SECOND ARCHIVE: TURN OF THE CENTURY TOURNAMENT
18. The Start of a new Tournament
NOTE: This chapter has some nudity and sexual themes. The third or fourth warning that I had to point out.
It was all over. The Hadouken made contact. and exploded. A blinding flash of light covered the area. and when it disappeared, there wasn't a trace of Shin Akuma. Not even a shard of him. Everyone looked at the carnage Ryu and Darrell made.
"He's. gone?" Darrell asked in an uneasy tone.
"I guess," Sakura K. answered. She looked at her twin and asked, "Can you sense him, sis?"
Sakura S. concentrated for a bit. and then opened her eyes. "He's nowhere to be found. He couldn't have got away from that blast. He's as good as dead."
Darrell's aura changed from yellow to red-orange. then disappeared altogether. He dropped to his knees, staring at the little grass that remained. He looked at his fist. and muttered the words he wanted to say from the beginning.
"I. I beat him. I beat Akuma."
Everyone stared at him. then he shouted the words out so everyone could here.
"YEAH!!! I did it!! Along with Hinata and Ryu's help. He's gone!! Alright!!!"
He sprung up and held his fist up in the air in victory. A huge smile crossed his face.
"You know. I never seen you this happy, Darrell," Sakura K. mentioned while crossing her arms.
Darrell turned his head to look at his friend. "I'm just. so happy. I couldn't do it without you guys."
"Whatever," Sean replied while rolling his eyes.
"Kid, you have some major skills," Ken congratulated. "I mean, with moves like that, you could really move up the ranks in the Turn of the Century tournament coming up."
"What?" Darrell asked while raising an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you expect me to fight again in a tournament? I'll have to get back to you on that. I know that I'll be sore for weeks because of this."
Ken smiled. "Don't worry! The tournament is in July, next month. You'll have plenty of time to recuperate. And it's in Tokyo, so you won't have to do any traveling."
"How do you know so much about it?"
"Well, I co-fund it, so of course I know about it."
Darrell stared at Ken for awhile.
{A tournament to show my skills against the best in the world. I could really get myself known if I work hard enough.}
"Okay, Ken. You got yourself a deal. I'll participate."
"Okay, then. You might need to get a team up if you want to. There are two segments to the tournament, team and single. By the looks of it, it seems as if you, Sakura, and Hinata specialize in teams, so I expect you four to be there."
"Wait a minute," Sakura K. said. "I've been in the last tournament and the maximum amount of people on a team was three. Did you guys change it again?"
Ken nodded.
"Well, I'm in. What about you two?"
Both Sakura S. and Hinata shot Sakura K. a look. "Of course I'll be in it if you are in, sis," the Satsu twin answered. "I'll never miss a fight like this."
Hinata giggled a bit. "Yeah, I'll join. I got nothing else to do this summer."
"So it's settled!" Ken finished. "Now. let's go. I know that you are pretty tired, kid."
Darrell gave Ken a meek look. "Of all the people that I can heal, I can't heal myself."
"Darrell."
Darrell turned his attention to Ryu, who had his arms crossed. He had a look of determination on his face.
"Yeah.?"
"I'm looking forward to having a match with you. In your eyes is the soul of a true warrior."
Darrell didn't say anything back to him. He simply smiled weakly. Ryu turned his back to the group after saying his good-byes and went on to train for the new tournament. As Ryu went out of view, Darrell's eyes started to close. and he lost consciousness.
----- -----
ONE WEEK LATER.
"WHAT, BOTAN?! Do you actually expect me to fight in another tournament after the mess I went through in the Dark Tournament? Are you CRAZY!?"
"Chill out, Yusuke. This time you don't have to worry about demons. This tournament is right here in Tokyo with human fighters."
"If that's the case, then I'll fight. It seems way too easy if there all human."
"Well. they might be human, but they have all sorts of special abilities. Some have energy attacks like your Spirit Gun. What do you say about that?"
14-year old Yusuke Urameshi stared at Botan, the. Grim Reaper sort to speak. It had been one month since the dreaded Dark Tournament and Yusuke was planning to use his summer vacation to heal his aching body, but with this new tournament coming around the door, Yusuke now needed some hardcore reason to participate in this tournament.
"Botan," Yusuke started, "give me one good reason I should really join this tournament."
Botan flashed a smile as she held up a flyer for the tournament. Yusuke snatched it from her hand and read it from top to bottom. Once he reached the bottom. he almost freaked out.
"10,000,000 Yen for first prize?!?" he shouted out.
"Take it, stupid!"
Yusuke saw his rival, Kazuma Kuwabara, walk into his room. Yusuke shot him a look of annoyance.
"How in the world did you get in here?" he asked.
"Don't worry about that," Kuwabara answered. "If that much money is being given away, then I'm going to enter no matter how battered my body is."
"That's because your brain is too small to comprehend when it's time not to fight." Yusuke responded flatly.
"Let's not get started, Yusuke. I'm supposed to be on your team."
"Yes. I think an internal conflict within a team two weeks before the tournament even starts would be a pretty bad sign."
Everyone's attention turned to the door again; this time it was the demon fox, Kurama leaning on the doorframe. As usual, his expression was cool.
"How is everyone getting into my house.?" Yusuke asked under his breath before saying out loud, "Let me guess, Kurama. You're gonna fight, too?"
"I could really use the money to boost my mom's financial status." he answered.
"Hey..." Kuwabara started to look around nervously.
"What's with you?" Yusuke asked.
"Normally when Kurama is with us, that little runt Hiei is right behind him."
"You should really watch what you say."
Kuwabara's face froze in fear as he felt the sharp blade of a sword on the back of his head. On the dealing side of it was Hiei, whose expression was as cold as it always was.
"Like I said, you must be a riot at parties," Yusuke joked as Hiei looked up to him. "I guess you're in this one, too, right?"
Hiei scoffed. "The only reason I'll fight is because I'm totally bored. I bet I can take the whole lot of the fighters single-handedly."
"That's all nice and all, but would you PLEASE get your sword off me?"
Hiei granted Kuwabara's request and put his sword away. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as Yusuke glanced at Botan.
"Hey, you said that these guys know a few moves, huh? Well then. I guess I won't hold back while I'm fighting."
"So it's settled!" Botan cheered. "I don't think Koenma would have a case for you after that win in the Dark Tournament."
----- -----
Two men with long swords were battling it out in a barren arena. The Japanese one with the headband rushed forward with his sword out in front of him then took off into the air. The blond haired swordsman from Sweden blocked it and responded with a sword swipe.
"Sonic Slash!"
He created a yellow blast of energy from his sword, but the Japanese swordsman stuck his sword out to slash it in half. As he landed, the blond haired fighter stuck his sword into the earth and waved his hand through his hair.
"You're just as good as ever."
"Yeah. I know."
"Hmm. maybe we should take our skills out of our rivalry this time."
"What do you mean, Kayin?"
"I mean there's a new tournament coming around the bin, and it isn't the Battle Arena Toshinden this time, Eiji. It's a meeting of the best fighters in existence. This is the moment I've been waiting for."
Eiji held his sword on his shoulder. "Oh, really? Or is this an excuse to get away from your daughter?"
Kayin flashed a nervous smile. "If that was true. then why would I invite Ellis to join our team?"
"You brought Ellis into this? How did you do that?"
"She was pretty anxious to get away from Gaia for a while."
Eiji laughed. "Who wouldn't? So. what time is this thing?"
"Two weeks from now."
"Hmm. I'm guessing it's in Japan somewhere right?"
"Right in Tokyo."
"All right, Kayin. You got yourself a deal. I'll do this."
----- -----
"I see."
"Well, how about it? You could really show the world how a zoanthrope can fight, Long. and the payoff is pretty good too. Kenji is in, also."
"I really don't know, Yugo. I."
"What's the matter? You just fought me a few minutes ago. I don't see what the problem is."
"That's because you are also a zoanthrope. I hardly doubt the contestants in this tournament would be expecting a team that can turn into fighting animals."
"You've got serious issues, Master Long."
Long turned around to see his ex-student Uriko stare at him. Her glare was pretty hard for someone as cute as her.
"Oh. Uriko. Hey, how did you even know that I'd be here?" Long asked.
