Jimmy was about to face his next opponent, having drawn out his first fight as long as possible. He eventually beat his opponent though he made it look like a lucky win. As a result, the viewers were curious but convinced he wouldn't last long while the other contestants would assume it was only a matter of time before his defeat was inevitable.
"where are they? I'm tired of holding back."
Suddenly, Kami radioed in to inform Jimmy of the underway plan, and he didn't have to stall now.
'Finally,' he thought
Next Fighters Enter
Jimmy again entered the ring, followed by another fighter who wore a cocky smirk on his face. He walked in dressed in green street clothes similar to Billy and Jimmy's.
"what's up? Yo scrub the name's Jeff, and don't worry, this will be quick."
"oh, it sure will."
Once the fight began, Jeff rushed in, ready for an easy win, throwing a straight punch to Jimmy's face, only for his fist to be caught by Jimmy.
"that the best you got?"
"LET GO!" yelled Jeff as he tried to throw another punch with his other free hand, only for it to get caught too.
As Jimmy began squeezing Jeff's fists, causing him to drop to his knees in pain, Jimmy took the opportunity to release one of Jeff's fists. However, before he could react, Jimmy pulled his fist back before delivering a straight punch to the face knocking him out.
"You're right; it was quick," Jimmy said as he walked out, leaving Jeff to fall into the holding cells below.
"interesting, that boy doesn't seem to be holding back anymore." Said Abobo
The tournament rounds began quicker; Jimmy still stalled his matches a little. Eventually, the semi-finals were about to start as the four remaining fighters watched the center ring get prepared. Jimmy was alerted that the others were close but out of the carrier's radar range.
"Jimmy, Billy is on his way to the carrier. Once he finds where the losers are being held, I'll move the ferries closer to evacuate." Radioed Kami
"good, time to wrap this up." Thought Jimmy
The ring was finally ready, and the semi-finals started with Jimmy fighting with another semi-finalist, Flashstep.
Stepping into the ring, the two readied themselves to begin fighting; soon as the bell rang, Jimmy charged in. But Flashstep smirked and dodged his attack, becoming a blur that caught both Jimmy and the other fighters by surprise.
"what the…?"
Before Jimmy could finish his sentence, he got hit from behind, stumbling forward. As he fell he tried to deliver a counter-roundhouse kick to behind with his right leg. Flash-step blurred away again, appearing beside Jimmy this time, offering a blow to the back of his left knee, making him buckle and fall on one knee.
"Shit!" said Jimmy
"face it; you can't beat me if you can't catch me." Mocked Flashstep
Flashstep continued to mock Jimmy laying in blow after blow into him as he blurred around him, too fast and inconsistent to be hit back. Jimmy was still okay despite the hits he took due to his high durability. The impacts from Flashstep did little to no damage, but it was clear that his approach to fighting was more along the lines of 'death by a thousand tiny cuts' than brute force. On the other hand his bragging was working Jimmy's nerves.
"you can't hit me. I'm as fast as a speeding bullet." Bragged Flashstep
"Really?" thought Jimmy. "hey, quick-step, wanna see me catch a bullet?"
"The name is Flashstep asshole; that's it. I'm ending you right now."
Flashstep then charged at Jimmy, ready to end the match, but Jimmy closed his eyes to concentrate. Everything began to slow down in his mind, and he began to sense where Flashstep was coming. As Flashstep came in to deliver a finisher, Jimmy turned around, catching the straight punch for the back of his head, shocking Flashstep.
"what? how did you-?"
"you might be as fast as a speeding bullet, but..."
Before Flash-step knew what hit him, Jimmy grabbed his arm, flipping him onto his back. As Flash-step looked up, he saw a foot coming down, striking him in the face and knocking him out.
"I've seen faster." He said, walking off.
Stepping out of the ring, it immediately opened up, dropping Flashstep in just as he regained consciousness, leaving him to scream as he fell. As Jimmy walked off, he was confronted by Fireball.
"not bad, amigo, but I can tell you're holding back."
"What makes you say that?"
"I can tell you're much more skilled than you're letting on. And I can tell you've got a good reason for it."
