14. Sparring 3: Preparing for Kyoto
"So that's all of it in a nutshell, Ken," Sakura K. finished her story. "We need to know where Ryu is. I know he could help, somehow."
"I understand your situation," Ken started, "but this is a bit much for you guys. I mean, that covers the sudden burst of training by you four, but you won't be able to find out how good you are unless you try your strength in battle. This Akuma guy is really powerful. but I think I can help you in more ways than one."
"How is that?" Hinata asked.
Ken flashed a smile while drinking his soda. "First off, I'll go with you to Kyoto."
"Why Kyoto?" Sakura K. asked.
"That is where Ryu said he would be training at. Luckily, he gave me his exact location, and he said that he would be staying there for about 4 months to train himself. He'll be there."
Both Sakura's eyes lit up. "Finally!" Sakura K. exclaimed. "Now I can see him for some tips."
The group was in one of Ken's private restaurants near his pool, save for Nijel, who was playing with Ken's son, Mel. The teenagers took this time to talk about the incident a few days ago and their little adventure around the world. Ken just listened for the most part, but now he thought it was time to do something.
"Okay, then," Darrell spoke up. "This is good. Very good. We should get going as fast as possible. We can't waste any time on this."
"WAIT A MINUTE!!"
"What the.?"
As everyone turned their attention to the door, they were met by a Brazilian kid in yellow clothes. His hair was in braids and his expression was pretty harsh.
"Hello, Sean," Ken greeted him as Sean walked toward their table.
He stood right at the edge of the table and eyed everyone one at a time before finally landing on Ken.
"Master," he started off, "are you going to Japan again?"
"Yes, Sean," Ken responded. "These guys have some business to attend to with Ryu."
"Ryu, huh? If you are going to see him then I'll come with. I need to see if he got any better."
"Sean." Ken started, but he cut himself off. This might work in our favor, having Sean with us. We could use all the help we can get for this.
"Were you about to say something?" Sean asked.
"Yes. If you want to then you can come with. But I have to warn you, the risks that come with this little visit will be high."
"Ken. I mean, master, you know that I don't know the meaning of the word, risk."
Ken smiled somewhat. {That's why you fight so recklessly, though.}
"Hmm."
Darrell took a good look at Sean, inspecting him somewhat.
"You know, personal space is a necessity." Sean scolded.
Darrell immediately backed off. "Sorry. It is just that I wanted to see if you are ready for what is about to go down."
"So you're saying that I'm not ready for what is going to happen?" Sean asked while raising his tone.
"You could say that."
Sean put his hands on his hips. "I should be saying the same to you. You don't even look half as good as me!"
"My! Aren't we cocky today!" Darrell shot back.
Sean growled. "Look who is talking!"
"Boys."
Sakura S. stepped in between the two fighters before they could go any farther.
"The only way you two can prove each other is with to spar with each other."
Sean turned his attention to the dark twin. "Good idea, Sakura." He whirled back to Darrell, whom had his arms crossed. "You heard the woman. Let's do this!"
"Ladies first."
Sean let out another growl as the two left out the restaurant. Ken was about to follow them, but Hinata held him back.
"Ken. Can I ask for the pleasure of having a match with you?"
Ken smiled. "Sure thing! I hope you are pretty good. and can handle a little fire."
"Don't worry about that," Hinata replied. "I can handle fire."
As Hinata and Ken walked out, Sakura K. turned to her twin. "You know. we never finished our little battle from the park."
Sakura S. looked into Sakura K.'s eyes. "So. you are actually willing to fight me again?"
Sakura K. responded by reaching into her jean pocket and pulling out her red handguards. The Satsu twin smiled while pulling out her black handguards.
"This time it's for real," the original announced and just like the other guys, they went to the pool.
----- -----
Sean and Darrell stood each other down intensely. The tension was pretty thick. Each one of these young warriors had something to prove to one another.
"Let's do this," Sean said while getting into his fighting stance.
"Ready when you are," Darrell replied. There was another standoff. then both charged at each other. Once in range, Darrell started things of with a swinging right hook that Sean blocked using his left arm. Darrell followed with a spin kick, but Sean blocked and hit his opponent with an uppercut to the back. Darrell ignored the pain and spun around fully while crouching to sweep Sean. Sean didn't see it fast enough and hit the ground. He quickly rolled to the right and responded with a swift sidekick that Darrell parried in time.
Seeing Sean's horrible recovery time, Darrell lunged forward and hit Sean in the head with a punch, sending him reeling. Darrell followed and started to follow up, but Sean ducked his attack.
"Shoryu-Cannon!!"
Sean jumped upwards with an uppercut, nailing Darrell in the jaw. Sean landed again, and then soared with another uppercut, hitting Darrell multiple times before sending him across the pool area to the ground.
