Match 2-1: Neo Commando Squad vs. Project Justice
Author's Notes: And yet another update ... well, we can't relax forever, can we? Time marches on no matter what we do, and it's no different in the stories either. This chapter marks about the half-way point on the tournament, with eight matches behind us and seven to go (eight, counting the finals). That being said, enjoy!
Noctorro: Chan and Kikoken are punching bags for higher-tier characters! Er, actually, they're what we call Lian. Lian powers are elemental in nature, divided into one of eight types: Essence, Void, Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. The entire theory is very complicated, and a Lian's power can be revoked at any time. Without giving away too much, I'll try to work in details on how they got their powers.
Osaka, Japan
One day has passed
"Good morning, everyone! Welcome back to the World Collision tournament, hi, my name is Kyosuke Kagami and over here is my friend -"
"Jin, Jin, Jin!" Jin Saotome screamed.
"Right, this is Jin Saotome." Kyosuke adjusted his eyeglasses. "We are here in sunny Osaka, where the weather is a comfortable twenty-eight degrees. We're just about to begin the second match set, featuring two strong teams facing against each other today. Quick recap of the previous match set's events for you." Kyosuke held forth his steady commentary as the gigantic holoprojector flashed through various highlights of the past battles.
"In the first match of the first set, the Neo Commando Squad won a surprisingly easy victory over the Darkstalkers' Alliance through their excellent teamwork. The battle was exciting nonetheless," and here the holoprojector showed Hiryu being turned into a woman, "and a hearty congratulations to the Neo Commando Squad for its victory. In the second match, the Triple Dragons began strong against Project Justice but lost it when the latter team pulled out its big guns." Chan once more caught Yin and they both disappeared in a storm of wind. "In the third match, a breakdown of teamwork amongst the Wrestlers' Association virtually assured the victory of single entry Ernest McGrath." As the audience watched, Haggar disappeared skywards with Zangief in tow as McGrath scratched his head in confusion. "In the fourth match, the IDC's Strike Force Phantom won an atrocious battle against Team Final Fight." Again Samantha caught Guy under the chin with her vicious Minerva Kick. "In the fifth match, the World Warrior team ran over the New Generation team virtually unopposed." Ryu's Shin Shoryuken again knocked Sakura into the stratosphere as the audience oohed and aahed. "In the sixth match, the Killer Bees fell before a one-man onslaught from the leader of the Lords of Shadowlaw." In the holoprojector image, Bison was busy Psycho Drive Crushing the bees into oblivion. "In the seventh match, the Police Investigators fought bravely against Dadallent but were whittled into submission." The video played a repeat of Dadallent catching Mason Storm with the Ravage Assault. "Finally, a fast-paced and exciting battle between the American Vigilantes and the Masters Team resulted in victory to the former." Ken suffered the indignity of once more seeing himself rush straight into Scott's Magnetic Crucible.
"Today's match features the return of two victorious teams, the Neo Commando Squad and Project Justice, whom even as we speak are busy preparing for a showdown at Niagara Falls on the Canadian side of the border. Let's go to our correspondent in the field. Alia, how's everything holding up in Canada?"
"Well, Kyosuke, as you can see, it's nighttime here but a number of floodlights have been set up to illuminate the battlefield." Alia gestured; as the camera panned, the audience could see more of the surrounding landscape. A number of spotlights had been mounted on the periphery of Horseshoe Falls and they cast various rainbows through the mist; tonight the moon was but a sliver of a crescent. Even from this distance, the waterfall thundered softly. Again, as always, the place was an absolutely beautiful locale for a showdown. And then, the blurred shape on the surface of the lake abruptly sharpened. As the camera zoomed in, Alia resumed her commentary. "The fight occurs on a stretch of rock directly in front of the falls. There's not much room for maneuvering between the cliffs on one side and the water on the other. As you can see, Captain Commando and Ruby Heart are already present, but so far only Kikoken has made an appearance amongst the members of Project Justice. Back to you, Kyosuke."
"Thank you, Alia. While we're waiting, let's take a detailed look at the team members. On the Neo Commando side, team leader Captain Commando ..."
Picking his way along the rocky shore, Captain Commando picked up a rock and turned it over in his gloved hand. He had to speak loudly to make himself heard over the waterfall a bare hundred meters away. "You played Regina's bizarre game, didn't you? I heard about what happened. How did it end?"
Ruby Heart shook her head slowly. "Nobody had the heart to keep playing after the goddess showed us the card. Can you blame them? The doctor is holding up remarkably well, but his wife is worried half to death about him. Regina said that she would do everything she could to make sure that it doesn't happen."
"Good. We really don't need any more disappearances." Commando ran a hand through his hair. "Here comes Hiryu with his cheap-as-hell girlfriend. Let's get started."
"Very well, name your leader, Neo Commando Squad," Gill commanded.
Captain Commando indicated Ruby Heart. "Let her lead off this time. I want to see what the other team will do for myself. I'll follow you and Strider can bring up the tail end of the roster."
When all the elements of Project Justice had assembled, Jedah noted Edgar as the opposing leader. Then they all drew back to allow for the prefight dialog to begin, and Edgar did so promptly, assessing Ruby Heart with a hard gaze. "You must be the infamous Ghost Captain, a wolf in sheep's clothing, that I hear so much of."
"And you must be the well-known Hypocrite of Justice," Ruby Heart answered coolly.
"You dare call me that!" Edgar exclaimed indignantly. "I'll set your twisted mind aright!"
Begin!
Edgar rushed in without any preamble, aiming straight for Ruby's stomach with a powerful lunging kick. He paid for it a moment later when Ruby Heart ducked under the attack and then burst upwards, her body surrounded by azure flames. Edgar took the attack head-on, clutching a burn on his chest as he tumbled backwards. He landed smoothly, but already Ruby Heart had produced an anchor out of thin air and was tossing it his way. Edgar was unable to dodge the anchor and it tangled itself around his legs; while stuck, he was an easy victim for Ruby Heart's next maneuver, a water blast that geysered straight out of the rocks and launched him skyward. Ruby Heart jumped up and laid into Edgar with an aerial rave.
"The action's already hot," Kyosuke observed. "This battle is heavily in favor of the Neo Commando Squad. The Neo Commando Squad has already beaten a much tougher team than Project Justice, and none of the members of Project Justice can really match any of the Neo Commandos. Also, watch how Ruby Heart is bringing her strikers to bear in this battle, using Captain Commando's various assists to effectively lock Edgar's options down. There he goes wrapped up in another anchor! And Ruby Heart goes right into a super attack - urgh!" Kyosuke was abruptly cut off as Jin seized his collar with excitement.
"Did you see that?" Jin screamed. "She's about to kick his ass!"
