Ganryu sat down on the bed of the cheap motel he was staying at listening to the cars go by. He lied down and looked up at the ceiling fan slowly spinning around. Taking out a pack of cigarettes, he took one out and was about to light it when he realized his lighter ran out of lighter fluid. Jumping out of bed, he searched the drawers on his bedside to look for matches, but without success. Sighing, he got out of the room and headed for the lobby where the clerk was watching something on television.
"Do you have any matches?"
The clerk reached for something from beneath the counter and took out a few matches, "Here."
"Thanks," taking a couple of them, "can you smoke in here?"
"Sure, we're not supposed to but no one cares."
Lighting a cigarette, Ganryu simply said, "Right."
"Hey fat boy!!!"
Ganryu turned around ready to give the punk who said it an infinite hand slap. He saw a black man with a mohawk grinning at him; an obscenely attired blonde in his arms.
"…Bruce."
"Ha-ha, I knew it was you. So how've you been man? What've you been up to since Kaz got fried?"
"Nothing much, here and there you know?"
"I got ya' man, but listen, there's this thing happening…"
"Hey if he's in this too, I'm gonna have to double my fee." The blonde interrupted.
"Shut up, bitch! I wasn't talking to you."
"Ah fuck you, you stupid asshole…" She muttered under her breath.
Bruce ignored her, "Anyway, if you need some extra cash, there's this underground fight thing going on tonight. The guys are mostly amateurs, so it's easy money." He continued, "I can get you in easy with the fight promoter. The money's good, not good as Kazuya's, but it's better than nothing."
"Alright, thanks Bruce."
"No problem man, see ya' around." With that Bruce left for a room with the prostitute.
Ganryu stood near the center of the "ring" surrounded by spectators. It was in the back alley of a strip bar where these fights were held. His friend Bruce got him inside. Bruce was behind him cheering him on.
His opponent was right across from him on the other side, sizing him up. The man had very short blond hair and had tattoos all over his shirtless body. Ganryu didn't even bother to shed his faded yellow shirt. He heard the acting referee signal for them to start fighting and his opponent put his fist up in a boxing stance. He bent his knees and put his palm up, ready to begin.
Ganryu learned a long time ago to never underestimate your opponent. He had forgotten that lesson. The first few hits that the man snuck in, Ganryu let go, thinking nothing of them. But those hits started accumulating and soon his body started feeling their effects. Early on in the fight Ganryu delivered a heavy blow to his opponent, but the man had learned from it and dodged any incoming attack Ganryu prepared, taking advantage of the sumo wrestler's slowness. Finally, after a hard uppercut to his chin, Ganryu could not hold out any longer and collapsed.
He had lost to a local fighter - that realization, more than any of the punches thrown, hurt Ganryu the most. He opened his blurry eyes and saw the feet of his opponent jumping up and down from his victory. Among the crowd Ganryu could almost swear seeing an oriental-looking hat and a strange mask staring at him. Bruce was helping him out to the side lines.
"Big guy...you alright?" His friend asked not only with a hint of concern in his voice but also of surprise. Ganryu was surprised too.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Ganryu struggled to get up. "I guess all that time just idling around in Vegas must have made me soft."
"Listen, my fight's on in a few minutes; just wait up and I'll take you back to your motel room."
"Nah, I can get back to the motel alright by myself." Ganryu tried to shake off the pain. "I'm just a little shaken up that's all."
Ganryu knew he needed the help, but his pride woudn't allow him any form of convenience. It had been damaged enough. Dejectedly he walked the dark empty streets of the small city, all the while trying to ignoring the pain. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from one of the alleys. He looked up and saw the woman who Bruce was with earlier that day.
She was talking with someone, but Ganryu couldn't make out anything they said very clearly. The man she talked to seemed angry with her and before Ganryu could process anything else, the man punched the blonde woman in her gut. Suddenly forgetting the pain in his body, Ganryu rushed to where to two were - shouting at the man who had hit the woman.
The man turned and looked at him angrily. "What the fuck do you want lard-ass!!!"
"Get away from her now!"
The man turned to face the woman. "Can you believe this? Looks like you got a hero Maria," he snickered, "You of all people - a filthy good-for-nothing whore!" With that last word, the man slapped Maria hard on her face.
By now Ganryu had lost his patience and grabbed the man by the collar in his jacket. The man didn't seem afraid at all though and instead looked at something from behind Ganryu.
"Mikey, get Godzilla off a' me will ya'?"