Darrell wiped his mouth and complimented with, "Nice move, Sean."
Sean closed in. "Thanks. I'm flattered."
Sean saw his opponent get to his feet. Darrell got into a unique stance. He held one of his hands behind him.
"Now to try one out for size! Hadouken!"
"What?"
Darrell threw his hand forward and a normal Hadouken came out of his hand. {Reminds me of Dan.} Sean thought. {I bet it can't travel that far.}
Sean was wrong. Darrell's One-Handed Hadouken went the same length as the normal Hadouken. Sean managed to dodge it just before it hit.
"How did he.?"
"Over here!"
Sean looked up to see Darrell plant a fist into his face.
"Rekka. Nakkara!!"
Darrell unleashed his barrage at full speed, connecting every hit before going into the aerial finish, but unlike other fighters that fall on their backs, Sean recovered in mid-air. As both fighters landed on the ground, Sean asked, "How did you throw a Hadouken with one hand?"
Darrell smiled. "It's a special talent. Now, let's keep going. I'm not done yet." {Ugh. That was horrible,} Darrell thought on a side note. {It was supposed to be a lot stronger. Oh, well. Looks like I'll have to wipe that from my movelist.}
----- ------
"Shoryuken!"
"Shouyouken!"
Hinata and Ken's uppercut attacks canceled each other out. As both fell to the ground, Ken performed a forward roll. Hinata saw this and tried to sweep him out of it, which she did. Ken landed face-first, but bounced back to recover faster than Hinata could react. Ken ducked down while making a fist.
"Shoryureppa!"
Ken hit Hinata dead-on with another Shoryuken, but unlike the other Shoryukens, he didn't lift off into the air. He quickly followed with another Shoryuken, sending Hinata backwards from the force. Ken didn't let her get away. His last Shoryuken covered the ground that separated them and to top it off, his fist was on fire for the final blow. Hinata let out some yelps as Ken finished his super move, letting Hinata drop on her back. As she struggled to get to her feet, Ken encouraged her.
"Come on! You're doing great, kid! Let's keep going!"
Hinata smiled. She realized that this was a sparring match, not a real one. Ken wasn't Akuma, so she could relax some. Hinata saw Ken lift his leg up for an overhead kick, but Hinata ditched it and grabbed Ken by the back. Hinata played a little leap frog over Ken then kicked him straight in the head. Ken was sent flying to the ground, but once again he got up quickly.
"Nice one, but you are going to have to do more than that!"
"Don't worry, Ken. I'm far from finished."
"Okay, then. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!"
Ken jumped into the air and stuck his leg out while spinning like a tornado. As he approached Hinata, he saw that she wasn't blocking. She was ducking.
"Yahh!"
Hinata waited until Ken was right above her, then she took off into the air, kicking at Ken with flaming kicks. Hinata didn't stop until she was about 10 feet up above the ground. Just like Ken's Shoryureppa, Hinata's Resen Enbukyaku left Ken on the ground.
"How did you like that?" Hinata asked.
"Pretty good, kid," Ken answered while sitting up, brushing himself off. "Once I get up, I'm coming back for you!"
----- -----
The Sakura twins were busy attacking and countering each other at high speed. Their pace didn't let up for the past 2 minutes, and both were getting pretty tired. They had been sparring for about 10 minutes now, but they forced themselves to keep it up. This was the only way they were going to improve.
Sakura K. dodged a straight punch and returned with an uppercut. Sakura S. blocked it in time then performed her Shunpukyaku, but the lighter twin ditched at the last second.
"Shouoken!"
Sakura K. performed a short jumping uppercut, but her sister jumped back and charged up some of her energy.
"Hadouken!"
Sakura K. saw the blue blast of energy and sidestepped it. Sakura S. saw her sister duck down and followed suit. Like mirror images, they both brought their legs out for a sweep, trying to beat the other to the punch. No one did.
Both Sakuras gasped as they knocked each other off balance and fell on their backs. The fall knocked the wind out of both of them as they started to gasp for air.
"You're right." Sakura K. acknowledged. "We are. on the. same skill level."
"I. told you." the darker twin said while breathing hard. "Can. you get. up, sis?"
"I'm. trying."
Still in mirror images, the sisters struggled to sit up. Sakura K. held her head up with one head while Sakura S. took care of her back.
"I. didn't know. that you could hit so hard," Sakura K. commented.
Sakura S. looked up to her sis. "You shouldn't be talking. Don't forget what Darrell always says about you."
Both Sakuras smiled simultaneously. {No one throws a punch like Sakura Kasugano.} After a few seconds, both slowly got to their feet.
"Come on, sis," the lighter Sakura let out. "Let's keep going. until we're both satisfied."
