Chapter 9: Countryside Chaos
"What?!" Goku exclaimed in complete disbelief. "This cannot be! I thought miss Jam's…"
"I know you can't believe it, but it's the truth," Ky spoke. "Jam had died - no, she sacrificed herself for my sake."
"What had really happened to Miss Jam?" Goku asked, frowning.
"She… she had fought me because she was at Sho Tsuzuku's side, but then she betrayed him and chose to help me instead," Ky explained. "I must admit that she's annoying, but without her… I wouldn't be able to look for the one I really want to protect."
Goku groaned in dismay and clenched his fists. He had just met Jam at the restaurant and already promised to meet her again. He thought that he and the chef could be friends. "I wish I could avenge her!" he exclaimed and punched the nearby wall. "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" he cursed.
"Then what are you going to do now?" Hakkai inquired.
"We don't have any plan for now, mister Hakkai," Ky answered. "Actually, we're dealing with a fighting carnival I'm currently investigating."
"A fighting carnival?" Hakkai asked again.
"At least, that's what the invitation letter said," the Holy Knight said.
"Then you're expecting us to help you?" Sanzo demanded and growled. "Pathetic. I would rather stay away than to involve in this festival-whatsoever."
"Sanzo, you know you could use your gifted talent to your advantage," Hakkai spoke and just sighed.
"Whatever." Sanzo replied. "Hmm… where is Gojyo? He's not with us today."
Hakkai could only laugh and smiled. "Oh, he's at the outside, trying to impress the girls."
"She what?" both Ky and Sanzo inquired.
At the outside, Gojyo was trying very hard to ask both Hotaru and Dizzy for a date. And one would imagine what's inside of his head while impressing the two ribbon girls.
"Oh, please," Gojyo pleaded. "It would be a fun date. I promise you, I'll give you everything you wanted."
"YADA!" both Dizzy and Hotaru answered.
Goku suddenly broke the silence. "I shall avenge her death… I swear, it shall be done!" he declared.
x-x-x-x-x
"ERROR! BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!"
Again, Robo Ky's sleep was disturbed. The nightmare had abruptly aborted his supposedly calm hibernation mode. If this continued like forever, his internal system would be permanently damaged. Robo Ky was desperate. He wanted to avoid it but he couldn't do so with current strength. Repeatedly he banged his head on the nearby wall, cursing and swearing.
"Hey, will you stop acting like a moron?" Robo Ky halted his head banging movement and looked at the door. "Your head's going to blow up if you keep on doing it. Besides, it's not good for your health, either."
"STOP BOTHERING ME HIKKI," the robot demanded.
"Hello, mister Robo," Hikki replied. "It's not me who worries you. It's Yuu; she's been concerned of you. You should think of her once in a while, okay?"
Robo Ky frowned when he heard the name. Slowly he held his head and shook unsteadily. "YUU…"
"You're one strange robot," Hikki spoke. "Say, are you working with any individual or organization?"
Robo Ky growled and clenched his fists. "I WORK WITH NO ONE."
"No?" Hikki asked.
"I MEAN IT. NO." Robo Ky answered. Hikki merely shrugged and turned around, walking out of the room. Then he returned.
"By the way. If Yuu's looking for me, I'm having training at a hill outside this village. Okay?" Robo Ky just nodded.
"AIIIIII!" suddenly Sumomo woke up and jumped onto Robo Ky's head. "It's morning time! AIIIIII! Wake up for our new day! AIIIIII!" she shrieked and made acrobatic dances. Hikki laughed at the mini Persocon's hyper0cuteness and told Sumomo the same thing he told Robo Ky. "AIIIIII! I will remember everything you say! AIIIIIII!" she acknowledged and saluted Hikki.
Hikki left the small village and headed toward the mentioned hill. He planned to practice his aikido 'kata' in privacy, so he chose the hill as his training ground. When he arrived, however, he realized that someone had greeted him. He wasn't pleased.
"WE_HAVE_FOUND_YOU." Robo Ky spoke monotonously. "THERE_IS_NO_ESCAPE. PREPARE_YOURSELF."
