Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get perks!
This story has been beta by ZShaq and TheReader2011. Enjoy, leave a review for me to improve!
As you can tell, the path are starting to diverge a bit. This chapter was fun to write, especially since it was easier for me to write!
Also, one of the teams didn't give the team members name, so I kind of made them up just for the story sake. Only one of them was actually listed. But time to find out which team the Shinpaku Alliance will fight!
"Well wasn't that exciting!?" shouted the announcer as Kensei and Akisame took Miu and Kenichi to the nearest room so they could treat their wounds.
The crowd cheered in agreement as the competitors, who had been watching, were shaken out of their trance.
"So that's Ryozanpaku's strongest disciple?" hissed one competitor.
"Those two were able to take out a master class," commented another.
"Truly the biggest obstacle in the tournament."
"Are we sure they're below 20 and not faking it like those other three?"
"Regardless, he and the other are currently weakened, that means we still have a chance!"
"If we can defeat him in that state, then the title of strongest is surely ours!"
While the competitors were discussing this, Shou's eyes closed as he contemplated what to do.
"Hey leader, whatcha planning?" asked Rachel curiously.
"Just... stuff," replied Shou.
"Well whatever it is, it better not interfere with my match," warned Rachel, "It's up to me to take the limelight back!"
Ethan could only sigh at his older sister's antics.
Back with the Shinpaku Alliance, Takeda and the others looked at Kenichi and Miu with worry as they were carried out.
"Think they'll be okay?" asked Takeda.
"Feh, they'll be fine," Niijima said with a calming tone, "Those two are with the best doctors in the world. They should be up and running after today."
"I hope so," frowned Ukita.
"Err, I don't think we'll have time to worry about them for a bit," pointed out Matsui, looking at the large screen, which just posted the tournament brackets.
"Aaanndd to keep this going, we have the Shinpaku Alliance vs. the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team!" shouted the announcer.
"Guess we'll have to worry about them another time," stated Freya as she stretched her arms.
"Yea, we'll visit them after we beat up these assholes," grinned Kisara as she raised her legs up to prepare.
"So who's going first!?" shouted Tsuji with a huge grin, "I don't mind wiping these punks out first!"
Niijima hummed as he debated on just whom to send while Diego announced it was going to be a one on one elimination match for them. He debated on having Tsuji actually going first when both Mizunuma and Ukita both stepped forward.
"Let me go first," said both of them before glancing at each other.
"I should go first, I'm the weakest, but I can at least find out how strong they are," stated Mizunuma, "Plus, I have a reason to fight!"
Mizunuma's eyes slowly turned towards the first member of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team... no, his stare went past him. He was glaring directly at Tirawit Kokin with hatred in his eyes.
"Hmm? Seems like that boy knows you," said Boris, noticing Mizunuma's glare.
"I have no idea who he is," replied Tirawit without care, "If he wasn't a target, then I don't recall meeting him nor bothered remembering him."
Mizunuma actually growled when he heard Tirawit's statement, and really wanted to rush over there to punch him. However, he knew that despite all his bravado, he would easily be killed. His master, Alan Subishi, had risked his life to make sure Mizunuma was safe and was currently in a coma. The police did nothing to help out. So instead, he wanted to prove himself first. He would climb up until he could face Yomi!
Niijima made a grunt of acknowledgment before turning to Ukita.
"I... I want to prove to myself and my friends that I won't hold them back!" stated Ukita.
"Ukita, no one thinks like tha-," started Takeda, only for Ukita to shake his head.
"I know... That besides Mizunuma, who isn't really a fighter, no offense there. (None taken-Mizunuma) That I'm the weakest of all of us. I used to be Ukita the Thrower of the Technique Trio, someone feared in the streets. Now? Now I'm barely anyone. Takeda already left me in the dust while everyone is getting further and further ahead. I'm scrambling just to try to make sure I'm not left in the dust."
Ukita then turned towards the opponents, "Plus, the team we're fighting is a Jiu Jitsu team. I've taken Judo and Jiu Jitsu, so I'm also eager to test my skills against them."
Niijima looked at Mizunuma and Ukita, closing his eyes for a bit before making a decision.
"Mizunuma, you're up first," stated Niijima, "But you'll only fight for one round, even if you win. Keep in mind that this is no longer the regular world in the streets. The enemy will not hesitate to hurt you. Never let your guard down until it's truly over. Ukita, you'll go up next and fight as many rounds as you can. I'll decide who goes next if needed."
Ukita frowned but nodded in agreement while Mizunuma quickly switched into a karate gi before entering the ring.
While Mizunuma was walking towards the ring, the Shinpaku members could hear the audience dissing them, making bets on how fast they would be eliminated.
"Hmm, how to describe this?" mused the announcer out loud, "A straight up nerdy looking student picking a fight with a martial artist who looks ready to pulverize his enemy. This outcome will certainly be interesting!"
"Hahaha, karate?" laughed the captain of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team, wearing a white gi whereas his teammates wore red and brown. He had a thunderbolt tattoo on his face to make him look tougher.
"Martial Art is a science! We have done a countless amount of research and accumulated experience beyond anything that people could imagine! That's why our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the most perfect martial arts in the world! Comparing techniques, yours is nothing but primitive!"
This time, Chikage grew a tick mark at this loud man's proclamation. She had her pride as a student of the Bewitching Fist, Mikumo Kushinada, and the Kushinada style Jiu Jitsu. In her opinion, her master's style was the prefect Jiu Jitsu style.
Mizunuma merely took up his fighting pose while his opponent, the only skinhead in the group, grinned as if viewing Mizunuma as an easy opponent.
"Andrew, take him out fast," shouted the captain, "It should only take a few seconds to tear off his limbs and annihilate him!"
"Yes captain Aaron!" replied Andrew.
"Alright, ignite your souls and begin!" shouted Diego, announcing the start of the match.
Andrew rushed at Mizunuma, throwing a palm strike at his face. Mizunuma quickly blocked it, but the impact sent him stumbling back a few steps. Andrew went low, attempting to tackle him to the floor. Mizunuma quickly retaliated with a snap kick, to which Andrew easily dodged before swerving behind Mizunuma, grabbing him in a sleeper hold.
"Heh, I don't even need to do anything complicated," chuckled Andrew as he tightened the hold, "This will end it."