"Hah! For one, I tagged along with Yugo, and two, I knew you were going to going to watch over Cronos after that little incident. I'm going to be in this tournament. also. It would be an honor to fight with you again."
Long stared at Uriko for a second then looked at Yugo and sighed. "What about Gado?"
"Please! Gado has a life now. I can't even find him around our old stomping grounds anymore. He and Jenny really hit it off."
Uriko just stared at Yugo as Long gave an answer. "Okay, Yugo. You got me in a good mood. Just be lucky that I can control my Tiger side now, or else I would have never agreed to this."
----- -----
"Hmm. Another party, huh? I was waiting for this."
Morrigan got word from Felicia about the next big tournament. Ever since the Mark of the Millennium ended, she was bored in her mansion, all alone. She sat in one of her chairs in her enormous Rumpus room, staring at one of her weird statues. As she sat, a horde of bats surrounded her.
"It was about time. I was worried that I'd have to go and get my own fun."
"Ah, come on, sis! You were really that bored without me?"
Morrigan almost jumped out of her chair when she heard that voice. She looked around her, searching for whom the voice came from.
"Who said that?"
The voice let out a giggle. "It must have been a long while for you to forget your own sister. or should I say. your other source of power."
Morrigan stood up, letting her bats form her bat wings and ears. She knew who it was. Only one person would call her 'sister'. but it was impossible for her to be alive. She was murdered a long time ago. but she had a real strong hunch.
"Lil."
Before Morrigan could even get the name out, someone tackled her from behind knocking them both to the ground. Morrigan didn't even struggle. She just rolled onto her back and stared in disbelief at the young succubus that was lying on top of her.
"Lilith." she finished the word she was about to say.
Lilith had the same features as her 'older' sister, only her eyes were slightly wider, her outfit was blue and red instead of black and green and her purple hair was worn much shorter than Morrigan's.
"How in the world. did you get here? I though you were."
Lilith giggled even more. "I can't tell you that. but I want to know about this party you were talking about. I love parties."
Morrigan smiled. "Hmm. you never change, do you?" she asked as she gently ran her fingers through her sister's short hair.
"I should say the same to you," Lilith said with a smirk on her face. "You still can't resist your. urges, huh?"
Morrigan didn't answer. She continued running through her sister's hair. Lilith was about to resist, but her own urges kicked in and she started to return the favor. Without noticing it, both covered themselves with their 'bats' wings, looking at each other lustfully.
"You can't tell how much I missed you." Morrigan purred into her sister's ear.
"I can tell. by the way your acting." Lilith responded. "But before you start your little greeting. tell me about the party. It sounds exciting!"
"It is."
"Well. I'm waiting. unless you want me to. pry it open for you."
Lilith brought a leg up Morrigan's thigh in a weird position, turning her sister on a bit. Morrigan held on tighter to Lilith's wings as she slid her hand from Lilith's hair to her upper body. Lilith gasped at her sister's touch on her soft skin and responded by holding Morrigan around her neck, pulling herself in. Their bodies were touching now, leg to leg, breast to breast. Suddenly, Morrigan's clothes disappeared, making her sister blush beet red.
"Now see what you made me do." Morrigan said, also blushing as her sister saw her in the nude. and strangely, she giggled again.
"I guess I need to be fair about this."
In an instant, Morrigan saw Lilith's flesh, and her face reddened even more. "Well, you've matured."
This time, Lilith didn't waste time with words as she fell on top of Morrigan. Both sisters where tangled on the tile floor, letting their emotions run wild. Eventually, they got to the matter concerning the tournament, but not for a while.
----- -----
TWO WEEKS LATER.
"So. this is where the tournament is being held at." Darrell marveled. "It's beautiful."
"You got that right," Hinata added while looking around throughout all the decorations.
"It looks nice, but I can't wait to get started with the fights," Sakura S. said while fixing her black handguards. "This is where the best of the best are fighting at. I'm so excited!"
Sakura K. just looked around to see anyone who she might know. It was three weeks since Darrell and Ryu defeated Shin Akuma and the group found themselves in the main lobby at the tournament main building in Tokyo. The new Turn of the Century tournament attracted fighters from all over the world and the lobby was overflowing with combatants. The four spent the last three weeks training in all aspects and were waiting on a bench for someone who works here to help them register.
"So. this is going to be a test for all of us," Darrell said. "I'm ready." He hunched forward on the bench to adjust his posture.
"Hmmm.." Sakura K. turned her head from left to right, scanning the fighters. She was looking for someone. but she didn't know who.
"Sakura Kasugano!"
{Oh, no. I know that voice anywhere.}
Sakura K. looked to her right, and was met by her friend, Kei. She ran over to her, her expression wasn't very pleased. Sakura flashed a nervous smile.
"Oh. hi, Kei," Sakura K. greeted. "What's up?"
SMACK!!
Hinata and Darrell turned around as they heard a thunderous smacking noise. Sakura K. was on the ground, swirls in her eyes as Kei leveled her.
"Whoa." Darrell let out, sweatdropping.
"Sakura! How dare you! I've been looking for you for months. Why didn't you tell me that you were going to points around the world?"
Sakura slowly got to her feet. "You want to know why? I knew you would have a cow, just like your having now. Why do you keep trying to keep me in Tokyo? I need to move out every once and a while. Besides, I had a good reason why I left."
"Like what?" Kei demanded.
Sakura K. simply pointed to the girl sitting behind her. Kei stood in front of the girl, who was looking the other way, inspecting her.
"Hey, you," Kei called while tapping on her shoulder. The figure turned to Kei. and Kei almost screamed.
"What's your problem?" the girl asked.
Kei backed away, her face in shock. She shifted her glance from the dark skinned girl then back to Sakura. then back to the girl.
"You. you look just like Sakura!" Kei finally yelled out.
"Yeah. I've been meaning to tell you, Kei. This is my twin 'sister', Sakura Satsu. I've been meaning to introduce you to her."
"Sakura. why didn't I see her before?"
"Because she has only been around for about three months. Let me explain what happened."
Sakura K. told Kei everything that happened to them ever since they left until now. Boy, was Kei surprised.
"So. you are going to fight once again, huh?" Kei asked, her hands on her hips.
Sakura K. and Sakura S. both nodded. Kei sighed heavily.
"I guess I can't stop either of you," Kei admitted. "Good luck, Sakura. Both of you. I'll be cheering for you."
"You are gonna need it!!"
{Now I DEFINETLY know who that is.}
Sakura spun around to see a girl roughly her height, wearing a red designer shirt and blue jeans with red boots. She had yellow locks for hair and blue eyes. She stared hard into Sakura K.'s eyes.
"Sakura Kasugano."
"Karin Kanzuki. What in the world are you doing here.?"
Karin scoffed. "Like you can't tell? I'm here to fight in the group part of the tournament! I can't wait to fight you again, Sakura."
"You? In the team tournament? Who could possibly be on your team?"
Karin raised an eyebrow. She heard Sakura's voice, but Sakura didn't say anything. She looked to the right. and gasped.
"There. are two of you!?"
Sakura S. smiled. "Surprise!! Nice to meet you again, Karin."
"I've. never seen you before. Who are you?"
"I'm Sakura's twin: Sakura Satsu, but everyone calls me Sakura S."
Karin stared at Sakura's lighter form. "How.?"
"I guess everyone I know wants to know how I got a twin."
Once again, Sakura let Karin know how Sakura Satsu came to be. By the end of the story, Karin was even more excited than normal.
"That's just one more challenge to look up to," Karin said while smiling. "I can't wait to see you guys in the ring."
"Same here," Sakura K. brought back. As Karin and Kei went off, a woman in a blue uniform approached the four young fighters.
"Okay, you guys. I'm here to register you into the Turn of the Century tournament. May I have your names please?"
"Hinata Wakaba."
"Sakura Kasugano."
"Sakura Satsu."
"Darrell Markis."
The three girls shot Darrell looks of disbelief.
"Uh. Darrell?" Sakura S. started. "Why did you go by your middle name? I thought-"
"Sakura. I have my reasons," Darrell replied quickly while looking at the woman.
"Okay. I'm guessing that you all are going to participate in the team league, right?"
All four of the teens nodded.