Fireball and Sickle
Step onto the ring for the last match of the semi-finals
"gotta go, amigo; hope you don't hold back in the finals. Your good reason might not bee good enough by then." Said Fireball walking to the ring
Jimmy wondered if he knew, but before he could think of his options if Fireball did, he got bumped by Sickle.
"Move it, asshole." Snarled Sickle
Jimmy was about to strike him back but was immediately stopped by the sound of Billy's voice radioing in.
"Guys, I'm on the ship and in the server room; I jacked in that second flash drive Kami."
"Okay good work, give me a second…."
"wait, you had a second drive; what for?" radioed Marian
"well, I figured that since the broadcasting system was all linked to the terminal back at the casino there was a possibility of a second one on the carrier that controlled its system, and I was right; now, give me a second."
Everyone waited for Kami while Jimmy waited for the match between Fireball and Sickle to begin.
"Okay, I'm in, and I'm looking over the system; okay, the blueprints say this whole carrier was modified to be his mansion; I think Abobo may live here."
"what else can you tell us, Kami?"
"There are multiple levels between the server room and the holding cell, right below the deck." "There are cameras on each level and at least a few armed guards too; chances are the monitors are close by Abobo."
"if the cameras don't tip him off, the guards will." Said Billy.
"Not for long." Said Kami
"what are you planning?" asked Marian
"I can feed loops into the cameras, so whoever is watching only sees reruns. Like in that movie Speed. I can shut down the guard's communication, but you'll still have to take them out."
"Hey, bro, your new girlfriend is amazing." Joked Billy
Jimmy and Kami both blushed hard though no one could see it. Before anyone could question what he meant, Marian got everyone back on the task before telling Billy to shut up with his jokes.
"Okay, done and…GO!" said Kami
Suddenly the bell went off, snapping Jimmy's attention back to the match that had just started. Sickle charged in his blades, swinging fast, trying to land a blow on Fireball, who was calmly dodging his attacks. Sickle was becoming frustrated due to his inability to land a blow. Jimmy immediately noticed Fireball's strategy as he used the rope-a-dope to wear Sickle out before laying him out.
"give up now, dude. I don't want to hurt you."
"you stuck-up bastard, stop running and fight me!"
"if you insist, amigo."
Reaching for his shades, Fireball tossed them aside, opening his eyes. They began to glow before beams of energy fired out at Sickle, blasting one of his blades out of his hands and sending it across the ring.
"that won't stop me."
Sickle charged again; this time Fireball shot his beams at his remaining blade, which Sickle used as a shield to block. The power and heat from the blast began to overtake the edge until it exploded into burning shards all over the ring and blasting Sickle to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Fireball walked over to ensure Sickle was still breathing as he crouched down.
"I tried to warn you; well, at least it's over."
"FAR FROM IT! Yelled Sickle
Suddenly Sickle turned over with a shard of his blade in his hand, slashing at Fireball. Though Fireball jumped away, he wasn't fast enough to avoid being cut by the fragment.
"what the hell was that!?"
"just the right cut above your eyes, the kind that bleeds." He mocked
As if on cue, blood from the wound that Fireball got began dripping into his eyes, blinding him. Sickle began cutting into Fireball with his blade in hand, leaving cuts all over his body. Taking the opportunity, Sickle got to his feet, quickly retrieving his other blade before charging at Fireball, who was still wiping blood from his eyes. Fireball tried to fight back, but the blood dripping into his eyes hindered every attempt to throw a punch or use his laser vision. Eventually, Fireball ended up in horrible shape, his body covered in cuts and barely conscious of blood loss. He was on his knees, trying to get back up. Sickle walked over to him to admire his work, grabbed Fireball by his hair, and lifted him while pressing the blade to his neck.
"Now, it's over." He laughed
"THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU BASTARD!" yelled Jimmy
Sickle looked over at Jimmy and smiled at him holding Fireball out to him so that he could see how badly he was hurt.
"Take a good look, Red Shadow; this is going to be you next," he said before dropping Fireball.
Walking off the floor as he laughed at the beaten Fireball, the floor opened up to drop Fireball into the holding cells below before he fell, he whispered to Jimmy.
