Chapter 5: The interlude continues…
He was going to be sick.
Very soon. Very quickly. And very violently.
Andro threw up, tossing up the remains of his lunch, as well as most of his expensive breakfast.
He felt hands propping him up, slapping him on the back.
"Get it all out, Andro."
Ryan's voice.
"Jesus! Kensou really messed him up!"
"He ate about five Psycho Balls, three combos, and eight special moves. I can't believe he's not dead."
"Shut up, Ogion. You did a great job too, almost disqualifying us all."
"It was a fight. Accidents do happen. And that's funny, coming from a guy whose eyes glazed every time he saw Athena."
"Yeah, well, at least I wasn't dying of a nosebleed at the end of my fight."
"Huh. Good thing I didn't start a freak storm that almost got us all sued."
"Guys…I don't like where this is going."
"…And beating up the agent too…What a dumbass idea…"
"GUYS! THIS IS A HOSPITAL, DAMNIT! SHUT UP!!!"
Sudden silence.
Then, the air was filled with the complaints of various patients.
"Shut up!"
"It's an air-raid! Where's me tin hat?"
"How much did I pay for this?"
"I wish to complain!"
"Whut?"
"Oh god."
******************
Four days later…
"Good news. Your friends are fully recovered. I trust that there will be no long-term physical damage. Their minds, however…"
Ogion was lugged out in a strait-jacket, gibbering.
"Needles. I HATE needles! Get them away! Get them away!!!"
An injector full of a strange-looking liquid turned, jabbing into the arm of the orderly who held it.
"NO!!! THAT HAD ENOUGH CYANIDE TO KILL AN ELEPHANT!!!"
Andro, who had just recovered the previous day, raised an eyebrow.
"To kill an elephant?"
"Huh. He probably won't even feel it. Ogion's own mixture is enough to stun half the school."
They stared dispassionately at the orderly, who was being to twitch and foam at the mouth. "Then again, for normal people, the effect might be different."
"AHHH! IT BURNS! IT BURRNNNNSSS!!!"
******************
Not long later, the same day, Chan and Ryan once more ventured into the crowded streets of Tokyo. Ogion and Andro were locked in the hotel, their keycards liberated from them.
In a moment of genius, Ryan had cancelled the phone line, too, to prevent them from calling for room service. They could easily afford the repair bill. Due to another round of bets on their own team, and a contract from the local meteorological station, they were temporarily rich.
"Who are these 'Art Of Fighting' guys? Maybe we should do a bit of research about them."
It had begun as a noble enterprise.
It had ended in utter chaos.
Observe.
******************
"Whew. I'm tired."
Chan slumped onto a nearby bench, exhausted. They had been walking for several hours now, asking random passerby's the exact location of their oncoming opponents.
"Why are we doing this, anyway?"
Ryan struck a dramatic pose.
"To scout out our opponents…To test the waters before blundering in…"
He paused.
"Come to think of it, I don't know."
Ryan looked around for a moment, having lost his train of thought. Finally, his gaze settled on a nearby sign: "WELCOME TO KING'S BAR. PLEASE HAVE CREDIT CHECKED AT DOOR. TONIGHT'S SPECIAL GUESTS: THE ART OF FIGHTING TEAM."
"This looks promising. C'mon!"
"Hey, I don't think…"
"Look at the sign! We just go in, take a look, and get out. Easy."
"Hey! Last time you said that, we…"
But it was a bit too late. With a deathgrip on Chan's arm, Ryan began dragging him, slowly but forcibly, towards the bar.
If they had looked behind them, they would have noted the sudden, light falling of snow. If they had looked back, they would definitely have taken note of this strange event.
But they didn't look back, so the point is moot.
********************
"Yo! Another Martini over here!"
"Coming!"
King let out a sigh. The bar was already packed, and more people were pouring in.
Fine, the KOF Tournament WAS good for business. In normal times, King would've been thrilled by the sheer mass of humanity here, coming just to see the famous "Art Of Fighting" Team.
However...
King felt a little jealous. The crowd was mainly here to meet the fighters, rather than to actually have anything to drink.
Still…
Ryo's family really needed the money this time round. Robert Garcia's father was on the lam, probably for tax evasion. And that meant that the Dojo's main source of income had been crippled.
A stage appearance like this would probably help their ailing finances, giving them a much needed boost in students…
But somehow, King still felt somehow dissatisfied with the entire arrangement. Pausing, she ran the entire thing through her mind one last time, trying to sort her discontent, and mixed feelings about the entire matter.