"All right then." The woman wrote down some things on the clipboard she was carrying. then asked, "May I ask who the team captain is?"
The fighters looked at one another. Neither expected to be asked that question.
"How about you, Sakura K.?" Darrell suggested.
Sakura looked at Darrell. "Hey. How about you? You're the strongest."
Darrell shook his head. "No. I'm not exactly leader material."
Sakura sighed then looked at the woman. "I guess I am."
The woman scribbled some more. then gave Sakura K. a number on a piece of paper. Sakura took it and read what it said.
"C-8"
"That is your team number to determine who you fight in the first round. You'll be taking on. C-7; Dan Hibiki, Joe Higashi and Ran Hibiki. The fight starts at 2:30 P.M."
"2:30. That's an hour from now," Hinata commented.
"Until that time," the woman continued, "you can check in at the hotel next to this building then head to the stadium to stretch out, get something to eat, whatever. There will be a schedule for the tournament on your hotel door when you arrive."
And with that, the woman left, leaving the four with their choices.
"Dan Hibiki. Joe Higashi. Ran Hibiki." Hinata ran through the combatants in the first round. Then something hit her.
"RAN HIBIKI!!" she screamed out loud, getting the attention of everyone within earshot.
"Geez, Hinata. What was that about?" Sakura S. asked while cleaning out her ears.
"Ran. She's a classmate of mine. How in the world did she get in? She isn't much of a fighter."
"Wait. did she. say Dan Hibiki, too?" Sakura Kasugano asked. Her voice was hesitant. Her twin nodded. for she knew what that meant.
"This won't end well," the dark Sakura mumbled under her breath.
Darrell cocked another eyebrow. He was about to say something, but. "I guess I'll find out later. Now, let's go. I want to check out our room."
"Talk about comfy," Kuwabara commented while looking at their team's hotel room. It was pretty big and decorative with the essentials (bathroom, bedroom, T.V.) and the walls were a light blue color.
"Yeah. They really know how to doll up the joint," Yusuke added. "Feels girly."
"I think it's enchanting." Botan disagreed on Yusuke's analysis.
"Yeah. that's because you don't see things my way," Yusuke shot back. "Whenever I see light blue all over the place."
"I can't believe that you are wasting your time on such petty things." Hiei interrupted. He was in the corner of the room, looking out the window.
"What else am I supposed to do? We're going to slaughter the competition in this tournament, so I might as well check out some stuff."
"Well do me a favor then and do that outside. I want to concentrate on who I'm going to hurt first."
"Whatever, Hiei," Yusuke shot back while heading to the door. Just as he was about to turn the knob, he got cut off by Kuwabara.
"Hey, Urameshi."
"What is it now?" Yusuke asked, annoyed.
"I. got this feeling. Someone is really strong nearby."
"Really? Just how strong are we talking about?"
Kuwabara stared at him with a worried expression on his face. "Well. I don't want to say it, but. it seems as if whoever it is is as strong as Toguro. and it doesn't seem to be just one. There's a horde of them. It's like. everyone who is fighting here has a secret power."
"You're kidding. right?"
Kuwabara shook his head. "This might not be as easy as we thought."
"Now I'm interested." Hiei added his remark.
"Botan, I thought you told me that this was a human tournament," Yusuke complained. Botan just shrugged.
"I. guess I could be wrong." she said nervously.
Yusuke groaned before exiting the room.
----- -----
"So, Kyo., who does it say we're fighting first?" a young fighter wearing a black fighting suit with a white headband asked.
"Relax, Shingo," a man wearing a dark green suit and white shoes and headband said while holding the tournament paper. "It says here. Team C-5: Kim and his sons. Sounds interesting if you ask me."
Shingo and Kyo were in their hotel room getting ready for their match at 3:00. Kyo put down the tournament bracket and stared at his teammate/student.
"I caught a look at a lot of teams before we got here. There are a lot of strong guys here. No matter. I'll still burn through them."
Shingo smiled. "That sounds like my master to me!"
"It sounds more like overconfidence if you ask me," the blond haired man that stood next to the door replied. His hair stood on end as he wore black clothes and earrings. He had his arms crossed while staring at Kyo.
"Shut up, Benimaru," Kyo said flatly.
Benimaru just shrugged. "Whatever you say. Look, I'm going to look for some fans."
"You mean girls?" Shingo asked while rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you even try."
Benimaru didn't answer. He just turned the knob and left the room. Kyo returned to the paper for the first day of fighting. The tournament was going to be a week and a half long, so he was looking for. them. His eyes scanned the teams listed. and stopped on number 21.
"There he is." he said loudly. "Ryu."
He remembered how close he was to beating Ryu the first time he fought Ryu in the Millennium Fight tournament and how he managed to beat him in the Mark of the Millennium tournament. Kyo had a hunch that he'll be here at this Turn of the Century tournament, so he entered as well, just to break the tiebreaker.
"Looks like he has some new teammates this time. Hey, wait a minute." Kyo's eyes rested on team C-25. He couldn't help but be surprised at the team. It was Xion, Shenlong, Remy. and his archrival, Iori Yagami.
{Weird. Normally, Iori's a loaner. Why would he have 3 fighters with him, let alone 1? This is going to be VERY interesting.}
----- -----
55 MINUTES LATER
"FINAL.!"
The Russian Red Cyclone, Zangief, started to make the grab for his most powerful grappling move, the Final Atomic Buster, but the boxer he was facing was just too fast for him. The boxer backed away from Zangief's grasp and dashed back in.
"This match is over!" he yelled out as he nailed Zangief with a jumping uppercut, knocking him into the air, then another small uppercut, then a spinning uppercut that sent Zangief to the ground. The crowd went into an uproar as soon as he hit the ring canvas. The announcer started his play- by-play immediately.
"Did you see that? Dudley totally mopped the floor with his trademark move, the Rocket Uppercut! I'll start the count. 1. 2."
Dudley reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a rose. He looked at it as the announcer continued the count then took a sniff.
"Hmm. Another victory." Dudley said silently while looking down at the wrestler motionless body.
"7. 8. 9. and 10! It's a rap, folks! The winners of this round are Team C- 3: Dudley and Falcon!!"
Dudley tossed the rose onto Zangief's body while his butler came into the ring. Dudley held out a gloved hand and grabbed his jacket then put it on.
"Good show, sir," the butler congratulated.
Dudley smiled. "I know. This was nothing, though, compared to the real boxing circuit."
"Well, you can't say that this will be easier. This is the ultimate fight."
The person talking was Falcon, wearing his trademark red flying uniform and goggles. His blonde hair was set into a cool hairstyle. He was waiting at the side of the competition ring as Dudley stepped down with his butler.
"We've won this one.," Falcon continued, ".but I want to take a look at this next fight. Both of these teams are pretty young and talented from what I heard."
"Hmm. I guess we need to check them out." Dudley said as all three of them sat on the sidelines while the ring announcer began his introduction for the next fight.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! The next bout will start off right now. Team C-7: Dan, Ran and Joe vs. C-8: Sakura K., Hinata, Sakura S. and Darrell! May the first contestants please step into the ring?"
The two boxers from London gazed at the African-American from the C-8 team. He was wearing blue jeans with a white Japanese designer shirt and blue handguards. His face was dotted with spots, but he didn't seem to mind. He stepped into the ring and walked over to the announcer.
"Okay, I'm ready," the teenage boy told the announcer. "Where's the other guy?"
Before he could respond, a body fell into the other side of the ring with a bang. Both the boy and the announcer sweatdropped as the man in the pink gi stood up and brushed himself off.
"Uh." the boy let out, feeling embarrassed on the other fighters' entrance.
"Ah. I've got to work on my entrances." the man said as he walked over to the announcer, giving the boy a glare and a smile at the same time.
"Okay. Ladies and gentlemen! The first two combatants have stepped into the ring. For team C-7 is the Millennium Fight 2000 co-champion and the master of the Saikyo style; Dan Hibiki!!"
The crowd went into a roar of applause, though it wasn't as strong as the one they gave for Dudley and Falcon. Dan raised a fist into the air, welcoming to applause he got.
"YEAH!!" he yelled out as he let his ego grow.
"Now, for team C-8 is a newcomer into the fight circuit. Hailing from the United States, give it up for Darrell Markis!"