"kick his ass, amigo." He said before dropping.
Watching Sickle, Jimmy became only interested in breaking him in two. So much so that he almost didn't hear the update that Billy was close to the holding cells. Moments later, the ring was ready for the finals.
Red Shadow and Sickle
Step onto the ring for the last match of the finals
Jimmy immediately made his way to the ring, followed by Sickle, wearing a cocky grin. Judging from the fact that his weapon was still broken he hadn't been able to repair it during the brief interlude.
"ready to join the rest of those losers? I hope you don't mind me dragging this out."
"shut up and fight."
Suddenly the bell rang and the finals began; Sickle came swinging in his blade, trying to cut into Jimmy. Jimmy went on the defense, dodging the blade though it managed to leave slashes in his clothes.
"c'mon, shadow boy, make this interesting for me,"
"you know I noticed something about your fighting style; you rely on your blades too much."
"So, what's your point!?" he said, slashing at Jimmy
"What happens if someone takes your toys away?"
"I'd still kick your ass!" he said, bringing his blade down on Jimmy only to catch it between his hands.
"let's find out if you can!"
With his hands, Jimmy broke the blade in two, tossing the piece he had aside and out of Sickle's reach; before Sickle could react. Jimmy delivered a backflip kick to the chin, knocking him back and knocking the remaining piece of his blade out of his hand. Grabbing the piece, Jimmy tossed it as hard as he could over the side into the water. Jimmy then turned back to Sickle, who was picking himself up.
"so, what are you going to do now?"
"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT! He yelled, reaching into his boots and pulling out two serrated daggers, clenching the handles sideways in his fists while the blades stuck out on the side.
"of course, he has more blades." Thought Jimmy
Sickle jumped back into the fight, swinging his fists at Jimmy, who now not only had to dodge his fist but the slashes from the blades.
"c'mon, asshole, show me what you got."
"ask, and you shall receive."
As Sickle lunged at Jimmy with one of the daggers, he sidesteps him, grabbing Sickle's arm and bending his arm. Jimmy redirected the blade back at Sickle, forcing him to stab himself in the side.
"AAAAHAAHAHHAHA, YOU BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed
Jimmy proceeded to lay multiple blows into Sickle's belly before ultimately kicking him away. Pulling the blade out of his side, Sickle was in a rage, wanting to end the fight fast. Leaping into the air, Sickle pointed the edges downward at Jimmy, ready to drive them into him; however, instead of dodging, Jimmy stood his ground, prepared to block. As he came down, Jimmy raised his forearms to stop the blades, but the moment the blades struck, they shattered against him. Sickle was left shocked. How could this happen? What he didn't know was that the edges had hit Jimmy's power bands, the mystic metal was too strong for his blades.
"NO…NOOOO! HOW DID YOU...?"
Suddenly Jimmy dashed in, delivering a punch to the stomach knocking the wind out of Sickle. Jimmy gave him no chance to fight back, laying in blow after blow into him until Sickle was on the floor, crawling away from Jimmy.
"Please, no more, I give."
"I knew it; without your blades, you're-"
"PATHETIC!"
The two saw a man with a shaved head and a horseshoe mustache walking toward them; the man was tall. At least 6 feet, very muscular with a tan complexion with fire tattoos all over him from the neck down. He wore a black tank top with blue jeans and black and brown boots, a single-headed Meteor Hammer around his waist. Walking up to Jimmy, Abobo wore an impressed look on his face as he looked down on him. Jimmy knew that man had to be Abobo, so he walked off the ring, allowing it to open up and drop Sickle into it.
"well done Red Shadow; you have proven yourself to be the mightiest among the other fighters; now time for your final test."
"final test?"
"yes, to prove you are worthy of joining my crew."
"oh, right."
"you must execute the losers."
"why would I do that?"
Abobo looked confused for a moment, not expecting someone who went to all this effort to be disinterested in this part. "it is the way of my gang. The strong live while the weak die at the hands of the strong."
"you're crazy if you think I'm going to do that."
"WHAT!?"
