Author's forward:Ok, I know I said I would try to finnish it by wednesday, but it took more words than I expected. Besides, I've been feeling a little under the weather, so this is the fastest I can write. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: An unfriendly proposal
Panda ran down the street at top speed, followed by the dust cloud of her own creation. Her movements, although rough, were agile enough to avoid any of the pedestrians in her way just moments before getting crushed by the bear's sprint.
"One minute twelve seconds left!" Screamed Ling Xiaoyu, riding on the back of her furry friend. "Come on, hurry!"
The pressure implanted in her race was so much the wind lifted behind them. Down any street they passed, the leaves of the trees got shaked, the clothes neatly hung in the house balconies got messy, and all the people's hats ended in the ground. One could think such a bizarre situation would make a total commotion on the bystanders, but once the girl and bear were gone, everybody went back to their own business, as if nothing happened.
The truth was, this was not the first time Xiaoyu recurred to such rudimentary measures, and nobody contempled this as the last one. Ever since she started attending Mishima Polytechnical School (MPS) a couple of years ago, she was always facing problems getting to school on time, usually because of the usual clumsiness of a high school student, and combined with her unusual companion, a small ruckus was expected every now and then. Yet recently, ever since the ending of the Iron Fist Tournament 5, her lateness has been the consequence of cleaning up the school surroundings from the nearby gangs, who, unfortunately for the young chinese fighter, have drastically increased their visits this year.
The entrance of the Mishima Polytechnical School was still receiving the exhausted last students when this unique duo arrived. Not wasting any time, Xiaoyu and Panda headed straight to the bike parking, only roughly slowing down at the last second and pushing down a few bikes in their halting.
Xiaoyu checked her phone. It was 07:59:48. The catastrophe was avoided . With a sigh of relief, she got out of Panda.
"We actually made it!" She opened her handbag and took off a big and fresh bamboo shot. "For a job well donned." She said as she put it in the ground so Panda could enjoy her reward. Panda thanked her with a little grow, Xiaotu patted her head in return.
"I'll come to see you at lunch, ok?" The little martial artist stood up and looked around. It was just another day in the same old school, with the same students and the same buildings, maybe a little too much the same. Even after the descent of Heihachi Mishima as the owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu and, in consequence, the school, the front yard still had a giant golden statue of Heihachi setted up just beside the entrance of the main building, which caused and uneasy feeling in Xiaoyu.
"Grooowl.. (Uh, Xiaoyu)." Xiaoyu snapped back to reality after hearing Panda growl with a concerned expression on her face.
"Don't be so picky! bamboo isn't free, you know?" Answered the chinese student, only noticing then that Panda eyes were not looking at her nor the bamboo. She lifted her big paw to point at the problem. Right behind Xiaoyu, a big tall middle aged man with gym clothes was standing with a very serious and unfriendly look. It was Ganryu, the current PE teacher.
"Wow!" Xiaoyu was startled by the surprise of his sudden appearance.
""Ling Xiaoyu from class B" Said his teacher with a firm voice and never getting rid of his frowning face.
"I-I'm not late, I have seven seconds left!" She tried to sound convincing, but she couldn't look him in the eyes while finishing and ended up making a pouting face.
"You have been summoned to the principal's office, Now!"
"Me, Summoned? For what?"
"That will all be discussed as soon as you get there! Move, Don't make me waste my time!" The firmness of his voice abstained the confused girl from talking. There was not point in asking questions, after Ganryu lost all his money on an unclarified situation during the Iron Fist Tournament 5, the only job he could obtain was a PE teacher in Xiaoyu's school, in which he had discovered the pleasure in the small things in life, like torment the students with his unfriendly attitude and his bossy orders. Helping her now was far from the sumo's interest. So, without more to say, she chose to walk and reflect quietly.
Ling Xiaoyu felt she was stuck in a problematic situation. Even if she has never been the most reliable scholar, she was not used to getting amonested for her lateness, so she was not sure of what to expect. This never happened to me when Heihachi was still around, she thought with a silent bitterness while waiting outside the principal office. It was a so secret feeling she only allowed herself to even think about it when she was alone and deeply sad, because she knew she was being petty.