Surprisingly, Darrell got a bigger applause than Dan, and he just gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.
"Thanks. I promise to give you a show. Get ready, everyone!"
"Okay, you two," the announcer gathered the two combatants, "I'm sure that Dan knows the rules of the battle, but I'm not sure about Darrell. This is how it goes. The two of you fight it out until either time is called or one of you in knocked out till the count of ten. The winner faces the next fighter on the opposing team and the pattern continues until one team wins. If you are knocked out the ring by chance, you have until the count of 20 to get back in. If there is an event of a double K.O., both fighters are eliminated and the other fighters come in. If there is a draw with the last fighters of both teams, then a sudden death battle occurs with one of the fighters on each team. If that ends on a draw, then the whole thing's a stalemate.
"Weapons are allowed only if the opposing fighter does not die at the hands of the weapon wielder. Guns are not allowed. Only swords, batons and anything in the area of that. Other than that, anything goes, so without further ado. let's get this party started!! Round 1: Dan vs. Darrell. Ready?"
Both fighters got into stance as the crowd got excited.
"Come on, Darrell!" Sakura K. geared her partner up. "You can do this! He should be no problem!"
"All right, brother," a girl on the other team yelled out. Her black hair was curled a bit behind her in a weird ponytail that went over her shoulder. "This is it. Don't let your ego get in the way."
"FIGHT!!"
Darrell started with an overhead punch that Dan blocked. He followed with a side kick, but Dan rolled backwards to avoid it.
"Ikuzora!!" Dan yelled out as he got out of his roll to shake his fist at Darrell. Darrell didn't pay much attention to the taunt as he hopped into the air for a short while to deliver a dropping sweep kick. As soon as Darrell landed, Dan jumped and held his fist out again.
"Yahoo!!"
"Hey.! Are you going to fight me or are you going to taunt me?" Darrell asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Sorry, kid," Dan answered as he dropped to the ground. "I can't resist. It seems as if you're the type of guy who just wants to fight in out. All right then. Let me show you the power of the Saikyo style!!"
"You do that." Darrell provoked as he held out his fists in front of him. He seemed to gather up his energy.
"Shakunetsuken!!"
Darrell's fists shot into flames, surprising Dan completely.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Darrell started pulling out the stops with a special move he called the Shakunetsuken," the ring announcer yelled over his mic. "It doesn't take a genius to find out that this rookie's punches are going to hurt now!"
"Let's do this thing!" Darrell shouted as he dashed in to land a blow to Dan. He got into range. but.
"Koryuken!!"
Dan shot into the air, knocking Darrell back with his Shoryuken-type punch. Darrell safe fell quickly and caught Dan on the way down with an uppercut, setting his body aflame. As Darrell ran over to capitalize, the announcer started to do the play-by-play."
"Even though Dan hit Darrell away with that maneuver, he couldn't stop Darrell from getting the job done with a burning blow. Now the rookie is hammering away at the ex-champion's defenses."
Sure enough, that was what Darrell was doing. He wasn't performing the Raging Knuckle, but his punches were fast enough to keep Dan on the defensive for awhile. Dan finally broke up the action with a knee to the stomach, breaking off Darrell's chain combo.
"Dah, Dah, Seyha!"
Dan hit Darrell with three alternating kicks while in mid-air, the last one knocking Darrell to the ground.
"Dan hits his opponent with his Dankukyaku, but Darrell's quick to his feet and isn't going to take that lightly!"
Darrell dodged a roundhouse kick from Dan and planted another burning fist into his face, but this time Darrell twisted around to land an elbow with the other arm, then finished with a strong roundhouse kick, knocking Dan down this time.
"That was my Shakunetsuken Snake," Dan introduced his chain move as his fists cooled down. "Now try this one, Dan! Hadouken!!"
Darrell brought back both his hands, collected some energy, and launched a blue blast of energy to Dan, who managed to see it in the nick of time.
"Gadouken!" Dan called out as he held up a hand and threw it forward, releasing a small blue ball of energy. The two blasts were about to collide. but Dan's Gadouken disappeared just before contact, leaving Darrell's Hadouken to travel on and hit its target.
"Dan is sent reeling from Darrell's Hadouken as his Gadouken failed to cancel out," the announcer informed the crowd, whom were loving the action inside the ring. "Now he's closing in."
The girls on Darrell's team were cheering him on as he and Dan exchanged blows and blocks. It was martial art poetry in motion for a good 15 seconds or so, the stadium in an uproar. The melee action broke with an unexpected move from the rookie: a low kick to Dan's legs, breaking his momentum.
"I got you!!" Darrell screamed as he nailed Dan in the stomach with a strong punch then.
"Rekka. Nakkura!!"
"Look out, everyone. Darrell just pulled out a super move! The Rekka Nakkura, he said. He's now pummeling Dan with an onslaught of punches. and he doesn't seem to be letting up."
Darrell landed about 18 punches and uppercuts on Dan's body, ending it with a strong Shakunetsuken punch to the face. Dan's body once again went into flames and when he hit the ground, his gi was tattered and his skin had small burns on them.
"And Dan goes down! Here's the count, folks. 1. 2. 3."
"That's how ya do it!" Darrell yelled out triumphantly while holding up a fist.
"Come on, bro! Stand up!"
Darrell's attention was caught by a female voice to his right. He saw the girl with the weird hairstyle encouraging her brother to continue the fight. He stared at her for a while.
{That must be Ran. Dan's little sister and Hinata's schoolmate. Hinata mentioned that she wasn't much of a fighter. I guess I'll see for myself later.}
"Saikyo-ryuu ougi.!"
"What!?"
Darrell spun around to meet Dan's fist in his stomach, then his chin.
"Koryu-rekka!!"
"Dan got up at the count of 7 and just nailed an unsuspecting Darrell with a super of his own. The Koryu-rekka! I guess Darrell should stop looking in the audience for someone he knows and concentrate on the fight."
Dan finished his super move with another Koryuken, and Darrell hit the canvas. Dan raised his fist into the air while smiling.
"Hey, kid! You were looking for your mother or something?" Dan taunted. "You should never leave your eyes off a fighter like me!"
The announcer was already counting as Sakura K. started yelling some encouragement.
"Get up, Darrell! I know you still got a lot of spunk let in you!"
Darrell struggled to sit up as the announcer yelled out 6. His red-orange aura covered his body.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Darrell his getting back up, and by the looks of his aura, it looks as if he has something big planned for Dan!"
"Heh. your Koryu-rekka was pretty good," Darrell congratulated, "but it won't win you this fight. It's already won!"
"Oh, really?" Dan asked while cocking an eyebrow. "I guess you should meet my specialty move then!"
Dan rolled forward right into Darrell's face. then.
"Hisshou! (Certain Victory!!)"
Dan unleashed his own barrage of attacks while getting out of the roll. He ended his combo with a Koryuken, soaring high into the air.
'Biraiken!!" he yelled out.
"Sorry. That wasn't a victory."
Dan looked down in shock. and saw the kid charge up a red ball of energy in his hands.
"Shakunetsu Shinku. Hadouken!!"
As soon as Dan got to Darrell's height, Darrell unloaded his burning Hadouken at point blank range. and the stadium could hear Dan's long cry of agony. When the Hadouken finally exploded, Dan was sent catapulting to the ground. and the crowd went crazy.
"Unbelievable!!" the announcer cried out. "Darrell just blasted Dan with what seemed like his trademark move." He took a look at Dan's body. and continued. "It looks as if Dan is out for the count, so I'll start counting. 1. 2. 3."
Darrell looked over to Ran, who was staring at him. No one exchanged any words as the announcer finished the count.
"9. and 10.! That's it for round 1! The winner is the rookie, Darrell!"
The crowd once again went into an uproar and Dan got up with the aid of Darrell.
"You're. pretty strong, kid," Dan said while getting up. "I. just want you to know that I. let you win that."
"Oh please, Dan," Darrell shot back while giving him a look of skepticism. "I beat you fair and square. Don't humiliate yourself."
Dan only gave a weak smile as he got out of the ring on his own free will. Darrell watched him go. then he heard the announcer call out, "Okay, may the next combatant from the C-7 team step in?"
Darrell turned around to see his next opponent. and gasped when he saw who it was.