"That's more like my sis," the darker twin answered as they got into their stance. "I'm not giving up this fight. until I'm totally drained..."
"Same. here."
The two stared at each other for a while before resuming their battle.
----- ------
"Come on, Sean! Stop dodging! You are going to have to attack sometime."
Sean was trying to dodge all of Darrell's Shakunetsuken attacks. He knew that they were both getting tired, so he thought about getting Darrell to make one fatal mistake before hitting him with one of his specialty moves.
"I got you!" Darrell yelled out as he deviated from his punching maneuvers and caught Sean with a straight kick to Sean's chest. Sean slid back, but that is what he wanted him to do. He gathered his energy as a blue aura covered his body.
"You made a big mistake, Darrell!" Sean called as a ball of blue electric energy formed at his side.
"I don't think so, Sean! Try this out!" Darrell's red-orange aura came over his body as he mimicked the Hadouken stance. A red ball of energy came into his hands.
"Hadou."
"Shakunetsu. Shinku."
They stared into each other's eyes as their energy reached their peak. As if they shared thoughts, the fired at the same time.
"BURST!!"
"HADOUKEN!!"
The two released their energy at each other and the two Hadoukens clashed. They kept pushing on each other for about 3 seconds.
"Come on." Darrell muttered to himself while pushing more of his energy through it.
"You are not going to beat me!" Sean bellowed as he also put more energy into his Hadou-Burst. After a while, it looked like a stalemate, but something unexpected happened. Sean's Hadou-Burst ripped right through Darrell's blast, but instead of destroying the Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken, Darrell's blast went on as if nothing happened.
"No way.!" Darrell gasped.
"What the!?" Sean yelled out.
BAM!!
Both blasts nailed their targets and exploded on contact. Both fighters were blown off their feet and fell backwards. Darrell landed on his back while Sean slammed into one of the mansion's walls and fell face first to the pavement. They laid there motionless for about 10 seconds before Darrell started to stir.
"Damn.," he mumbled weakly. "That took a lot. out of me. He's a lot better than I thought."
Darrell raised his head to see Sean struggling to lift his body up off the ground.
"I have to. admit," Sean started while breathing hard. "You are pretty good. A lot better than I gave you credit for."
"Thanks." Darrell smiled as he sat up. "I. was waiting for that."
"So. you feel like continuing or are you all out of energy?"
"It's up to you, Sean. I'm ready whenever you are."
Both dark skinned fighters stood up and got back into their stances.
"You know, you are the first fighter to withstand my Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken." Darrell pointed out, making Sean smile this time.
"Humph! I guess I'm ready for whatever happens. in Kyoto. but let's worry about. this fight. The African-American versus the Brazilian. I'm so stoked about this!"
Darrell nodded in agreement. "Here I go, then!"
----- -----
"Hisshou!"
Hinata put all she had in her assault and nailed Ken all through his body. After about 10 punches, she screamed out, "Moutei!!" as she burned Ken with her Shouyouken. When she landed, she asked again, "Did you like that one, Pan American Champ? I put all my vigor into this one, so don't be so anxious to get up."
Hinata stood up over Ken, who was laid out on the ground. He didn't seem to move.
"That should do it!" Hinata said happily. She finally felt like she did back in Tokyo; full of energy and with the willingness to fight. But something interrupted her little celebration.
"This isn't OVER!!" Ken yelled as he sprung up off the ground to his feet, totally catching the girl by surprise.
"I don't believe-" she let out before Ken cut her off with his specialty kicking move.
"Shippu Jinrai. KYAKU!!"
Ken punished Hinata's body with several powerful kicking maneuvers then sprung into the air with a Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku. Hinata yelled out and Ken took that as his cue to stop the match.
"Now it's over," Ken announced as both of them hit the ground, Ken on his feet and Hinata on her face. She bounced off the pavement and finally settled on her face. Ken flashed a smile before dropping to one knee.
"You are a lot better than you look, kid," he complimented. "This little match helped you in more ways than one. Do you need any help getting up?"
Hinata slowly got off the ground to her knees. "No. Ken. I'm not done yet."
Ken smiled. "You have the heart of a champion, kid. I like that. Once you get to your feet, then we can continue."
"Thanks, Ken."
----- -----
Sakura K. dodged another roundhouse kick from her twin sister and retaliated with a hard hitting Shouoken. Since she was getting very tired, Sakura S. couldn't put her guard up fast enough and was hit by most of the Shouoken, but Sakura K. missed the last part and left herself wide open. Sakura S. waited for the lighter twin to come down before she grabbed her. She was going for the Sakura Jime, but she was pretty exhausted and couldn't swing her body around to the original's back. She just hung on to her as if she was about to fall.