"Mizunuma! You have a home to go to, just give up!" cried Matsui while waving his flag.
The other Shinpaku members looked worried while Ukita was throttling Niijima, saying he should have gone first, and that Mizunuma now had to suffer the consequences.
"Oh shut up," snapped Tsuji, shocking quite a few of them, "He hasn't given up yet. You can see it in his eyes."
Mizunuma slightly lifted his right arm, making sure his opponent's head was in the correct area before performing his signature move.
Backwards Machine Gun, Heavy!
A barrage of elbows and punches slammed into Andrew's face, catching him by surprise, and he ended up releasing Mizunuma.
"Lalala, my demon lord's intuition in on the mark, as usual!" sang Siegfried.
The crowd oohed and aaahhhed at Mizunuma's counter while Fortuna chuckled, saying how it was totally unexpected.
"That damn brat, getting so much attention," growled Rachel, crushing a part of the wall now. She eagerly wanted to get on stage soon.
"Andrew, stop playing around!" shouted Aaron, "Finish him off now! You should be ashamed of yourself for being caught in such a petty trick!"
Andrew quickly picked himself up before tackling Mizunuma to the floor, where he began wailing on him savagely. After the 12th punch, Andrew grabbed Mizunuma by the gi, ready to slam him into the floor when Mizunuma struck Andrew in the balls with a swift kick. Andrew staggered back in pain while Mizunuma stood up with a grin, thinking he had won.
"Mizunuma, pay attention!" snapped Niijima, seeing Mizunuma starting to relax.
Mizunuma wildly blinked at this order but obeyed as he quickly turned to his opponent just in time to block a fist coming towards his face.
"And Andrew stands up to attack! The kick the balls seems to have unphased him!" shouted the announcer.
Andrew was done playing around and struck hard. He grabbed Mizunuma's flailing left arm and quickly dislocated it. Mizunuma cried in pain as he tried to punch him, only for Andrew to catch it and break his right arm from the elbow up.
"Enough, he can't fight anymore!" shouted Takeda in worry, ready to hurl the towel in. However, before he could do so, Niijima stopped him.
"Forget it, even if we do that, it's up to the host's decision whether to accept it or not. If we throw the towel in, it'll just give his opponent something to use to choke him."
Takeda ground his teeth in anger while the others argued, but a swift look to the Elder told them that Niijima's assumption was right.
Mizunuma stood there helplessly with both arms unusable while Andrew looked like he wanted to play some more until...
"Enough Andrew. End it now. You're a disgrace for having this match go on for so long," snapped Aaron.
Andrew growled in anger but obeyed, going for one more grab.
'Is this all I can do?' thought Mizunuma as he dazedly watched Andrew coming for him. His mind wandered as he remembered his master's words, that in order to get stronger, was to not be defeated. To never let his spirit give up. He remembered Kenichi and Miu fighting that Master, never losing hope before actually beating him. He recalled Takeda standing up to Tenmon Li without fear.
'Even if I don't have my arms... even if my legs won't listen to me... There's one thing I can do still!'
As Andrew was about to grab him, Mizunuma threw back his head and headbutted Andrew right in the nose. A sickening crack could be heard upon impact, causing the audience to wince. The two fighters stood there, clashed against each other before Mizunuma collapsed to the ground, no longer having the strength to stand.
'Guess that's all I can do,' sighed Mizunuma in his mind as he looked up, waiting for Andrew to take his revenge. He did wonder why he wasn't moving, though.
That question was answered when Andrew also slumped into the ground unconscious.
"The first fight between two competitors ends in a draw!" announced Diego, causing the crowd to applaud politely while each team went to fetch their teammates.
"You did it Mizunuma!" cried Matsui, "You took out your opponent!"
"I did, didn't I?" chuckled Mizunuma as he was being carried away in a stretcher to Akisame.
"Nicely done," said Tsuji, "Quite manly of you to use that headbutt."
"The song of your will shall certainly inspire us all!" sang Siegfried.
"Will the next combatants please step up!?" shouted the announcer.
"Guess it's me," said Ukita as he got up, "I'll sweep the rest of the competition!"
Meanwhile, Andrew was being verbally torn apart by his captain.
"How could you lose!" shouted Aaron when Andrew woke up, "You're a disgrace to our program! You actually lost to a third rate karate fighter! Be prepared to be punished when we finish this round! Anthony, you're up next. Show them the true power of our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the most perfect martial arts in the world!"
"Yes, captain!" shouted Anthony as he quickly ran into the ring to see Ukita waiting.
"Another karate user?" sneered Anthony.
Ukita shook his head, "I use Judo and Jiu Jitsu mainly."
Anthony's scorn softened a little after hearing that, but he still maintained that fierce face before charging in when the gong rang, "Ha. Then this is the perfect opportunity to show why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best! I'll end this under a minute!"
A second later, Anthony was sent flying up in the air in shock. Ukita used Anthony's momentum against him, grabbing his hands before they could latch on to his own Gi, then easily fell onto his back before launching Anthony up in the air with a throw and a thrust kick. Before Anthony could even recover, Ukita was already up and running towards him before jumping into the air, grabbing Anthony as he did so before spinning and hurling him into the ground as they both landed.
Anthony coughed up the air in his lungs from impact but quickly wrapped his legs around Ukita's waist.
"Caught you!" shouted Anthony, "As long as I keep this posture, I can attack you!"
With that, he began punching Ukita, landing two hits before Ukita grabbed his gi once more.
"You forget, I practice Judo. This can't be counted as being caught," grinned Ukita before slamming his opponent into the concrete floor twice.
Anthony's leg uncoiled, allowing Ukita more room to throw him into the floor, again and again, going back and forth like a pendulum before tossing Anthony off the ring.
"And a clear victor this time! The winner is Shinpaku Alliance for this round!" shouted the announcer.
Ukita grinned as he raised his hands while Takeda and the others cheered for him.
"He's come quite far," noted Freya, egging Kisara a bit, "Seems like he's out there to prove something for someone, isn't he?"
Kisara pushed her hat down to her face to hide her blush in reply.
Aaron looked like he was going to explode, though he kept a controlled tone as he sent Austin out. Surely he would be able to win!
Several minutes later, Ukita threw his opponent out of the ring, getting another victory for the team, though his face was heavily bruised and seemed to be rubbing his ribs in pain. Austin had managed to land a few good hits and throws against him.