End of Chapter 18
18. The Start of a new Tournament
NOTE: This chapter has some nudity and sexual themes. The third or fourth warning that I had to point out.
It was all over. The Hadouken made contact. and exploded. A blinding flash of light covered the area. and when it disappeared, there wasn't a trace of Shin Akuma. Not even a shard of him. Everyone looked at the carnage Ryu and Darrell made.
"He's. gone?" Darrell asked in an uneasy tone.
"I guess," Sakura K. answered. She looked at her twin and asked, "Can you sense him, sis?"
Sakura S. concentrated for a bit. and then opened her eyes. "He's nowhere to be found. He couldn't have got away from that blast. He's as good as dead."
Darrell's aura changed from yellow to red-orange. then disappeared altogether. He dropped to his knees, staring at the little grass that remained. He looked at his fist. and muttered the words he wanted to say from the beginning.
"I. I beat him. I beat Akuma."
Everyone stared at him. then he shouted the words out so everyone could here.
"YEAH!!! I did it!! Along with Hinata and Ryu's help. He's gone!! Alright!!!"
He sprung up and held his fist up in the air in victory. A huge smile crossed his face.
"You know. I never seen you this happy, Darrell," Sakura K. mentioned while crossing her arms.
Darrell turned his head to look at his friend. "I'm just. so happy. I couldn't do it without you guys."
"Whatever," Sean replied while rolling his eyes.
"Kid, you have some major skills," Ken congratulated. "I mean, with moves like that, you could really move up the ranks in the Turn of the Century tournament coming up."
"What?" Darrell asked while raising an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that you expect me to fight again in a tournament? I'll have to get back to you on that. I know that I'll be sore for weeks because of this."
Ken smiled. "Don't worry! The tournament is in July, next month. You'll have plenty of time to recuperate. And it's in Tokyo, so you won't have to do any traveling."
"How do you know so much about it?"
"Well, I co-fund it, so of course I know about it."
Darrell stared at Ken for awhile.
{A tournament to show my skills against the best in the world. I could really get myself known if I work hard enough.}
"Okay, Ken. You got yourself a deal. I'll participate."
"Okay, then. You might need to get a team up if you want to. There are two segments to the tournament, team and single. By the looks of it, it seems as if you, Sakura, and Hinata specialize in teams, so I expect you four to be there."
"Wait a minute," Sakura K. said. "I've been in the last tournament and the maximum amount of people on a team was three. Did you guys change it again?"
Ken nodded.
"Well, I'm in. What about you two?"
Both Sakura S. and Hinata shot Sakura K. a look. "Of course I'll be in it if you are in, sis," the Satsu twin answered. "I'll never miss a fight like this."
Hinata giggled a bit. "Yeah, I'll join. I got nothing else to do this summer."
"So it's settled!" Ken finished. "Now. let's go. I know that you are pretty tired, kid."
Darrell gave Ken a meek look. "Of all the people that I can heal, I can't heal myself."
"Darrell."
Darrell turned his attention to Ryu, who had his arms crossed. He had a look of determination on his face.
"Yeah.?"
"I'm looking forward to having a match with you. In your eyes is the soul of a true warrior."
Darrell didn't say anything back to him. He simply smiled weakly. Ryu turned his back to the group after saying his good-byes and went on to train for the new tournament. As Ryu went out of view, Darrell's eyes started to close. and he lost consciousness.
----- -----
ONE WEEK LATER.
"WHAT, BOTAN?! Do you actually expect me to fight in another tournament after the mess I went through in the Dark Tournament? Are you CRAZY!?"
"Chill out, Yusuke. This time you don't have to worry about demons. This tournament is right here in Tokyo with human fighters."
"If that's the case, then I'll fight. It seems way too easy if there all human."
"Well. they might be human, but they have all sorts of special abilities. Some have energy attacks like your Spirit Gun. What do you say about that?"
14-year old Yusuke Urameshi stared at Botan, the. Grim Reaper sort to speak. It had been one month since the dreaded Dark Tournament and Yusuke was planning to use his summer vacation to heal his aching body, but with this new tournament coming around the door, Yusuke now needed some hardcore reason to participate in this tournament.
"Botan," Yusuke started, "give me one good reason I should really join this tournament."
Botan flashed a smile as she held up a flyer for the tournament. Yusuke snatched it from her hand and read it from top to bottom. Once he reached the bottom. he almost freaked out.
"10,000,000 Yen for first prize?!?" he shouted out.
"Take it, stupid!"
Yusuke saw his rival, Kazuma Kuwabara, walk into his room. Yusuke shot him a look of annoyance.
"How in the world did you get in here?" he asked.
"Don't worry about that," Kuwabara answered. "If that much money is being given away, then I'm going to enter no matter how battered my body is."
"That's because your brain is too small to comprehend when it's time not to fight." Yusuke responded flatly.
"Let's not get started, Yusuke. I'm supposed to be on your team."
"Yes. I think an internal conflict within a team two weeks before the tournament even starts would be a pretty bad sign."
Everyone's attention turned to the door again; this time it was the demon fox, Kurama leaning on the doorframe. As usual, his expression was cool.
"How is everyone getting into my house.?" Yusuke asked under his breath before saying out loud, "Let me guess, Kurama. You're gonna fight, too?"
"I could really use the money to boost my mom's financial status." he answered.
"Hey..." Kuwabara started to look around nervously.
"What's with you?" Yusuke asked.
"Normally when Kurama is with us, that little runt Hiei is right behind him."
"You should really watch what you say."
Kuwabara's face froze in fear as he felt the sharp blade of a sword on the back of his head. On the dealing side of it was Hiei, whose expression was as cold as it always was.
"Like I said, you must be a riot at parties," Yusuke joked as Hiei looked up to him. "I guess you're in this one, too, right?"
Hiei scoffed. "The only reason I'll fight is because I'm totally bored. I bet I can take the whole lot of the fighters single-handedly."
"That's all nice and all, but would you PLEASE get your sword off me?"
Hiei granted Kuwabara's request and put his sword away. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as Yusuke glanced at Botan.
"Hey, you said that these guys know a few moves, huh? Well then. I guess I won't hold back while I'm fighting."
"So it's settled!" Botan cheered. "I don't think Koenma would have a case for you after that win in the Dark Tournament."
----- -----
Two men with long swords were battling it out in a barren arena. The Japanese one with the headband rushed forward with his sword out in front of him then took off into the air. The blond haired swordsman from Sweden blocked it and responded with a sword swipe.
"Sonic Slash!"
He created a yellow blast of energy from his sword, but the Japanese swordsman stuck his sword out to slash it in half. As he landed, the blond haired fighter stuck his sword into the earth and waved his hand through his hair.
"You're just as good as ever."
"Yeah. I know."
"Hmm. maybe we should take our skills out of our rivalry this time."
"What do you mean, Kayin?"
"I mean there's a new tournament coming around the bin, and it isn't the Battle Arena Toshinden this time, Eiji. It's a meeting of the best fighters in existence. This is the moment I've been waiting for."
Eiji held his sword on his shoulder. "Oh, really? Or is this an excuse to get away from your daughter?"
Kayin flashed a nervous smile. "If that was true. then why would I invite Ellis to join our team?"
"You brought Ellis into this? How did you do that?"
"She was pretty anxious to get away from Gaia for a while."
Eiji laughed. "Who wouldn't? So. what time is this thing?"
"Two weeks from now."
"Hmm. I'm guessing it's in Japan somewhere right?"
"Right in Tokyo."
"All right, Kayin. You got yourself a deal. I'll do this."
----- -----
"I see."
"Well, how about it? You could really show the world how a zoanthrope can fight, Long. and the payoff is pretty good too. Kenji is in, also."
"I really don't know, Yugo. I."
"What's the matter? You just fought me a few minutes ago. I don't see what the problem is."
"That's because you are also a zoanthrope. I hardly doubt the contestants in this tournament would be expecting a team that can turn into fighting animals."
"You've got serious issues, Master Long."
Long turned around to see his ex-student Uriko stare at him. Her glare was pretty hard for someone as cute as her.
"Oh. Uriko. Hey, how did you even know that I'd be here?" Long asked.