"Sis.?" Sakura K. asked wearily.
The Satsu Sakura looked up to see her sister's battered face. "Don't. count me. out yet."
The original smiled weakly. "I. know. that."
Sakura K. pushed her sister away and started to charge up for another Hadouken, but the energy never came. Ah, come on. I ran out of energy. I must be very. tired.
Sakura K. got out of her Hadouken stance just in time to see Sakura S. try another sweep kick. She stepped away and then rushed back in. She revved up with a fist ready to finish the match, but Sakura S. saw her before she could attack and she tried to beat her sister to the punch with her own strong punch.
"This is it!" they both told one another as they finally delivered.
POW!
At first it looked as if their fists would collide with one another, but they both narrowly missed each other and slammed into their faces. Sakura K. let out a small gasp of pain as she fell backwards from her sister's punch. She fell to the ground, totally drained and breathing very hard.
Sakura S. seemed to take her sister's blow pretty well. She stood upright and looked down at her fallen opponent. "I... won." she breathed out. She was about to duck down to help her twin if it wasn't for Sakura K.'s next words.
"Are. you sure. about that.?" she asked while still lying down on the ground.
"What. do you mean?" the dark twin asked as she bent down, putting her hands on her knees.
"I'm saying. that I'm not. done yet."
"Sis. we both don't have any energy left. Neither. of us. can. keep this. up."
The dark twin suddenly fell down to her knees. "I."
"I told you." Sakura K. started while very slowly getting to her knees also. ".that I wasn't finished."
Both sisters looked into each other's eyes. They both knew that they couldn't fight each other any more. They could read it in each other's eyes. Yet, there was still the desire to fight. That was something that hadn't been in their eyes for a long time. It was the feeling of being in a real fight. and the will to continue.
"You still. want to go. on?" the dark twin asked.
"Yeah." That was the only response the lighter twin gave out.
They both smiled and said simultaneously, "That's. my. sis."
Both Sakuras forced themselves to get to their feet and stood right in front of one another.
"Come on, sis," Sakura S. called. "We got to rest some. I think we did enough training. for now."
Sakura K. nodded weakly. She tried to move, but she let out a shriek as she stumbled over her own feet and crashed into her sister.
"Hey!" the Satsu Sakura yelped as her sister fell on top of her and once again, they met the ground. This time they stayed down, light on top of dark. She tried to push her sister off, but she just didn't have the energy. She let her arms flop to the ground where her sister's were.
"Wow. sis," Sakura S. said.
"Sorry." Sakura K. apologized weakly. "I. must. be. really tired."
"It looks. as if we. will be resting out here."
"I. don't mind it. but don't you think. that this is a... little embarrassing?"
"Honestly. I don't. I consider. this match. to be a draw. so I. think. having us both knocked out. suit the. term. double K.O.. huh?"
Sakura K. just smiled through her fatigue. "I admit. that this. is the first time. I tied with someone."
"I know. I'm you, remember?"
"How about that. Being knocked out. by yourself. and vice versa."
"I'm pooped. Let's talk later, sis." Sakura S. moaned slightly.
"You're right. Night, sis."
Both Sakuras finally closed their eyes and let their bodies recuperate. In other words, they went to sleep right then and there.
----- -----
"What do you mean I can't go with you to Japan?" Nijel whined.
"You heard me. Once we get to Japan, I can't risk you being near me. There is. someone after us and I can't let you be one of the captives in this thing. Besides, I already called home. They're expecting you."
It was three days after the mass sparring and everyone was about to take off to Kyoto, but Darrell insisted that Nijel head back to his hometown. Nijel was a bit upset about this and kept begging him to let him go. This time, however, Darrell wasn't buying.
"I don't get it," Nijel said while looking up to his brother. "Is it that bad?"
"Yes. and if you get caught up, you might be killed."
That seemed to do it. Nijel backed away from his brother. "But you are going," Nijel shot back. "Don't you."
"Nijel, just stop it!"
He shut up immediately. He saw that in Darrell's expression that he was totally serious about the whole thing. This was not a game.
"Listen. I'll call you about it when I'm done and once I get a chance, I'll try to get you up there to Tokyo. Just go back home, please."
Nijel just stared at his big brother. "You are going to fight this guy that might kill you. You never did this before. What should I tell mom?"
"Just tell her that I went back to Japan. She can't know where, though. I'll tell her that. Ken has a helicopter waiting for you."
"Fine." Nijel turned towards Ken's port. "Just don't go on and die on me."
Darrell returned with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I have too much to live for to die."
As Nijel ran off, someone poked on Darrell's shoulder. He spun around and was met by Sakura K.
"Ready?" she asked.
Darrell nodded. "Let's see Ryu."