"Hmm, should I switch him out?" pondered Niijima, but before he could finish contemplating that, a glare from Ukita told him otherwise. Ukita wanted to keep going, and fighting opponents who specialized in another branch of Jiu Jitsu was great training for him.
Aaron, though, had enough of this farce and decided it personally end this.
"Ooh? Looks like we have the captain of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team coming out to personally handle this!" announced the announcer, "Let's see what he's capable of!"
Ukita looked at his opponent warily as Aaron took his stance. He could tell this opponent was far stronger than the other two, and he was already hurt. Still, he needed to push his limits as far as he could if he ever wanted to catch up to the others!
As soon as the match began, Ukita warily approached Aaron, who was standing still, waiting for Ukita to make the first move.
'Let's test him out,' thought Ukita as he threw a palm strike at Aaron, who easily deflected it.
Ukita had expected that and threw a left palm strike before his right had been deflected. Aaron caught the left palm strike with both hands, and with a twist of the wrist, had Ukita thrown into the floor. Ukita felt the impact but was conscious enough to tilt his head to the right, dodging a stamp from Aaron that would have knocked him out, if not crush his skull. However, Ukita felt the air driven out of his lungs as Aaron punched him in the stomach. He was sure that if he hadn't trained with the Yamamoto family, he would surely be unconscious with internal organs bleeding.
Seconds later, Aaron had used his punch into Ukita's stomach to grab him and perform an overhead throw, hurling Ukita into the ground before repeating it two more times. Aaron then threw Ukita up in the air before landing a powerful punch right into Ukita's face, sending him back into the ground.
"Ooh, such viciousness," commented the announcer, "Will this be it for the boy?"
'Not if I have anything to say about it,' scowled Aaron as he began to rush towards Ukita. He wanted the boy to suffer before anything else.
Ukita groggily stood up, barely able to hear what was happening. He looked around, seeing Takeda and the others yelling at him to do something, pointing behind him. He couldn't hear what they were saying, as their words weren't registering in his mind. He turned around to see Aaron jumping into the air, ready to finish Ukita off once and for all.
Ukita was barely conscious at this point and wanted to just lay down. As Aaron was almost on top of him, he heard Matsui's faint voice reaching him.
"Quarter Circle Forward PPP!"
As if obeying the command, Ukita's hand shot forward, grabbing Aaron by surprise. Then, in one swift motion, turned and jumped with Aaron still behind him. Ukita flipped in the air before landing with Aaron hitting the ground first, feeling the pain as he hit the floor hard with Ukita's body weight pressed onto him.
Ukita quickly rolled off, his hands raised as if still ready to fight, but his eyes showed he was still groggy.
'What the hell was that!?' thought Aaron as he quickly got up before charging forward once more.
"Hey, Matsui? What the hell was that?" asked Tsuji in curiosity as they watched Ukita suddenly shoulder charge Aaron, stunning him, allowing Ukita to grab him once more, and with surprising strength, lift him up and whirl him around with just moving his arms and waist, not actually turning on his feet.
"Oh, what I said earlier?" asked Matsui as he winced, seeing Aaron slammed into the ground, "That was from a video game!"
"What the hell does that mean!" shouted Kisara.
"Well Ukita wanted to progress further in Judo, but he didn't really have any Judo teachers that were strong. He took Jiu Jitsu, but he mainly wanted to train in Judo. So Niijima came up with the idea to use video game moves to inspire him! When Ukita's opponent jumped in the air, I just shouted out the command input to counter such a move," explained Matsui, shocking the others.
"What, so his teacher is a video game?" questioned Thor.
"That sounds pretty cool," grinned Takeda, "And he said he wasn't a genius. Seems pretty impressive to me if he can use video game moves in a real fight."
Ukita was still in a trance as he landed an overhand punch to the face, followed by a low kick, then followed by a tackle to Aaron's leg before lifting him up and flipping him. As Aaron landed on his back hard, Ukita slammed his hands into the floor. In one of the games, this would have caused the opponent to fly up in the air. However, this was reality, and Ukita forgot about that. But as luck would have it, he had hit the tiled floor with enough strength to create a seesaw with it, sending Aaron up in the air, where Ukita quickly jumped up, coiling around his body before hurling him into the ground once more.
"I've had it!" roared Aaron as he got up, "I will destroy you, and then I will destroy your friends, starting with the one with the stupid hat!"
Kisara hissed in reply, but before anyone could say anything, Ukita woke up and snapped.
Aaron then felt all the air leave him as his body bent forward from a punch to the liver. He weakly looked up to see Ukita without his sunglasses, his eyes swimming in rage.
Ukita was a Dou Ki user, meaning with anger he could push his limits further. Add the fact that Aaron had threatened Kisara, he wasn't going to let Aaron even follow through with that threat.
"DAAAAH!" roared Ukita as he began to rain punches, palm strikes, and kicks at Aaron. On his final blow with a downward fist, Ukita used this momentum to crouch before tackling Aaron, hooking his arm below his groin while the other wrapped around his neck. With a shout, Ukita lifted Aaron into his back and began to spin rapidly until a small dust tornado could be seen forming under his feet.
With a shout, Ukita threw a spinning Aaron up in the air, waiting a bit for gravity to take hold of Aaron before jumping up and kneeing him in the stomach. Gravity soon took hold of both as they fell, but upon landing, Ukita was already spinning in his back with Aaron still in his grasp. The two spun on each other back like a wheel until Ukita threw him clear out of the ring and right into his own booth.
"And the winner of this match with a surprising comeback is the Shinpaku Alliance!" shouted the announcer.
"Ha, beat that!" mumbled Ukita before falling unconscious.
The others quickly moved Ukita to the bench to let him rest while the last member of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team went up.
"Come on, let me up!" said Tsuji with a grin, "With all the hype Ukita build up, I can make this explode perfectly!"
Niijima pondered a bit before making a decision.
"Alright, next up we'll go with Tsu...," Niijima suddenly paused, as if something had interrupted him before continuing, "I mean, we'll go with Takeda."
The others looked at Niijima in surprise, for they were sure he had been about to say Tsuji. So what changed his mind?
The answer was that the Elder used his Obstructive Lung Voice to tell Niijima who to send and why. The moment Niijima heard his explanation, he mentally nodded in agreement and changed it to Takeda.