Hikki shook his head and grumbled. "When will you stop chasing me around?" he mumbled.
"YOU_ARE_TO_BE_DETAINED_UNDER_OUR_ORDER." The Robo Ky spoke and lifted his Thunderseal. "YOU_MUST_OBEY_US. WE_WILL_"
The Robo Ky suddenly got hit by a Reppuken thrown by Hikki and was pushed several feet backward. Hikki opened a Yagamiryuu-like battle stance and stared at the robot. "You make me sick. You make me totally sick," he spoke.
"WARNING! WARNING! TARGET_IS_RETALIATING!" the Robo Ky buzzed in alarm.
"I said you make me sick!" Hikki shouted and tossed a Double Reppuken at the robot. The Robo Ky jumped to avoid the projectile and Hikki immediately acted. He jumped toward Robo Ky and caught the robot's body in his arms. "HIGH VOLTAGE!" The PWAB mechanical knight was caught by the anti-air overdrive and, together with Hikki, dived toward the hill - head first - and crashed. Hikki air-recovered but the Robo Ky was crushed under his own weight and was destroyed into pieces. Hikki landed on his feet and keenly observed the bushes.
"I know you're out there, so come out." As if reacting by response, tens of Robo Kys jumped out of their camping site and surrounded Hikki en masse. The Korean glowered at each and every Robo Ky and snarled. "You never want to stop. I'm totally annoyed with you all."
"ALL_YOUR_BASE_ARE_BELONG_TO_US. YOU_ARE_ON_THE_WAY_TO_DESTRUCTION." All the robots uttered.
"It's you who are on the way to destruction," Hikki insisted and summoned gale from his palm. "Let's finish this."
x-x-x-x-x
It had been days since the Mayship battle took place. Now, May was walking down the gravel path alone, carrying a broken heart. She had to pay a price. Not only she was expelled from Mayship and lost her best friend ever – April – she was even betrayed by Johnny, to whom she contributed her life and soul to the pirate chief. The stern face he had shown when he fired her shattered her delicate heart to its very root. She couldn't believe that the responsible and generous Johnny would turn his back away to Bonne Jennet.
She halted. Biting her lower lip and clenching her fists, May cursed and swore and blamed Johnny. "Johnny baaka! Baaka! Baaka! Why would he do this to me? Why? Why? Nande? Nande?" Slowly, curses turned to wails as she cupped her face and cried. The tears streaming down her cheeks were unusually different; she would usually have it wiped off by Dizzy or April, and recently, her new beloved Bridget.
Bridget.
The only person she truly loved with all her heart. Never before in her whole life, she found a man with such sincerity and loyalty as he was. She knew from the very first time they met, she fell in love with the Brit crossdresser. She wanted to be in his warm and soothing arms. She missed his radiant smile, which was always carved upon his face. She was desperate to hold him, to embrace him, feeling his masculine strength hidden beneath his feminine outlook. She needed him.
"Kono mama de wa owaran zo~!!!"
May was startled. Frantically she looked around and up. A man was seen falling from the heaven, screaming and cursing like crazy. The man crashed in front of her, creating a huge crater resulting from the massive impact. She approached the crater and saw the man lay flat on his back.
"Isn't he…?"
"Ouch, and more ouch," Iori grumbled and hastily stood up. "Silly Filipinos, chasing me around the moon like crazy. Damn, they forced me into using the Invincibility." He noticed May and immediately went into defensive stance. "You! You're here! What are you doing here, Mistress May?"
"I'm Mistress May?" May asked back.
"Yes, you are!" Iori answered. "You're Dark Evil EX Gold God Hyper Omega Orochi Shin Super Saiyuki 4 Vicious Kusanagi May` 9999 everybody else and I had fought! And thanks to Bridget, I got Shot to the Moon!"
"What are you talking about, Mister Iori? I don't understand a thing at all!" May insisted.
"Don't play-play with me, Mistress May!" Iori demanded and opened his palm. "I shall have my revenge!"