End of Chapter 14
"So that's all of it in a nutshell, Ken," Sakura K. finished her story. "We need to know where Ryu is. I know he could help, somehow."
"I understand your situation," Ken started, "but this is a bit much for you guys. I mean, that covers the sudden burst of training by you four, but you won't be able to find out how good you are unless you try your strength in battle. This Akuma guy is really powerful. but I think I can help you in more ways than one."
"How is that?" Hinata asked.
Ken flashed a smile while drinking his soda. "First off, I'll go with you to Kyoto."
"Why Kyoto?" Sakura K. asked.
"That is where Ryu said he would be training at. Luckily, he gave me his exact location, and he said that he would be staying there for about 4 months to train himself. He'll be there."
Both Sakura's eyes lit up. "Finally!" Sakura K. exclaimed. "Now I can see him for some tips."
The group was in one of Ken's private restaurants near his pool, save for Nijel, who was playing with Ken's son, Mel. The teenagers took this time to talk about the incident a few days ago and their little adventure around the world. Ken just listened for the most part, but now he thought it was time to do something.
"Okay, then," Darrell spoke up. "This is good. Very good. We should get going as fast as possible. We can't waste any time on this."
"WAIT A MINUTE!!"
"What the.?"
As everyone turned their attention to the door, they were met by a Brazilian kid in yellow clothes. His hair was in braids and his expression was pretty harsh.
"Hello, Sean," Ken greeted him as Sean walked toward their table.
He stood right at the edge of the table and eyed everyone one at a time before finally landing on Ken.
"Master," he started off, "are you going to Japan again?"
"Yes, Sean," Ken responded. "These guys have some business to attend to with Ryu."
"Ryu, huh? If you are going to see him then I'll come with. I need to see if he got any better."
"Sean." Ken started, but he cut himself off. This might work in our favor, having Sean with us. We could use all the help we can get for this.
"Were you about to say something?" Sean asked.
"Yes. If you want to then you can come with. But I have to warn you, the risks that come with this little visit will be high."
"Ken. I mean, master, you know that I don't know the meaning of the word, risk."
Ken smiled somewhat. {That's why you fight so recklessly, though.}
"Hmm."
Darrell took a good look at Sean, inspecting him somewhat.
"You know, personal space is a necessity." Sean scolded.
Darrell immediately backed off. "Sorry. It is just that I wanted to see if you are ready for what is about to go down."
"So you're saying that I'm not ready for what is going to happen?" Sean asked while raising his tone.
"You could say that."
Sean put his hands on his hips. "I should be saying the same to you. You don't even look half as good as me!"
"My! Aren't we cocky today!" Darrell shot back.
Sean growled. "Look who is talking!"
"Boys."
Sakura S. stepped in between the two fighters before they could go any farther.
"The only way you two can prove each other is with to spar with each other."
Sean turned his attention to the dark twin. "Good idea, Sakura." He whirled back to Darrell, whom had his arms crossed. "You heard the woman. Let's do this!"
"Ladies first."
Sean let out another growl as the two left out the restaurant. Ken was about to follow them, but Hinata held him back.
"Ken. Can I ask for the pleasure of having a match with you?"
Ken smiled. "Sure thing! I hope you are pretty good. and can handle a little fire."
"Don't worry about that," Hinata replied. "I can handle fire."
As Hinata and Ken walked out, Sakura K. turned to her twin. "You know. we never finished our little battle from the park."
Sakura S. looked into Sakura K.'s eyes. "So. you are actually willing to fight me again?"
Sakura K. responded by reaching into her jean pocket and pulling out her red handguards. The Satsu twin smiled while pulling out her black handguards.
"This time it's for real," the original announced and just like the other guys, they went to the pool.
----- -----
Sean and Darrell stood each other down intensely. The tension was pretty thick. Each one of these young warriors had something to prove to one another.
"Let's do this," Sean said while getting into his fighting stance.
"Ready when you are," Darrell replied. There was another standoff. then both charged at each other. Once in range, Darrell started things of with a swinging right hook that Sean blocked using his left arm. Darrell followed with a spin kick, but Sean blocked and hit his opponent with an uppercut to the back. Darrell ignored the pain and spun around fully while crouching to sweep Sean. Sean didn't see it fast enough and hit the ground. He quickly rolled to the right and responded with a swift sidekick that Darrell parried in time.
Seeing Sean's horrible recovery time, Darrell lunged forward and hit Sean in the head with a punch, sending him reeling. Darrell followed and started to follow up, but Sean ducked his attack.
"Shoryu-Cannon!!"
Sean jumped upwards with an uppercut, nailing Darrell in the jaw. Sean landed again, and then soared with another uppercut, hitting Darrell multiple times before sending him across the pool area to the ground.