"Looks like I'm here to sweep up," grinned Takeda with a shining smile, "Listen, I have some friends to look over, so I'm going to end this fast, alright with you?"
The last member of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team looked angry at this statement and was already rushing towards Takeda before the bell in rang.
"Guess that's a yes," smiled Takeda, "I'll finish this up with a simple technique."
His opponent suddenly stopped, not because he was wary, but because Takeda's right jab stopped him cold. A left straight followed right after, knocking the guy out. Takeda had used a simple one-two combo to end the match.
"And fighter Takeda may have just set the record for the shortest one on one match!" shouted the announcer, "Looks like Shinpaku Alliance will be proceeding to the next round! We'll be having a 5-minute break for all those who need to use the bathroom."
"Come on, I want to go check on Mizunuma, Kenichi, and Honey," said Takeda as he entered back the booth before lifting Ukita up to his shoulders, "Plus, we should get this guy to a proper bed."
"Agreed," nodded Freya, "But some of us should stay behind to scout."
"I'll stay with my loyal servant Siegfried," said Niijima, "Thor and Tsuji can stay behind with me, along with Matsui."
"Will you be alright alone?" asked Shiratori.
"Feh, with these guys, I don't think I have much to worry," grinned Niijima, pointing at the Elder and Apachai.
"Good point," sweatdropped Kisara before turning away, "I need to stretch anyways."
As they went their separate ways, Yomi glanced over at them.
"So, what do you think about them?" asked Sho.
"Nothing worth considering," stated Chikage coldly.
"Agreed," nodded Boris.
"Hey, I liked that Ukita kid," said Rachel, "Only problem was he took too much spotlight, but it'll be easy to snag it from him."
Tirawit gave a slight hum before replying, "The ones that fought today were nothing worth noticing. The Judo fight was slightly surprising, but nothing out of range. The other fights, however, may be a different story. There's not enough data to know."
"Ok, then how about that fight?" questioned Sho.
The others knew exactly which fight he meant, and yet nobody could really reply.
"... Strong," admitted Chikage, breaking the silence.
"His use of Muay Boran was surprising," stated Tirawit, "I did not expect him to learn it and yet still be able to hold back on killing with it, considering it is a murderous art."
"There is a considerable distance between us," frowned Boris, "It's no wonder Jihan lost. I would have been eliminated if I had successfully challenged Ryozanpaku's disciple during my dojo challenges."
"Hey, don't get like that!" exclaimed Sho, "My sensei told me that it's not the most powerful or strongest that wins, but rather those who strive to attain victory that wins."
Of course, there was a little doubt in his voice, something none of them chose to comment on. They had just seen how far the gap was, but they didn't despair. They would just have to train to close that gap.
"Well, that's that," shrugged Sho, "I think I'm going to head back to our room and interrogate the hell out of our newest member why he never said anything."
The others looked at the board to see who was next as it had just been posted, to see that it would be the Mongolian Bufu vs. the Builder Five, and promptly left, having lost interest.
The next fight was... interesting to say the least. The Builder 5 had focused mainly on building muscles, with their creed that technique was useless against power. It was a rather naive outlook when in the underground martial arts world. Not only that but if Akisame had to comment about it, he would have said that the Builder Five muscles were weak, composed of mainly red muscles and unable to use to their best potential. It ended with the Mongolian Bufu slaughtering them, but what happened next was what caused many to laugh.
In Mongolian Bufu, it was a custom for the winner to pass through the flank of the loser. However, when they tried to do so, they found it quite hard to force their foot in.
"Hahaha, did you think our muscles was just for show!" said one of the Builders, "With our steel abs and flank, you'll never get through there! And even if you do, we'll flex so hard that it crushes your foot and you'll never get it out again!"
This ended up with two of the Mongolian Bufu having to hop out of the ring with members of the Builder Five stuck on their feet.
Considering the time, Diego decided to call it a day so as to leave the audience rested and give more time for his disciple to capture the audience's attention.
And so the first day of the Desperate Fight Of Disciples ended.
"Did you know!?" demanded Sho as he barged into the room where the rest of Yomi were resting.
Inside the luxurious room sat Ryuto in his wheelchair and Rimi, who was currently doing her best to persuade Ryuto to let her feed him while wearing a skimpy french maid uniform.
Choju Giga animals hopped across Sho's gaze as he saw this scene.
Sho paused as he saw this before bowing to Ryuto, "Sorry, should've knocked. Didn't know you were busy with your girl."
"It's not what it seems," grunted Ryuto as he pushed Rimi away, "You wanted to ask something?"
Seeing that it was no longer the awkward situation, Sho pushed forward, "Did you know how strong Shirahama Kenichi was!?"
Ryuto gave Sho a questioning and confused glance, "Of course I know. I fought him and lost."
"Not what I was asking!" shot Sho, "Did you know he... that he somehow gives off an aura that most masters have! His... Ki! That's it, his Ki control!"
"Oh, you mean Ki no Shouka?" replied Ryuto in almost a whimsical tone, "Yea, of course I knew."
"Why didn't you say anything!?" Sho almost shouted at this point. He then caught that troll grin forming on Ryuto's face.
"Don't you da-"
"You didn't ask," smirked Ryuto, interrupting Sho's statement, which ended in a mental scream for the latter.
"Fine, be that way!" growled Sho as he stormed out of the room.
"Will you be alright?" asked Rimi as soon as Sho left, "He won't do anything to you, will he?"
"I'll be fine," said Ryuto as he wheeled himself out of the room, "I feel like heading out for some fresh air."
"Rimi will join you!" shouted Rimi immediately rushing to help push the wheelchair, not caring that she was still wearing her french maid dress. Half of the staff here had similar uniforms, so she wouldn't really be out of place.
Ryuto sighed as he let her push him.
Night had already fallen on Despair island as Kenichi and Miu slept in a large bed together. As the moonlight shone through the window, a shadow cast over the bed. The figure gently opened the window leading into the room before silently and gently stepping in. The moonlight slowly shifted to reveal Kano Sho, who had decided to come to visit. Getting Ryozanpaku's room number hadn't been difficult, considering they were the ones who invited them and set up the room for them.
Sho's gaze hardened when he saw Kenichi sleeping next to Miu, reigning in that impulse to smash in Kenichi's face in a fit of jealousy. It would be dishonorable to do so and his master would most likely kick his ass, if not kill him, for doing something like that.
