Chapter 6

A week later, the two fighters met a little ways out of town. Andy, Mai and Tony had all accompanied Terry just as Maki had come with Guy. Guy stood there with fists clenched in front of his hips and said: "You know why we are here, yes?" Terry said: "Yeah, I know. You feel the need to avenge your student's defeat, but as one of my former teammates said to me once, 'A defeat learned from is better than an empty victory.' Think about it. I already gave Maki her honor back. You don't need to do this." Guy shook his head and said: "Apologies will not give Maki her honor back or the honor of our school. Are you ready?" Terry took his fighting stance as answer and prepared for a fight.

Guy opened the fight with a leaping vertical punch that Terry sidestepped and answered with a spinning back knuckle that Guy avoided. Suddenly the fighters found themselves on opposite sides of their respective starting points. Terry fired off: "Crack Shot!" The inverted kick grazed the ninja's face as he barely evaded the attack. Leaping up and intending to grab Terry by the shoulders for a suplex, Guy was blasted when Terry saw the technique coming and launched into the air with a: "Rising Tackle!" Guy was drilled in the chest by Terry's foot only to be clubbed by the spinning back knuckle portion of the technique as Guy fell to the ground.

Guy kipped to his feet as Terry landed and said: "Very good Terry but it will take more than that to put me down!" Guy ran at Terry again only to disappear a second later. Terry kept his guard up but it was useless as he felt Guy's arms wrap around his chest and Terry felt himself flipping in the air to be slammed to the ground with a suplex.

Mai winced in sympathetic pain as she saw Terry get suplexed. She thought: "Guy is as fast as I am, yet his techniques are different from my own Shiranui school techniques." Terry had gotten back to his feet by this time. He and Guy started trading punches and kicks at point blank range when Mai noticed Maki's eyes never leaving Terry as the two fighters moved around the field. Mai thought: "She can't take her eyes off him the way I can't take my eyes off of Andy when he fights. This could get interesting."

Both fighters were bloodied now; both determined to win this fight. Guy stumbled as Terry saw an opportunity to attack. "Burn Knuckle!" The straight-on energy-clad punch carried Terry across the ground to impact squarely with Guy's guard. The technique still pushed the ninja back several feet leaving shallow furrows in the ground when he followed up with another attack. Terry yelled out: "Power Wave!" as he knelt to the ground and punched the dirt. The Power Wave was the "little brother" to the Power Geyser. Much smaller and easier to avoid due to its mobility, unlike the Geyser which was stationary.

Guy jumped over the attack to capitalize on his speed as he sent a flurry of punches that Terry could only half-block because they were so fast. Terry stepped in and performed a classic shoulder throw that sent the ninja to the other side of the clearing. Guy got to his feet a little slower but came at Terry again to try and use his speed but failed to notice that Terry had both arms straight out from his body, and his legs shoulder-width apart.

Mai was the first to say anything: "Oh no . . .," Andy spoke next: "The Hakkyokuseiken . . ." Tony finished the thought: "Final Attack." Terry began to literally glow as small beads of ki energy came up from the earth and into his legs and body. Guy was already committed to the attack and couldn't stop in time even if he had wanted to. Terry started to float above the ground as he continued drawing in energy and finally called out: "Hakkyokuseiken . . . sen pu ken!"

The sudden tornado swept forward and engulfed the Japanese man in a vortex of dust and small debris. All that could be heard was the sharp sounds of fist and foot impacting a body as Guy was blasted out the top of the tornado, with an involuntary scream coming from him.

Mai and Maki reacted in unconscious unison as they both jumped up to catch the falling man. Between the two ninja women, Guy was brought safely to the ground as Terry recovered from his attack and ran over to make sure that he was all right.

A short time later, a bruised and bloody Guy was awake and kneeling before an equally damaged Terry and saying: "I am defeated. My life is now yours to do with as you please Mr. Bogard. Please grant me a quick death."

Terry knelt down so as to be at eye level with the defeated warrior and said: "You fought well, I was honored, and since you say your life is now mine to do with as I please, here is what you will do. First, I forbid you to seppuku. You will live. You will live not for spite but to continue training yourself and your students. You are a magnificent fighter. I had to dig deep to win. You almost had me. Therefore you will stand and look me in the eye and know that we are equals you and I. I guess I just wanted the win more."

Guy stood and looked Terry in the eye and said: "Domo arigato gosei mashita . . . Terry. Thank you very much." Mai came up to Guy then and said: "When you feel up to it, would you please compare notes with me on our respective styles of ninjitsu? No family secrets or anything like that just basic stuff." Guy looked to her and said: "It would be a pleasure to discuss ninjitsu with you if you will grant me the same thing." Mai said: "Sure. No problem."