Chapter 4 – A Washed up Fighter
Gokuento...
They sat, pondering, the rain pouring upon their body. The lightning cracked in the air as they watched the waves crash into the sea. Thinking was hard when two people shared the same mind. Conflict was rife in their thoughts. But they knew their task.
However, they were not alone. From high above, on the mountain, a lone figure watched them. Dressed in a swaying trench coat and a suspicious trilby hat, he observed the monster called Rukuma. He was Q. And he watched. That was his purpose.
Rukuma smiled. They could feel the presence of the cold being, the meshing of living material and cold iron. They could feel him in their brain. And they would destroy him soon enough, but their humour kept him alive for the time being.
* * *
"Burn knuckle!"
Terry crashed into his master, who counterattacked with a lethal back-chop. Regaining his strength, the American ran again into the man who had taught him to fight since he was a pup. Master Tung never pulled any punches during his sparring bouts with the young warrior. He knew it was pointless anyway. Terry was a master in his own rights. That's why he was chosen to face Geese Howard, and not his younger, more egotistical brother, Andy.
The tiny China man was not a bad warrior himself, and was fighting fit for a man of seventy-seven. But his training with Terry had become vigorous. Neither could afford now to be lazy at this crucial time, and Tung himself knew that he was not long for the earth. That is why he brought him to Brazil, to train amongst the trees and the heat, the most extreme conditions. Were he could battle with beasts as well as the elements. But they also discovered something they did not expect. A friend.
He rolled in between the two of them, his green flesh illuminated by the heavy sun. His face, that normally carried joy, was filled with anguish.
Terry stopped fighting. "What is it Blanka?" He had to be named something, so Terry took it upon himself to name the supposed native.
"Blanka...find...someone...follow!" He dashed back into the trees, signalling Terry to follow him. The American dashed after him.
Blanka was fast, and Terry struggled to keep up. Running through the trees was tough, and maybe he was lucky that Blanka was always willing to 'train' him in this way. But Terry saw no fun in Blanka's face. For the first time, he was filled with the utmost sincerity.
They appeared on a beach. Blanka was standing above something, a man, clothed in a red karate uniform, not much older than Terry. He was alive but unconscious.
"Jesus!" said Terry, aloud, "its Ken Masters!"
* * *
"Well done Ken!"
Ryu stood up and placed his hand out, his attention still diverted. Ken grunted at his friend.
"Don't give that, you threw the fight!"
Ryu looked up towards the pagoda. He could feel something powerful nearby. Ken couldn't feel it, but he had seen Ryu like this before.
"Its Akuma isn't it?" said Ken, looking towards the ground, afraid of the answer.
"He is near," replied Ryu, "but there is another with him. He also possesses great power. They are merging. I have to stop them before its too late."
Ryu dashed out of the ring. Disgruntled, Ken followed him.
* * *
"RYU!"
Ken sat bolt upright, sweating a river. His chest tightened, he could feel his wounds. Suddenly, he was no longer alone in the wooden shack. A young woman entered, carrying a glass of water.
"Mr. Masters, you're awake," she said, offering the glass, "please drink this, you've been asleep for days."
"Were is Ryu?"
The girl still held the water out. "I'm afraid I have no idea who you're talking about, sir. Please drink, you need to recover your strength."
Ken's mind raced. "Akuma...what....Ryu...?"
"Please drink."
Halting his mind, Ken discovered his mouth was dry as a desert. Snatching the glass, he gulped the water down in one. It was now, when he had calmed, did he decide to take in his surroundings. The walls were brown, made out of wood from what he could tell, and the window let in bright sunlight from outside. He was warm; this place definitely wasn't Japan.
"Thank you, miss...?"
The woman smiled. "Eliza."
"Eliza," he said softly, "were am I?"
Eliza was shocked. She was in a foreign place, but she at least knew were she was. "Wow, did you bump your head or something? I mean, you're definitely not from around here, are you Mr. Masters?"