A treasure chest had materialized and Ruby Heart kicked it open; when the cover came off, a legion of ghosts suddenly sprang out, all of them rushing towards Edgar. The ninja master turned as pale as a sheet and frantically tried to extricate himself from the chains, but his efforts came too little and too late. The ghosts swarmed all over him and he disappeared under the horde. Then Ruby Heart suddenly snapped her fingers and jumped out of the battlefield. As Edgar struggled to free himself of the ghosts, Captain Commando jumped in and continued the attack. The captain landed practically next to Edgar and wound up his fist, sinking it into the ground with the force of a falling star. The whole battlefield trembled; an enormous pillar of electricity blasted upwards to the sky and then another, and another, each one drawing progressively closer. Edgar kicked away the remains of the chain and hastily knocked the ghosts away. He managed to defend against Commando's Captain Shock, but it wasn't over yet. Edgar watched in disbelief as Commando also tagged out, bringing the next person into the fight. Strider Hiryu pulled his Cypher sword around in one smooth motion and threw an enormous blade of energy off it. It hit solidly and Edgar gasped with shock as the attack sheared cleanly through his wristguards. As Strider pulled the sword around for another swing, Edgar drew his own katana and blocked the blow. The third swing was an overhead bash and Edgar also blocked this one, but the sheer force of the attack knocked him hard into the unforgiving surface of the rocks he was standing on.
Strider took the opportunity to close in with a teleport and dropped out of the sky, slashing downwards. Edgar caught this attack on his blade, but Hiryu pulled out his shoulder-mounted hook and brought it around in a wide-arcing swing. He trapped Edgar's katana between the hook and his own Cypher blade; a moment later, the katana had been sent spinning out of reach and Hiryu slashed again. Edgar hit the ground smoothly and rolled backwards, flinging a shuriken as he popped upright. Only that Hiryu wasn't there. The ninja Strider was a good ten feet away and hopped to the side, triangle jumping off the nearby cliffs for extra air. He threw himself into a rolling spin, the Cypher blade cleaving through the air, and somehow managed to land softly into a shoulder roll. Edgar, nursing a dozen bruises where the ghosts had caught him earlier, signaled and jumped out of the battlefield.
Kikoken slid in and instantly went for a sliding kick aimed squarely at Hiryu's ankles; at the same time, Chan appeared and caught Hiryu during a jump with a Cyclone Wall. The wind flung Hiryu to the side and he landed, not so gracefully this time, practically next to Kikoken. Kikoken lashed out instinctively, but Hiryu was faster, managing to jump upright and dodge the attack in the same motion. The next instant he brought his Cypher blade around and struck Kikoken's shoulder with the flat of the blade; the water Lian felt her entire left arm turn numb. She changed herself into her liquid form as another slash came by, one that threatened to take off her head. Kikoken evaded and reappeared on the opposite side of the battlefield; at the same time, Chan came in from behind and Hiryu completely failed to notice her. A moment later he was trapped and floating helplessly within a cage of wind currents.
Kikoken focused, intending to hit Strider with her CleanSweep attack. But Chan was on the other side, and since she had to maintain the trap effect, Kikoken would risk hitting her, too. She shook her head clear; if Chan reacted quickly, she could get away while still knocking Hiryu out cold. The attack materialized, a series of waves rushing down on Hiryu, as Kikoken drew extra power from the water nearby. But she'd forgotten something; right before her eyes, Ruby Heart dove in on Chan with her entire body aflame and knocked the girl out of the battlefield. Freed from his prison, Hiryu soared up with a powerful jump, leaping over the waves completely. He sank his grappling hook into the cliffs overhanging the battleground and hung safely out of reach, at the same time directing Ruby Heart in for another attack. Ruby Heart slung her anchor and in a moment had Kikoken wrapped up in a mesh of chains. Then, still hanging, Hiryu gave a two-fingered salute.
"And Hiryu has summoned his Options!" Kyosuke announced. "Mr. Q, what can you tell us about this move?"
Q's voice came back in the listless monotone that Kyosuke disliked so much. "This technique is known as the Ouroboros. Hiryu calls four Options, each of which will hit an opponent that comes too close, as well as granting him a pseudo-shield of sorts. Whenever he attacks, each Option also fires off a burst of energy. The Option shield lasts fifteen seconds and allows Hiryu to rack up enormous chain attacks. It is easily his most abusable super technique and so despised that it has been labeled the 'Oh-You-Bore-Us' by many arcade gamers."
"Thanks for the commentary, Mr. Q." Q tipped his hit to Kyosuke as the latter continued with his spiel. "And talk about abusable, ladies and gentlemen - Hiryu teleported right next to Kikoken and let his Options beat the tar out of her. Luckily for her, the Options' time meter ran out right there, but ... yep, she's switching out and bringing Chan in. For those of you new to the tournament, Hiryu and Chan are in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, so it remains to be seen whether they'll be willing to attack each other. Hiryu's calling Ruby Heart again; interesting, he asked for a Power-Up orb. That must mean he's about to go on the offensive. Chan, for her part, is already playing keep-away, but Hiryu is having none of that - urk!"
"Do they think this is a date?!" Jin roared, shaking an armored fist at the screen and nearly deafening Kyosuke. "Get on with it or I'll punch you out with Blodia!"
Chan called Edgar, who threw a card into the battlefield. Hiryu rushed Chan, dodging a succession of wind slashes, but as he closed on her side of the battleground Chan vanished into a gust of wind and reappeared a few seconds later in the space Hiryu had vacated. Hiryu teleported, too, trying to catch Chan with a kick from above, but Chan again vanished. When she reappeared, she was clinging to a plant that grew directly out of the cliffs. Frustrated, Hiryu called in Ruby while Edgar appeared at the same time. Edgar flung a shuriken at Hiryu, which Hiryu easily parried; Ruby Heart produced an anchor from somewhere but it suddenly exploded in a burst of color as Edgar's card activated. Hiryu's eyes narrowed; it was the Magic Jammer, fortunately only good for a single use. During the confusion, Chan had moved again, this time right behind Hiryu before he even noticed her. She caught him by the neck as a tempest of wind gathered around them and had the attack gone through it would have been the end of Strider. As it was, Captain Commando appeared at the last moment before Ruby Heart and Edgar vanished; he sailed across the shore with a flying kick, boots aflame, and caught Chan squarely between the shoulder blades. Chan staggered and dropped Hiryu as the winds died down.
Hiryu signaled for another assist; again Ruby Heart appeared and slung an anchor, which Chan failed to avoid. When Hiryu gave his two-fingered salute and four more Options materialized around him, Chan instinctively faded out again, more from reaction than reason. She managed to successfully dodge Hiryu while his Ouroboros technique remained active, closing in only after they'd walked off. Hiryu grimaced; he'd run out of Options at this rate. Then his mind cooked up another plan and he signaled Ruby with a series of gestures, outlining his trap. Chan was floating some fifteen feet above the shore and taunting Hiryu.
So she was unprepared when Ruby Heart's anchor suddenly hit her backside and wrapped her up in a moment's notice, bringing her to the ground with a thud. Chan swore and called Edgar, but the ninja master was slow to respond; meanwhile, Hiryu crossed his arms and brought his Cypher blade up in a sort of salute, closing his eyes as he did so, and Chan's mind reeled in terror. That's his Ragnarok technique! There won't be enough of me left to fill up a tablespoon with if he catches me! But what the heck, I can avoid anything he throws at me! Chan blurred out again, aiming to reappear with as much distance between herself and Hiryu as possible, and fell right into the trap. Hiryu took advantage of the delayed hyper combo rule and was instantly replaced by Ruby Heart, who launched her own attack.
