The preliminaries...
Sparring matches are demonstrations of basic maneuvers, as well as tests of precision, accuracy, and focus. Lethal force is a big no, and protective equipment has to be worn. Sure, there are people who don't like to spar all that much… but if they don't, they shouldn't have entered in the first place.
Besides, every tournament has to start somewhere, and this one- just like every one- starts with the basics. Scoring is one point for punches, two for kicks. That is, if they score. At the end of the day, those with two wins advance… those with two losses get to leave. Ten are cut from the roster… and twenty get to advance to the down and dirty.
Kanto The Slayer presents a Tekken song fiction…
Caught Up!
A.N. - One of my reviewers made a few good points- I will take the liberty of addressing them here. In this version of events, the two of them are not related. I wanted to keep some part of the story fresh, at first… just to set a basis for the pairing. Still, this is, at best, a "what if" scenario. Things would definitely change for certain characters if they had known each other prior to the tournament. But yeah- I'll make it a point to indicate that in this update.
Second point that was stated- Jin being a little OOC… please let me know where, good friend, because if I put it there, then it's there for a reason. If I find you correct, however, then I'll be happy to get my act together.
Yeah, I know this pairing seems odd… but as stated before, I've seen far too many Xiaoyu/Jin and Julia/Jin fics out there. (Can't imagine why Julia and Jin would work, but whatever floats yer boat.) I think that XiaoJin is a nice pairing… it's just that T5 has a new charrie… and I couldn't wait to play around with this concept.
And another thing… said reviewer stated that the Angel Gene theory is original. Forgive me for this part… but it's not. Not really, anyway. I think that certain events in Tekken 2, as well as the events prior to Tekken 3, pretty much solidify this theory, in some way shape or form.
In other words, if you're wondering why Jin doesn't have the usual demon's wings… or why he wasn't able to change into his devil form in Tekken 4 when Devil Kazuya tried it… That right there is the reason. The reason why he transformed so suddenly into his devil is simple- Jinpachi woke up.nod
I happened to watch his "ending", as well as the story between Heihachi and Kazuya, and it explained everything in a few scenes. Apparently, Heihachi had chained and locked his own father away under the Hon-Maru temple, after defeating him in combat for the rights to the Mishima Financial Empire. During the forty year span between then and the tournament, the originator of the Mishima-Ryu style of karate died.
He just wouldn't stay dead… due to the fact that he was possessed by a demon- theories point to either another Devil Gene or a very old foe- Ogre. The Devil Within mini-game pretty much points to that as well, so I'll take that implied canon and run with it. Kazuya was the one who made the pact with the devil- neither Heihachi nor Jinpachi did so. That being the case, there's only one other explanation…
Well, in any case, on with the big show. Inform me of the mistakes I made in your review of this chapter, if you ever make another one.
Disclaimer: Nope… not mine. Go read.
Jin had called Ling earlier, hearing that she was entering as well, and the three of them drove over to the venue of the tournament. It was to be a simple sparring contest- no lethal strikes, first to five points. That said, it would be highly difficult to actually land a certain strike while using basic skills, especially if the woman who used capoeira was in the tournament again. The sheer speed of her kicks was enough to knock anyone off their feet.
In any case, it would simply be another one in his way. He had to get rid of the one behind all this, before it was too late for him… or anyone else. In the meantime, he had to get everyone else out of his path, and this would be a good place to start. Granted, he wanted Asuka to do well… but at the same time, if it really came down to it… he would have to win against her, sooner or later.
As they parked outside, Jin noticed something very familiar… Hwoarang's bike. He sighed to himself- he just couldn't get a break. He would have to deal with him sooner or later. If not here, then sometime else. Jin was the current two-time King of Iron Fist- of course his self-proclaimed rival would come after him.
Asuka had her mind focused on getting Lei Wulong out of her way. She had heard that the detective was entering the tournament, going after the man who hospitalized her father. He would become a nuisance later in the tournament, and would need to be gotten rid of now, before the two met in actual combat.
Ling had her mind set on getting Heihachi and Kazuya- if they were around, anyway- out of the tournament at this point. She didn't care whether it was by her or someone else, though she would like to be the one to personally end Heihachi's run here. She was surprised that Heihachi was in the tournament instead of hosting it- much less alive in the first place- but she was glad. This would give her the chance to take out her anger on him for making Jin's life miserable (she was the only one that he explained the situation to before he isolated himself).