"But first, can I ask you one thing?" May asked.
"What?" Iori demanded again.
"Why are you talking like the best contractor in Singapore and JB? You could've used your own quotes," May spoke. "And besides, you're acting so different today. What's gotten into your mind actually?"
"Well, that…" Iori spoke and scratched his cheek.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Back to the hill.
One by one, all the Robo Kys were tossed to the air by throws, crashed on the ground due to air dust, hit by oncoming projectiles, counterattacked by reversals, grappled by command throws, missed the cosplay elite, and they were getting mad at him. Already, immediately as the battle started, guided missiles, rockets and Stun Edges were fired at Hikki and he easily cancelled all of them with his Reppuken.
Hikki jumped over a Vapor Thrust and fired a midair Reppuken at the attacking Robo Ky. The robot fired a Stun Edge and found that he was facing Hikki. "Too slow." As fast as an eye can see, Hikki grappled the Robo Ky and tossed the robot to the air, in his version of Rock Howard's Shinkuu Nage – the Time Vacuum.
"ERROR! BLUE_SCREEN_OF_DEATH!" the remaining robots screamed and charged toward Hikki. The Korean looked at all of them and lowered his stance, and crossed his arms. Then he emitted a loud battle cry and…
Shouted a name.
"CHRONO INSTALL!"
x-x-x-x-x
Kyo was startled. A strange, unfriendly force was sensed from outside the mansion. It triggered his Kusanagi blood so rapidly that his power almost erupted inside his body. "What… what is this power?"
x-x-x-x-x
Terry stopped. For a while, his wolf spirit was howling violently. Then he realized that it was awakened by an unknown force that came from nowhere. "Is it just me, or he's declaring his challenge?" he thought and grinned.
x-x-x-x-x
Sol looked up to the sky. He felt something annoyingly unpleasant from beyond the horizon. So unpleasant, it was, that he had to power up with Dragon Install. "What the hell is really going on?"
x-x-x-x-x
Zofeah's eyes widened. The force he sensed was unusual. He looked at his pocket watch and was surprised. It stopped ticking. "I know this force. I know it very well," he whispered and clenched the watch. "It's the forbidden magic of Chrono."
x-x-x-x-x
In an instant, Hikki's body got enveloped by metallic blue wind, charged up with electricity. The previously summoned gale grew bigger and more intense, raging violently in his palm. Hikki clenched it into a fist and reopened it, releasing and even more concentrated gale. He looked at the ambushing Robo Ky.
"SHINE!"
He, then, charged toward the robots, attacking and counterattacking each and every of them without giving them a chance of retaliating. More and more Robo Kys arrived at the scene, aiding the battalion that was sent to the location yet it could not stop Hikki. His attacks became faster and more lethal, and before long the battalion's size was cut by half.
"SURRENDER_NOW_HIKKI!" all the Robo Kys shouted and executed Ride The Lightning. "YOU_CANNOT_DO_ANYTHING_NOW! YOU_ARE_OUTNUMBERED!"
"If anyone is to surrender," Hikki replied and opened a reversal, "then that person would be YOU! TIME HALT!"
The name suggested it. The reversal move caused the overdrive and the Robo Kys to halt into a state of idleness. Not including Hikki, all the robots were stunned and paralyzed as their time space was affected by Time Halt. Unexpectedly, all things and creatures at and around the battlefield was frozen in time.
WARNING. BODY CLOCK MALFUNCTIONING. UNABLE TO EXECUTE ANY COMMANDS. SYSTEM FAILS TO RESPOND. MUST RETURN TO BASE IMMEDIATELY.
Hikki stood on his place. The gale in his palm was unaffected by Time Halt's aftereffect, and was still raging violently. It wanted to be unleashed by its master, and Hikki would do so. He lifted his arms to the air and let the gale grew bigger.
"RISING CRESCENT!"