Chan materialized just in time to see a man-sized barrel dropped on top of her, with slots cut into its sides. The barrel seemed to be rotating of its own power. On the outside, Edgar had finally appeared and launched a shuriken, but Ruby Heart avoided it easily. She threw open one fold of her great overcoat, exposing a vestful of throwing knives, and as the barrel rotated she flung each one with expert aim into a slot. Chan screamed as the assault continued; the barrel was magically sealed to prevent teleportation and Ruby Heart took full advantage of it. She continued flinging a truckload of knives, finally ending with a triple toss that split the barrel open. Chan tumbled out, gushing blood from a score of wounds.
Edgar jumped in to take her place, snarling as he closed in on Ruby Heart. Unfortunately, the sight of Chan knocked out had made him too angry to fight properly. Ruby Heart wore him down by alternating Captain Commando's assists with her own keep away techniques. When Edgar lost his temper and called in Kikoken for a dual team attack, Ruby Heart had a sudden brainwave and called in Commando for their own retaliatory combo. Edgar reached into his sleeves and flung a storm of shuriken their way as Kikoken summoned a massive number of waves. The attack had nearly reached Ruby Heart when she and Commando countered.
Edgar's eyes bulged in disbelief as a veritable pirate ship sailed out of nowhere, knocking his shuriken aside. It came on with unbelievable speed and he had no time to dodge, or even shout, before it hit and impaled him on its mast. Nor was that all; as Kikoken summoned more water, Commando sank his fist into the rocks and launched his Captain Shock right as Kikoken's attack reached him. The waves contacted his fist and suddenly Kikoken was being jolted everywhere by her own electrified waters. Ruby Heart signaled again and the gunports on the phantom pirate ship opened, revealing a cruel bank of cannons aimed straight at the hapless duo of Project Justice.
"And Project Justice goes up in smoke!" Jin screamed. "The Neo Commando Squad has won!"
Osaka, Japan
Three days have passed
"... You're heading home, too?" Edgar demanded, looking back forth from Mitsukake to Kikoken. Darrell Markis had left during the match, before Edgar could net him. Sakura Kasugano, for her part, was staying to the end of the tournament. "What is wrong with you two, huh? We still need to prove that justice triumphs over all!"
"Edgar, we lost the tournament," Kikoken replied. "What's the use of staying any longer? I don't want to disappear." She shuddered a bit as she said this last sentence.
"Precisely!" Edgar exclaimed, as though Kikoken had just proven his point. "We need to find the criminals behind these disappearances and bring them to justice! And we need you to help do it!"
Kikoken sighed. "Dr. McGrath has worked himself mercilessly without finding even a single good lead. What makes you think you'd have any better of a chance? No, I'm out of here. And I think you'd better do what Mitsu and I are doing and make yourself scarce, too."
"What about Chan?" Edgar asked.
Kikoken threw her hands in the air. "You know Chan; once she gets an idea in her head she doesn't listen to anything or anyone. She wants to stay with Hiryu and I couldn't talk her out of it however hard I tried. Why don't you try, Edgar?" So saying, Kikoken and Mitsukake picked up their bags and left the hotel via limousine, Edgar following them outside with more of his preaching.
"Sad, isn't it?" Mason Storm asked Ken Masters. "So many people leaving ... at first, we all planned to stay to the very end. And now everyone feels insecure here. It's a real pity."
"Huh, I hear you. We're losing too many young women - er, I mean, contestants," Ken amended hastily. Mason shot him a withering glare. Ken simply sighed again and glanced at his wristwatch. Morrigan plumb vanished with the rest of the Darkstalkers - now there was a girl who knew what she wanted out of a man! Karin and Ibuki are out of the picture. Jill Valentine's gone, too, and if I made a pass at either Chun-Li, Maki, or Sakura then Eliza would definitely hear about it somewhere down the line. Chan and Kirina are too young, besides which I'd have to deal with Strider or Ryu if I tried. If I tried to pick up Juli then the World Warrior team would lynch me; and if I tried to pick up Cammy then the Phantoms would kick my rear for it. Ruby Heart's too intimidating; I heard she's a manhandler if one ever lived. Samantha I'd have to seduce behind McGrath's back, and he's way too watchful for that to happen. That leaves only Regina, but then I have Gill to worry about. This sucks ... all these beautiful women and I can't have any of them!
"You okay?" Passing by, Zeku halted for a moment and looked at Ken closely. "You seem tired, or sad."
"I'm fine," Ken replied automatically. "Just need something to do. In fact, I think I will. I'm heading out downtown for about an hour, call my cell phone if you need me."
"Yeah, sure." Zeku took the seat that Ken had vacated. "Afternoon. I'm Zeku."
"Mason Storm." They shook hands across the table. Maki appeared a short while later, as did Kenneth Feng and Scott Wagner. Naturally the conversation turned towards old times and the two older men sat back, remembering bygone battles. Then, "Speaking of which, Ryu is training outside right now. You have anything better to do?" When everyone else shook heads, Mason led them to the outdoor gym.
Ryu was outside, as were most of the other contestants. As Mason appeared, he greeted Ryu and Sagat with a friendly wave and Ryu nodded back. "Good afternoon, Mason. Kirina and Blake were just finished up here." He indicated the two young fighters, both of whom were drinking heavily from bottled water. Samantha McGrath handed Blake a towel while Lloyd perched on the fence, playing with his weapons. Farther back, Sagat and Alex were doing pushups on two fingers. Gouken and Ernest McGrath stopped with their form work for a moment to greet the new arrivals. Regina and Gill were also present, the former wearing a plain skirt and blouse and a contented smile, the latter hovering protectively around the goddess.
"How'd it go?" Zeku asked.
Kirina paused for a moment, drawing breath. "Well, I didn't win ..." she began.
"And neither did I," Blake concluded. "Good match, Kirina." They shook hands and Blake moved off, picking a clear section of the area to shadowbox.
"So what's going on here?" Maki asked.
"A little seminar, sort of," Ryu answered. "I'm overseeing the combat tactics section at the moment; that's what Kirina and Blake just finished. Sagat is doing the whole-body workout, while Lloyd is teaching the weapons seminar. Dr. McGrath is doing the forms section. If you want to do the spiritual power session, go talk to Gill. If you'd like to learn about pressure points, speak to Gen. If you need healing, go talk to Regina." Ryu declined to mention that Sagat had earlier been beaten within an inch of his life by Gill.
"Sounds like fun," Maki muttered. "I think I'll stick to something safe, like knocking Kabuki rejects out of high-rise buildings. Or beating up generic Mad Gear goons." She moved off to the forms section and all silently McGrath began to lead her through a basic Tai Ch'i drill. "Life was so much easier back in the good old days. All we had then to worry about was the insane Mad Gear and a dictator bent on world conquest. Nowadays, a ninja has to -"
"Shut up and concentrate," Zeku admonished, at the same time shooting a warning glance. Maki caught him looking at Gill and closed her mouth, nodding. Whatever she might say, there was a good chance that Gill would take offense to it. But that was Gill ... who, come to think of it, had been acting entirely out of character ever since Regina's arrival. Weird. McGrath sank low and smoothed out, putting his whole body in one fluid motion. Maki followed him as best she could. He led her through the more familiar ninjutsu drills when they had finished with Tai Ch'i. Glancing to the side, Maki saw that Gill was trying to make Scott Wagner and Kenneth Feng sit still for meditation.