"Strong people don't need to prove their strength by killing people too weak to stop them. That's like stepping on a bug just to remind yourself that you're big enough to do so. Only a jackass like you would believe that type of BS."
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!"
"I believe the first part was jack, and the second part was ass!"
Enraged, Abobo grabbed Jimmy by the shirt, lifting him into the air, before bringing him to his face.
"you had your chance to be strong. You will see how the strong deal with the weak, then I will break you and end you."
Walking over to the ring while carrying Jimmy over to the ring as it opened up in front of them.
"now watch. with the snap of my fingers the walls will close in, crushing all of them, and I'm going to make you watch."
"one problem, jackass, how are you gonna crush the people down there if there's no one down there?"
"WHAT!?"
Looking down, Abobo saw that all the losers were gone and the holding cells were empty; turning to Jimmy, he had a smirk he could see through his mask that enraged him. Abobo tossed Jimmy aside from the ring but was surprised when Jimmy performed a mid-air backflip before landing safely.
"didn't see that coming did ya JACKASS!"
"Grrr, GUARDS, WHERE ARE MY GUARDS?!"
"I'm afraid I gave your men the night off." Said Billy from above
Abobo saw Billy high above him before dropping down to the deck, performing a superhero landing.
"Bro seriously, a superhero landing?" Said Jimmy
"you're one to talk Mr. mid-air backflip," replied Billy
Abobo was confused but recognized Billy from the news showing what happened in Willy's territory.
"You're the blue one who ruined one of my previous tournaments."
"well, I'm not one to brag, but yes, yes I am."
"then that makes you..." He said, turning back to Jimmy
"that's right, jackass, the red one. Now allow me to slip into something more combat-ready …requip!"
Suddenly a red flash blinded Abobo for a second; when it was gone, Jimmy was no longer in his red shadow costume but the costume Marian made for him.
"Now that's better." He said as his sword materialized on his back
Abobo was now consumed by rage as he unleashed his Meteor Hammer, spinning the hammer on its chain as he angrily yelled.
"YOU DARE RUIN MY TOURNAMENT AGAIN. I WILL CRUSH YOU BOTH AND PRESENT YOUR BROKEN BODIES TO THE SHADOW MASTER!"
"so a shadow master is running the show." Said Billy.
"Thanks for the confirmation…. Jackass! mocked Jimmy
"DON'T… CALL… ME… JACKASS!"
Abobo flung the hammer at Jimmy with lightning speed, so fast Jimmy could barely dodge it. Pulling the hammer back, Abobo slammed it down at Billy, who jumped out the way, leaving it to hit where he was standing, cracking the floor.
"OH SHIT!" they both said
Abobo was skilled with the meteor hammer; despite its weight, it had incredible reach, and he wields it with a rope dart master's skill. Pulling out the Azaka and Kamidake, Billy and Jimmy readied their swords to take on Abobo, who was ready to try again.
"now, you see how the strong handle weaklings."
"Billy and Jimmy, this is Kami; Marian and I are watching the fight through the security cameras. Listen, I'm moving the ferries close to evacuating the fighters, but I need a little time to finish it. The signal is bad from this distance; keep him busy."
"that shouldn't be too much of a problem." Thought Jimmy
"BRO LOOKOUT!" yelled Billy.
Jimmy's attention immediately returned to the fight just in time to see the hammer flying toward him. Luckily, Jimmy used Kamidake to block the attack though it still pushed him back a little.
"shit, the force from that attack made my arms numb for a second. Still better than having him actually hit me."
Seeing that Abobo was now focused on Jimmy, Billy leaped into the air, ready to slash Abobo from behind. However, he swung his hammer at him wrapping Billy in its chain, trapping him.
"WHAT THE HELL!" he yelled before Abobo pulled on the chain, slamming him down to the floor.
"jackass! you'll pay for that!" yelled Jimmy charging in
Abobo quickly pulled the hammer back towards him, unwrapping Billy, before flinging it around at Jimmy; however, this time, instead of dodging or blocking. Jimmy swung his sword like a bat striking a baseball, sending it flying back at Abobo, who sidestepped it, letting it fly past him.