Sure, when Heihachi Mishima was around getting in a fight outside school was never a problem, mostly because Heihachi himself was the one inciting the pupils to fight. He always found any kind of combat as a noble way to demonstrate your value, even if it was something so small as a school fight. The school was an extension of himself and he always put a close look over it. He wanted nothing more but his superiority emanating for every bit of MPS, that also included the tutee's actions. If you wanted to be one of the top students around, you had to prove yourself to the man himself, that was scoring good grades, showing a hidden talent, or being one of the best fighters around (sometimes the three combined).
That life philosophy was the whole reason Ling Xiaoyu always enjoyed a pleasant school life. She being an elite fighter was what caught the eye of the owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu in the first place. After seeing her defeat all of his men in China a long time ago, he recruited her with the promise of making her most secret wish come true, as long as she met with his expectations. She accepted and left her home in China and moved across the ocean to study in her current high school. She formed immediately part of the elite group, where her skills and strength compensated for her inadequacy to follow the institution's rules and her struggles getting good grades. Soon enough, Xiaoyu counted with a great scholarship, the respect of their teachers(under Heihachi's orders) and her ability to become friends with every classmate she encountered, that included her mysterious senpai and grandson of Heihachi himself, Jin Kazama.
But that was the past, she was now in a present that taught her the harsh realities of life. An ancient ninja called Yoshimitsu had told her the secret story of the Mishima family, full of treason, revenge and murder, all of them spinning around his principal perpetrator, Heihachi Mishima, Xiaoyu's benefactor and almost adoptive grandfather.
The Mishima family members acted like they were possessed by a curse. And now, this curse has taken the form of Heihachi Mishima's tragic disappearance (marked as death by the authorities) and her former friend Jin taking full control of the Mishima Zaibatsu and isolating himself from society ever since. And the consequences of these actions were approaching others. With Jin's lack of connection, the school was gradually losing its prestige, the new CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu was not taking part in any of the things Heihachi used to be so interested in. The teachers and the student body was left all by itself, they were doing their best together, but the heavy pride made by Heihachi raised the resentment of other schools that were now trying to invade Mishima High's surroundings to humiliate it and take away its honor.
And then there were these petty thoughts that come and go. After the end of the Iron Fist Tournament 5, Xiaoyu had learned enough about Heihachi Mishima and his bad actions. She was hesitant about him even before knowing the whole truth, and now she was simply disappointed and hurt. And yet, knowing all of this already, why was she finding herself missing the "good old days"? Why couldn't she think logically instead of letting her emotions lead?
"The principal will see you now," said Ganryu after opening the door. Xiaoyu snapped out of her line of thinking and stood up. Thank god, she thought, I don't think I was ready to answer my own questions.
The principal's office was big and tidy, with wooden furniture from head to toe. The only extravagant thing about it was a painting of Heihachi Mishima hanging on the center wall, As he had never left, she thought. The principal´s chair was turned back, he didn't want to be seen for a reason. Xiaoyu didn't get time to question anything, as soon as she entered, Ganryu took charge of the conversation.
"I'm under orders to inform you that your attendance in Mishima Polytechnical School is no longer required," He opened a computer showing her personal record. One by one every one of her boxes of her data were crossed and then the word "EXCLUSION" covered all.
"Expelled!" She screamed with cornsternation. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, all of this looked like a nightmare for her. "Why? Cause you think I'm late?" She said trying to make sense out of that joke.
"That's not it! Your gym repair bill,three hundred grand!" He extended three of his fingers. The chinese girl stood quietly for the surprise. She wondered who was the one who rated her. "We have no budget for a student like you!" She thought carefully about that sentence.
"You always told me you didn't have a budget" She responded with determination.
"Everytime you get PE you destroy something!" Ganryu crossed his arms and looked at the thore side, so annoyed to keep looking at her.