"Man, this is so dull," Blake Wallis complained. "Who wants to sing?" Without waiting for a reply, he broke out into an awful rendition of some popular song in the United States. Kirina raised a quizzical eyebrow and McGrath paused just long enough in his form to shrug, as if to give her permission. Kirina nodded her appreciation and turned to face Blake.
"Hadouken!"
"Sheesh, you could've just told me that you didn't like the song," Blake muttered, rubbing his cheek where a toned-down Hadouken had clipped him. "You don't see me throwing a Bandit Wolf Slayer when I express my dissatisfaction, do you?"
"But this is different," Kirina pointed out.
"How so?"
"I can get away with it."
Blake stared for a moment, then snorted and doubled over laughing. "Ha ha ... okay, point. Touché. Now, Regina, would you heal me before this burns down to the bone?"
"Mind your manners when speaking to the Lady Regina, mortal!" Gill thundered, miffed that Blake hadn't even said please.
"It's alright, Gill." Regina made no movement other than to nod slightly at Blake. "It's done," she said, and she smiled. Whatever had occurred, no one else felt or saw anything, but Blake thanked Regina most cordially and a moment later was chasing Kirina around the gym with a knife in hand. "Aren't they cute?" Regina asked with a wistful smile.
Scott Wagner and Kenneth Feng abruptly stood up. "This meditation stuff is crap," Kenneth stated. "It's way too hard sitting still in one place with all this caterwauling going on. We're heading off, see you guys later." Scott and Kenneth split in two directions, the former searching for his teammates, the latter heading to the local pub where fresh alcohol awaited. Gill sighed and muttered something about the youths' lack of patience.
Just then a phone rang; Samantha apologized hastily as she reached for her IDC communicator. "Keychain here." A quick conversation followed before Samantha killed the connection. "It was BEAT leader," she explained. "He reports that there may be potential trouble."
"Of what kind?" McGrath wanted to know.
Samantha shook her head. "He did not say. He seemed more ... amused ... than troubled."
"Probably playing another joke on us," Blake ventured, panting as he skidded to a halt, "though I can't say that I'd blame him. It must be deadly dull babysitting all of us all day, every day. I heard he assigned a whole team just to you, doctor. How does it feel to be coddled?"
McGrath laughed. "You know that I didn't approve of the switch and our superior officers overruled me regardless. They all think that I'm going to disappear. I asked them not to worry, but you know how former field agents are."
Blake frowned, as did Samantha. "This isn't a joking matter," Ryu insisted. "We were all there."
McGrath chuckled again. "I admit, I was troubled, but only for a moment. But then I remembered just where I was, and that I'm surrounded by very dangerous people." He smiled as he began a rendition of a kung-fu exercise designed to teach defense. "Why should I worry when I have such formidable friends? You, Ryu, and Sagat over there, and my old pals Gouken and Zeku, and your daughter Kirina, and the Phantom strike force, and Mason and Maki. And who can forget Gill and Regina? It's not everyone who has a seraph and a goddess on his side. So that's why I'm not worried at all."
"My offer is still open -" Regina began.
McGrath shook his head. "I appreciate the thought. But I'll be fine." Earlier Regina had offered to assign a quartet of valkyries as his special bodyguards, but McGrath had turned the offer down. No use dragging others into danger along with himself. Even though the valkyries were superbly trained warriors from what he understood, McGrath did not feel justified placing them in possible jeopardy for his own sake. Come to think of it, hadn't Gill said something years ago about the valkyries being beautiful female angels? The cynical portion of McGrath's mind wondered how quickly Ken would have taken up a similar offer.
"I see," Regina replied. "If you change your mind, let me know."
"Valkyries, eh?" Sagat asked, wiping off a bead of sweat from his forehead as he rejoined Ryu. "What're they doing around here?"
Regina fielded the question. "The guardians and the valkyries are Heaven's fighting branch, trained by the gods and goddesses of war themselves. They're mainly concerned with combat, but they also run a variety of odd tasks. My angels are standing by and will come if I call them."
"Huh, sounds just like an IDC strike force's job description," Blake Wallis muttered.
"Hey, look, here comes Ken Masters," Mason Storm called. "Care to join us, Ken? Gen has a killer pressure points seminar in the works here."
"Thanks, I'll pass," Ken called back. Then, as he neared, he pulled Regina to one side. "May I have a word with you, please?" he asked, fidgeting a little. Regina allowed herself to be drawn away and Ken put a fair distance between them and the others. Gill looked like he wanted to follow but Kirina preempted him by tossing him a katana and drawing herself into a fencing stance.
"What's he up to now?" Gouken said suspiciously.
McGrath stepped around in a circle, completing the form. "Do you even have to ask? He's trying to seduce Regina, of course. Look at what he's holding in his left hand, though." Gouken squinted, but it was obvious that his aged eyes were no match for McGrath's IDC-enhanced senses.
At the far end of the outdoor gym, Ken halted under a basketball hoop and Regina looked at him expectantly. "Ken, there is something you wished to speak with me about?"
"Well, uh - I wanted to give you this!" he blurted out, holding up a small velvet box and feeling his face redden.
He pulled the box open and Regina gasped; a ring set with thirty-two small gems on its perimeter glittered in the afternoon sun. "Can it really be for me!? What a beautiful zirconium ring!" Regina exclaimed, and Ken nearly had a heart attack. Waah! She can tell that it's zirconium and not diamond?! I'm never going to hear the end of this one! Yet Regina did not seem to notice, instead slipping the ring onto her index finger and then holding it up. "Absolutely fabulous! Thank you, Ken!" Ken took a half-step back in surprise as Regina threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, then grinned and pulled her close. Regina disentangled herself after a long moment, but she was still smiling quite happily. Farther away, Gill looked as though he were about to suffer from massive trauma and Kirina had no trouble disarming him.
"Kinda clueless, isn't she?" McGrath said aloud to nobody in particular, and when a few questioning looks came his way, he explained, "That ring isn't diamond at all, it's zirconium. Please don't ask me how I know that."
"If somebody gave me a zirconium ring and pretended that it was diamond," Maki said half-idly, "I'd break up with him instantly - after breaking his bones, of course."
"Shh," Sagat cautioned as Ken and Regina walked back, the latter with her arm slipped through Ken's. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?"
"Isn't it beautiful?" Regina gushed, showing the ring to all present. A chorus of half-hearted replies came back, with Ryu giving Ken what Kirina called The Look. Ken's return smile was so bland and innocent that Ryu nearly choked. Gouken, watching the play unfold between the two of them, laughed silently. "I'm sorry that I don't have anything to give you in return, Ken," Regina continued. Apparently words failed her at that point as she half-turned and blinked her tears away. McGrath traded a look with Gill that said She tears up way too easily. Regina borrowed Gill's sleeve to wipe her eyes; glancing around, McGrath noted that most of the others had returned to their drills, apparently too embarrassed by the scene to keep watching.
"Maybe we ought to have Ken ... disappear," Blake muttered to Lloyd.