"Hah! For one, I tagged along with Yugo, and two, I knew you were going to going to watch over Cronos after that little incident. I'm going to be in this tournament. also. It would be an honor to fight with you again."
Long stared at Uriko for a second then looked at Yugo and sighed. "What about Gado?"
"Please! Gado has a life now. I can't even find him around our old stomping grounds anymore. He and Jenny really hit it off."
Uriko just stared at Yugo as Long gave an answer. "Okay, Yugo. You got me in a good mood. Just be lucky that I can control my Tiger side now, or else I would have never agreed to this."
----- -----
"Hmm. Another party, huh? I was waiting for this."
Morrigan got word from Felicia about the next big tournament. Ever since the Mark of the Millennium ended, she was bored in her mansion, all alone. She sat in one of her chairs in her enormous Rumpus room, staring at one of her weird statues. As she sat, a horde of bats surrounded her.
"It was about time. I was worried that I'd have to go and get my own fun."
"Ah, come on, sis! You were really that bored without me?"
Morrigan almost jumped out of her chair when she heard that voice. She looked around her, searching for whom the voice came from.
"Who said that?"
The voice let out a giggle. "It must have been a long while for you to forget your own sister. or should I say. your other source of power."
Morrigan stood up, letting her bats form her bat wings and ears. She knew who it was. Only one person would call her 'sister'. but it was impossible for her to be alive. She was murdered a long time ago. but she had a real strong hunch.
"Lil."
Before Morrigan could even get the name out, someone tackled her from behind knocking them both to the ground. Morrigan didn't even struggle. She just rolled onto her back and stared in disbelief at the young succubus that was lying on top of her.
"Lilith." she finished the word she was about to say.
Lilith had the same features as her 'older' sister, only her eyes were slightly wider, her outfit was blue and red instead of black and green and her purple hair was worn much shorter than Morrigan's.
"How in the world. did you get here? I though you were."
Lilith giggled even more. "I can't tell you that. but I want to know about this party you were talking about. I love parties."
Morrigan smiled. "Hmm. you never change, do you?" she asked as she gently ran her fingers through her sister's short hair.
"I should say the same to you," Lilith said with a smirk on her face. "You still can't resist your. urges, huh?"
Morrigan didn't answer. She continued running through her sister's hair. Lilith was about to resist, but her own urges kicked in and she started to return the favor. Without noticing it, both covered themselves with their 'bats' wings, looking at each other lustfully.
"You can't tell how much I missed you." Morrigan purred into her sister's ear.
"I can tell. by the way your acting." Lilith responded. "But before you start your little greeting. tell me about the party. It sounds exciting!"
"It is."
"Well. I'm waiting. unless you want me to. pry it open for you."
Lilith brought a leg up Morrigan's thigh in a weird position, turning her sister on a bit. Morrigan held on tighter to Lilith's wings as she slid her hand from Lilith's hair to her upper body. Lilith gasped at her sister's touch on her soft skin and responded by holding Morrigan around her neck, pulling herself in. Their bodies were touching now, leg to leg, breast to breast. Suddenly, Morrigan's clothes disappeared, making her sister blush beet red.
"Now see what you made me do." Morrigan said, also blushing as her sister saw her in the nude. and strangely, she giggled again.
"I guess I need to be fair about this."
In an instant, Morrigan saw Lilith's flesh, and her face reddened even more. "Well, you've matured."
This time, Lilith didn't waste time with words as she fell on top of Morrigan. Both sisters where tangled on the tile floor, letting their emotions run wild. Eventually, they got to the matter concerning the tournament, but not for a while.
----- -----
TWO WEEKS LATER.
"So. this is where the tournament is being held at." Darrell marveled. "It's beautiful."
"You got that right," Hinata added while looking around throughout all the decorations.
"It looks nice, but I can't wait to get started with the fights," Sakura S. said while fixing her black handguards. "This is where the best of the best are fighting at. I'm so excited!"
Sakura K. just looked around to see anyone who she might know. It was three weeks since Darrell and Ryu defeated Shin Akuma and the group found themselves in the main lobby at the tournament main building in Tokyo. The new Turn of the Century tournament attracted fighters from all over the world and the lobby was overflowing with combatants. The four spent the last three weeks training in all aspects and were waiting on a bench for someone who works here to help them register.
"So. this is going to be a test for all of us," Darrell said. "I'm ready." He hunched forward on the bench to adjust his posture.
"Hmmm.." Sakura K. turned her head from left to right, scanning the fighters. She was looking for someone. but she didn't know who.
"Sakura Kasugano!"
{Oh, no. I know that voice anywhere.}
Sakura K. looked to her right, and was met by her friend, Kei. She ran over to her, her expression wasn't very pleased. Sakura flashed a nervous smile.
"Oh. hi, Kei," Sakura K. greeted. "What's up?"
SMACK!!
Hinata and Darrell turned around as they heard a thunderous smacking noise. Sakura K. was on the ground, swirls in her eyes as Kei leveled her.
"Whoa." Darrell let out, sweatdropping.
"Sakura! How dare you! I've been looking for you for months. Why didn't you tell me that you were going to points around the world?"
Sakura slowly got to her feet. "You want to know why? I knew you would have a cow, just like your having now. Why do you keep trying to keep me in Tokyo? I need to move out every once and a while. Besides, I had a good reason why I left."
"Like what?" Kei demanded.
Sakura K. simply pointed to the girl sitting behind her. Kei stood in front of the girl, who was looking the other way, inspecting her.
"Hey, you," Kei called while tapping on her shoulder. The figure turned to Kei. and Kei almost screamed.
"What's your problem?" the girl asked.
Kei backed away, her face in shock. She shifted her glance from the dark skinned girl then back to Sakura. then back to the girl.
"You. you look just like Sakura!" Kei finally yelled out.
"Yeah. I've been meaning to tell you, Kei. This is my twin 'sister', Sakura Satsu. I've been meaning to introduce you to her."
"Sakura. why didn't I see her before?"
"Because she has only been around for about three months. Let me explain what happened."
Sakura K. told Kei everything that happened to them ever since they left until now. Boy, was Kei surprised.
"So. you are going to fight once again, huh?" Kei asked, her hands on her hips.
Sakura K. and Sakura S. both nodded. Kei sighed heavily.
"I guess I can't stop either of you," Kei admitted. "Good luck, Sakura. Both of you. I'll be cheering for you."
"You are gonna need it!!"
{Now I DEFINETLY know who that is.}
Sakura spun around to see a girl roughly her height, wearing a red designer shirt and blue jeans with red boots. She had yellow locks for hair and blue eyes. She stared hard into Sakura K.'s eyes.
"Sakura Kasugano."
"Karin Kanzuki. What in the world are you doing here.?"
Karin scoffed. "Like you can't tell? I'm here to fight in the group part of the tournament! I can't wait to fight you again, Sakura."
"You? In the team tournament? Who could possibly be on your team?"
Karin raised an eyebrow. She heard Sakura's voice, but Sakura didn't say anything. She looked to the right. and gasped.
"There. are two of you!?"
Sakura S. smiled. "Surprise!! Nice to meet you again, Karin."
"I've. never seen you before. Who are you?"
"I'm Sakura's twin: Sakura Satsu, but everyone calls me Sakura S."
Karin stared at Sakura's lighter form. "How.?"
"I guess everyone I know wants to know how I got a twin."
Once again, Sakura let Karin know how Sakura Satsu came to be. By the end of the story, Karin was even more excited than normal.
"That's just one more challenge to look up to," Karin said while smiling. "I can't wait to see you guys in the ring."
"Same here," Sakura K. brought back. As Karin and Kei went off, a woman in a blue uniform approached the four young fighters.
"Okay, you guys. I'm here to register you into the Turn of the Century tournament. May I have your names please?"
"Hinata Wakaba."
"Sakura Kasugano."
"Sakura Satsu."
"Darrell Markis."
The three girls shot Darrell looks of disbelief.
"Uh. Darrell?" Sakura S. started. "Why did you go by your middle name? I thought-"
"Sakura. I have my reasons," Darrell replied quickly while looking at the woman.
"Okay. I'm guessing that you all are going to participate in the team league, right?"
All four of the teens nodded.
"All right then." The woman wrote down some things on the clipboard she was carrying. then asked, "May I ask who the team captain is?"