"Call me Ken, and tell me were I am!"
Eliza gulped. This news would be difficult for him. "We are in small village near Recife, Brazil."
Kens eyes opened. "Brazil!" he shouted, "how the hell did I get here?"
"We were hoping you could tell us after we found you on the beach," said a voice by the door. Ken turned to see a face that he had seen many times before. A face that one day he hoped he would meet in battle. The face of Terry Bogard. "But you were out cold, so we brought you here."
"Terry?" said Ken, astonished.
"The one and only," replied Terry, "what are you doing here, friend?"
"I...I don't know."
Terry scratched his head. "You were pretty beaten up when we found you. Did you get into a scrap or something?"
Ken laughed, but he was not happy. "I suppose you could say that..."
* * *
The rain thundered onto the roof, as the lighting crackled behind the murderous figure, illuminating his dominant shape. He looked towards Ryu and Ken.
"So you have come."
Ryu took a step forward. "Why are you here, Akuma? Our business is over."
Akuma roared with laughter. "Do not flatter yourself boy, I am here to see somebody whose power surpasses even yours. And, unlike you, this man is willing to use his powers."
Ken stepped next to Ryu. "You're all talk, you murdering scum!"
Akuma growled. "Keep quite boy, or I shall be arranging your funeral!"
"Stay back Ken!"
Ken angered further. "Am I not allowed to take revenge for our master as well?"
Ryu turned to his friend, and placed his had on his shoulder. "This has always been between me and him. You must trust me."
Pushing Ryu's hand away, Ken retorted, "don't give me that! I'll finish this myself!"
Running past his friend, he took Akuma in his sights.
"KEN!"
* * *
"And you can't remember anything after that?"
Ken shook his head. "Not a thing. It feels like I've been in a coma or something."
Eliza stood forward. "You're lucky you weren't, what with all the poisonous snakes around. You could've been finished in minutes."
"Who do I have to thank for saving me, anyway?"
Gokuento...
They sat, pondering, the rain pouring upon their body. The lightning cracked in the air as they watched the waves crash into the sea. Thinking was hard when two people shared the same mind. Conflict was rife in their thoughts. But they knew their task.
However, they were not alone. From high above, on the mountain, a lone figure watched them. Dressed in a swaying trench coat and a suspicious trilby hat, he observed the monster called Rukuma. He was Q. And he watched. That was his purpose.
Rukuma smiled. They could feel the presence of the cold being, the meshing of living material and cold iron. They could feel him in their brain. And they would destroy him soon enough, but their humour kept him alive for the time being.
* * *
"Burn knuckle!"
Terry crashed into his master, who counterattacked with a lethal back-chop. Regaining his strength, the American ran again into the man who had taught him to fight since he was a pup. Master Tung never pulled any punches during his sparring bouts with the young warrior. He knew it was pointless anyway. Terry was a master in his own rights. That's why he was chosen to face Geese Howard, and not his younger, more egotistical brother, Andy.
The tiny China man was not a bad warrior himself, and was fighting fit for a man of seventy-seven. But his training with Terry had become vigorous. Neither could afford now to be lazy at this crucial time, and Tung himself knew that he was not long for the earth. That is why he brought him to Brazil, to train amongst the trees and the heat, the most extreme conditions. Were he could battle with beasts as well as the elements. But they also discovered something they did not expect. A friend.
He rolled in between the two of them, his green flesh illuminated by the heavy sun. His face, that normally carried joy, was filled with anguish.
Terry stopped fighting. "What is it Blanka?" He had to be named something, so Terry took it upon himself to name the supposed native.
"Blanka...find...someone...follow!" He dashed back into the trees, signalling Terry to follow him. The American dashed after him.
Blanka was fast, and Terry struggled to keep up. Running through the trees was tough, and maybe he was lucky that Blanka was always willing to 'train' him in this way. But Terry saw no fun in Blanka's face. For the first time, he was filled with the utmost sincerity.