Author's Notes: And yet another update ... well, we can't relax forever, can we? Time marches on no matter what we do, and it's no different in the stories either. This chapter marks about the half-way point on the tournament, with eight matches behind us and seven to go (eight, counting the finals). That being said, enjoy!
Noctorro: Chan and Kikoken are punching bags for higher-tier characters! Er, actually, they're what we call Lian. Lian powers are elemental in nature, divided into one of eight types: Essence, Void, Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. The entire theory is very complicated, and a Lian's power can be revoked at any time. Without giving away too much, I'll try to work in details on how they got their powers.
Osaka, Japan
One day has passed
"Good morning, everyone! Welcome back to the World Collision tournament, hi, my name is Kyosuke Kagami and over here is my friend -"
"Jin, Jin, Jin!" Jin Saotome screamed.
"Right, this is Jin Saotome." Kyosuke adjusted his eyeglasses. "We are here in sunny Osaka, where the weather is a comfortable twenty-eight degrees. We're just about to begin the second match set, featuring two strong teams facing against each other today. Quick recap of the previous match set's events for you." Kyosuke held forth his steady commentary as the gigantic holoprojector flashed through various highlights of the past battles.
"In the first match of the first set, the Neo Commando Squad won a surprisingly easy victory over the Darkstalkers' Alliance through their excellent teamwork. The battle was exciting nonetheless," and here the holoprojector showed Hiryu being turned into a woman, "and a hearty congratulations to the Neo Commando Squad for its victory. In the second match, the Triple Dragons began strong against Project Justice but lost it when the latter team pulled out its big guns." Chan once more caught Yin and they both disappeared in a storm of wind. "In the third match, a breakdown of teamwork amongst the Wrestlers' Association virtually assured the victory of single entry Ernest McGrath." As the audience watched, Haggar disappeared skywards with Zangief in tow as McGrath scratched his head in confusion. "In the fourth match, the IDC's Strike Force Phantom won an atrocious battle against Team Final Fight." Again Samantha caught Guy under the chin with her vicious Minerva Kick. "In the fifth match, the World Warrior team ran over the New Generation team virtually unopposed." Ryu's Shin Shoryuken again knocked Sakura into the stratosphere as the audience oohed and aahed. "In the sixth match, the Killer Bees fell before a one-man onslaught from the leader of the Lords of Shadowlaw." In the holoprojector image, Bison was busy Psycho Drive Crushing the bees into oblivion. "In the seventh match, the Police Investigators fought bravely against Dadallent but were whittled into submission." The video played a repeat of Dadallent catching Mason Storm with the Ravage Assault. "Finally, a fast-paced and exciting battle between the American Vigilantes and the Masters Team resulted in victory to the former." Ken suffered the indignity of once more seeing himself rush straight into Scott's Magnetic Crucible.
"Today's match features the return of two victorious teams, the Neo Commando Squad and Project Justice, whom even as we speak are busy preparing for a showdown at Niagara Falls on the Canadian side of the border. Let's go to our correspondent in the field. Alia, how's everything holding up in Canada?"
"Well, Kyosuke, as you can see, it's nighttime here but a number of floodlights have been set up to illuminate the battlefield." Alia gestured; as the camera panned, the audience could see more of the surrounding landscape. A number of spotlights had been mounted on the periphery of Horseshoe Falls and they cast various rainbows through the mist; tonight the moon was but a sliver of a crescent. Even from this distance, the waterfall thundered softly. Again, as always, the place was an absolutely beautiful locale for a showdown. And then, the blurred shape on the surface of the lake abruptly sharpened. As the camera zoomed in, Alia resumed her commentary. "The fight occurs on a stretch of rock directly in front of the falls. There's not much room for maneuvering between the cliffs on one side and the water on the other. As you can see, Captain Commando and Ruby Heart are already present, but so far only Kikoken has made an appearance amongst the members of Project Justice. Back to you, Kyosuke."
"Thank you, Alia. While we're waiting, let's take a detailed look at the team members. On the Neo Commando side, team leader Captain Commando ..."
Picking his way along the rocky shore, Captain Commando picked up a rock and turned it over in his gloved hand. He had to speak loudly to make himself heard over the waterfall a bare hundred meters away. "You played Regina's bizarre game, didn't you? I heard about what happened. How did it end?"
Ruby Heart shook her head slowly. "Nobody had the heart to keep playing after the goddess showed us the card. Can you blame them? The doctor is holding up remarkably well, but his wife is worried half to death about him. Regina said that she would do everything she could to make sure that it doesn't happen."
"Good. We really don't need any more disappearances." Commando ran a hand through his hair. "Here comes Hiryu with his cheap-as-hell girlfriend. Let's get started."
"Very well, name your leader, Neo Commando Squad," Gill commanded.
Captain Commando indicated Ruby Heart. "Let her lead off this time. I want to see what the other team will do for myself. I'll follow you and Strider can bring up the tail end of the roster."
When all the elements of Project Justice had assembled, Jedah noted Edgar as the opposing leader. Then they all drew back to allow for the prefight dialog to begin, and Edgar did so promptly, assessing Ruby Heart with a hard gaze. "You must be the infamous Ghost Captain, a wolf in sheep's clothing, that I hear so much of."
"And you must be the well-known Hypocrite of Justice," Ruby Heart answered coolly.
"You dare call me that!" Edgar exclaimed indignantly. "I'll set your twisted mind aright!"
Begin!
Edgar rushed in without any preamble, aiming straight for Ruby's stomach with a powerful lunging kick. He paid for it a moment later when Ruby Heart ducked under the attack and then burst upwards, her body surrounded by azure flames. Edgar took the attack head-on, clutching a burn on his chest as he tumbled backwards. He landed smoothly, but already Ruby Heart had produced an anchor out of thin air and was tossing it his way. Edgar was unable to dodge the anchor and it tangled itself around his legs; while stuck, he was an easy victim for Ruby Heart's next maneuver, a water blast that geysered straight out of the rocks and launched him skyward. Ruby Heart jumped up and laid into Edgar with an aerial rave.
"The action's already hot," Kyosuke observed. "This battle is heavily in favor of the Neo Commando Squad. The Neo Commando Squad has already beaten a much tougher team than Project Justice, and none of the members of Project Justice can really match any of the Neo Commandos. Also, watch how Ruby Heart is bringing her strikers to bear in this battle, using Captain Commando's various assists to effectively lock Edgar's options down. There he goes wrapped up in another anchor! And Ruby Heart goes right into a super attack - urgh!" Kyosuke was abruptly cut off as Jin seized his collar with excitement.
"Did you see that?" Jin screamed. "She's about to kick his ass!"
