Chapter 2
The Dragon Enters
Lee woke up. He didn't open his eyes. He could smell spices and food. His stomach grumbled at the thought. Lee was about to sit up but his head protested. A headache pounded in his skull.
"I could do with some sake..." He said aloud.
"I'm sorry, we do not serve alcohol." It was a young female voice.
"What the?" Lee opened his eyes. He saw a pretty girl standing next to him. She was about eighteen and carried an expression that only the troubled have. She smiled at him weakly.
"Would you like something to eat, Mr. Choalan?" She asked.
"If it's not a problem." Lee replied. "Hey, how do you know my name?"
The girl held up a passport. "I'm sorry, I looked through your things. You can never be too careful around here." She opened the passport. "Chaolan Lee... It says you're Japanese, you don't look Japanese."
"Yeah, I was adopted by a Japanese man when I was still a baby. I was told I'm from mainland China but I've never met my real family." Lee explained. "May I ask what your name is?"
The girl's face seemed to change to a darker shade. Could he be...? She stared at the floor for a moment then shook her head.
"Oh so sorry, I am Xiang Xu-" The boy Lee rescued burst into the room. "- and this is my little brother, Li." She put her arm around Li.
Lee turned to the kid. "Li, like my name!"
"No, no, mister." The kid said. "I'm Li spelt with an I."
Lee laughed. It was the first time he laughed because of something he found genuinely funny. No, there was another time, when he was growing up with Kazuya...
"Wow, when you beat those Triad guys, it was awesome!" Li started punching the air. His smile spread wider. "It was too bad one of them woke up and hit you with his nunchuks. Can you teach me to fight?"
Lee laughed again. "Sure I will!" He ruffled the kid's spiky brown hair.
Xu smiled again. She pushed her long black hair out of her eyes.
"Can you get up?" She asked. "Let me get your shirt."
Lee nodded and sat up. He realized he wasn't wearing his shirt. At least Xu didn't take my leathers! Lee spotted his shades on the table next to the bed. Li picked them up and put them on.
"I'm Choalan!" The boy did a jumping-kick while screaming out war cries. Lee smiled and let the kid wear his glasses.
"Now we need to find some purple dye!" Lee exclaimed.
Xu helped Lee out of the bed. Lee didn't need her help but he let her hold him anyway. Xiang Li trailed behind them, punching the air. Xu led Lee to a large room with tables and stools. A restaurant.
Lee turned to Xu. "How did you-" Lee stopped. In the corner of his eye he spotted a Chinese man with a moustache sitting at one of the tables. Marshall Law. He faced Law. "You son of a bitch!"
Lee walked briskly to Law's table, Law stood up. Lee shook his head as a smile spread across his face. Law smiled as well and spread his arms. They hugged each other, tapping one another's backs.
"How's it been?" Asked Law. "I haven't seen you in, what, twenty-five years?"
As a youth, Law beat a young, arrogant Lee. Lee tried many times but couldn't beat Law. Law found that Lee had heart so he taught him how to fight well. Lee could remember the first thing Law taught him: "Don't use the Mishima-ryu karatedo. The second-hand artist blindly following his sensei accepts his pattern. As a result, his action and, more importantly, his thinking become mechanical. His responses become automatic, according to set patterns, making him narrow and limited."
Law told him to flow, like water, to use his own style, not that of others. For the next two years Lee learned about combat under Law. After this period, Lee traveled the world learning various martial arts and making a name for himself in the underground fighting circuit. Lee took what he thought worked from different martial arts and developed his own theories and philosophies. Lee believes that using legs is superior to any other fighting strategy as legs have the longest reach and are naturally three times more powerful than the arm. Despite his theories, Lee is a good all-rounder.
Lee sat opposite to Law. "So, you're the one who." Lee coughed. "Helped me."
"No, no, no." Law replied. "I pulled your ass from the fire!"
Lee blushed. He didn't like the thought of being an inferior martial artist to anyone. He is still a little rusty. I have stayed comfortable for too long.
"So, who won the Tournament?" Lee asked.
"The Iron Fist Tournament? It was Jin which was weird since Kazuya beat Heihachi in the final." Answered Law. "You should check on Jin, he owns Mishima Zaibatsu now. He's a good kid."
"Yeah, I know. Speaking of nephews, how's Forest?"
Law chuckled. "Forest's the reason I'm here. He's joined a Peking Opera troupe, ya know."
"No way!" Lee smiled. "A Law in Peking Opera? I've gotta see this!"
"They're on tomorrow. You're welcome to watch with me."
Lee nodded. It was good talking to Law, he was probably Lee's best friend.
"What's with the hair?" Asked Law. "I wouldn't have recognized you if it wasn't for the bad dress sense!"
"I disguised myself when I entered the Iron Fist Tournament 4. Now I'm starting afresh. The Silver Devil's dead."
"It's good I recognized you when I did. I could've lost a lot of money last night!"
Lee drew his breath. So it was Law who bet on me!
