Tekken:
The Royal Bloodline
Chapter 2: A Dark Knight in the Kings Court
It was the dark warrior of the Jaguradi. Besides the gain of physical mass he was just the same as King last remembered. He still wore the same armor, and grey mask. However there was now a deep red gash running down his face. "I've awaited the day that I finally could resume our battle, infidel." He growled. "Now we may have a fair fight… one which shall prove your inferiority." King couldn't help, but shudder slightly "How did you find me?" he growled back. "It wasn't difficult. Your name is quite popular. Since you do misuse the mask for personal benefit, I planned to destroy in a way most fitting to you… in the ring."
As the two in the ring prepared for the bell, a young figure ran through the bleachers in silence. He was determined to watch king win. But something stopped him dead in his tracks. "Whoa! No way!" He stared into the ring in disbelief. "King has an evil twin?" He had to get a better look.
"Ding!" …the bell sounded…the match began. The two stood fast, sizing one another up for their next attack. Then out of nowhere the dark one leaped into the air clutching his fists together as one. His fists flamed from the bringing them down upon King, knocking him to the mat. 'The knuckle bomb? He uses my own moves against me.' King shakes it off and gets back up. "I will make you pay for the humiliation you have put me through." "What did I ever do to you?" King asks.
The stranger points at his eye, and without warning he boots King in the gut. "I'd think it would be for your benefit if you fought back, infidel. You wouldn't want to disappoint your fans now would you?" King staggers back and clutches his stomach. The dark one was right, not yet had he taken the offensive in the whole match. He quickly regains his balance and performs a Jaguar Leap (leaps forward and tackles enemy) knocking his opponent down.
"You're pretty good..," the dark one replies. "But not good enough!" With that he kicked King in the shin, knocking him down to the mat. "Man, can't you come up with anything on your own?" King asked as he got up. "You steal my moves and use over done clichés!" "How bout I show you something new then?" asks the warrior, "The taste of defeat!"
As the two struggled in the ring, a kid hurried to the center, ducking and dodging his way to the ring. 'Man I gotta get a better view. But I cant let King see me or I'm dead.' He looked up just in time to catch King performing a clothesline on his darker self. "Yeah! Kick his ass!" he yelled, then he ducked back and covered his mouth. 'Oops, I better keep my voice down.' He then continued his trek to the front row.
The two in the ring continued to fight with incredible force. "You have disgraced the mask with your own selfish desire for wealth and power. I must avenge my tribe and take back what is truly ours." "I no longer fight for myself. I…" "SHUT UP AND FIGHT!!!" The dark one blasted forward at a full speed towards King. "King look out!" yells a small voice. King recognizes the voice instantly and turns to see one of his kids by the ring. 'Oh crap!' the boy thinks. 'Oh shit!' King thinks. He never saw the armored warrior as he plowed over him knocking him out for the count.
King lay there in a daze as the world around him spun around him like a mad carousel. He was too out of it to even realize his own defeat. The boy ran up to the ring "Oh my gosh! King!!!" He ran up to see his friend, only to King sprawled out on the mat. "No…King?" "Well now," a deep growling voice said, "what do we have here?" The boy turned to see Kings opponent stepping down from the ring. "Are we disappointed in today's outcome?" "You big jerk! That was a cheap shot."
"Perhaps," he growled to the boy, "but what is one less paycheck to a rich man? It's not like he wont get it back the next time he battles." The boy stepped up to the warrior. "You know nothing about King! You probably took one look at him and became so full of jealousy, you refused to let yourself know him." At this the dark one grabbed the boy by his shirt collar and lifted him up so that he was on the tips of his toes. "You dare speak to me this way after the beating you seen me dish out to your idol? What does that weak little insect have that I could possibly wish I had…Money…Fame? None of that means anything to me."
The boy shuddered, slightly, but withheld his fear. "Try love… and a family. He's not my real father, or any of the kids' real father, but he sure couldn't possibly love us any less than the real thing." Just then a tired voice came from the ring. "Oh… my head…you put him down…or…*groan*"
The dark one let his grip loosen and the boy fell to his feet. He immediately ran to the side of the ring to aid his friend in walking to the locker rooms. At that moment the dark warrior had nothing to say. All he could do was watch as the two walked out of the roaring arena, into the hall.
King sat there in the quiet of the locker room. It was his first defeat and he never felt so low as he did then. His boy sat beside him, also quiet…until… "I'm sorry" he whispered.
King looked over to him. "It's alright" he replied, then faced forward. Again there was silence. "I'm also sorry I made you lose tonight." "That wasn't your fault" he replied, this time without turning to him. "The only thing that upsets me is that you had to be here to see it." The boy turned toward him. "But King, you're the best I wanted to see you in action." "I never want you to idolize me." He said, his voice much sterner now. "Why, King?" "Never! I'm not anyone's idol!" He then realized the fear in the boy's eyes and it had dawned upon him that he was yelling. "I'm sorry. What I do is what I choose to do. I want you to choose your own path. One less dangerous." "I want to be just like you." "NO! I'm telling you now that the path I have taken is one that I am not proud of."