She felt bad about her own jealousy, and good that she felt bad about it. With that all settled, she promptly adjusted her bow-tie, and headed back to work. Even with her extra staff, it was hard to cope with the volume and speed of requests that came in.
Well, that really matter. Work was work, and King would handle it in her own way.
"How 'bout my Martini? Geez! Some service…"
King seriously considered feeding the loudmouth a Venom Strike, but decided against it, reaching for the bottle instead.
********************
"Ryan, this has to be your dumbest idea so far."
"Hey, relax. The Art Of Fighting dudes are gonna be up on that stage any minute now. Their appearance is supposed to raise money for someplace called 'The Sazaki Dojo'. Ever heard of it?"
"No."
"Same here. Hey! Martini, please!"
"Ryan, you're sixteen. Under legal age. Maybe you shouldn't drink…"
"Don't worry. What else is there to do in a bar?"
"Fine. But I'm not lugging your drunk ass outta…"
He stopped, as he saw a familiar figure making it's way through the crowd.
Ryan followed Chan's line of sight.
"Hey, isn't that the girl you told us about? You know, the one you saved? K…K…."
"Kula."
"Yeah. Hey, she's coming this way!"
Indeed, Kula was carefully treading her way through the crowd, heading towards their table. After some carefully placed elbows, she finally got to their table, at almost the same time Ryan's drink arrived.
She adjusted the jacket she wore, over her ever-present bodysuit, before pulling up a chair.
"Hi, Chan!
Nice to see you again!"
Once more, Chan felt a massive
surge of blood pressure, but firmly clamped down on it. Ignoring Ryan's leer,
he resolutely got out a sensible reply.
"It's good to see you too, Kula. I see you're still wearing the coat I gave you."
The girl blushed.
"It's a good coat. Thanks."
***************
Ogion, locked in the room with Andro, began to twitch as his face turned red.
"Andro…get…insulin…"
"Man, I didn't know he was diabetic…"
***************
"So, what brings you here, Kula?"
"Oh…My sisters told me I could go out for a while. And, as I had been watching all your matches…Well, I saw the sign, and came to check it out."
Chan felt a strange sense of suspicion growing. That's almost too coincidental for me to believe. Still, he pushed it to the bottom of his mind, for later reference.
"But what are you two doing here?"
"Well, we came to…"
"…Celebrate our second victory," Chan said, casting a firm, meaningful glance at Ryan.
"Oh, that's right. Bartender! A bottle of champagne here!"
"Damn."
**************
Meanwhile, outside a certain hotel, two figures made plans.
"Okay. Our little sister should be distracting our main target, K'. While he and his friends remains unaware, I'll send some troopers into their room, to prepare to ambush them."
"Diane, I thought that teams fought in groups of four. What if someone's still inside?"
"No, K' won't do that. He'll want to keep all his friends near him, just in case."
Diane reached into her outfit, and produced a handphone.
"A handphone? What happened to the uncrackable communication frequency?"
"So NESTS had to cut its budget. So sue me."
Not waiting for Foxy's reply, Diane dialed a certain number. A helicopter drifted by, dropping several man-sized objects on the roof. One by one, they rappelled down the side, heading towards a specific room on a specific level.
If the glass had been transparent on this side of the building, the NESTS troopers probably won't have made it to the second-to-top level. Then again, no one would have even looked up, anyway.
**************
"Rrrrggh…Damn door, can't get it open…."
Ogion and Andro had been trying to get the door open for some time, doing everything short of chopping it down.
Andro collapsed, exhausted.
"Whew. We've tried everything! And still…THE DAMN DOOR WON'T OPEN!!!"
Ogion raised a hand.
"Andro, perhaps you're looking at this wrongly. What's work with simply waiting for them to get back?"
Andro looked up, and opened his mouth to speak.
"Because…"
He never got to finish his sentence, as the glass-paneled wall exploded inwards.
"Shit!"
Black shadows flitted in, stubby, menacing-looking weapons in their hands.
Andro realized he was in a world of trouble.
However, when an unseen force smashed one back, driving him back through the window and into oblivion, Andro knew the odds weren't THAT bad after all.
**************
Chan was getting more than slightly irked.
It was already half-past-eight, and there was still no sign of the Art of Fighting team. Somehow, he had a feeling that this was probably just a gimmick to draw in the crowds.
Even worse, Ryan and Kula had been drinking steadily. Judging from the number of bottles littering the table, they were probably working on a world record.
"He-e-e-ey," Kula garbled, "dis feel real good! I feel better tha-an I feel in my whole life! I should do more often, I should!"