"you'll have to do better than-"
Suddenly Abobo was struck from behind and knocked to the floor. As he picked himself up, he looked to see it was his meteor hammer that had hit him.
"HOW!?"
Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Billy was back on his feet. Holding his sword like Jimmy was, meaning Billy had deflected the hammer back at him while he was mocking Jimmy.
"you gotta love the double play." Joked Billy,
"it's our specialty." Said Jimmy
"THAT'S IT! NOW I WILL TRULY MAKE YOU SUFFER!"
Abobo flipped a switch on the chain; this activated something inside the hammer as multiple holes opened before spikes sprouted from them.
"NOW YOU FACE THE TRUE POWER OF MY METEOR HAMMER!"
"uh, bro, just how boned are we right now?" asked Billy,
"I'd say we're pretty damned boned... if he hits us that is." Replied Jimmy
The fight resumed with the difficulty level raised way up as they were now dodging the hammer spikes as they moved around the deck, though they managed to regroup with each other.
"This is crazy; he's keeping us on the defense," Jimmy said
"I know we can't get in close… INCOMING!"
The now spiked hammer came down on them again, prompting them to move in opposite directions. However, Jimmy was not so fortunate as while he dodged the hammer, his arm got cut by one of the spikes causing him to drop his sword and fall to his knees in pain.
"DAMN IT!" yelled Jimmy.
"BRO!" shouted Billy.
Coming to Jimmy's aid, Billy readied himself as Abobo was about to attack again; quickly, Billy summoned his energy, molding it into a shield to block the attack. While the protection prevented the hammer from breaking through, the spikes poked holes through it, shocking Billy.
"that shouldn't have happened unless... Jimmy quick, let me see your cut."
Examining it, Billy noticed that the cut was smoking as if it was burning; seeing this, Billy realized what those spikes are made of.
"Jimmy, those spikes are-"
"I know, wrought iron; damn, this hurts!"
The two saw the hammer was close to breaking through, but they knew first what they had to do.
"that thing's gotta go." Said Billy.
"I have an idea; I just need his attention."
"you sure you're up for it?"
"just be ready, Billy." Said, Jimmy grabbing his sword
The hammer came in again, breaking the shield though the brothers moved fast; Abobo was about to swing at Billy until Jimmy got his attention.
"hey jackass, tell me something, is all this crap on this boat your method of compensating because you lack where it counts?"
This verbal cheap shot angered Abobo as he flung the hammer at Jimmy, dodging the hammer. It became wrapped around the railing behind Jimmy. Still, Abobo quickly lassoed the chain around his neck and began choking him. As Jimmy struggled, he finally called out to Billy, telling him
"BRO, NOW!"
Coming in, Billy came down with Azaka ready to cut the chain; seeing this, Abobo tried to retrieve his hammer. But to his horror, Jimmy held it in place, preventing him from pulling it back. With one slice, Billy broke the chain quickly, unwrapping Jimmy's neck before tossing the hammer over the side while Jimmy coughed and gasped for air.
"what the hell kind of bright idea was that?" Said Billy.
"I said it (cough) was an idea; I never said (cough) it was bright." Replied Jimmy. Gasping for air.
"you're lucky it worked, dude."
"YOU… TWO !" yelled Abobo,
"uh-oh." Said the twins
"YOU RUINED TWO OF MY TOURNAMENTS, YOU DESTROYED MY ARENAS, YOU MOCKED ME, AND NOW YOU DESTROYED MY PRECIOUS METEOR HAMMER. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU TWO WILL BE THE FIRST ONES I'VE KILLED WITH MY BARE HANDS IN YEARS."
"bring it, Jackass!"
Billy and Jimmy readied their swords, emitting their auras showing they were ready to go on the offense. Abobo smiled as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a circular vial filled with black liquid.
"what the hell is he doing?" asked Billy
Suddenly Marian radioed in urgently to inform them what was happening in front of them.
"guys, that stuff is RPM."
"What!" they said
Abobo crushed the vial in his hand, the liquid inside turning into a vapor he inhaled. Abobo's eyes turned completely black as his skin turned reddish, and he suddenly started to become bigger.