"That's because you keep telling me not to hold back!" She imitated his teacher's pose. She was as annoyed as him. Training for the tournament was always put as a priority in MPS, so much so the gym had insurance to make sure the young scholars always had whatever they needed to increase their potential. But now the budget has been cutted, yet the PE teacher kept pushing her the same way.
"And then there's this!" Ganryu took a piece of paper and showed it to her "Yesterday's test results! You're fluking every subject!" She was indeed, all her grades were below average, the kind of number that would make a father cry in shame. Xiaoyu was busted, there was no excuse she could use to solve that one problem. She wondered if it was not too late to try to make her "soft and innocent" act to calm the angry teacher.
"Come on, you don't have to be so harsh about it" she said in a naive tone while playing with her fingers to make her image.
"And you have a complete lack of discipline!" Yeah, it's too late to make that trick work, she scolded herself in her own mind. "So, in accordance with our rules, you will be expelled and transferred!" He concluded by punching the principal's desk to emphasize the severity of his statement. Life seemed ruined to Xiaoyu, leaving the school meant she would not see her friends everyday, she would also not be able to help them with the rising gangs problem, and maybe she won't get to graduate on time.
"Now, what's next, principal?" Ganryu added with an unusually polite tone.
"Transfer!" The chinese girl was about to freak out. She turned to the principal's chair for the first time in the argumen "Wait a sec, you can't do that..!"
Suddenly, the principal's chair turned around and, before Xioyu could keep talking, a dagger was shot straight at her head. Without hesitation, the young martial artist reacted by doing a backflip to avoid the weapon, dodging it by millimeters. The dagger got deeply nailed to the wall, if she had not reacted in time that would be her head. Now she was pissed.
"Principal my butt! Who are you!" She exclaimed with anger. To answer her questions, a female voice spoke calmly to her.
"Originally from China, and well-versed in the various martial arts of her nativa land." The speaker said. Xiaoyu stood up to see her properly and found a young brunette in an extravagant red chinese dress , it was no one else but one of the deadliest assassins that had continuously formed part of the Iron Fist Tournaments, Anna Williams.
Williams's reputation was something to be afraid of, Xiaoyu had only seen her in the tournaments without crossing paths, but word of her being a skillful hitwoman with a bloody fighting style and a deep resentment towards her sister was well known by those who participated in the competitions. But what was most scary about her was the gossip that the older competidors whispered about her. Some said she comes from a family with generations of assassins, others confirmed she used to work in the Mishima Zaibatsu for a short period of time, and the most subreal of all, that she had being participating in the tournaments since the beginning of the first one, more than twenty years ago, and that her young look was nothing but a facade.
"Anna Willians! What are you doing here?" Anna smiled to her exasperation.
"Thanks, you can go now. I'll take it from here." She said to Ganryu. The sumo wrestler went straight to the door. Xiaoyu stood astonished.
"W-wait a minute! You both know each other?"
"An old friend, we used to work together in another life, aren't we?" The concept of Ganryu being able to make friends freaked Xiaoyu out, even more with that friend being a beautiful and young-looking woman. Maybe the rumors about Anna being older than she looks are true. The chinese girl thought for a moment.
"Good to see you again." He commented before closing the door, leaving the mysterious assassin and the confused student completely alone.
"Now, to answer your question, " Anna said while she sat comfortably at the principal's desk. "As of today I'm your new counselor, get used to it," She turned around a laptop positioned in the same desk, the screen showed a picture of a Young man, probably not much older than Xiaoyu. Under the picture, a framed name was the only other information: Shin Kamiya.
"You'll be transferred to a high school in Kyoto, make contact with this student and learn what you can."
"Uhh, what are you talking about? Why me?"
""The answer it's simple, you'll make a perfect spy."
"A spy?" The amount of information received in such a short period of time was too much for Xiaoyu. She had lost her scholarship in MPS, they wanted her to move to Kyoto and all of this to be a spy. If there was something she was sure of, it was that she didn't want to have anything to do with this. "Whatever. I think I've heard way too much psychobabble for one day," She raised her hand to her to make an uninterested salute to the deadly woman and she went straight to the door. "Later, crazy lady".