Sho's face softened when his gaze changed towards Miu's face. She looked very beautiful and peaceful while she was sleeping.
"If only I could just whisk you away," sighed Sho as he walked towards the bed, near Miu's side, "But I know I shouldn't be too pushy with girls. Even if they are my wings to fly together in the skies."
Sho stood there for a few seconds while gazing at Miu, thinking about stroking her face before deciding not to. He reached into his pocket and took out putting a small syringe with liquid in it as well as a note telling Miu to inject it in her arm. It was the latest cutting edge restoration booster, designed to help boost the body's healing abilities. He hesitated before taking another one out and placing both the syringes and note onto the small table next to the bed.
"You may be stronger, but I'll be the one to protect Miu, Shirahama Kenichi," stated Sho as he glared at Kenichi, "I'll show her that she's to be with me, flying in the night sky together."
Sho turned away, thinking he had done everything perfectly unnoticed when he noticed the Elder standing right to the window, hidden by the shadows, and gulped.
"Ehehehe, hi?" said Sho nervously. The Elder had been in the room the whole time without him noticing.
The Elder merely pointed to the balcony as he stepped out. Sho immediately understood and quickly followed. The Elder gently closed the door before turning to Sho, who was trying to find someway to escape.
"I won't break you," said the Elder, causing Sho let out a sigh of relief, "I noticed you put medicine for the both of them. That was very nice of you to do so, even though you're on opposite sides."
"Yea well, I figured they deserved it," mumbled Sho. He had been tempted to say that he knew Miu would come with him sooner or later, but decided not to comment on that since he really wanted to live.
The Elder nodded at his words while Sho slowly started to slide away, "Well then, have a good night! I should get going!"
"However..," said the Elder, causing Sho to freeze in his steps, "Visiting a girl's room while she's asleep, especially my granddaughter's room, is a huge no no. The only reason Kenichi is even there is that Miu wouldn't let go of his hand."
"What are you going to do?" gulped Sho, terrified now.
"I won't do anything much," said the Elder as he approached Sho, "But you will be punished. Grit your teeth!"
The Elder sent Sho away after finishing with his punishment before looking up to the night sky. Currently, the rest of Ryozanpaku was assisting Jennifer in planting explosives and other traps all around the island. The Elder had volunteered to stay behind to look after Kenichi and the others in fear that Fortuna would attempt to kidnap them, or that other martial artists would try to strike them while they were still recovering. With the Elder standing guard, nobody would dare attempt such a foolish act.
As the Elder gazed up into the night sky, he felt a familiar Ki approaching once more.
"So, you came," said the Elder without even turning as he already knew just whom it was.
"Are the two alright?" asked Saiga as he landed, "That was a rather terrifying match that I had to witness."
"Both are expected to make a full recovery," replied the Elder, "But it'll take more than a day to get back to 100%."
"I have some medicine," offered Saiga as he pulled out two syringes, "These are the latest restoration boosters, guaranteed to help the body recover faster. I know Akisame and Kensei are using their medicine, but this should be able to help."
"Young Kano Sho has already given us some," said the Elder, causing Saiga to blink in surprise, "Incidentally, he decided to visit while Miu was still asleep."
A brief killing intent filled the air before it was restrained, but it was enough to cause discomfort to Miu and Kenichi, who shifted in their bed.
"Relax, I made sure he didn't do anything," said the Elder, "You'll wake them up."
Saiga took a deep breath to reign in his temper, but not before making a mental note to have Hongo punish Sho for that behavior.
"She's grown so much," whispered Saiga softly as he tenderly gazed at Miu, "There's so much I want to do with her, but at this rate, she'll have left the nest to make a new one without needing me at all."
"There's still time, you know," offered the Elder.
Saiga shook his head, "No. Not now. And I don't think I can ever do so, not with the blood on my hands. I know you and the others intend to use this tournament to take down all the bigshot criminals in one fell swoop. I was only here to watch over Miu. Her touching the realm of Ki no Shouka was a huge surprise, though. But now, others will be gunning for her now, whether as an apprentice or a target."
Saiga's gaze went to Kenichi before softly smiling, "But I suppose the one she's chosen is someone I can trust to watch over her."
The Elder gently nodded, the two watching over them before Saiga left.
Both Miu and Kenichi woke up around midnight, stretching a little before all the pain came back to them in with a vengeance, causing them to both wince. It was through the pain did they realize the position they were in.
Miu was lying on top of Kenichi's torso, her large breasts pressing down on Kenichi's torso. The only thing saving their dignity was the fact that both of them had their upper torso wrapped in bandages, saving Kenichi from getting an eyeful of Miu. Of course, it did nothing to stop Kenichi's imagination. Those bandages didn't stop Kenichi from being able to feel those soft but perky breasts on his torso. Also, Miu's leg was also on his waist, who had noticed something was starting to move... or rather harden.
"I'm sorry!" blushed Kenichi as he managed to somehow teleport out of the bed, thankfully wearing boxers still, before grabbing some clothes and shutting the door.
Miu was left alone on the bed blushing crimson before wondering how they even ended up in such a position.
The reason?
Saiga's momentary blood lust had caused Miu, who had just been sleeping beside Kenichi, to unconsciously shift closer to Kenichi for safety. Kenichi reacted by wrapping his arms around Miu and pulling her closer until she was laying on his torso.
The sight of that almost made the Elder lose control, only for Saiga to somehow convince his father not to do anything rash, that they were still seriously injured.
As Miu laid sprawled on the bed, her mind couldn't help but wonder about the situation. About how rock hard his abs were, how broad and warm his chest was, and finally, wondering how big his manhoo...
"Kyaaa!" cried out Miu in embarrassment as she shoved her head into her pillow, "I'm not a pervert! I blame Kensei!"
Truth be told, it was purely her. She was going through puberty, again, and this time she had a steady boyfriend. The last timeline, she hadn't been all that interested in boys despite her dreams of being a bride. Her adventures during her childhood in the previous timeline had given her a slightly stunted view of the other gender, seeing as the Elder didn't exactly have the time to give her the Talk. Rather, he summarized what he knew as quickly as possible before pushing the uncomfortable subject away as far as possible. This timeline, she also had a more in-depth explanation of the Talk thanks to Kenichi's mother, Saori.
But it wasn't something she was ever going to admit herself.