The fighters looked at one another. Neither expected to be asked that question.
"How about you, Sakura K.?" Darrell suggested.
Sakura looked at Darrell. "Hey. How about you? You're the strongest."
Darrell shook his head. "No. I'm not exactly leader material."
Sakura sighed then looked at the woman. "I guess I am."
The woman scribbled some more. then gave Sakura K. a number on a piece of paper. Sakura took it and read what it said.
"C-8"
"That is your team number to determine who you fight in the first round. You'll be taking on. C-7; Dan Hibiki, Joe Higashi and Ran Hibiki. The fight starts at 2:30 P.M."
"2:30. That's an hour from now," Hinata commented.
"Until that time," the woman continued, "you can check in at the hotel next to this building then head to the stadium to stretch out, get something to eat, whatever. There will be a schedule for the tournament on your hotel door when you arrive."
And with that, the woman left, leaving the four with their choices.
"Dan Hibiki. Joe Higashi. Ran Hibiki." Hinata ran through the combatants in the first round. Then something hit her.
"RAN HIBIKI!!" she screamed out loud, getting the attention of everyone within earshot.
"Geez, Hinata. What was that about?" Sakura S. asked while cleaning out her ears.
"Ran. She's a classmate of mine. How in the world did she get in? She isn't much of a fighter."
"Wait. did she. say Dan Hibiki, too?" Sakura Kasugano asked. Her voice was hesitant. Her twin nodded. for she knew what that meant.
"This won't end well," the dark Sakura mumbled under her breath.
Darrell cocked another eyebrow. He was about to say something, but. "I guess I'll find out later. Now, let's go. I want to check out our room."
"Talk about comfy," Kuwabara commented while looking at their team's hotel room. It was pretty big and decorative with the essentials (bathroom, bedroom, T.V.) and the walls were a light blue color.
"Yeah. They really know how to doll up the joint," Yusuke added. "Feels girly."
"I think it's enchanting." Botan disagreed on Yusuke's analysis.
"Yeah. that's because you don't see things my way," Yusuke shot back. "Whenever I see light blue all over the place."
"I can't believe that you are wasting your time on such petty things." Hiei interrupted. He was in the corner of the room, looking out the window.
"What else am I supposed to do? We're going to slaughter the competition in this tournament, so I might as well check out some stuff."
"Well do me a favor then and do that outside. I want to concentrate on who I'm going to hurt first."
"Whatever, Hiei," Yusuke shot back while heading to the door. Just as he was about to turn the knob, he got cut off by Kuwabara.
"Hey, Urameshi."
"What is it now?" Yusuke asked, annoyed.
"I. got this feeling. Someone is really strong nearby."
"Really? Just how strong are we talking about?"
Kuwabara stared at him with a worried expression on his face. "Well. I don't want to say it, but. it seems as if whoever it is is as strong as Toguro. and it doesn't seem to be just one. There's a horde of them. It's like. everyone who is fighting here has a secret power."
"You're kidding. right?"
Kuwabara shook his head. "This might not be as easy as we thought."
"Now I'm interested." Hiei added his remark.
"Botan, I thought you told me that this was a human tournament," Yusuke complained. Botan just shrugged.
"I. guess I could be wrong." she said nervously.
Yusuke groaned before exiting the room.
----- -----
"So, Kyo., who does it say we're fighting first?" a young fighter wearing a black fighting suit with a white headband asked.
"Relax, Shingo," a man wearing a dark green suit and white shoes and headband said while holding the tournament paper. "It says here. Team C-5: Kim and his sons. Sounds interesting if you ask me."
Shingo and Kyo were in their hotel room getting ready for their match at 3:00. Kyo put down the tournament bracket and stared at his teammate/student.
"I caught a look at a lot of teams before we got here. There are a lot of strong guys here. No matter. I'll still burn through them."
Shingo smiled. "That sounds like my master to me!"
"It sounds more like overconfidence if you ask me," the blond haired man that stood next to the door replied. His hair stood on end as he wore black clothes and earrings. He had his arms crossed while staring at Kyo.
"Shut up, Benimaru," Kyo said flatly.
Benimaru just shrugged. "Whatever you say. Look, I'm going to look for some fans."
"You mean girls?" Shingo asked while rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you even try."
Benimaru didn't answer. He just turned the knob and left the room. Kyo returned to the paper for the first day of fighting. The tournament was going to be a week and a half long, so he was looking for. them. His eyes scanned the teams listed. and stopped on number 21.
"There he is." he said loudly. "Ryu."
He remembered how close he was to beating Ryu the first time he fought Ryu in the Millennium Fight tournament and how he managed to beat him in the Mark of the Millennium tournament. Kyo had a hunch that he'll be here at this Turn of the Century tournament, so he entered as well, just to break the tiebreaker.
"Looks like he has some new teammates this time. Hey, wait a minute." Kyo's eyes rested on team C-25. He couldn't help but be surprised at the team. It was Xion, Shenlong, Remy. and his archrival, Iori Yagami.
{Weird. Normally, Iori's a loaner. Why would he have 3 fighters with him, let alone 1? This is going to be VERY interesting.}
----- -----
55 MINUTES LATER
"FINAL.!"
The Russian Red Cyclone, Zangief, started to make the grab for his most powerful grappling move, the Final Atomic Buster, but the boxer he was facing was just too fast for him. The boxer backed away from Zangief's grasp and dashed back in.
"This match is over!" he yelled out as he nailed Zangief with a jumping uppercut, knocking him into the air, then another small uppercut, then a spinning uppercut that sent Zangief to the ground. The crowd went into an uproar as soon as he hit the ring canvas. The announcer started his play- by-play immediately.
"Did you see that? Dudley totally mopped the floor with his trademark move, the Rocket Uppercut! I'll start the count. 1. 2."
Dudley reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a rose. He looked at it as the announcer continued the count then took a sniff.
"Hmm. Another victory." Dudley said silently while looking down at the wrestler motionless body.
"7. 8. 9. and 10! It's a rap, folks! The winners of this round are Team C- 3: Dudley and Falcon!!"
Dudley tossed the rose onto Zangief's body while his butler came into the ring. Dudley held out a gloved hand and grabbed his jacket then put it on.
"Good show, sir," the butler congratulated.
Dudley smiled. "I know. This was nothing, though, compared to the real boxing circuit."
"Well, you can't say that this will be easier. This is the ultimate fight."
The person talking was Falcon, wearing his trademark red flying uniform and goggles. His blonde hair was set into a cool hairstyle. He was waiting at the side of the competition ring as Dudley stepped down with his butler.
"We've won this one.," Falcon continued, ".but I want to take a look at this next fight. Both of these teams are pretty young and talented from what I heard."
"Hmm. I guess we need to check them out." Dudley said as all three of them sat on the sidelines while the ring announcer began his introduction for the next fight.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! The next bout will start off right now. Team C-7: Dan, Ran and Joe vs. C-8: Sakura K., Hinata, Sakura S. and Darrell! May the first contestants please step into the ring?"
The two boxers from London gazed at the African-American from the C-8 team. He was wearing blue jeans with a white Japanese designer shirt and blue handguards. His face was dotted with spots, but he didn't seem to mind. He stepped into the ring and walked over to the announcer.
"Okay, I'm ready," the teenage boy told the announcer. "Where's the other guy?"
Before he could respond, a body fell into the other side of the ring with a bang. Both the boy and the announcer sweatdropped as the man in the pink gi stood up and brushed himself off.
"Uh." the boy let out, feeling embarrassed on the other fighters' entrance.
"Ah. I've got to work on my entrances." the man said as he walked over to the announcer, giving the boy a glare and a smile at the same time.
"Okay. Ladies and gentlemen! The first two combatants have stepped into the ring. For team C-7 is the Millennium Fight 2000 co-champion and the master of the Saikyo style; Dan Hibiki!!"
The crowd went into a roar of applause, though it wasn't as strong as the one they gave for Dudley and Falcon. Dan raised a fist into the air, welcoming to applause he got.
"YEAH!!" he yelled out as he let his ego grow.
"Now, for team C-8 is a newcomer into the fight circuit. Hailing from the United States, give it up for Darrell Markis!"