"dude, is he hulking out like the hulk?" asked Jimmy
"no, dude, he's bulking up like bane." Replied Billy,
"dude, his skin is changing colors like the hulk." Argued Jimmy,
"Yeah, but he's got veins popping out like bane,"
"ARE YOU TWO ACTUALLY HAVING THIS CONVERSATION NOW! DO SOMETHING, YOU IDIOTS! Yelled Marian.
"Right, sorry." They both said.
Both twins summoned fiery tendrils, wrapping them around Abobo, which then hardened and cocooned, trapping him inside it.
"that should hold him," said Jimmy
Suddenly the cocoon began cracking until it fell apart, revealing Abobo, who now was standing 9'10" ft, three times as muscular as he was before. His clothes stretched beyond their limit, and his now-massive feet destroyed his boots. His skin was reddish with steam coming off of it like his body heat was too much for his body.
"Okay, bro, I'll give you that one; he does look like the red hulk."
"I WILL RIP OUT YOUR SPINES!"
Abobo roared as he slammed down his fists, causing the whole deck to rumble, nearly throwing the twins off balance.
"Guys, it's Kami; the guys are almost done evacuating the losers just a few more, then you two leave too."
"no, once you get everyone on board, leave immediately." Said Billy.
"But, you'll get stuck there with him."
"we'll find a way back to shore once we kick this jackasses' ass," said Jimmy
"DON'T… CALL… ME… JACKASS!" he screamed as he slammed his hand together.
The resulting shockwave blasted Billy and Jimmy back while also shaking the whole ship.
"dude, did he just thunderclap us?" asked a shocked Billy as he and Jimmy landed on their feet.
"yes, he did…wait, the losers, are they safe?"
"Everyone is fine. The last one has been loaded onto Blaster's boat, and we're leaving; good luck, guys," radioed Vortex.
"Okay, time to kick some ass and finish this. You ready, bro?" asked Jimmy
"always,"
The two stuck out their hands and began firing multiple dragon shots, blasting Abobo and pushing him back to the edge of the deck, creating a cloud of smoke. Stopping the assault, the two heard an animalistic roar within the smoke.
"uh, Jimmy, if you were him and two guys who you consider gnats blasted you multiple times, how mad would you be?"
"I'd have to say mighty pissed!"
Abobo leaped out of the smoke and in to smash the dragons. But instead of dodging, they jumped for him as well. Billy and Jimmy unleashed their swords again and began slashing at Abobo, though they did not break the skin.
"Your swords are pathetic; you're not even cutting me."
"Who says we're trying to." Said Billy.
The dragons continued to slash Abobo up and down, left and right; Abobo tried to fight back. But his hulking form made him slower, and he felt himself getting slower with each slash he took.
"MY *inhale* BODY! WHAT ARE YOU *inhale* TO ME!?"
"so you're catching on," said Billy
"the slashes from our swords are draining you of your energy. Doesn't matter how over-muscled you are, you've still got a limit on stamina. A few more slashes, and you'll be out cold, jackass." Mocked Jimmy.
"I… SAID…. DON'T… CALL… ME… JACKASS!"
As they jumped in to end the fight, Abobo grabbed them with his massive hands, forcing them to drop their swords as he squeezed them. Both twins tried their hardest to break free, punching Abobo's wrists to force him to let go but were unsuccessful. Suddenly Abobo's skin became redder as if he just got a second wind; the dragons saw this and tried to escape quickly but they couldn't.
"NOW I WILL BREAK YOU BOTH!"
Abobo leapt straight into the air, holding onto Billy and Jimmy while they tried to break free but could not. Suddenly, Abobo threw the dragons back down towards the deck with his strength, sending them flying like bullets. Unable to break out of their fall, the two braced themselves as they crashed through the deck, the floor of the holding cells, then through a few more feet, much to the horror of Marian and Kami. They watched it through the security cameras. Billy and Jimmy finally stopped when they landed in a room though their landing cracked the floor. Still conscious, they both rolled onto their backs, grunting in pain as they both said.
"ow!"
"Billy!" cried Marian
"Jimmy!" called Kami
"ARE YOU TWO OKAY!?" they both asked,
"physically or spiritually?" The twins replied,
"where are we?" said Jimmy.