The three of them nodded to each other as they walked through the doors and split up to get changed and ready.
Another was watching the proceedings.
A man in the shadows- mostly observing. He watched everyone with a keen eye, looking for something or someone. Soon, he found it- it was Kazuya Mishima, and he was casually resting against one of the walls, waiting for his name to be called. Undoubtedly, it was him. He was probably here because of the… incident in Hon-Maru two months ago.
He was there when it happened, after all.
However, he then saw something that surprised him. Heihachi- and he was alive and well. His clothes were burned at the edges and he looked like a mess, but he was otherwise all right. This could get very interesting… or very volatile. He would have to watch these two intently.
Then, the kid walked in- Jin Kazama, he believed was his name. Along with two women- one in blue coveralls that had the pant legs stop just at the beginning of her thighs, the other in a pink silk dress with a flower print on it. He didn't have any data on the women- either of them- but he knew quite well that the young man was the current King of Iron Fist.
So he's here to defend his title? Hmph… luckily for me, I don't have to include myself in this sparring… I'm here for business, not pleasure. All I have to do is challenge and take out competitors, and get myself enough points to advance.
He already had everything- from an expertly forged permit into the tournament proper- to the necessary precautions, should it be discovered that he had infiltrated instead of participated. He didn't have to be here anymore… with a few sharp hand motions, along with focusing his energy into the movements, he struck the ground and vanished from sight.
He's alive? I'll have to report this to command…
It had begun.
Steve was putting the pressure on Jin… his punches had gotten faster than last time, and even with those gloves on it was a real pain when he hit his forearms. He managed to land a right overhead hook followed by a hard left uppercut, making his opponent stumble backwards and effectively breaking his stance before coming at him with a dashing right straight, hitting him clean in the jaw.
The ref broke them up when Jin tried to retaliate, and he reluctantly stepped back, getting into stance again. Steve struck first once again, ducking forward and low. Jin decided that he wouldn't get near enough to him this time and turned on his left heel, striking out with his right heel. He missed as Steve slid smoothly to his left and gave him two hefty body blows, sending him to the mat.
However, only the first punch counted… no matter. He had the advantage now. He stepped back and let him get up- and as he did so, the Fox could see the frustration building in his opponent's eyes. All he did was smile back… he had this one right where he wanted him. Steve decided to make some small talk.
"I heard that you couldn't get that girl, Asuka, to leave this tournament alone."
Jin's eyes narrowed. "Really… and who told you that?" He rushed with an impressive speed, taking off from the ground and staying low. For once, Steve was taken by surprise, but never the less he ducked to the right this time, and prepared to lay into him with a hard right straight, aiming for where his head would be.
He got knocked sideways with a right hook that came faster than even he expected, and was sent spinning through the air. As he hit the ground, Jin walked back to his position and waited for him to recover. Even the Fox had to shake the hit off a bit- Jin had gotten better as well. That right hook was mean- he had to be careful. "A guy named Lei Wulong- he's a detective working for Interpol. He told me to knock her out of the competition if I got the chance."
Jin smirked. A conspiracy, was it? Well if their sparring sessions were any indication, the two of them had another thing coming. "If he wants to do that, he should do it himself- not convince others to do it for him. But then again, it's none of my business- she can handle herself. Come on."
Steve smirked. So this guy is the King of Iron Fist, huh? Interesting…
"Gladly!" he said as he attacked again.
Asuka was having just as hard of a time, as she was aggressively being assaulted by Julia Chang. The woman would not let up, even for a second, and she was starting to lose her concentration. Already she had gotten hit three times, and each was a punch or some other strike, besides a kick.
She was three points down, and couldn't take a fourth. She had to break it now. After another attempt to knock the wind out of her with a gut punch, Julia came at her with a hard left uppercut, intent on breaking Asuka's stance again. Thing was, the aikido prodigy saw it coming.
It happened purely on instinct and reaction, almost without thought. When Julia tried the right body straight, Asuka blocked inwards with her left arm, knocking the attack to the side before turning on her right heel and kicking out with her left leg. Her heel slammed right into Julia's head, sending her to the mat. If it weren't for the head gear that she was wearing, that would really hurt.
As Julia was knocked to the floor, Asuka backed away. She felt a little better now that she had vented a bit of frustration. Besides, that was two points- she had caught up very quickly. Julia simply got up, shook it off, and smiled slightly as she got into stance. This one was not to be underestimated.