Darrell wiped his mouth and complimented with, "Nice move, Sean."
Sean closed in. "Thanks. I'm flattered."
Sean saw his opponent get to his feet. Darrell got into a unique stance. He held one of his hands behind him.
"Now to try one out for size! Hadouken!"
"What?"
Darrell threw his hand forward and a normal Hadouken came out of his hand. {Reminds me of Dan.} Sean thought. {I bet it can't travel that far.}
Sean was wrong. Darrell's One-Handed Hadouken went the same length as the normal Hadouken. Sean managed to dodge it just before it hit.
"How did he.?"
"Over here!"
Sean looked up to see Darrell plant a fist into his face.
"Rekka. Nakkara!!"
Darrell unleashed his barrage at full speed, connecting every hit before going into the aerial finish, but unlike other fighters that fall on their backs, Sean recovered in mid-air. As both fighters landed on the ground, Sean asked, "How did you throw a Hadouken with one hand?"
Darrell smiled. "It's a special talent. Now, let's keep going. I'm not done yet." {Ugh. That was horrible,} Darrell thought on a side note. {It was supposed to be a lot stronger. Oh, well. Looks like I'll have to wipe that from my movelist.}
----- ------
"Shoryuken!"
"Shouyouken!"
Hinata and Ken's uppercut attacks canceled each other out. As both fell to the ground, Ken performed a forward roll. Hinata saw this and tried to sweep him out of it, which she did. Ken landed face-first, but bounced back to recover faster than Hinata could react. Ken ducked down while making a fist.
"Shoryureppa!"
Ken hit Hinata dead-on with another Shoryuken, but unlike the other Shoryukens, he didn't lift off into the air. He quickly followed with another Shoryuken, sending Hinata backwards from the force. Ken didn't let her get away. His last Shoryuken covered the ground that separated them and to top it off, his fist was on fire for the final blow. Hinata let out some yelps as Ken finished his super move, letting Hinata drop on her back. As she struggled to get to her feet, Ken encouraged her.
"Come on! You're doing great, kid! Let's keep going!"
Hinata smiled. She realized that this was a sparring match, not a real one. Ken wasn't Akuma, so she could relax some. Hinata saw Ken lift his leg up for an overhead kick, but Hinata ditched it and grabbed Ken by the back. Hinata played a little leap frog over Ken then kicked him straight in the head. Ken was sent flying to the ground, but once again he got up quickly.
"Nice one, but you are going to have to do more than that!"
"Don't worry, Ken. I'm far from finished."
"Okay, then. Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku!"
Ken jumped into the air and stuck his leg out while spinning like a tornado. As he approached Hinata, he saw that she wasn't blocking. She was ducking.
"Yahh!"
Hinata waited until Ken was right above her, then she took off into the air, kicking at Ken with flaming kicks. Hinata didn't stop until she was about 10 feet up above the ground. Just like Ken's Shoryureppa, Hinata's Resen Enbukyaku left Ken on the ground.
"How did you like that?" Hinata asked.
"Pretty good, kid," Ken answered while sitting up, brushing himself off. "Once I get up, I'm coming back for you!"
----- -----
The Sakura twins were busy attacking and countering each other at high speed. Their pace didn't let up for the past 2 minutes, and both were getting pretty tired. They had been sparring for about 10 minutes now, but they forced themselves to keep it up. This was the only way they were going to improve.
Sakura K. dodged a straight punch and returned with an uppercut. Sakura S. blocked it in time then performed her Shunpukyaku, but the lighter twin ditched at the last second.
"Shouoken!"
Sakura K. performed a short jumping uppercut, but her sister jumped back and charged up some of her energy.
"Hadouken!"
Sakura K. saw the blue blast of energy and sidestepped it. Sakura S. saw her sister duck down and followed suit. Like mirror images, they both brought their legs out for a sweep, trying to beat the other to the punch. No one did.
Both Sakuras gasped as they knocked each other off balance and fell on their backs. The fall knocked the wind out of both of them as they started to gasp for air.
"You're right." Sakura K. acknowledged. "We are. on the. same skill level."
"I. told you." the darker twin said while breathing hard. "Can. you get. up, sis?"
"I'm. trying."
Still in mirror images, the sisters struggled to sit up. Sakura K. held her head up with one head while Sakura S. took care of her back.
"I. didn't know. that you could hit so hard," Sakura K. commented.
Sakura S. looked up to her sis. "You shouldn't be talking. Don't forget what Darrell always says about you."
Both Sakuras smiled simultaneously. {No one throws a punch like Sakura Kasugano.} After a few seconds, both slowly got to their feet.
"Come on, sis," the lighter Sakura let out. "Let's keep going. until we're both satisfied."