A treasure chest had materialized and Ruby Heart kicked it open; when the cover came off, a legion of ghosts suddenly sprang out, all of them rushing towards Edgar. The ninja master turned as pale as a sheet and frantically tried to extricate himself from the chains, but his efforts came too little and too late. The ghosts swarmed all over him and he disappeared under the horde. Then Ruby Heart suddenly snapped her fingers and jumped out of the battlefield. As Edgar struggled to free himself of the ghosts, Captain Commando jumped in and continued the attack. The captain landed practically next to Edgar and wound up his fist, sinking it into the ground with the force of a falling star. The whole battlefield trembled; an enormous pillar of electricity blasted upwards to the sky and then another, and another, each one drawing progressively closer. Edgar kicked away the remains of the chain and hastily knocked the ghosts away. He managed to defend against Commando's Captain Shock, but it wasn't over yet. Edgar watched in disbelief as Commando also tagged out, bringing the next person into the fight. Strider Hiryu pulled his Cypher sword around in one smooth motion and threw an enormous blade of energy off it. It hit solidly and Edgar gasped with shock as the attack sheared cleanly through his wristguards. As Strider pulled the sword around for another swing, Edgar drew his own katana and blocked the blow. The third swing was an overhead bash and Edgar also blocked this one, but the sheer force of the attack knocked him hard into the unforgiving surface of the rocks he was standing on.
Strider took the opportunity to close in with a teleport and dropped out of the sky, slashing downwards. Edgar caught this attack on his blade, but Hiryu pulled out his shoulder-mounted hook and brought it around in a wide-arcing swing. He trapped Edgar's katana between the hook and his own Cypher blade; a moment later, the katana had been sent spinning out of reach and Hiryu slashed again. Edgar hit the ground smoothly and rolled backwards, flinging a shuriken as he popped upright. Only that Hiryu wasn't there. The ninja Strider was a good ten feet away and hopped to the side, triangle jumping off the nearby cliffs for extra air. He threw himself into a rolling spin, the Cypher blade cleaving through the air, and somehow managed to land softly into a shoulder roll. Edgar, nursing a dozen bruises where the ghosts had caught him earlier, signaled and jumped out of the battlefield.
Kikoken slid in and instantly went for a sliding kick aimed squarely at Hiryu's ankles; at the same time, Chan appeared and caught Hiryu during a jump with a Cyclone Wall. The wind flung Hiryu to the side and he landed, not so gracefully this time, practically next to Kikoken. Kikoken lashed out instinctively, but Hiryu was faster, managing to jump upright and dodge the attack in the same motion. The next instant he brought his Cypher blade around and struck Kikoken's shoulder with the flat of the blade; the water Lian felt her entire left arm turn numb. She changed herself into her liquid form as another slash came by, one that threatened to take off her head. Kikoken evaded and reappeared on the opposite side of the battlefield; at the same time, Chan came in from behind and Hiryu completely failed to notice her. A moment later he was trapped and floating helplessly within a cage of wind currents.
Kikoken focused, intending to hit Strider with her CleanSweep attack. But Chan was on the other side, and since she had to maintain the trap effect, Kikoken would risk hitting her, too. She shook her head clear; if Chan reacted quickly, she could get away while still knocking Hiryu out cold. The attack materialized, a series of waves rushing down on Hiryu, as Kikoken drew extra power from the water nearby. But she'd forgotten something; right before her eyes, Ruby Heart dove in on Chan with her entire body aflame and knocked the girl out of the battlefield. Freed from his prison, Hiryu soared up with a powerful jump, leaping over the waves completely. He sank his grappling hook into the cliffs overhanging the battleground and hung safely out of reach, at the same time directing Ruby Heart in for another attack. Ruby Heart slung her anchor and in a moment had Kikoken wrapped up in a mesh of chains. Then, still hanging, Hiryu gave a two-fingered salute.
"And Hiryu has summoned his Options!" Kyosuke announced. "Mr. Q, what can you tell us about this move?"
Q's voice came back in the listless monotone that Kyosuke disliked so much. "This technique is known as the Ouroboros. Hiryu calls four Options, each of which will hit an opponent that comes too close, as well as granting him a pseudo-shield of sorts. Whenever he attacks, each Option also fires off a burst of energy. The Option shield lasts fifteen seconds and allows Hiryu to rack up enormous chain attacks. It is easily his most abusable super technique and so despised that it has been labeled the 'Oh-You-Bore-Us' by many arcade gamers."
"Thanks for the commentary, Mr. Q." Q tipped his hit to Kyosuke as the latter continued with his spiel. "And talk about abusable, ladies and gentlemen - Hiryu teleported right next to Kikoken and let his Options beat the tar out of her. Luckily for her, the Options' time meter ran out right there, but ... yep, she's switching out and bringing Chan in. For those of you new to the tournament, Hiryu and Chan are in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, so it remains to be seen whether they'll be willing to attack each other. Hiryu's calling Ruby Heart again; interesting, he asked for a Power-Up orb. That must mean he's about to go on the offensive. Chan, for her part, is already playing keep-away, but Hiryu is having none of that - urk!"
"Do they think this is a date?!" Jin roared, shaking an armored fist at the screen and nearly deafening Kyosuke. "Get on with it or I'll punch you out with Blodia!"
Chan called Edgar, who threw a card into the battlefield. Hiryu rushed Chan, dodging a succession of wind slashes, but as he closed on her side of the battleground Chan vanished into a gust of wind and reappeared a few seconds later in the space Hiryu had vacated. Hiryu teleported, too, trying to catch Chan with a kick from above, but Chan again vanished. When she reappeared, she was clinging to a plant that grew directly out of the cliffs. Frustrated, Hiryu called in Ruby while Edgar appeared at the same time. Edgar flung a shuriken at Hiryu, which Hiryu easily parried; Ruby Heart produced an anchor from somewhere but it suddenly exploded in a burst of color as Edgar's card activated. Hiryu's eyes narrowed; it was the Magic Jammer, fortunately only good for a single use. During the confusion, Chan had moved again, this time right behind Hiryu before he even noticed her. She caught him by the neck as a tempest of wind gathered around them and had the attack gone through it would have been the end of Strider. As it was, Captain Commando appeared at the last moment before Ruby Heart and Edgar vanished; he sailed across the shore with a flying kick, boots aflame, and caught Chan squarely between the shoulder blades. Chan staggered and dropped Hiryu as the winds died down.
Hiryu signaled for another assist; again Ruby Heart appeared and slung an anchor, which Chan failed to avoid. When Hiryu gave his two-fingered salute and four more Options materialized around him, Chan instinctively faded out again, more from reaction than reason. She managed to successfully dodge Hiryu while his Ouroboros technique remained active, closing in only after they'd walked off. Hiryu grimaced; he'd run out of Options at this rate. Then his mind cooked up another plan and he signaled Ruby with a series of gestures, outlining his trap. Chan was floating some fifteen feet above the shore and taunting Hiryu.
So she was unprepared when Ruby Heart's anchor suddenly hit her backside and wrapped her up in a moment's notice, bringing her to the ground with a thud. Chan swore and called Edgar, but the ninja master was slow to respond; meanwhile, Hiryu crossed his arms and brought his Cypher blade up in a sort of salute, closing his eyes as he did so, and Chan's mind reeled in terror. That's his Ragnarok technique! There won't be enough of me left to fill up a tablespoon with if he catches me! But what the heck, I can avoid anything he throws at me! Chan blurred out again, aiming to reappear with as much distance between herself and Hiryu as possible, and fell right into the trap. Hiryu took advantage of the delayed hyper combo rule and was instantly replaced by Ruby Heart, who launched her own attack.