"The Zaibatsu isn't the only one with access to MPS." Anna said without a rush. Xiaoyu stood in her place, not walking anymore. "Before you walk out that door, perhaps you should stop and think how I got your data". That was enough to make the chinese fighter turn around slowly.
"Mishima Zaibatsu?" She thought for a second, it was true that the amount of information handled by Anna was unusual. Dark suspicions were clouding her mind. "You mean the tournament?"
"Yes, see, that's how we handle things at G" Anna stood up from the desk getting a little bit closer to the dubious teenager.
"G? G Corporation!" Xiaoyu exclaimed with the realization of whom she was really dealing with.
"Exactly, the only worldwide conglomerate that is capable of thwarting Mishima Zaibatsu's ambitions," It was true, even before Jin took command as CEO of Mishima Zaibatsu, the battle between those two corporative giants was well established. And with the new reputation following her old friend, people started to talk more and more about G and its wish to stop Mishima's sinister business. "Now, I believe you know who runs G Corps".
Xiaoyu knew well, his name was the reason that, even with all its new popularity, she saw G Corporations as much as uncanny as the Zaibatsu itself.
"Kazuya Mishima," She answered with a very sad expression. Kazuya Mishima. She knew about him, not only as the CEO of G Corps, but as Jin Kazama's lost father, and also his mortal enemy. The hate those two held for each other surpassed the martial artist's comprehension, but she understood enough to still be hesitant about this proposal. "But why would you think I will agree to do all of this?"
"Because if you do, I will personally help you to get in contact with Jin," Xiaoyu gulped out of reflex. "After all, that's what you most want right now. Ain't I right?"
For the couple of months the owner of the Zaibatsu had changed, Xiaoyu had tried unsuccessfully to get in contact with her friend, because they all needed help with the school, but mostly, because she was desperate to know if her friend was alright. She was doubting that. The last time she tried to approach, she was received by soldiers of the Tekken Force, Mishima Zaibatsu's personal army. She had given up after that ultimate failure, but she still was wishful to see Jin one last time.
"Can you really do that?" She asked slowly.
"Please, we are G Corps! As long as you do what you've been told to do, I'll personally help you to fulfill your dreams," Fulfill my dreams, I still remember the last time someone promised that to me. The petite highschooler thought with sadness. It was true that the whole situation was too eerie for her taste, but it was also true she was running out of ideas to solve these predicaments. Even if she didn't want it, she had to. "So, are we making a deal?" Anna asked with confidence of receiving the answer she wanted.
Xiaoyu raised her face and looked at Anna and nodded pauselly.
"And checkmate, my little pawn" Anna threw some pamphlets of Kyoto International School on the desk. "Our flight leaves immediately, and the panda can come with us too, to show you how considerate I am." That last sentence left her worried. She was not ready to leave just yet.
"Wait, can I go to say goodbye to my friends?" She said a little nervous. Anna took a moment to answer.
"Very well, you have seven minutes, be quick."
Xiaoyu left the principal's office sprinting. She had two things to take care of before anything happened. Luckily, the first one appeared in front of her. It was Miharu Hirano, Xiaoyu's best friend, who was looking at her extremely concerned.
"Xiao, what happened? I heard you got called by the principal."
"Look, Miharu, I can't talk too much, I've been transferred to a new school."
"What?" Miharu's concern changed to complete exasperation. "They can´t take you away. Where are you going?"
"I can't tell you, the less you know you'll be more safe." None of the words coming out of the chinese girl were making her friend feel less preoccupied.
"Xiao, you are scaring me, maybe we should talk to..."
"No, Miharu! Just listen to me," It was not usual for Miharu to see Xiaoyu's serious face, so she stayed quiet.
"I don't know when I'll be back, but I will, I promise," She was not totally sure if she could make that commitment, but she was sure to do everything she could about it. "So, until I get back, you have to take care of the gangs approaching the school's grounds."
"Wait a minute, Xiao, I can't..."