"That's more like my sis," the darker twin answered as they got into their stance. "I'm not giving up this fight. until I'm totally drained..."
"Same. here."
The two stared at each other for a while before resuming their battle.
----- ------
"Come on, Sean! Stop dodging! You are going to have to attack sometime."
Sean was trying to dodge all of Darrell's Shakunetsuken attacks. He knew that they were both getting tired, so he thought about getting Darrell to make one fatal mistake before hitting him with one of his specialty moves.
"I got you!" Darrell yelled out as he deviated from his punching maneuvers and caught Sean with a straight kick to Sean's chest. Sean slid back, but that is what he wanted him to do. He gathered his energy as a blue aura covered his body.
"You made a big mistake, Darrell!" Sean called as a ball of blue electric energy formed at his side.
"I don't think so, Sean! Try this out!" Darrell's red-orange aura came over his body as he mimicked the Hadouken stance. A red ball of energy came into his hands.
"Hadou."
"Shakunetsu. Shinku."
They stared into each other's eyes as their energy reached their peak. As if they shared thoughts, the fired at the same time.
"BURST!!"
"HADOUKEN!!"
The two released their energy at each other and the two Hadoukens clashed. They kept pushing on each other for about 3 seconds.
"Come on." Darrell muttered to himself while pushing more of his energy through it.
"You are not going to beat me!" Sean bellowed as he also put more energy into his Hadou-Burst. After a while, it looked like a stalemate, but something unexpected happened. Sean's Hadou-Burst ripped right through Darrell's blast, but instead of destroying the Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken, Darrell's blast went on as if nothing happened.
"No way.!" Darrell gasped.
"What the!?" Sean yelled out.
BAM!!
Both blasts nailed their targets and exploded on contact. Both fighters were blown off their feet and fell backwards. Darrell landed on his back while Sean slammed into one of the mansion's walls and fell face first to the pavement. They laid there motionless for about 10 seconds before Darrell started to stir.
"Damn.," he mumbled weakly. "That took a lot. out of me. He's a lot better than I thought."
Darrell raised his head to see Sean struggling to lift his body up off the ground.
"I have to. admit," Sean started while breathing hard. "You are pretty good. A lot better than I gave you credit for."
"Thanks." Darrell smiled as he sat up. "I. was waiting for that."
"So. you feel like continuing or are you all out of energy?"
"It's up to you, Sean. I'm ready whenever you are."
Both dark skinned fighters stood up and got back into their stances.
"You know, you are the first fighter to withstand my Shakunetsu Shinku Hadouken." Darrell pointed out, making Sean smile this time.
"Humph! I guess I'm ready for whatever happens. in Kyoto. but let's worry about. this fight. The African-American versus the Brazilian. I'm so stoked about this!"
Darrell nodded in agreement. "Here I go, then!"
----- -----
"Hisshou!"
Hinata put all she had in her assault and nailed Ken all through his body. After about 10 punches, she screamed out, "Moutei!!" as she burned Ken with her Shouyouken. When she landed, she asked again, "Did you like that one, Pan American Champ? I put all my vigor into this one, so don't be so anxious to get up."
Hinata stood up over Ken, who was laid out on the ground. He didn't seem to move.
"That should do it!" Hinata said happily. She finally felt like she did back in Tokyo; full of energy and with the willingness to fight. But something interrupted her little celebration.
"This isn't OVER!!" Ken yelled as he sprung up off the ground to his feet, totally catching the girl by surprise.
"I don't believe-" she let out before Ken cut her off with his specialty kicking move.
"Shippu Jinrai. KYAKU!!"
Ken punished Hinata's body with several powerful kicking maneuvers then sprung into the air with a Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku. Hinata yelled out and Ken took that as his cue to stop the match.
"Now it's over," Ken announced as both of them hit the ground, Ken on his feet and Hinata on her face. She bounced off the pavement and finally settled on her face. Ken flashed a smile before dropping to one knee.
"You are a lot better than you look, kid," he complimented. "This little match helped you in more ways than one. Do you need any help getting up?"
Hinata slowly got off the ground to her knees. "No. Ken. I'm not done yet."
Ken smiled. "You have the heart of a champion, kid. I like that. Once you get to your feet, then we can continue."
"Thanks, Ken."
----- -----
Sakura K. dodged another roundhouse kick from her twin sister and retaliated with a hard hitting Shouoken. Since she was getting very tired, Sakura S. couldn't put her guard up fast enough and was hit by most of the Shouoken, but Sakura K. missed the last part and left herself wide open. Sakura S. waited for the lighter twin to come down before she grabbed her. She was going for the Sakura Jime, but she was pretty exhausted and couldn't swing her body around to the original's back. She just hung on to her as if she was about to fall.
"Sis.?" Sakura K. asked wearily.