Ryan, still relatively sober, chuckled.
"Okay…But sobering up is gonna be extremely painful."
"Doesn't matter…masher…ugh…"
Kula slumped, and almost fell off her chair. A lucky catch by Chan stopped her.
"Mmm…Thasnk…"
She leaned forward, trapping his hand, and was promptly out like a light.
Chan, face beet-red, glared at Ryan, who was now grinning like a pumpkin.
"What. Did. You. Put. In. That."
"Nosching. I's just got a bottle of this bars strongest."
"Ryan. I'm gonna kill you."
Indeed, Chan was getting to his feet to do just that, when a loudhailer boomed across the bar.
"And now presenting…THE ART OF FIGHTING TEAM!!!!"
A girl who looked suspiciously like the bartender, an uncomfortable-looking guy in an orange gi, a ponytailed young man holding a mike, and a man wearing an ogre mask strode onto stage.
"YO! My name's Robert Garcia! Today, my teammates, Ryo and Takuma Sazaki, are going to demonstrate the ancient, mystic art of Kyogen karate."
****************
Andro ducked, and rammed his elbow into the trooper behind him, knocking him down.
The fighter would have killed for a club, a knife, anything, rather than just his bare hands. But in situations like this, what came to hand would have to do.
Reaching down, Andro yanked the gun from his opponent's nerveless fingers, giving a charging man a full clip of whatever it had.
***Thud Thud SPLAT***
There was no blood. The man staggered, but kept on coming, returning fire with his own weapon. Some sort of…gel dripped from the impact spot, which had evidently failed to
Andro rolled, and adjusted his aim, hitting him in the head. With a despairing wail, his attacker fell back, smashing yet another hole in the glass window.
Due to the narrow length of the window, the troopers could only come in two at a time. Even better, their weapons were packed with non-lethal gel rounds and stun
grenades, making hurting Andro or Ogion a lost cause.
But that wasn't the best part. These soldiers didn't seem to know how to fight hand-to-hand. Andro had proved it, by single-handedly dismantling four with his bare hands.
Ogion came out from the table he had been hiding under. Most of attackers hasn't even known he was there till it was too late. And when they had, most had simply run away, preferring to take their chances with Andro.
Their mistake.
"Is that all?"
"Yeah. The guy I blew through the window was the last."
All around them, the once-opulent room was in a mess. Concussion grenades had cracked and warped the walls. Holes had been punched in the glass by gel rounds. Furniture was ruined, after having been used as clubs and discarded.
For a long moment, Ogion and Andro stared at the hole in the glass window.
"We gotta get out of here," Andro said, hurriedly grabbing his suitcase and his blades.
"It would be sensible to vacate the premises, yes."
Ogion picked the essential luggage, using telekinesis to grab what he couldn't lift.
"First, we break down the door. Then, we get out of here. Finally, we find somewhere else to stay, and contact the others. They'll know what to do."
As far as Andro was concerned, this tournament was taking a turn for the worse. Still, a certain thought played at his doubts: Who sent them? Why? Why WEREN'T they trying to kill us?
Well, those questions could wait for later. Staying alive took top priority.
****************
"HAOU SHOUKOU KEN!!!"
"HAOU SHOUKOU KEN!!!"
***BOOM***
The crowd oohed, as the massive fireballs impacted, creating a massive shockwave.
Chan watched intently, as the two rolled, kicked, and flung short-range fireballs at each other. Every time Ryo Sazaki was about to get the upper hand, "Mr. Karate" would flash an unexpected move, bringing them back to where they started.
"They're pretty good, aren't they, Ryan? Ryan?"
He turned. Ryan was snoring face-down in a puddle of beer, an ice-bucket next to him. Not a single bottle remained in it.
"Not him too…"
Kula murmured something in her sleep, and gripped on even tighter to Chan's hand. She leaned her white-haired head against it, shifting slightly.
"Huh…She looks so cute when she's asleep…NO! What am I thinking?!"
***RING RING***
Chan almost leapt three feet straight up, as his handphone rang.
He yanked it from his belt, and held it to his ear, somehow managing it with only one hand free.
"Hello…Andro? But we cut the line…WHAT? Attacked? How? Where are you guys? Wake Ryan up? Get our asses over there? Sure! Bye!"
He reached out, and shook Ryan.
"Wake up, man! We're in trouble!"
No response.
"I said wake up!"
Chan grabbed the ice bucket, and upended it over Ryan's head.
"RYAN! WAKE UP! FRIGGING' JACKASS!!!"
"Whu…What? Wha?"