"you're in his gym." Said Kami.
As the two sat up a little, they saw they were in a large gym filled with equipment; in front of them was a large rack filled with different weights. Before anyone could think of a plan, Abobo came crashing in. Standing over the dragons, he raised his foot, ready to stomp their heads.
"NOW I CRUSH YOUR SKULLS!" he said, preparing to stomp them
"wait!" said Billy.
"WAIT!" yelled Jimmy.
"WHAT!?" he replied.
Suddenly Billy and Jimmy fired off more tendrils grabbing hold of the rack behind Abobo as Billy called out.
"weights!" he said as he and Jimmy pulled the rack forward enough to drop all the weights on the shelf onto his back. Before rolling out of the way, Abobo dropped to his knees and was buried in the weights. Getting to their feet, the two noticed a cracking sound. Realizing the floor was about to collapse, Billy and Jimmy leaped through the ceiling, leaving Abobo, still buried, to drop one more level. They heard a beast-like roar coming from below, making it back to the deck seconds after retrieving their swords.
"Okay, he'll be back up here any second; we're hurt and can barely hold our swords any ideas, Jimmy?"
"simple, we go all in, release all of our bands and use 100%."
"dude, we can't do that; we're both already too messed up; if we go full force, we'll use up our remaining energy and pass out from exhaustion.
"I know, but what choice do we have? We need to end this quick."
Before they could discuss it any further, Abobo came crashing in, landing in front of them, ready to kill.
"NO MORE GAMES! NOW YOU DIE ANY LAST WORDS!"
The twins then looked at each other, nodding before turning back to Abobo, ready to end the fight.
"just one, Ryu-Ken!"
After speaking those words, all their bands opened up before dropping to the floor; Billy and Jimmy suddenly began emitting their auras again. This time more powerful and firey as they were tapping into 100% of their power. This boost in power affected their costumes, too, as the colors were inverted. Abobo tried to smash the two; however, they caught his fists, catching him off guard before they disappeared, confusing him. Then reappeared, punching him in the stomach. Abobo was stunned as he never saw them coming and was in great pain as he grabbed his belly. Not even his hulking form could withstand the force of that blow. Effortlessly they pushed him back, sending him flying into the railing; before Abobo could counter-attack, Billy and Jimmy were prepping their final attack.
"Dragon…BLAZE!" roared the twins.
As they roared, they unleashed powerful energy blasts that resembled red and blue fire from their mouths, blasting Abobo with it. At first, Abobo seemed to be holding it back until the dragons roared harder, overpowering him and shooting him through the railing and further out to sea. Both brothers lost consciousness as they collapsed to the ground as their costumes turned normal. Billy was the first to pass out, and Jimmy was behind him. As Jimmy lost consciousness, he saw a figure walk toward him; however, before he could make out who that figure was, he passed out.
"BILLY…JIMMY, WAKE UP…PLEASE WAKE UP!"
Suddenly both brothers woke up seeing Marian and Marc standing over them; sitting up, both began rubbing their heads, trying to ease their headaches.
"where are we?" asked Jimmy,
"you're on the beach." Said, Marc
"The beach?" replied Billy
"yeah, the camera feed went dead right after you guys blasted Abobo; we've been searching for you two for at least 2 hours." Said Marian
"2 HOURS!?" the twins replied
"Yeah, we found you two sleeping on the beach a few minutes ago."
Getting to their feet, both twins noticed a few things; for starters, all their power bands were placed back on them. And the wound Jimmy had gotten from the meteor hammer had been treated and bandaged.
"this…who did this?" said Jimmy.
"do you think it was Sensei?" asked Marian.
"no, he's still out of the city, and if it were him, he would have told us." Replied Billy.
"We can worry about who saved us later; where are the others?" Said Jimmy.
"While we were looking for you guys, they took some of the badly injured fighters to drop them off at the hospital." Said, Marian
"wait, happened to the casino? Asked Jimmy.
"after the feed died, Kami activated the self-destruct and fried the system." Explained Marian.