Surprisingly, Darrell got a bigger applause than Dan, and he just gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.
"Thanks. I promise to give you a show. Get ready, everyone!"
"Okay, you two," the announcer gathered the two combatants, "I'm sure that Dan knows the rules of the battle, but I'm not sure about Darrell. This is how it goes. The two of you fight it out until either time is called or one of you in knocked out till the count of ten. The winner faces the next fighter on the opposing team and the pattern continues until one team wins. If you are knocked out the ring by chance, you have until the count of 20 to get back in. If there is an event of a double K.O., both fighters are eliminated and the other fighters come in. If there is a draw with the last fighters of both teams, then a sudden death battle occurs with one of the fighters on each team. If that ends on a draw, then the whole thing's a stalemate.
"Weapons are allowed only if the opposing fighter does not die at the hands of the weapon wielder. Guns are not allowed. Only swords, batons and anything in the area of that. Other than that, anything goes, so without further ado. let's get this party started!! Round 1: Dan vs. Darrell. Ready?"
Both fighters got into stance as the crowd got excited.
"Come on, Darrell!" Sakura K. geared her partner up. "You can do this! He should be no problem!"
"All right, brother," a girl on the other team yelled out. Her black hair was curled a bit behind her in a weird ponytail that went over her shoulder. "This is it. Don't let your ego get in the way."
"FIGHT!!"
Darrell started with an overhead punch that Dan blocked. He followed with a side kick, but Dan rolled backwards to avoid it.
"Ikuzora!!" Dan yelled out as he got out of his roll to shake his fist at Darrell. Darrell didn't pay much attention to the taunt as he hopped into the air for a short while to deliver a dropping sweep kick. As soon as Darrell landed, Dan jumped and held his fist out again.
"Yahoo!!"
"Hey.! Are you going to fight me or are you going to taunt me?" Darrell asked in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Sorry, kid," Dan answered as he dropped to the ground. "I can't resist. It seems as if you're the type of guy who just wants to fight in out. All right then. Let me show you the power of the Saikyo style!!"
"You do that." Darrell provoked as he held out his fists in front of him. He seemed to gather up his energy.
"Shakunetsuken!!"
Darrell's fists shot into flames, surprising Dan completely.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Darrell started pulling out the stops with a special move he called the Shakunetsuken," the ring announcer yelled over his mic. "It doesn't take a genius to find out that this rookie's punches are going to hurt now!"
"Let's do this thing!" Darrell shouted as he dashed in to land a blow to Dan. He got into range. but.
"Koryuken!!"
Dan shot into the air, knocking Darrell back with his Shoryuken-type punch. Darrell safe fell quickly and caught Dan on the way down with an uppercut, setting his body aflame. As Darrell ran over to capitalize, the announcer started to do the play-by-play."
"Even though Dan hit Darrell away with that maneuver, he couldn't stop Darrell from getting the job done with a burning blow. Now the rookie is hammering away at the ex-champion's defenses."
Sure enough, that was what Darrell was doing. He wasn't performing the Raging Knuckle, but his punches were fast enough to keep Dan on the defensive for awhile. Dan finally broke up the action with a knee to the stomach, breaking off Darrell's chain combo.
"Dah, Dah, Seyha!"
Dan hit Darrell with three alternating kicks while in mid-air, the last one knocking Darrell to the ground.
"Dan hits his opponent with his Dankukyaku, but Darrell's quick to his feet and isn't going to take that lightly!"
Darrell dodged a roundhouse kick from Dan and planted another burning fist into his face, but this time Darrell twisted around to land an elbow with the other arm, then finished with a strong roundhouse kick, knocking Dan down this time.
"That was my Shakunetsuken Snake," Dan introduced his chain move as his fists cooled down. "Now try this one, Dan! Hadouken!!"
Darrell brought back both his hands, collected some energy, and launched a blue blast of energy to Dan, who managed to see it in the nick of time.
"Gadouken!" Dan called out as he held up a hand and threw it forward, releasing a small blue ball of energy. The two blasts were about to collide. but Dan's Gadouken disappeared just before contact, leaving Darrell's Hadouken to travel on and hit its target.
"Dan is sent reeling from Darrell's Hadouken as his Gadouken failed to cancel out," the announcer informed the crowd, whom were loving the action inside the ring. "Now he's closing in."
The girls on Darrell's team were cheering him on as he and Dan exchanged blows and blocks. It was martial art poetry in motion for a good 15 seconds or so, the stadium in an uproar. The melee action broke with an unexpected move from the rookie: a low kick to Dan's legs, breaking his momentum.
"I got you!!" Darrell screamed as he nailed Dan in the stomach with a strong punch then.
"Rekka. Nakkura!!"
"Look out, everyone. Darrell just pulled out a super move! The Rekka Nakkura, he said. He's now pummeling Dan with an onslaught of punches. and he doesn't seem to be letting up."
Darrell landed about 18 punches and uppercuts on Dan's body, ending it with a strong Shakunetsuken punch to the face. Dan's body once again went into flames and when he hit the ground, his gi was tattered and his skin had small burns on them.
"And Dan goes down! Here's the count, folks. 1. 2. 3."
"That's how ya do it!" Darrell yelled out triumphantly while holding up a fist.
"Come on, bro! Stand up!"
Darrell's attention was caught by a female voice to his right. He saw the girl with the weird hairstyle encouraging her brother to continue the fight. He stared at her for a while.
{That must be Ran. Dan's little sister and Hinata's schoolmate. Hinata mentioned that she wasn't much of a fighter. I guess I'll see for myself later.}
"Saikyo-ryuu ougi.!"
"What!?"
Darrell spun around to meet Dan's fist in his stomach, then his chin.
"Koryu-rekka!!"
"Dan got up at the count of 7 and just nailed an unsuspecting Darrell with a super of his own. The Koryu-rekka! I guess Darrell should stop looking in the audience for someone he knows and concentrate on the fight."
Dan finished his super move with another Koryuken, and Darrell hit the canvas. Dan raised his fist into the air while smiling.
"Hey, kid! You were looking for your mother or something?" Dan taunted. "You should never leave your eyes off a fighter like me!"
The announcer was already counting as Sakura K. started yelling some encouragement.
"Get up, Darrell! I know you still got a lot of spunk let in you!"
Darrell struggled to sit up as the announcer yelled out 6. His red-orange aura covered his body.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Darrell his getting back up, and by the looks of his aura, it looks as if he has something big planned for Dan!"
"Heh. your Koryu-rekka was pretty good," Darrell congratulated, "but it won't win you this fight. It's already won!"
"Oh, really?" Dan asked while cocking an eyebrow. "I guess you should meet my specialty move then!"
Dan rolled forward right into Darrell's face. then.
"Hisshou! (Certain Victory!!)"
Dan unleashed his own barrage of attacks while getting out of the roll. He ended his combo with a Koryuken, soaring high into the air.
'Biraiken!!" he yelled out.
"Sorry. That wasn't a victory."
Dan looked down in shock. and saw the kid charge up a red ball of energy in his hands.
"Shakunetsu Shinku. Hadouken!!"
As soon as Dan got to Darrell's height, Darrell unloaded his burning Hadouken at point blank range. and the stadium could hear Dan's long cry of agony. When the Hadouken finally exploded, Dan was sent catapulting to the ground. and the crowd went crazy.
"Unbelievable!!" the announcer cried out. "Darrell just blasted Dan with what seemed like his trademark move." He took a look at Dan's body. and continued. "It looks as if Dan is out for the count, so I'll start counting. 1. 2. 3."
Darrell looked over to Ran, who was staring at him. No one exchanged any words as the announcer finished the count.
"9. and 10.! That's it for round 1! The winner is the rookie, Darrell!"
The crowd once again went into an uproar and Dan got up with the aid of Darrell.
"You're. pretty strong, kid," Dan said while getting up. "I. just want you to know that I. let you win that."
"Oh please, Dan," Darrell shot back while giving him a look of skepticism. "I beat you fair and square. Don't humiliate yourself."
Dan only gave a weak smile as he got out of the ring on his own free will. Darrell watched him go. then he heard the announcer call out, "Okay, may the next combatant from the C-7 team step in?"
Darrell turned around to see his next opponent. and gasped when he saw who it was.
End of Chapter 18