King props his elbows on his knees and cups his hands together. "At one time I too lived on the streets. I was like you; homeless, broke, young, and alone. However I didn't have the faith that you have. I was a criminal. I stole from homes, and people walking down the street." He turns to the boy with sadness in his eyes. "I've even taken the life of a man before." A look of terror and disbelief sets on the boy's face. He can sense the shame in Kings heart as he turns away from him to continue. "It was one winters night that turned my path straight."
"I was delivering stolen goods to a local pawn shop for cash when another thief ran into me. He had a gun…I had pure madness and stubbornness. We started to duke it out but he grabbed his gun and shot me in the gut. He took all of my loot and left me for dead. Fortunately for me I was near church and a kind priest took me to a hospital to have me fixed up. I never had anyone care for me as much as that priest did. He taught me the scripture and gave me food and shelter. When he died I took to priesthood and that is what led me here."
The boy grinned at King fully. "I think that besides the rocky beginning, you are the greatest most giving person I've ever known. And please forgive me when I say I still want to be like you." Kings eyes began to tear up as he reached over to hug him. "Thank you for being you." The boy whispered. "Same here." King said back.
Later that night King was getting ready to go home. His boy had already left without him, because of a meeting King had to attend with his manager. "I didn't know," a voice said. King looked around but saw no one. Then out of the darkness the dark one stepped out towards him. King put up his guard but the dark one didn't attack. He held out an old newspaper. It had a picture of King standing in front of the orphanage on it. "I assumed that you were using the mask for personal gain. I knew nothing of the orphanage." He threw it down on floor in front of him so it faced king. King looked up into his dark face.
"Actually you were right. I used the mask to help myself. That was until the boy your met by the ring made me see my wrong doing." They both stood there silent at first, then the dark warrior stepped forward. King flinched slightly but realized that his hand was stretched out towards him. "You are very weak and it disgusts me, but your heart is indeed pure. I wish to settle a truce." King was overwhelmed. The evil warrior of the Jagurandi wanted peace! King stepped forward and gripped his hand. "You must understand, however" the dark one added, "this handshake doesn't mean that we won't meet again in the ring." "I understand" The dark one grinned (a somewhat disturbing grin but one with good intentions) and then turned to the darkness from whence he came.
It was a little over a month since the last time King saw the warrior. He was at the orphanage, playing hide and seek with the younger children, when a knock came from the door. King answered it and to his surprise it was the warrior. "Hello weakling." He greeted King. He could tell he was trying to be funny. He was mostly astonished at his bold and outright humor, being that the little time they had been on good terms, they never saw one another. "Nice to see you too." The warrior entered the door holding a flyer. "The Iron Fist Tournament," he announced holding up the paper, "only world's greatest fighters may attend." "In that case why are you telling me?" King jeered. "I have no idea." The warrior responded, straight faced. "But anyway, it's being held by Heihachi Mishima." "A friend of yours?"
"I knew his father. He was a good man." The two sat down on a nearby couch, brushing away whatever small toys were upon it. "The winner shall receive a large reward. Are you interested?" "Yeah, it will be a great chance to strengthen my skills and coordination." At that point, the sister of Kings boy came up to them. "You're not seeking!" she complained. "No, I'm waiting for you to come out of hiding." He picked up the girl and lifted her up high. "GOTCHA!!!" She giggled wildly. "No fair that's cheating"
Then she looked over at the warrior. "Are you Kings brother?" "No, I am not." "Oh…You two look just alike." King set her down on the floor. "I know!" she exclaimed, "You must be his knight!" "…knight?" "Yeah! You're a knight in shining armor." "No offense, but I am no ones knight." "Well…then you can be a King too. The Armored King." "…Armored King, huh?" The girl grinned and nodded.
"Alright," the warrior crossed his arms and stood up straight and proud, "I am Armor King." The girl ran over and hugged him. It was a strange new thing to Armor King. Never had he met someone who didn't cower in fear at first confrontation. He looked over to King who could only smile at the scene that was taking place before him.
"Well I gotta go now. I'm it. Bye Armor King." With that she ran off to find the others. King turned to Armor King and said, "awwww, aint you da' big ol' softy?" Armor King wrinkled his nose baring his fangs "Don't push it weakling."
It was the first day of the actual tournament. All of the other matches he has been in had led up to this… his final test of strength. He had left the orphanage in the hands of one of his trusted associates, Leslie. And beg as he did, King wouldn't allow his boy to come with him.
"Do you think they'll be OK without me?" He nervously asked his companion. "Quit worrying," he replied, "you sound like an old woman." 'Armor King is right' King thought 'I should have more faith in Leslie. Besides this Tournament is going to require my full attention.' They were taken to his first match in the US by means of a private jet. There they were to face a hotheaded American fighter by name of Paul Phoenix.
When they landed in Chicago, they saw a parked limo awaiting their arrival. "That's just like Heihachi. Always showy about his wealth." Armor King mumbled. The driver stepped out and opened the door for the two warriors. "Thank you." said King. The driver nodded and got back into the driver's side.