As she tried to calm herself down, her mind wandered once more, raising her legs to her chest. Speaking of her leg... she gently traced them until she circled around the area where she felt his...
"#O$ # #% Q#!" shouted Miu into her pillow.
Kenichi was outside fully dressed, using the cold night air to cool himself down. He could still feel that warmth on his torso, those cherry tipped nipples poking at him... Kenichi smashed his head into a tree to purge himself of such thoughts. It didn't help that he had seen her fully naked already when they had been sucked into the wormhole created by Niijima.
"Yo, what that tree do to you?" asked a voice.
Kenichi turned around to see Shinobi of the Capoeira team walking towards him in curiosity at the noise.
"Ah! You're that Kenichi kid!" exclaimed Shinobi, "The one with that monstrous Ki control who actually defeated that master with your girl!"
Kenichi blinked before he slowly nodded, wondering where this would go.
"Ah, my name's Silvio, or Shinobi if you want," said Shinobi, introducing himself, "Hey, mind if I ask you something?"
Kenichi tilted his head in confusion at this. He had never talked to Shinobi before, though he did pity him for chasing after a girl who seemed to ignore all his advances in favor of a chance with their leader.
Shinobi looked around to see if anyone was listening in before whispering, "Give a guy some advice. How'd you get your girl to be with you like that?"
"Huh?" replied Kenichi dumbly.
"C'mon, don't be like that! I saw you two dancing during the banquet before the whole thing. Give me some advice man, I've been trying to catch Aishe's eye for ages! It's only recently she started to look at me a little different, but all her attention is still on that jerk of a captain, with his stupid looks and piss cold attitude!" begged Shinobi.
Kenichi could only giggle at this before calming down.
"You know, I wasn't always this strong," said Kenichi as he calmed down.
"Eh?" blinked Shinobi in confusion, "What do you-"
Kenichi continued, interrupting Shinobi as he spoke, "I was a scared and weak kid, unable to do anything. I didn't have any friends until one day, I saw a cute but lonely girl, who asked me to be her friend. I said yes, of course. Then one day, I saw gangsters picking on the weak. I myself had been ready to turn away in fear when I saw her standing up to them with no fear. That motivated me to help out, even if I was weak. I was beaten up, of course, but not before she showed me that she was strong. She easily defeated the gangsters with ease, her movements like a feather cutting through the wind."
Kenichi reminisced about the first time he had met Miu and the crazy dive into the martial arts world after before continuing on, "I soon became involved in learning martial arts because of her. I wanted to gain power so I could uphold my justice, protecting the weak and punishing those who would cause harm. But within that, there was a promise that I made to her. That I would become strong enough to protect her from others, even though she was stronger than me. I never told her, but she knew and accepted my feelings."
Kenichi turned to Shinobi, who had been listening to him with intense concentration, "So just work hard. Show her that you'll become strong to protect her, just like you did in your match against the Black Force today. I know she'll notice you more and more if you focus on becoming stronger."
"That...," said Shinobi slowly, his eyes shadowed before raising them just for Kenichi to see tears streaming down them, "Was so beautiful!"
Shinobi grasped Kenichi's hand in eager, "So that's you got your girl! Then that's how I'll do it! I admit, the damn bastard is stronger than me, but I'll show him! I'll get stronger and stronger so I can protect Aisha and show her my feelings! Just watch me!"
Shinobi dashed away, eager to train up some more.
"Oh, and you should consider writing a story about that!" shouted Shinobi, "It'll make a great seller! I'd definitely buy it!"
Kenichi could only blush as it was his dream to be a writer and winning the Naoki Award. Shaking out of his embarrassment, he decided to check on the rest of the Shinpaku Alliance. However, he only took a few steps before he was stopped by a platoon of guards.
"Master Fortuna wishes to see you," stated the captain of the guard, "He wishes to make you a generous offer of becoming one of his sons, if not the primary son. He has decided that you will inherit his wealth and power upon accepting his offer. Anything you wish shall be yours."
"No deal," snarled Kenichi.
He was about to walk away when all the soldiers pointed their spears at him now.
"Master Fortuna does not accept rejections," recited the captain, "You would do well to accept his offer or else. Now come with us."
The soldiers began to jab their spears in a threatening manner as if to compel Kenichi to follow orders. Kenichi slowly raised his hands in surrender in response.
"Hehe, should've done that in the first place," sneered the captain, "C'mon, follow me."
As he turned, he made a small comment about breaking in the boy before taking Miu for himself. That was a huge mistake on his part. Kenichi had never planned to obey, but strike out when the opportunity arrived. The captain made a comment about Miu just made him a primary target while turning his back.
Kenichi lashed out a kick to the captain's head instantly knocking him out. The other guards reacted, trying to stab Kenichi at non-vital areas. Kenichi would have easily dodged them all, but the injuries he had taken earlier caused him to wince as he tried to dodge. One spear managed to clip his stomach while another pierced through his left forearm, though luckily not severing anything serious.
Kenichi winced in pain before grabbing the offending spear, lifting his attacker up into the air before slamming him into another. He cursed himself for not taking the arm guards with him as he snapped the spear by the base. Taking out the spearhead would only cause him to lose more blood.
"Aim for his left side!" advised another guard, this one being a female. Kenichi defended against her stabs, merely dodging them before blocking a slash from another attacker.
It didn't take long for the guards to realize that Kenichi wouldn't attack a girl and sent the other female guard that was with them to attack Kenichi.
"Call in the head captain!" shouted another soldier, "With her help, we can apprehend this kid for Master Fortuna!"
Kenichi growled before chucking the stick he had been using to defend at one of the fleeing guards, knocking him out. However, he didn't get the chance to take out the other one that was running away.
Gungnir
The second guard was slammed by a barrage of palm thrusts, instantly knocking him out.
"Who's there!" shouted one of the girls attacking Kenichi.
The answer she got was a solid golden kick to the head by Rimi, knocking her out.
"Fuck this, I'm out of here!" exclaimed another guard as he ran.
"Hey, don't leave me alone!" shouted the other female attacking Kenichi.
The moment she turned her back towards Kenichi, she knew she made a huge mistake. Before she could turn back to Kenichi, he made his move. He used a forbidden technique that he would never allow Miu to know that he knew. It was an attack so mortifying that Kenichi did his best to hide it from her. And if she discovered it... he would completely blame it on Ma Kensei.