The Dragon Enters
Lee woke up. He didn't open his eyes. He could smell spices and food. His stomach grumbled at the thought. Lee was about to sit up but his head protested. A headache pounded in his skull.
"I could do with some sake..." He said aloud.
"I'm sorry, we do not serve alcohol." It was a young female voice.
"What the?" Lee opened his eyes. He saw a pretty girl standing next to him. She was about eighteen and carried an expression that only the troubled have. She smiled at him weakly.
"Would you like something to eat, Mr. Choalan?" She asked.
"If it's not a problem." Lee replied. "Hey, how do you know my name?"
The girl held up a passport. "I'm sorry, I looked through your things. You can never be too careful around here." She opened the passport. "Chaolan Lee... It says you're Japanese, you don't look Japanese."
"Yeah, I was adopted by a Japanese man when I was still a baby. I was told I'm from mainland China but I've never met my real family." Lee explained. "May I ask what your name is?"
The girl's face seemed to change to a darker shade. Could he be...? She stared at the floor for a moment then shook her head.
"Oh so sorry, I am Xiang Xu-" The boy Lee rescued burst into the room. "- and this is my little brother, Li." She put her arm around Li.
Lee turned to the kid. "Li, like my name!"
"No, no, mister." The kid said. "I'm Li spelt with an I."
Lee laughed. It was the first time he laughed because of something he found genuinely funny. No, there was another time, when he was growing up with Kazuya...
"Wow, when you beat those Triad guys, it was awesome!" Li started punching the air. His smile spread wider. "It was too bad one of them woke up and hit you with his nunchuks. Can you teach me to fight?"
Lee laughed again. "Sure I will!" He ruffled the kid's spiky brown hair.
Xu smiled again. She pushed her long black hair out of her eyes.
"Can you get up?" She asked. "Let me get your shirt."
Lee nodded and sat up. He realized he wasn't wearing his shirt. At least Xu didn't take my leathers! Lee spotted his shades on the table next to the bed. Li picked them up and put them on.
"I'm Choalan!" The boy did a jumping-kick while screaming out war cries. Lee smiled and let the kid wear his glasses.
"Now we need to find some purple dye!" Lee exclaimed.
Xu helped Lee out of the bed. Lee didn't need her help but he let her hold him anyway. Xiang Li trailed behind them, punching the air. Xu led Lee to a large room with tables and stools. A restaurant.
Lee turned to Xu. "How did you-" Lee stopped. In the corner of his eye he spotted a Chinese man with a moustache sitting at one of the tables. Marshall Law. He faced Law. "You son of a bitch!"
Lee walked briskly to Law's table, Law stood up. Lee shook his head as a smile spread across his face. Law smiled as well and spread his arms. They hugged each other, tapping one another's backs.
"How's it been?" Asked Law. "I haven't seen you in, what, twenty-five years?"
As a youth, Law beat a young, arrogant Lee. Lee tried many times but couldn't beat Law. Law found that Lee had heart so he taught him how to fight well. Lee could remember the first thing Law taught him: "Don't use the Mishima-ryu karatedo. The second-hand artist blindly following his sensei accepts his pattern. As a result, his action and, more importantly, his thinking become mechanical. His responses become automatic, according to set patterns, making him narrow and limited."
Law told him to flow, like water, to use his own style, not that of others. For the next two years Lee learned about combat under Law. After this period, Lee traveled the world learning various martial arts and making a name for himself in the underground fighting circuit. Lee took what he thought worked from different martial arts and developed his own theories and philosophies. Lee believes that using legs is superior to any other fighting strategy as legs have the longest reach and are naturally three times more powerful than the arm. Despite his theories, Lee is a good all-rounder.
Lee sat opposite to Law. "So, you're the one who." Lee coughed. "Helped me."
"No, no, no." Law replied. "I pulled your ass from the fire!"
Lee blushed. He didn't like the thought of being an inferior martial artist to anyone. He is still a little rusty. I have stayed comfortable for too long.
"So, who won the Tournament?" Lee asked.
"The Iron Fist Tournament? It was Jin which was weird since Kazuya beat Heihachi in the final." Answered Law. "You should check on Jin, he owns Mishima Zaibatsu now. He's a good kid."
"Yeah, I know. Speaking of nephews, how's Forest?"
Law chuckled. "Forest's the reason I'm here. He's joined a Peking Opera troupe, ya know."
"No way!" Lee smiled. "A Law in Peking Opera? I've gotta see this!"
"They're on tomorrow. You're welcome to watch with me."
Lee nodded. It was good talking to Law, he was probably Lee's best friend.
"What's with the hair?" Asked Law. "I wouldn't have recognized you if it wasn't for the bad dress sense!"
"I disguised myself when I entered the Iron Fist Tournament 4. Now I'm starting afresh. The Silver Devil's dead."
"It's good I recognized you when I did. I could've lost a lot of money last night!"
Lee drew his breath. So it was Law who bet on me!