Before Ganryu could turn around, he caught sight of a baseball bat swinging toward his face. He fell to the ground with his left hand on the side of his face. He was bleeding. He felt another painful blow in the back of his head. And then another in his ribs. And then another. And then another. And then another, until he couldn't recall anything anymore. Not even pain.
"Do you have any matches?"
The clerk reached for something from beneath the counter and took out a few matches, "Here."
"Thanks," taking a couple of them, "can you smoke in here?"
"Sure, we're not supposed to but no one cares."
Lighting a cigarette, Ganryu simply said, "Right."
"Hey fat boy!!!"
Ganryu turned around ready to give the punk who said it an infinite hand slap. He saw a black man with a mohawk grinning at him; an obscenely attired blonde in his arms.
"…Bruce."
"Ha-ha, I knew it was you. So how've you been man? What've you been up to since Kaz got fried?"
"Nothing much, here and there you know?"
"I got ya' man, but listen, there's this thing happening…"
"Hey if he's in this too, I'm gonna have to double my fee." The blonde interrupted.
"Shut up, bitch! I wasn't talking to you."
"Ah fuck you, you stupid asshole…" She muttered under her breath.
Bruce ignored her, "Anyway, if you need some extra cash, there's this underground fight thing going on tonight. The guys are mostly amateurs, so it's easy money." He continued, "I can get you in easy with the fight promoter. The money's good, not good as Kazuya's, but it's better than nothing."
"Alright, thanks Bruce."
"No problem man, see ya' around." With that Bruce left for a room with the prostitute.
Ganryu stood near the center of the "ring" surrounded by spectators. It was in the back alley of a strip bar where these fights were held. His friend Bruce got him inside. Bruce was behind him cheering him on.
His opponent was right across from him on the other side, sizing him up. The man had very short blond hair and had tattoos all over his shirtless body. Ganryu didn't even bother to shed his faded yellow shirt. He heard the acting referee signal for them to start fighting and his opponent put his fist up in a boxing stance. He bent his knees and put his palm up, ready to begin.
Ganryu learned a long time ago to never underestimate your opponent. He had forgotten that lesson. The first few hits that the man snuck in, Ganryu let go, thinking nothing of them. But those hits started accumulating and soon his body started feeling their effects. Early on in the fight Ganryu delivered a heavy blow to his opponent, but the man had learned from it and dodged any incoming attack Ganryu prepared, taking advantage of the sumo wrestler's slowness. Finally, after a hard uppercut to his chin, Ganryu could not hold out any longer and collapsed.
He had lost to a local fighter - that realization, more than any of the punches thrown, hurt Ganryu the most. He opened his blurry eyes and saw the feet of his opponent jumping up and down from his victory. Among the crowd Ganryu could almost swear seeing an oriental-looking hat and a strange mask staring at him. Bruce was helping him out to the side lines.
"Big guy...you alright?" His friend asked not only with a hint of concern in his voice but also of surprise. Ganryu was surprised too.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Ganryu struggled to get up. "I guess all that time just idling around in Vegas must have made me soft."
"Listen, my fight's on in a few minutes; just wait up and I'll take you back to your motel room."
"Nah, I can get back to the motel alright by myself." Ganryu tried to shake off the pain. "I'm just a little shaken up that's all."
Ganryu knew he needed the help, but his pride woudn't allow him any form of convenience. It had been damaged enough. Dejectedly he walked the dark empty streets of the small city, all the while trying to ignoring the pain. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from one of the alleys. He looked up and saw the woman who Bruce was with earlier that day.
She was talking with someone, but Ganryu couldn't make out anything they said very clearly. The man she talked to seemed angry with her and before Ganryu could process anything else, the man punched the blonde woman in her gut. Suddenly forgetting the pain in his body, Ganryu rushed to where to two were - shouting at the man who had hit the woman.
The man turned and looked at him angrily. "What the fuck do you want lard-ass!!!"
"Get away from her now!"
The man turned to face the woman. "Can you believe this? Looks like you got a hero Maria," he snickered, "You of all people - a filthy good-for-nothing whore!" With that last word, the man slapped Maria hard on her face.
By now Ganryu had lost his patience and grabbed the man by the collar in his jacket. The man didn't seem afraid at all though and instead looked at something from behind Ganryu.
"Mikey, get Godzilla off a' me will ya'?"
Before Ganryu could turn around, he caught sight of a baseball bat swinging toward his face. He fell to the ground with his left hand on the side of his face. He was bleeding. He felt another painful blow in the back of his head. And then another in his ribs. And then another. And then another. And then another, until he couldn't recall anything anymore. Not even pain.