She's a strong one… I can feel it. But I have to win- if I lose even this one, I'm in trouble.
Once again, she rushed her, coming in with her right elbow with such speed and force that Asuka was forced to block the attack instead of counter again. However, she was sent stumbling backwards anyway- the hit didn't count, but her stance was broken. This would be painful…
Meanwhile, two men were beating the crap out of each other.
This wasn't uncommon, since it was a fighting tournament, but this was getting ridiculous. Bryan Fury and Bruce Irvin were going at it, and both were an even match in speed, power, and range. In other words, each had scored at least one or two points on each other, and the ferocity of their strikes was such that it was less of a spar and more of a war.
The fight attracted more people than any other- for the crowds, this was a taste of what the tournament would be like. They watched eagerly, looking to see who would hit who first… and cheered as Bruce landed a fierce low right kick, his shin slamming into Bryan's with crushing force before his left ankle followed suit, almost cracking his opponent's head open.
This was the reason why they wore protective gear… those strikes would've broken bones by now. In any event, Bruce had three, and Bryan had two. As the cybernetic soldier stumbled backwards from the sheer force of the kick, the mercenary took a few steps back, smirking at his adversary.
"You like that, chump? No one stands against those kinds of kicks for long. You might as well throw it in."
"I wouldn't talk…" Bryan said as he recovered and got into stance again. "…until it's over. By the time I'm done with you, you'll wish that you had never had legs in the first place. Or arms… or a beating heart, either!" With that, he rushed again, intent on breaking his face. Not one to disappoint the crowd when they were behind him, Bruce rushed as well, coming at him with a ducking knee launcher, sliding low and ducking right under whatever attack that Fury had planned.
And he had planned a high right front spin kick, just as he prepared for the attack- so the result was obvious. Bryan was sent into the air, and Bruce had won, 5-2. It was the first win of the entire day, and a hell of a fight. And there were many more to come…
Christie and Hwoarang were busy in a battle of footwork.
The last time the two of them met, she had beaten him soundly- her moves looked less like a fight and more like a dance. Her capoeira confused him, and when he tried to attack, she had an answer for every kick or punch he made. And she had a smile on her face, even as she did handstands and head spins while she was at it.
He hated the smug look on her face, as if she were having fun beating the tar out of him. This time, he would show her. He came at her with a one two combination, left first. Easy enough to block, but then he would come at her with his usual left heel kick, aiming to at least knock her back.
But as he did so, she slid under the punches smoothly, listening to the music in her headphones as she did so. Christie saw his knee lift and smiled sweetly. She knew that he had gotten faster- everyone had. And that included her, as she slid right under his kick and spread her arms upward, trapping said limb.
"What the…"
All she had to do was rise up again. Boom- he hit the floor. No, that didn't count, but it frustrated him to no end. He whipped his left leg around while he was on the ground, trying to trip her. Wrong again- she casually flipped over the kick with a back somersault and as she landed, she kicked out at him with her left leg, pushing him back down to the ground while he was getting up… and putting her into negativa, casually resting on the floor as if she were getting a tan.
Now, that counted. Two points for her.
"Tsk, tsk… no rhythm at all. You can't fight with me- you have to dance. It's the only way, y'know. But seeing as you didn't learn from last time… I'll have to teach you again."
"Teach this, bitch!" Hwoarang turned his back and lifted his left leg, intending to slam into her with a spinning axe kick, silencing her while she was down on the ground. That wouldn't work, either- frustration had gotten him in a bad spot. As he lifted the leg to its full height, she responded right in the middle of his attack, pulling his supporting leg out from under him with her own left leg in a rasteira.
Takedown and two more points, seeing as it was a leg move.
"Don't expect me to fall for that again…" he said as he got back up again. She was already on the move though, coming at him with a right armada, just to finish it off with a bang. However, he wizened up at this point, and slid under the spin kick, cutting his right leg up viciously at her chin. Connected, and she took flight. That was two for Hwoarang. However, she tucked her legs in while she was in the air, and flipped herself backwards, landing in a handstand. The game was still on.
That same bright smile was on her face as she kept him in eye contact, even as she was upside down. 'That's the way! Now, let's have some fun."
Steve was laying there on the ground, pretty much relaxing for a while.