Bake Baku-Satsui... otherwise known as Ma-style Restriction Technique
Kenichi managed to strip the woman of her clothes and armor before using the clothes to tie the woman's hands and feet, binding them into awkward position so she couldn't easily escape. It hadn't been easy with one hand injured, but Kenichi managed to do it.
"A rather... interesting technique," noted Ryuto as he pushed his glassed up before wheeling himself close to Kenichi.
"Don't you dare tell anyone about this technique," threatened Kenichi as he got a closer look at Ryuto. He was pleased to see Ryuto looking quite healthy compared to the last timeline after using Seido Goitsu for the first time. Ryuto still retained his purple hair, though there were small streaks of gray in it. Both of the scleras of his eyes were still normal, too.
"I won't," chuckled Ryuto as he raised his hands up in humor, "I saw your match against the Muay Thai fighter. Looks like I have quite a ways to go to catch up to you. But I will catch up, make no mistake."
Ryuto motioned for Rimi to dig through the other guard's unconscious body to dig up for some medical supplies. Rimi quickly obeyed and managed to find some bandage wrappings for Kenichi to use. With a grunt, Kenichi pulled out the spearhead from his forearm before quickly wrapping his injury with the bandage, making sure it was tight and secure.
"Urg, I'm not going to be using this arm for a bit," groaned Kenichi as he gingerly moved his left arm.
"You best get back to the hotel with the others," advised Ryuto, "I didn't think the owner of this island would be that desperate to take you."
"Nor did I," grumbled Kenichi, "Thanks for the help. Do you want to-"
Ryuto held up his hand, "It would be best if I wasn't seen with your company. No doubt Freya and the others would not react well to seeing me. It was mere luck that Rimi and I stumbled upon you during my walk tonight."
"Yea, you owe Ryuto-sama one now!" exclaimed Rimi.
Then they heard some noises, which suspiciously sounded like guards coming towards them on a patrol route. With no hesitation, they quickly split off before they could be seen. Before Kenichi left, though, Ryuto threw a small letter at him, to which he easily caught. After quickly making his way back to his room, he opened the letter to see what was written on it.
You're a fool to help me... but thanks anyways. I owe you one- Ryuto
Kenichi smiled as he entered the room, just in time for Miu to see Kenichi's new injuries before she started fretting over him.
While Kenichi had met with Ryuto, Niijima had made his way through the hotel with Siegfried behind him before coming up to a door. With a grin, he knocked on the door and waited.
"Can I help you?" asked Iris as she opened the door to see who it was.
"The better question is how I can help you and your team, sons and daughters of Fortunam" replied Niijima, "Or rather, how I can help you break those chains he puts on you."
"... Let him in," said Spartacus, who had been listening from the couch.
Iris opened the door to allow them in before quickly peeking out to make sure nobody was looking before closing the door. It would be an hour later before Niijima came back out with Siegfried.
Ryuto relaxed as Rimi pushed his wheelchair back to where Yomi was residing. As they neared the door, Boris and the others also came back from wherever they had gone, along with Sho's fellow disciple brothers/bodyguards, Hayami and Seto.
While Rachel made the effort to say hello with Rimi replying, the others just gave a non-committal grunt before entering their room to see Sho sitting on the balcony with the lights turned off, his body slanted so they could only see the left side of his body and face.
"Yo, welcome back," greeted Sho.
"Leader," greeted Boris with a salute.
"Why are you sitting like that?" asked Tirawit.
"Hmm?"
"You seem to be trying rather hard to hide something with your stance," clarified Tirawit, his eyes narrowed.
"Nooo I just feel like sitting this way," replied Sho, never turning his head to reply, "It made me look cool, right?"
"A bit," agreed Rachel as she turned on the lights, "But now I'm just plain curious."
"There's no need for that now," said Sho, not starting to sweat a bit, "There's absolutely nothing wrong here!"
Rachel and the others didn't believe that for a second as they began to get closer and closer to Sho. Sho did his best to keep the right side of his face away from them, turning his neck and body to it from them. Sadly, there was no way to hide it from them forever. Slowly, he turned his head towards them.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Rachel as she fell to the ground, clutching her bare stomach.
"Leader, do you require first aid?" asked Boris in a serious tone, though the corners of his mouth were curling up.
Tirawit chuckled while Chikage looked bored and opted to sit on the couch. The only ones not laughing were Hayami and Seto, who quickly rushed to get an ice pack.
The reason for such a reaction was that Sho had a rather large hand print on the right side of his face, along with a rather spectacular bruised cheek. It took Sho awhile to convince Hayami and Seto not to go on a mission to punish the person who caused such a bruise. He wasn't cruel enough to assign a suicide mission with a 100% chance of failure, even if he did find them annoying.
Soon, the next day had arrived. Kenichi had been forcefully fed Kensei's 'miracle' medicine and had been knocked unconscious due to its potency. Thanks to the medicine, his body being so carefully structured by Kensei and Akisame, and using Sho's medicine, Kenichi was able to get up to walk to the Coliseum, though not without a bit of trouble. Ukita and Mizunuma were confined to bed rest.
"Hahaha! Can you hear all these cheers!?" laughed Diego Carlo as he spoke into the mic to address the audience, "Like the gladiators of Ancient Rome that fought in the Coliseum, these youngsters will be doing the same today! The second day of the D of D starts now!"
"You sure you can walk?" asked Takeda in concern towards Kenichi.
The whole Shinpaku Alliance had been in an uproar when they heard about the ambush. Thor wanted to lodge a complaint before he remembered that one of the primary sponsors, if not the only, sponsor of this competition had been the one who wanted to kidnap Kenichi. The masters had rather been in sync with Shinpaku Alliance. Sakaki wanted to blow the whole operation so he could pulverize Fortuna's face for attempting such a thing. In the end, both Shigure and Jennifer managed to calm him down, though the latter glared at the former's tactic, which involved hugging Sakaki.
Nonetheless, they all made sure Kenichi was with one of the masters the whole time.
"Ba, I've had worse!" scoffed Sakaki, "I got shot by my enemies, and even though the doctors said I should rest, I still went ahead to compete in a karate tournament within the next hour and got gold!"
The others gave him a deadpan glare while Tsuji crowed about how manly that was.
"I'll be fine," winced Kenichi as he took a deep breath, "I just need a little more rest, then I'll be good to go."