Chan materialized just in time to see a man-sized barrel dropped on top of her, with slots cut into its sides. The barrel seemed to be rotating of its own power. On the outside, Edgar had finally appeared and launched a shuriken, but Ruby Heart avoided it easily. She threw open one fold of her great overcoat, exposing a vestful of throwing knives, and as the barrel rotated she flung each one with expert aim into a slot. Chan screamed as the assault continued; the barrel was magically sealed to prevent teleportation and Ruby Heart took full advantage of it. She continued flinging a truckload of knives, finally ending with a triple toss that split the barrel open. Chan tumbled out, gushing blood from a score of wounds.
Edgar jumped in to take her place, snarling as he closed in on Ruby Heart. Unfortunately, the sight of Chan knocked out had made him too angry to fight properly. Ruby Heart wore him down by alternating Captain Commando's assists with her own keep away techniques. When Edgar lost his temper and called in Kikoken for a dual team attack, Ruby Heart had a sudden brainwave and called in Commando for their own retaliatory combo. Edgar reached into his sleeves and flung a storm of shuriken their way as Kikoken summoned a massive number of waves. The attack had nearly reached Ruby Heart when she and Commando countered.
Edgar's eyes bulged in disbelief as a veritable pirate ship sailed out of nowhere, knocking his shuriken aside. It came on with unbelievable speed and he had no time to dodge, or even shout, before it hit and impaled him on its mast. Nor was that all; as Kikoken summoned more water, Commando sank his fist into the rocks and launched his Captain Shock right as Kikoken's attack reached him. The waves contacted his fist and suddenly Kikoken was being jolted everywhere by her own electrified waters. Ruby Heart signaled again and the gunports on the phantom pirate ship opened, revealing a cruel bank of cannons aimed straight at the hapless duo of Project Justice.
"And Project Justice goes up in smoke!" Jin screamed. "The Neo Commando Squad has won!"
Osaka, Japan
Three days have passed
"... You're heading home, too?" Edgar demanded, looking back forth from Mitsukake to Kikoken. Darrell Markis had left during the match, before Edgar could net him. Sakura Kasugano, for her part, was staying to the end of the tournament. "What is wrong with you two, huh? We still need to prove that justice triumphs over all!"
"Edgar, we lost the tournament," Kikoken replied. "What's the use of staying any longer? I don't want to disappear." She shuddered a bit as she said this last sentence.
"Precisely!" Edgar exclaimed, as though Kikoken had just proven his point. "We need to find the criminals behind these disappearances and bring them to justice! And we need you to help do it!"
Kikoken sighed. "Dr. McGrath has worked himself mercilessly without finding even a single good lead. What makes you think you'd have any better of a chance? No, I'm out of here. And I think you'd better do what Mitsu and I are doing and make yourself scarce, too."
"What about Chan?" Edgar asked.
Kikoken threw her hands in the air. "You know Chan; once she gets an idea in her head she doesn't listen to anything or anyone. She wants to stay with Hiryu and I couldn't talk her out of it however hard I tried. Why don't you try, Edgar?" So saying, Kikoken and Mitsukake picked up their bags and left the hotel via limousine, Edgar following them outside with more of his preaching.
"Sad, isn't it?" Mason Storm asked Ken Masters. "So many people leaving ... at first, we all planned to stay to the very end. And now everyone feels insecure here. It's a real pity."
"Huh, I hear you. We're losing too many young women - er, I mean, contestants," Ken amended hastily. Mason shot him a withering glare. Ken simply sighed again and glanced at his wristwatch. Morrigan plumb vanished with the rest of the Darkstalkers - now there was a girl who knew what she wanted out of a man! Karin and Ibuki are out of the picture. Jill Valentine's gone, too, and if I made a pass at either Chun-Li, Maki, or Sakura then Eliza would definitely hear about it somewhere down the line. Chan and Kirina are too young, besides which I'd have to deal with Strider or Ryu if I tried. If I tried to pick up Juli then the World Warrior team would lynch me; and if I tried to pick up Cammy then the Phantoms would kick my rear for it. Ruby Heart's too intimidating; I heard she's a manhandler if one ever lived. Samantha I'd have to seduce behind McGrath's back, and he's way too watchful for that to happen. That leaves only Regina, but then I have Gill to worry about. This sucks ... all these beautiful women and I can't have any of them!
"You okay?" Passing by, Zeku halted for a moment and looked at Ken closely. "You seem tired, or sad."
"I'm fine," Ken replied automatically. "Just need something to do. In fact, I think I will. I'm heading out downtown for about an hour, call my cell phone if you need me."
"Yeah, sure." Zeku took the seat that Ken had vacated. "Afternoon. I'm Zeku."
"Mason Storm." They shook hands across the table. Maki appeared a short while later, as did Kenneth Feng and Scott Wagner. Naturally the conversation turned towards old times and the two older men sat back, remembering bygone battles. Then, "Speaking of which, Ryu is training outside right now. You have anything better to do?" When everyone else shook heads, Mason led them to the outdoor gym.
Ryu was outside, as were most of the other contestants. As Mason appeared, he greeted Ryu and Sagat with a friendly wave and Ryu nodded back. "Good afternoon, Mason. Kirina and Blake were just finished up here." He indicated the two young fighters, both of whom were drinking heavily from bottled water. Samantha McGrath handed Blake a towel while Lloyd perched on the fence, playing with his weapons. Farther back, Sagat and Alex were doing pushups on two fingers. Gouken and Ernest McGrath stopped with their form work for a moment to greet the new arrivals. Regina and Gill were also present, the former wearing a plain skirt and blouse and a contented smile, the latter hovering protectively around the goddess.
"How'd it go?" Zeku asked.
Kirina paused for a moment, drawing breath. "Well, I didn't win ..." she began.
"And neither did I," Blake concluded. "Good match, Kirina." They shook hands and Blake moved off, picking a clear section of the area to shadowbox.
"So what's going on here?" Maki asked.
"A little seminar, sort of," Ryu answered. "I'm overseeing the combat tactics section at the moment; that's what Kirina and Blake just finished. Sagat is doing the whole-body workout, while Lloyd is teaching the weapons seminar. Dr. McGrath is doing the forms section. If you want to do the spiritual power session, go talk to Gill. If you'd like to learn about pressure points, speak to Gen. If you need healing, go talk to Regina." Ryu declined to mention that Sagat had earlier been beaten within an inch of his life by Gill.
"Sounds like fun," Maki muttered. "I think I'll stick to something safe, like knocking Kabuki rejects out of high-rise buildings. Or beating up generic Mad Gear goons." She moved off to the forms section and all silently McGrath began to lead her through a basic Tai Ch'i drill. "Life was so much easier back in the good old days. All we had then to worry about was the insane Mad Gear and a dictator bent on world conquest. Nowadays, a ninja has to -"
"Shut up and concentrate," Zeku admonished, at the same time shooting a warning glance. Maki caught him looking at Gill and closed her mouth, nodding. Whatever she might say, there was a good chance that Gill would take offense to it. But that was Gill ... who, come to think of it, had been acting entirely out of character ever since Regina's arrival. Weird. McGrath sank low and smoothed out, putting his whole body in one fluid motion. Maki followed him as best she could. He led her through the more familiar ninjutsu drills when they had finished with Tai Ch'i. Glancing to the side, Maki saw that Gill was trying to make Scott Wagner and Kenneth Feng sit still for meditation.