Jin had beaten him handily enough- though they fought to a draw for a bit. Though he had head gear on, that last right side thrust kick really stung. Jin's reach with his kicks had won out in the end- he realized that if he stayed in close, he would have to go toe to toe with him, which Steve was much better at. It was a cheap trick, Jin knew… but in a fight, one used what worked.
Jin extended his hand to help him up, and Steve took it gratefully. "You're good… really good. I might have a few actual challenges if everyone is tenacious as you are, Kazama."
Jin nodded. That was the thing about this match- Jin wouldn't stop coming. He was the one who managed to keep the match scoreless- each had gotten four points- and the match would've gone on forever, had he not gotten the spacing for his last attack.
He continued parrying punch after punch, diverting each attack to the side smoothly. The flurry of punches came incredibly fast and from all directions, but Jin managed to defend himself properly. However, the karate practitioner saw an opening- Steve was getting tired of just poking at him and decided to go for a big move- after a short left hook to the head that was blocked; he swung at him with another left hook, followed by a left overhead hook.
On the second strike, Jin stepped to his left, lifted his right knee, and wham. That was the match… but back to the topic at hand.
"Thank you. I'm sure that there will be others. Your first loss, I presume?"
Steve nodded. "…Yeah. I'm in real trouble. If I lose another one, it's the end for me... I don't need for that to happen just yet." Jin nodded- he couldn't entirely lose either. He could accept one loss gracefully- but he had to reach the final round before anyone else- even him. That meant that any challengers that came to him would have to be cut down on the spot.
Suddenly, they heard a curse from nearby- someone had lost, and they weren't taking it so well…
"Dammit!"
That someone was Asuka.
Julia had gotten in a lucky shot- a quick left straight snuck past Asuka's defenses, and as soon as it hit, it was followed by a right body elbow that sent her crashing to the ground. The same effect was in place for the two of them as well- tied until the very end, with one strike to decide everything. And a lucky shot had won her the match.
"I consider that one lucky," she admitted to both herself and the young woman before her. "You kept me at bay pretty well. Don't worry- you keep fighting hard like that, and someone's going to fall next time. I want to fight you again… because next time, it won't be luck."
Asuka got up and nodded to Julia with a smile. "Yeah, you're right about that. I'll make sure to win this and move on- just so I can see the look on your face at how much stronger I am, the next time we meet."
As they bowed to each other, Jin approached. He heard just the end of the conversation- it was pretty evident who lost. Jin shrugged- one can't expect to win everything, especially if they're in their first tournament. Asuka caught his eye and she had a sad look in her eyes.
One… one loss and someone was in danger of going home. She couldn't leave- not yet. Not when her father was still in the hospital… not when she had just met Jin… not after all that training…
Jin only smiled, and her eyes brightened. No, she couldn't leave just yet. She had to stay, if only to see him smile like that again. She smiled at him as well, and made her way over to him.
"I lost…" she said, still a bit sullen.
He shrugged. "You expected too much of yourself. Just relax for now- you still have to win two. Just imagine that this loss never happened- you'll feel a lot better that way. Besides, I don't care if you win or lose, and you shouldn't either. You came in prepared and at your best- that's all that matters, right?"
She nodded at him and smiled again. Sure, there was her father to think about, but then again, all the training in the world couldn't fight fatigue, pain overload, or just sheer luck. She found herself liking Jin more and more. She just hoped that he liked himself a little more now that she had helped him out…
Because whether they liked it or not, they would be in this tournament for the next few days together, and it would be a shame if he moped around all the time.
Chapter 9: The Prelims 1 (To battle!)
Well, that's just a slight look at what is to be expected for the next few chapters. I'll try to put as many points of view and battles in this as possible. Sorry for the delay- I've been playing T5 for a while and thinking of the best moves and matches.
Oh, and the capoeira moves are as follows-
Armada - The standard spin kick in capoeira. Back is turned to put force behind the attack, and the back leg whips around, hitting the opponent clean in the head.
Rasteira - A takedown that can be done from Negativa or Ginga (normal stance of capoeira). Left or right ankle hooks behind the legs of one's partner and pulls it out from under them. It is usually used to counter a kick.
Cruz - Kick response. The practitioner slides cleanly under the attacker's leg, trapping it on their back with their arms. They then simply stand up, making the aggressor topple backwards. It's fun to watch, and a good way to make someone look silly.
Thanks for the reviews. I hope you guys find this to your liking.
Ja ne.