They appeared on a beach. Blanka was standing above something, a man, clothed in a red karate uniform, not much older than Terry. He was alive but unconscious.
"Jesus!" said Terry, aloud, "its Ken Masters!"
* * *
"Well done Ken!"
Ryu stood up and placed his hand out, his attention still diverted. Ken grunted at his friend.
"Don't give that, you threw the fight!"
Ryu looked up towards the pagoda. He could feel something powerful nearby. Ken couldn't feel it, but he had seen Ryu like this before.
"Its Akuma isn't it?" said Ken, looking towards the ground, afraid of the answer.
"He is near," replied Ryu, "but there is another with him. He also possesses great power. They are merging. I have to stop them before its too late."
Ryu dashed out of the ring. Disgruntled, Ken followed him.
* * *
"RYU!"
Ken sat bolt upright, sweating a river. His chest tightened, he could feel his wounds. Suddenly, he was no longer alone in the wooden shack. A young woman entered, carrying a glass of water.
"Mr. Masters, you're awake," she said, offering the glass, "please drink this, you've been asleep for days."
"Were is Ryu?"
The girl still held the water out. "I'm afraid I have no idea who you're talking about, sir. Please drink, you need to recover your strength."
Ken's mind raced. "Akuma...what....Ryu...?"
"Please drink."
Halting his mind, Ken discovered his mouth was dry as a desert. Snatching the glass, he gulped the water down in one. It was now, when he had calmed, did he decide to take in his surroundings. The walls were brown, made out of wood from what he could tell, and the window let in bright sunlight from outside. He was warm; this place definitely wasn't Japan.
"Thank you, miss...?"
The woman smiled. "Eliza."
"Eliza," he said softly, "were am I?"
Eliza was shocked. She was in a foreign place, but she at least knew were she was. "Wow, did you bump your head or something? I mean, you're definitely not from around here, are you Mr. Masters?"
"Call me Ken, and tell me were I am!"
Eliza gulped. This news would be difficult for him. "We are in small village near Recife, Brazil."
Kens eyes opened. "Brazil!" he shouted, "how the hell did I get here?"
"We were hoping you could tell us after we found you on the beach," said a voice by the door. Ken turned to see a face that he had seen many times before. A face that one day he hoped he would meet in battle. The face of Terry Bogard. "But you were out cold, so we brought you here."
"Terry?" said Ken, astonished.
"The one and only," replied Terry, "what are you doing here, friend?"
"I...I don't know."
Terry scratched his head. "You were pretty beaten up when we found you. Did you get into a scrap or something?"
Ken laughed, but he was not happy. "I suppose you could say that..."
* * *
The rain thundered onto the roof, as the lighting crackled behind the murderous figure, illuminating his dominant shape. He looked towards Ryu and Ken.
"So you have come."
Ryu took a step forward. "Why are you here, Akuma? Our business is over."
Akuma roared with laughter. "Do not flatter yourself boy, I am here to see somebody whose power surpasses even yours. And, unlike you, this man is willing to use his powers."
Ken stepped next to Ryu. "You're all talk, you murdering scum!"
Akuma growled. "Keep quite boy, or I shall be arranging your funeral!"
"Stay back Ken!"
Ken angered further. "Am I not allowed to take revenge for our master as well?"
Ryu turned to his friend, and placed his had on his shoulder. "This has always been between me and him. You must trust me."
Pushing Ryu's hand away, Ken retorted, "don't give me that! I'll finish this myself!"
Running past his friend, he took Akuma in his sights.
"KEN!"
* * *
"And you can't remember anything after that?"
Ken shook his head. "Not a thing. It feels like I've been in a coma or something."
Eliza stood forward. "You're lucky you weren't, what with all the poisonous snakes around. You could've been finished in minutes."
"Who do I have to thank for saving me, anyway?"