They were then dropped of in front of an old run down building. "Hmm, now what?" King asked. The driver pointed to the roof. "Your challenger awaits up there." Armor King curled back his lip and exposed his fangs further. "All of this trouble for a five scrap?" "Patience O Dark-one." King replies. "It's all about atmosphere."
"Atmosphere…heh…in my day it was all about the fight itself. We took no notice to the 'scenery'."
"You sound like an old man."
Armor narrows his eyes at King. Then he grins a slight smile. "Lets go." They started up the fire escape. Upon reaching the top they were greeted by a tall, lanky man. He was dressed like a biker, leather jacket, black denim pants, black boots, and leather fighting gloves. The one thing that caught Kings eye however was his hair. It was blonde and stood strait up on end like a chef's hat. 'He must crave attention.' King thought inwardly.
"The names Phoenix." The man greeted, "My friends call me Paul." He put out his hand, which was instantly gripped by Kings. " I plan to win this. No hard feelings I hope." "None" King replied. "Especially since it is I who shall win."
"Oh, your that confident are you?"
"Indeed, sir. In fact, how would you like to make a wager?"
Paul's eyes narrow. "Shoot."
"Since your money doesn't interest me how about this…if you win, you see my true face. But if I win, you shave your head."
Paul frowns, "Don't sound very decent to me"
"If you're so sure of yourself then you have nothing to worry about. Besides aren't you the least bit curious what the South American, unknown wrestler, King, may look like?"Paul stands there pondering it for a bit, then grips Kings hand again. "Deal."
"Alright," King replies "Lets go." Armor King sits back as the two ready themselves for the battle. 'This should be entertaining.' The two stand face to face in ready stance. "Ready?" Paul asks. King nods. "Fight!" The two approached one another. Paul high kicked him to the face. King stumbled back from the blow, only to be grabbed and thrown in the opposite direction. 'Great, a judo specialist. I'll need to outwit him if I plan to win.' As Paul approached him again King, still laying on his back kicked him in the shin. When he bent over, King got up quickly, latched onto him, and performed a powerbomb attack, grabbing him around the waist from in front, picking his body up into the air, feet up and dropping him down on his head and neck.
"Ahhh damn," Paul groaned, holding the back of his neck. He got back up to his feet again and tried to get a hold of King. Instead King backed out of his grip and popped him in the jaw with a powerful upper cut…the perfect opening for a juggling combo. As Paul's body flew helplessly in the air, King kept him up with a good seven punches and three kicks. After he fell back down to the ground Paul limbered back up to his feet. Woozy from the combo he was met from above with a knuckle bomb. He collapsed to the ground. Paul had it.
"You win," Paul admitted. He looked up to see King offer his hand to him. "The bet is off" King said, "keep your hair." Paul grinned at him as he took his hand. As the two masked warriors headed back to the limo, Armor turned to King and mumbled something to him.
"I still think He'd look better without the hair."
The journeyed the world together. King faced every challenger and had ended every match in victory. It was now time for him to face his ultimate challenge. For this they had to travel to a secluded island in the Far East. The island was covered mostly with tropical foliage, to hide away the Mishima coliseum. As their jet landed on the landing pad, Armor turned to King. "I have to leave you temporarily. The guards will show you in." King looked to him in confusion. 'What is he up to?' King was showed to his dressing room by the guards. He could hear the immense crowd roaring madly… some cheering his name…others chanting some other indecipherable name.
As King geared up he felt like he was being watched. He turned to his right…then his left. He saw a shadow move quickly across the door. He could feel its evil…it chilled him. Then from the opposing direction moved another figure, which stopped in front of the doorway. A tall Asian man dressed in a purple suit. His jet-black hair was slicked to the back like the crowning feathers on a strange bird and his eyebrows were thick and pointed. He leered at King with a deep evil in his eyes and a cold scowl on his face. Then as quickly as he appeared, he moved on. 'What the hell?' King thought. The phrase "What from hell" may have been more appropriate, however.
As King prepared to step into the arena, he started the feel nervous. 'This is it.' King thought, 'the last three contenders.' He took in a deep breath and stepped forward into the arena. Low and behold who waited for him in the circle. "Ahhh, good to see you old fool." Shouted Armor King. "You again?" King was amazed.
"But the other fights…when did you compete?"
"Long before you did my friend. In fact it was a bit before you even got word of this. I just wanted to surprise you."
"That you did." King assured.
"Well, all pleasantries aside for now. I will not be easy on you."
"Nor I on you." King replied.
The Dark one grinned.
The bell sounded.
Note: I am aware that there are other stories out there about King and Armor King that are very different from my own version. Simply put, I have read these and like them a lot, but choose to use my own imagination ^_^. Im not writing this story acurately (that would be near impossible), but from what I know of the story and what ideas pop into my own imagination. Thankies :D. BTW Don't blame me for the unrealistic thought of keeping a persons body twirling in the air using punches and kicks. If you've played Tekken that's just how it is.