"Okay, then we should get you guys home." Said, Billy
"no need; when I took Anna home, I told my uncle that the guys were going to spend the night with Chop and that Marian was spending the night with Kami."
"pretty smart, cuz,"
"thank you, once the others are finished with the fighters. They're going to head back to the chop shop, and we're going edit all the footage we recorded together and post it on Metro tube."
"good, that should bring some hope to the city." Said Marian.
"then let's get you and Kami to her place." Said Billy.
Later
Finally making it back to shore, Abobo was seething with rage at how everything went down. His tournament was ruined, his base/home badly damaged, and they humiliated him.
"I WILL FIND THOSE DOUBLE DRAGONS; I WILL TEAR THE SKIN FROM THEIR BODIES, I WILL DECORATE MY SHIP WITH THEIR BONES, I WILL .… I will …. oh, no!"
Falling to his knees in pain, Abobo began shrinking, his body becoming smaller as his reddish skin returned to normal. In a few moments, he had returned to his normal state, but he didn't stop shrinking.
"no… please… no!"
Abobo's skin turned pale white as he shrunk down further, his muscles shriveling up until he was nothing but a skinny 4'ft man. In his weakened state, Abobo panicked, trying to get to his feet. Before tripping over his clothes that were now too big for him.
"no, please, no, I need my strength, I can't be weak, I…."
"pathetic."
Looking up, Abobo saw none other than Duke standing over him, disgusted by him in his weakened state.
"what are you doing here?" asked Abobo
"did you think your failure would go unnoticed by the master?"
"he knows?"
"yes, and he wants a word with you." Said Duke before grabbing Abobo and dragging him off.
Moments later
Brought to the shadow master's throne room, Abobo is dropped in front of the black flames wall before the demonic face appears in it.
"ABOBO, THE NUMEROUS FAILURES YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED TONIGHT IS SICKENING."
"Master, please."
"SILENCE, YOU FOOL!"
"yes, master."
"YOU ALLOWED THOSE DRAGONS TO INFILTRATE THE TOURNAMENT AND DESTROY IT. YOU FAILED TO DESTROY THEM, MONEY WAS LOST, AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, YOU REVEALED MY EXISTENCE TO THE DRAGONS!"
"Master, please don't throw me into the shadow mural. I beg you, I won't survive."
"SILENCE, YOU WORM BE GRATEFUL YOU'RE STILL USEFUL TO ME!"
"I am?"
"RPM'S UNUSUAL EFFECT ON YOU HAS ALWAYS INTERESTED ME."
"it has?"
"I BELIEVE NOW IS THE TIME TO FIND OUT WHY."
"it is?"
"DUKE, TAKE THIS WORM TO THE LABS ON THE UPPER LEVEL. SEE IF THE DOCTOR CAN UNDERSTAND THIS EFFECT and IF IT CAN BE REPLICATED…THEN RETURN TO ME"
Without a second thought, Duke grabbed Abobo, dragging him away as he pleaded for mercy; moments later, Duke returned to his Master.
"I am back, master, and with my report."
"excellent speak."
"as far as the $400,000 lost, we currently have no way to trace it."
"explain."
"it seems once the money deposited into that account, transferred to another account we can't trace yet due to our systems being compromised."
"fine, recovering from this loss will have to wait. I have a few more tasks for you tonight."
"yes, master."
Activating the shadow mural, as all the faces began screaming in agony, one of the mural faces started pushing out, its body emerging from the wall until it fell to the floor. A middle-aged man with a long grey mullet lying barely conscious on the floor was on the floor.
"Take this fool back to his gang; I have a task for him."
"It will be done. As for the other?"
"Take this scroll to Koga Shuko; he'll know what to do," said the Shadow Master materializing a scroll into Duke's hand.
"as you command master."
"good now; I need to rest." Said the face disappearing into the black flames.
Walking over to the man lying on the floor, Duke slapped him awake before addressing him.
"wake up, Willy!"
"what…who?" said the weakened man.
"Consider yourself fortunate the master has decided to end your punishment early."
"he…did?"
"he has a job for you. And if you know what's good for you, you better not mess this one up."
End of Ch 7