As he slammed both palms onto the ground, torrents of crescent-shaped air blades hurled through cracks and fissures, cutting and shredding and tearing the robots' body. Subsequent to that, hurricane arrived at the hill, rampaging everything and all things on its path; and combined with the previously executed Chrono Install, the Geese Howard's Raising Storm-like attack was deadly. Strangely, all the events did not affected the village or the surrounding area, though it could be seen by the local people.
"Robo Ky, look at that," Yuu uttered as she and Robo Ky looked outside her house. "There's a storm at the hill, but the weather report said that today would be a shiny day."
"STORM IN SUNNY DAY?" Robo Ky inquired, before he realized something. "OH CRAP! HIKKI WENT TO THAT HILL!" He rushed to the location but then he got pushed back by oncoming wind. "DAMN IT! AT THIS RATE HE WILL…" In his desperate act, Robo Ky activated his Genky Lover and ran through the menacing storm.
It ended. The Rising Crescent overdrive dissipated. There was no more traces or the PWAB soldiers. All that remained was debris and metal pieces. Hikki recovered from both Rising Crescent and Chrono Install, staggered, spent, exhausted, but he seemed to be alright. He was satisfied. The Robo Ky army was successfully defeated, and he knew that they would never bother him again.
Then he frowned. His fists clenched again. His body was trembling and shaking, and he silently groaned. "My evil blood… must resist it…!" He cried out loud and fired a gigantic Reppuken and wiped out all the debris from the place. He panted breathlessly and shook his head. "Damn…"
"HIKKI!" Hikki turned around and saw Robo Ky running toward him, with Yuu and Sumomo following from the behind. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT? WHAT HAPPENED HERE?"
"Robo Ky… Yuu… and Sumomo?" he whispered. Then he laughed and shuddered. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. My mood wasn't good a while ago and I got enraged, so I let it all out of my body."
"Are you okay, Hikki?" Yuu asked. This time, she was concerned of him. "Sumomo told me that you went to the hill for private training, and then this storm came in. I was worried at you. What if you got hurt?"
Hikki couldn't help himself but to grin. "I've told you, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. And stop making that face to me again, okay?" he spoke and poked her cheeks.
"I-I'm sorry," Yuu apologized.
"AIIIIII! It's breakfast time! AIIIIII! Time for breakfast! Today's meal is fried egg with rice porridge! AIIIIII!" Sumomo exclaimed and danced on Yuu's shoulder. Both Hikki and Yuu giggled at the Persocon's cuteness.
"All this training made me hungry. Why don't we have breakfast first? Robo Ky?" Hikki uttered.
"YOU THREE GO FIRST. I WANT TO CHECK THIS PLACE AROUND FIRST." Robo Ky told.
"Whatever you want to do," Hikki said. "Come on, Sumomo. Whoever gets to the house fastest will get the most meal. Are you ready. Sumomo?"
"AIIIIII! Wakarimashita desu!"
All but Robo Ky left the hill. The robot was inspecting the scene with his internal sensor, checking for suspicious items that he could find. He spotted one: a broken piece of Thunderseal's blade. He picked the piece and examined it. His eyes narrowed in concern. "IT'S THEM…"
x-x-x-x-x
Inside a mansion, outside the abandoned city of Moscow.
A man on a throne, accompanied by a fairy-like creature that was sitting on his shoulder. He, as well as the creature, seemed to be sleeping. He was very still, not affected by bugs and creepy-crawlies surrounding his hair. The suit he wore, along with the white headband, was awfully similar to the one that had once become the world-famous fighter: Kusanagi Kyo.
Yet Kyo didn't use the suit anymore since KOF99, and he now wore his latest KOF2003 outfit. Then, if that was Kyo, then who was this person in the authentic outfit?
ALL SYSTEM ARE READY FOR ACTION. FULL OPERATION MODE ACTIVATIING IN FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO…
Immediately the man opened his eyes and stood up. He wiped all dirt and dust scattering on his body. The creature was awakened and squealed wildly, flying around the throne. He was idle for a while before he ignited flame from his palm and fired it toward a crate. The item was destroyed and got incinerated by the unmistakable Dark Sweeper. The man who looked like Kyo grinned deviously.
"Ikuze."