"Andro and Ogion got attacked! They moved to some other hotel, and we gotta meet them there! MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!"
"But how about your girl there?"
Chan looked down. He had completely forgotten about that detail.
"She's not 'my girl', damnit! I'll just leave a note or something!"
After several frenzied minutes, Ryan and Chan bundled out, leaving Kula in the able hands of King, along with a note for her when she woke up.
****************
"Unit one, please respond. Unit one, please respond. Damn! No answer."
Foxy, looking disgustingly pleased with herself, smiled.
"I TOLD you. K' WOULD have taken all his friends along, but no one else would have. Evidently, our quarry had left some people to 'guard the fort', as you would say."
"Your point is?"
"Maybe we're after the wrong guy. After all, NESTS told us K' was a guy with fire powers. All we know about this 'Chan' is that he has a very large, very strong bodyguard, and power of a sort. And maybe not even that."
"I feel the same way, but what can we do? Our superiors told us to keep this guy under observation. Besides…Kula kinda likes him."
"WHAT? Our little sister has…"
"Hey, maybe she wasn't created naturally, but she's as human as you and I."
Diane let off a knowing wink, and nudged Foxy meaningfully.
"How could you allow that?"
"I didn't see the harm. Besides, this will probably be one of the few times she's allowed to wander free. Give her a break, will ya?"
"***Sigh*** Diane, you indulge her too much."
"So do you."
For a long moment, both women stared at each other. Then, as one, they began to laugh.
******************
Meanwhile, in a seedy dive in the slums…
"Andro? You swapped our hotel room for THIS?"
"Whoah, cool down, Ryan. If we had stayed there, our mysterious pursuers would know where we are instantly. But HERE, no one will ever find us."
"Hmm. You may have a point."
Ryan's foot came down on a cockroach, squashing it into the ground.
The room was a rather small one, shared by the DHS Team. It was a far cry from the luxury of the hotel.
Still, at least it had running water and electricity. It couldn't be so bad, could it?
But then, it really didn't matter. Making plans did.
*****************
"…Right. Now everything's been planned, how about the tournament?"
Silence. The team cast glances among itself.
"Tell you what. Let's put it to a vote. All who want to stay, raise your hand."
As one, the entire team raised its hands.
Chan scratched his head.
"I don't get it. If you guys wanted to continue in the first place, why didn't you just say it?"
"Well, we thought that everyone else didn't want to continue."
"Aarrgh…Okay. Just get some sleep, guys. In a couple of days, we'll be up against the AOF team. Sadly, Ryan got drunk, while I was…distracted. Thus, we don't know much about them."
"But what DO we know?"
"Uh…They have fireball projectiles pronounced HA-OH-SHIKEN. Also, one of their fighters wears an ogre mask. Oh, and he calls himself 'Mr Karate'."
Once more, the team struggled to digest this information.
"Hey, I'm not making this up!"
*****************
King's Bar, after the performance…
Takuma... wasn't feeling quite like himself. Takuma... was ready to party.
Going over to his bag, he pulled out something he knew he'd need for just such an occasion: a goofy-looking mask. Never leave home without it. He put it on, climbed to the top of the bar, and shouted his message to the world: "AHAHAHAHHAHAHA! BOW DOWN TO YOUR SENSEI, FOOLS! I AM MR. KARATE!"
Robert's face paled. "Aw, no...The stress must've been too much…" "King... what did you give Takuma over there?" Ryo asked.
"Water! I think..."
"All of you are great warriors, but you all have much to learn! Join me and I shall provide enlightenment for you, and you, and youandyouandyou..."
Ryo snapped his fingers and pulled out an envelope. "Aha! I was wondering what they gave this to me for!" "Huh?"
"Something his psychiatrist gave me after '99." Ryo read the envelope. "It says, 'In Case of Mr. Karate, Open This.'"
He promptly did so. The group read the small paper that was inside, and all of them got great big smiles on their faces.
"...so, my friends, when you think of a grade-A asskicking, think of Mr. Karat--"
Everyone rushed. Takuma never knew what hit him.
(Ah…the end of yet another "between fight" chapter. And yes, these chapters are necessary to the plotline. Right now, I kinda pity the DHS Team. From staying in an opulent hotel to…to…some kinda run-down shack. Poor guys. Seriously speaking, their situation has been going from bad to worse, just like the rest of their life. As always, any suggestions are welcome, so please R&R. Special thanks to Nikki, for suggesting the AOF team as the DHS Team's next opponent.
And finally… Keep those suggestions coming in, dudes! Bye!)