The Satsu Sakura looked up to see her sister's battered face. "Don't. count me. out yet."
The original smiled weakly. "I. know. that."
Sakura K. pushed her sister away and started to charge up for another Hadouken, but the energy never came. Ah, come on. I ran out of energy. I must be very. tired.
Sakura K. got out of her Hadouken stance just in time to see Sakura S. try another sweep kick. She stepped away and then rushed back in. She revved up with a fist ready to finish the match, but Sakura S. saw her before she could attack and she tried to beat her sister to the punch with her own strong punch.
"This is it!" they both told one another as they finally delivered.
POW!
At first it looked as if their fists would collide with one another, but they both narrowly missed each other and slammed into their faces. Sakura K. let out a small gasp of pain as she fell backwards from her sister's punch. She fell to the ground, totally drained and breathing very hard.
Sakura S. seemed to take her sister's blow pretty well. She stood upright and looked down at her fallen opponent. "I... won." she breathed out. She was about to duck down to help her twin if it wasn't for Sakura K.'s next words.
"Are. you sure. about that.?" she asked while still lying down on the ground.
"What. do you mean?" the dark twin asked as she bent down, putting her hands on her knees.
"I'm saying. that I'm not. done yet."
"Sis. we both don't have any energy left. Neither. of us. can. keep this. up."
The dark twin suddenly fell down to her knees. "I."
"I told you." Sakura K. started while very slowly getting to her knees also. ".that I wasn't finished."
Both sisters looked into each other's eyes. They both knew that they couldn't fight each other any more. They could read it in each other's eyes. Yet, there was still the desire to fight. That was something that hadn't been in their eyes for a long time. It was the feeling of being in a real fight. and the will to continue.
"You still. want to go. on?" the dark twin asked.
"Yeah." That was the only response the lighter twin gave out.
They both smiled and said simultaneously, "That's. my. sis."
Both Sakuras forced themselves to get to their feet and stood right in front of one another.
"Come on, sis," Sakura S. called. "We got to rest some. I think we did enough training. for now."
Sakura K. nodded weakly. She tried to move, but she let out a shriek as she stumbled over her own feet and crashed into her sister.
"Hey!" the Satsu Sakura yelped as her sister fell on top of her and once again, they met the ground. This time they stayed down, light on top of dark. She tried to push her sister off, but she just didn't have the energy. She let her arms flop to the ground where her sister's were.
"Wow. sis," Sakura S. said.
"Sorry." Sakura K. apologized weakly. "I. must. be. really tired."
"It looks. as if we. will be resting out here."
"I. don't mind it. but don't you think. that this is a... little embarrassing?"
"Honestly. I don't. I consider. this match. to be a draw. so I. think. having us both knocked out. suit the. term. double K.O.. huh?"
Sakura K. just smiled through her fatigue. "I admit. that this. is the first time. I tied with someone."
"I know. I'm you, remember?"
"How about that. Being knocked out. by yourself. and vice versa."
"I'm pooped. Let's talk later, sis." Sakura S. moaned slightly.
"You're right. Night, sis."
Both Sakuras finally closed their eyes and let their bodies recuperate. In other words, they went to sleep right then and there.
----- -----
"What do you mean I can't go with you to Japan?" Nijel whined.
"You heard me. Once we get to Japan, I can't risk you being near me. There is. someone after us and I can't let you be one of the captives in this thing. Besides, I already called home. They're expecting you."
It was three days after the mass sparring and everyone was about to take off to Kyoto, but Darrell insisted that Nijel head back to his hometown. Nijel was a bit upset about this and kept begging him to let him go. This time, however, Darrell wasn't buying.
"I don't get it," Nijel said while looking up to his brother. "Is it that bad?"
"Yes. and if you get caught up, you might be killed."
That seemed to do it. Nijel backed away from his brother. "But you are going," Nijel shot back. "Don't you."
"Nijel, just stop it!"
He shut up immediately. He saw that in Darrell's expression that he was totally serious about the whole thing. This was not a game.
"Listen. I'll call you about it when I'm done and once I get a chance, I'll try to get you up there to Tokyo. Just go back home, please."
Nijel just stared at his big brother. "You are going to fight this guy that might kill you. You never did this before. What should I tell mom?"
"Just tell her that I went back to Japan. She can't know where, though. I'll tell her that. Ken has a helicopter waiting for you."
"Fine." Nijel turned towards Ken's port. "Just don't go on and die on me."
Darrell returned with a smile. "Don't worry about it. I have too much to live for to die."
As Nijel ran off, someone poked on Darrell's shoulder. He spun around and was met by Sakura K.
"Ready?" she asked.
Darrell nodded. "Let's see Ryu."
End of Chapter 14