"Man, this is so dull," Blake Wallis complained. "Who wants to sing?" Without waiting for a reply, he broke out into an awful rendition of some popular song in the United States. Kirina raised a quizzical eyebrow and McGrath paused just long enough in his form to shrug, as if to give her permission. Kirina nodded her appreciation and turned to face Blake.
"Hadouken!"
"Sheesh, you could've just told me that you didn't like the song," Blake muttered, rubbing his cheek where a toned-down Hadouken had clipped him. "You don't see me throwing a Bandit Wolf Slayer when I express my dissatisfaction, do you?"
"But this is different," Kirina pointed out.
"How so?"
"I can get away with it."
Blake stared for a moment, then snorted and doubled over laughing. "Ha ha ... okay, point. Touché. Now, Regina, would you heal me before this burns down to the bone?"
"Mind your manners when speaking to the Lady Regina, mortal!" Gill thundered, miffed that Blake hadn't even said please.
"It's alright, Gill." Regina made no movement other than to nod slightly at Blake. "It's done," she said, and she smiled. Whatever had occurred, no one else felt or saw anything, but Blake thanked Regina most cordially and a moment later was chasing Kirina around the gym with a knife in hand. "Aren't they cute?" Regina asked with a wistful smile.
Scott Wagner and Kenneth Feng abruptly stood up. "This meditation stuff is crap," Kenneth stated. "It's way too hard sitting still in one place with all this caterwauling going on. We're heading off, see you guys later." Scott and Kenneth split in two directions, the former searching for his teammates, the latter heading to the local pub where fresh alcohol awaited. Gill sighed and muttered something about the youths' lack of patience.
Just then a phone rang; Samantha apologized hastily as she reached for her IDC communicator. "Keychain here." A quick conversation followed before Samantha killed the connection. "It was BEAT leader," she explained. "He reports that there may be potential trouble."
"Of what kind?" McGrath wanted to know.
Samantha shook her head. "He did not say. He seemed more ... amused ... than troubled."
"Probably playing another joke on us," Blake ventured, panting as he skidded to a halt, "though I can't say that I'd blame him. It must be deadly dull babysitting all of us all day, every day. I heard he assigned a whole team just to you, doctor. How does it feel to be coddled?"
McGrath laughed. "You know that I didn't approve of the switch and our superior officers overruled me regardless. They all think that I'm going to disappear. I asked them not to worry, but you know how former field agents are."
Blake frowned, as did Samantha. "This isn't a joking matter," Ryu insisted. "We were all there."
McGrath chuckled again. "I admit, I was troubled, but only for a moment. But then I remembered just where I was, and that I'm surrounded by very dangerous people." He smiled as he began a rendition of a kung-fu exercise designed to teach defense. "Why should I worry when I have such formidable friends? You, Ryu, and Sagat over there, and my old pals Gouken and Zeku, and your daughter Kirina, and the Phantom strike force, and Mason and Maki. And who can forget Gill and Regina? It's not everyone who has a seraph and a goddess on his side. So that's why I'm not worried at all."
"My offer is still open -" Regina began.
McGrath shook his head. "I appreciate the thought. But I'll be fine." Earlier Regina had offered to assign a quartet of valkyries as his special bodyguards, but McGrath had turned the offer down. No use dragging others into danger along with himself. Even though the valkyries were superbly trained warriors from what he understood, McGrath did not feel justified placing them in possible jeopardy for his own sake. Come to think of it, hadn't Gill said something years ago about the valkyries being beautiful female angels? The cynical portion of McGrath's mind wondered how quickly Ken would have taken up a similar offer.
"I see," Regina replied. "If you change your mind, let me know."
"Valkyries, eh?" Sagat asked, wiping off a bead of sweat from his forehead as he rejoined Ryu. "What're they doing around here?"
Regina fielded the question. "The guardians and the valkyries are Heaven's fighting branch, trained by the gods and goddesses of war themselves. They're mainly concerned with combat, but they also run a variety of odd tasks. My angels are standing by and will come if I call them."
"Huh, sounds just like an IDC strike force's job description," Blake Wallis muttered.
"Hey, look, here comes Ken Masters," Mason Storm called. "Care to join us, Ken? Gen has a killer pressure points seminar in the works here."
"Thanks, I'll pass," Ken called back. Then, as he neared, he pulled Regina to one side. "May I have a word with you, please?" he asked, fidgeting a little. Regina allowed herself to be drawn away and Ken put a fair distance between them and the others. Gill looked like he wanted to follow but Kirina preempted him by tossing him a katana and drawing herself into a fencing stance.
"What's he up to now?" Gouken said suspiciously.
McGrath stepped around in a circle, completing the form. "Do you even have to ask? He's trying to seduce Regina, of course. Look at what he's holding in his left hand, though." Gouken squinted, but it was obvious that his aged eyes were no match for McGrath's IDC-enhanced senses.
At the far end of the outdoor gym, Ken halted under a basketball hoop and Regina looked at him expectantly. "Ken, there is something you wished to speak with me about?"
"Well, uh - I wanted to give you this!" he blurted out, holding up a small velvet box and feeling his face redden.
He pulled the box open and Regina gasped; a ring set with thirty-two small gems on its perimeter glittered in the afternoon sun. "Can it really be for me!? What a beautiful zirconium ring!" Regina exclaimed, and Ken nearly had a heart attack. Waah! She can tell that it's zirconium and not diamond?! I'm never going to hear the end of this one! Yet Regina did not seem to notice, instead slipping the ring onto her index finger and then holding it up. "Absolutely fabulous! Thank you, Ken!" Ken took a half-step back in surprise as Regina threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, then grinned and pulled her close. Regina disentangled herself after a long moment, but she was still smiling quite happily. Farther away, Gill looked as though he were about to suffer from massive trauma and Kirina had no trouble disarming him.
"Kinda clueless, isn't she?" McGrath said aloud to nobody in particular, and when a few questioning looks came his way, he explained, "That ring isn't diamond at all, it's zirconium. Please don't ask me how I know that."
"If somebody gave me a zirconium ring and pretended that it was diamond," Maki said half-idly, "I'd break up with him instantly - after breaking his bones, of course."
"Shh," Sagat cautioned as Ken and Regina walked back, the latter with her arm slipped through Ken's. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?"
"Isn't it beautiful?" Regina gushed, showing the ring to all present. A chorus of half-hearted replies came back, with Ryu giving Ken what Kirina called The Look. Ken's return smile was so bland and innocent that Ryu nearly choked. Gouken, watching the play unfold between the two of them, laughed silently. "I'm sorry that I don't have anything to give you in return, Ken," Regina continued. Apparently words failed her at that point as she half-turned and blinked her tears away. McGrath traded a look with Gill that said She tears up way too easily. Regina borrowed Gill's sleeve to wipe her eyes; glancing around, McGrath noted that most of the others had returned to their drills, apparently too embarrassed by the scene to keep watching.
"Maybe we ought to have Ken ... disappear," Blake muttered to Lloyd.