"Yes, you can! I've trained you, I've seen, you are a great fighter" Xiaoyu said with determination. She was not lying, not even a little bit. "Don't let anyone tell you the opposite."
Miharu was still nervous, but she always believed in her best friend.
"Ok, i'll do it!" Miharu said with a fierce, but jittery expression. The two students gave each other a quick hug.
"Goodbye, Miharu, until we see each other again." And as fast as she came, Xiaoyu left, leaving her friend behind. This was not the goodbye she wanted, but it was everything she could do.
There was no time to lose. Xiaoyu entered the gym, empty at that hour. She ran towards a corner of the building. She kneeled on the floor and took off one wooden piece, inside was a box. One good thing came out of repairing the gym. She thought. The sloopy restaurations are perfect to hide something. Inside the box it was a cellphone and its battery. It was not any normal communication device, this cellphone was made to avoid getting caught, you can send a message to anyone everywhere and it was impossible to trace it or get access to the information it sends. The innocent-looking fighter stole it from one of the last tournament's contestants and kept it safe in case of emergency. Now, the time has come, and she decided to send a message to one of the only people she could trust.
To police officer, lei wulong.
Greetings, you may not remember me, but my name it's Ling Xiaoyu. We both have participated recently in the Iron Fist Tournament, where we met each other briefly. I don't have much time to explain, but I found myself in a very unusual situation. I'm not sure of the severity of my stance, but it could turn out to be dangerous. I'm sending this message to inform you that if I don't get in contact in a couple of days, please suspect the worst. And please, do not ever trust G Corporations.
Goodbye.
P.D.: You talked to me once about Heihachi Michima's mysterious death. But the truth is, with all the strange things happening in the world, I don't really think Heihachi died.
Xiaoyu sent the message, took the battery from the phone again, and hid it in the secret pocket of her bag. There's nothing more she could do to protect herself, for now one, she was alone playing the pro games.
She got to the entrance, where Anna and Panda were waiting for her. Panda was as nervous as Miharu was when they met, but she got excited when her sweet friend petted her to comfort her.
"Better get ready, little girl, your life it's about to change forever." Anna said it with a smile, but she couldn't sound more shady.
And just like that, Ling Xiaoyu and her beloved Panda left Mishima Polytechnical School to open a new chapter in her lifes, and also a new chapter in this story.
To be continued….
Author's note: The second chapter is finished! I'm so proud of myself. This is not a one entrance story anymore, I'll go to the end!
That aside, I haven't received any feedback yet, but I know some people have entered and viewed my story, which makes me extremely happy. To those people, thank you, you make me keep writing.
I rated the fanfic as M, because I was hesitant about the language, but thinking it again, for the trace this fic is going maybe I should change it to T. What do you guys think?
Now, with this chapter I'm finishing the introduction. I know this looks a lot like the scene of the movie, I even tried to use the same dialogues, but, as I previously stayed, I liked this movie, even if it was cheesy sometimes, and one of the staff I liked was the introduction of the franchise's characters. I changed some details of the plot that looked better for me, like the reason why Ling Xiaoyu accepted Anna's mission and that she knew about her. I also took time to expand the information we have of the movie's world. I don't blame the movie for keeping it simple, because when you have an hour and a half to tell a story you have to make sacrifices.
With the beginning established, except the next chapter being completely different from the movie, Chapter three is going to be where I make my own path from the film. See you on wednesday! (hopefully).
Thoughts during the creation process: I know some people were intrigged of why Ling Xiaoyu was chosen to be the protagonist of this film, but if I have to be honest, I don't mind at all, even more, I like Xiaoyu's character. Needless to say, she is also one of my favorite characters of the Tekken Games. I know she is perky, and clumsy, and a little bit much of a school girl cliché, but the thing is, when I started to play Tekken, I also was a clumsy perky little girl. I remember playing the Tekken 3 demo with my sisters and being able to choose between Lei Wulong and Ling Xiaoyu, and in those times, games had even more predominance of male playable characters, so everytime a female character was available I was so thrilled.
So thank you, Katsuhiro Harada, for adding Ling Xiaoyu to the Tekken franchise.