"Bu-" started Freya, but couldn't finish as the announcer began to speak once more.
Nobody in the Shinpaku Alliance noticed the Elder leaving while whispering to himself, "It's morphin' time."
"Today's first match will be a team from far away! Give it away for the team that came all the way from New York, the New York Street Fighters! Their the baddest of the bad, the meanest of the mean in the streets of New York! They hold the title of the strongest gang there! And facing them is the tournament organizer's favorite team, the siblings of Castor and Pollux! Teammmm Gemini!"
As soon as the announcer announced the Gemini team, Mariachi music could be heard, followed by Mariachi musicians and dancers as they formed a path to the center arena. Rachel and Ethan both began to walk towards the center, Rachel flaunting her body with every step and sway while Ethan calmly shook the maracas in tempo with the music. Sho and the others were at the booth, observing the show. Sho's swelling had pretty much disappeared overnight, though it didn't save him from humiliation.
A pro wrestling ring suddenly appeared in the arena from underground, showing just how much Diego was spoiling his little disciple.
"Feh, Lucha Libre!?" scoffed one of the New York Street Fighters, "Everyone knows wrestling is fake. It's all just a sham! I bet that Diego guy pays his opponents to act like it hurts."
There was a violent discord of sound as all the musicians stumbled upon hearing that statement. The dancers tripped and almost fell as well. Each one of them nervously looked up to Diego, who seemed to still be smiling.
Diego merely kept his smile before calling out to his cute disciple, "Castor... Do it."
Diego had also put his finger on his throat, sliding it across before putting a thumbs down.
"Si, Maestro," grinned Rachel as she quickly threw away her sombrero and scarf, jumping into the ring eagerly.
"Hehe, I got this," said one of the fighters as he cockily grinned while entering the ring, "Hey there hot stuff. Wanna take this fight away from the ring and to a bed? I can show you some of my wrestling moves in bed while you take those sexy legs of your and wrap them around me."
"Mmm, you mean like this?" smirked Rachel before suddenly jumping up, catching the fighter's head between her thighs.
The male fighter would've have replied with a yes if it wasn't for the fact those soft but muscular thighs were currently crushing his head. With a quick twist of her waist, Rachel slammed the fighter into the ground. She then proceeded to beat the crap out of the fighter.
"Hey, we need to help him!" shouted another New York Street Fighter, "Get that bitch off him!"
"Everyone, go!" shouted the leader of the group as they all charged in.
Ethan had been ready to intervene when he saw Rachel putting her hand up to stop him. Ethan sighed and sat back down, watching but trusting his sister to be alright. Rachel's original plan had been to defeat four, make it look like she was losing against her fifth, only for her brother to come in to save the day. It would have roused the crowd for sure! However, that plan was thrown out as soon as their opponent opened their big mouth.
It didn't take long for her to knock out her opponents. She pile drove on into the floor, suplexed another, gave a huge wedgie on one before tossing him into the ropes to bounce back into her lariat, and body slammed another.
"So, you like the feel of these babies on you?" asked Rachel as she pressed her large breasts into the fighter she had just body slammed into.
The fighter could only squeak in pain as the additional weight and pressure just made his ribs hurt even more.
"Winner by K.O. Team Gemini!" shouted the announcer as Diego rung the bell to end the match.
Rachel basked in the praises before looking around seeing if there was more material to rouse the crowd. Her eyes landed on Kenichi for a moment before grinning with mirth.
"Maestro, lend me your mike!" shouted Rachel with vivid eagerness.
Diego threw his mike at Rachel, eager to see what she was going to do.
"Long time no see... Shirahama Kenichi from Ryozanpaku!" declared Rachel in a dramatic voice as she pointed at Kenichi.
Or rather where he was... as there laid a faint outline to signify he had been there. The moment Kenichi saw Rachel grinning at him, he booked the hell out of there, ignoring his injuries while Miu followed. There was no way he was getting caught in that verbal trap again.
Silence reigned as there was no reply, causing Rachel's face to start growing red, whether from anger or embarrassment. Rachel had planned to spin a tale about their history together, using her the name of her parents in vain. Though truth be told, both she and Ethan hated their blood father as he was an abusive alcoholic, and their mother had never been around. Which was why she had no problems using her parents, or rather the people who birthed her and her brother as she never considered them mother or father, in vain.
Still, the crowd was still cheering for Rachel, so that was still a positive for her. As she walked back to her booth, she scolded her brother for not warning her that Kenichi had booked it.
"And we'll go to the next and final battle of the first round! A team just as favored as Team Gemini! Please welcome... the Pankration team! They are the fighters chosen and raised by Fortuna himself! Fighting them is a karate team from the Dillman Dojo."
"We are the best karate users in the world!" declared the captain of the karate team, "Karate users like Sakaki Shio and Akira Hongo are mere pebbles compared to us! All they use are tricks and bribery!"
"Haaah?" growled Sakaki, eager to jump in to punch the brats now.
"Who you calling a fake!" shouted Sho in anger, "Sensei could kick all your ass with just a pinky finger!"
He had to be restrained by Boris while Tirawit and Ethan restrained Hayami and Seto.
It was a five on five match, but when the match started, Spartacus and the others huddled up in the middle while the others surrounded them. None of the karate members were sure what to do until...
"Ha, leave this to me," bragged the captain as he approached Spartacus, "I can take him out with just one tap."
The captain tapped Spartacus on his fist while yelling out some mumbo jumbo before declaring that Spartacus had been knocked unconscious while standing. Those were his famous last words as Spartacus slammed him into the floor before wailing on him. The others tried to help, but soon found themselves completely outmatched in a brutal fashion, as their 'famous knock out tap' failed them. They didn't understand as they had seen their master do it on other people and tell them that they could do it too.
"Those brats have no real understanding of Ki," giggled Diego.
"Such a waste," agreed Fortuna, "However, it allows my children's' skills to be broadcasted at least."
The match was soon called, naming Pankration team as the winner. As Spartacus and the others began to leave the arena, he glanced at Niijima once more, who merely nodded. They went back to their room to rest up before preparing on what was to come.
And done with this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it.
You guys can probably guess the judo moves I used for Ukita. It was a perfect window that I couldn't miss!
As for the future fights... hehehe I'll leave you all guessing who's going to go against whom. It's gonna be fun!