not time to meet up just yet. Only an hour had went by since then. So Bogdan promised Kang more access to rare weaponry and help build up the resume of Kang so he could enter in a higher military position with the PLA. This could not wait, Urenna thought. So she left her post to find Crow at the main temple.

Crow himself managed to find out the very room Bogdan was staying in at the hotel nearby the temple. He stole a key from one of the maids who left it on the crate while taking a brief break from cleaning rooms. Using the key, Crow entered the room of Bogdan. Crow spent about a good half an hour inside the room, unlocking and scanning through various books and items. He found a specific notebook containing phone numbers and addresses of various people, especially in the Black Arms market. It would seem that this Bogdan Dragunov worked with some very dangerous and rich people. Right near the end of the booklet, he found information about Cain. No phone number, but there was an address. Crow made sure to take a photo of this information and also a few other names that could be of interest when the time comes. He proceeded to exit the hotel without detection.