Chapter 13: The Brains and the Brawn

When Rhima was asleep, Jin was still awake who couldn't sleep in the middle of the night. He briefly looked at her sleeping face and knowing of how he knows about Rhima's true personality as he thought.

That time when I'm still the head of the Zaibatsu before my grandfather had taken over in my absence, I thought of her that she was just an average woman to look after me just like Xiao and Hwoarang did when I didn't care so much about their concerns. Everytime I spend time with her, I feel guilty for my actions since. But I learned a lot from her because of her hospitality. I never knew she can break her bearings on her own. Due to my anti-heroic behavior and my own plans, she had underestimated me not just in fighting but from her high intelligence.

Flashback:

"Don't try to be nice, I know your actions very well. Before you awakened that beast, I knew you used Alisa as your eyes and ears so that you wanted to know more of Lars' next movement." Rhima said finally revealing her original personality for being a genius prodigy due to the experiments had put on her by Vanderkaum which Jin coldly raises his brow.

"And just what makes you think that it was me who did it. I do this for my own advantage against him."

"You do that just to awake that beast for no good reason and you had nothing more but to show yourself for being a real cheater in the game." Rhima said sadistically grins at Jin who tries to get close to her.

"Rhima, this isn't like you. Wake yourself up... you're not the person that I knew."

"Oh... a king cobra looks adorable." Rhima pointed out a snake is moving closer over Jin which he annoyingly scowls at her.

"Don't try to make me angry, Rhima and I won't fall over your deception. Otherwise, I'll-"

The snake eventually bites on his crotch, which horribly surprises Jin upon seeing this dangerous prank as he horribly screams in agony.

"AHHH!"

Flashback over:

Jin remembers of how dangerous Rhima is when her pranks goes lethal as he thought.

I was horrified and scared when I showed this to both Rei and his mother about Rhima's dangerous pranks and they already known her for being a genius prodigy. Luckily, that I ripped that paper disguised as a snake skin which happens to be a rat snake that disguised as a king cobra when Mrs. Cashimiro plans to cut that snake off on me. She'd even treat my injuries afterwards into thinking myself that I'm in circumcision and I let my angry frustrations towards Rei because of Rhima's dangerous pranks. But I was wrong, and she was right. I was really behind it when I led Alisa with Lars whenever he goes on to stop my plans and I take control of her against him by rebooting. Until, Mr. Panganiban reveals of why she acted like this because she was experimented by John Vanderkaum on his youth until she learns of who she was. She's like my best friend, Shin Kamiya whom I didn't saved his life at my grandfather's own hands but instead avenging his own death. That would be the reason why I'm still protecting her despite my previous actions.

Flashback:

While travelling to Leyte, by boat due to John planned on making a tag tournament.

"I couldn't stand goosing my butt everyday. She's always like this..." Jin grunted angrily while getting annoyed over Rhima's pranking which Hunyo tells him.

"I know you two are always getting so close. You see... she knows that she likes you very well."

"..."

"The more she loves you, her pranks can be lessened. It's pretty funny because your closeness with my daughter was pretty unique." Hunyo said noticing both of their respective personalities as he tells him about why Rhima's reasons of pranking him in the first place. "I think the reason she does this to you because she knows what you had done to your game."

Flashback over:

Until then, I was very protective of her when that guy is foolishly enough to capture her for his interest. That's why her father and I took him down. Since then, Rhima is the only person that gave me a second chance in life because for me in my world, I wanted myself to get rid of the Devil Gene and to be free. But I realized of my failure of not freeing myself from my cursed blood and I learned that I got this from my grandmother who is started this bloodline. Mr. Panganiban knows what's going on at my world after he and I got synchronized.

As he thinks about what was happening in the real world, he continues to look after Rhima who remains asleep and smiles at her and said.

"Rhima, I wanna tell you something and it's not just between the both of us. It was all about me."

The next morning, Jin was seen without white/blue nylon hooded jacket and his white and red spiral patterned gauntlets due to hot climate while staying at Brian's noodle house while being served some food by Rhima's mother, Marissa and learning that she had left at Rick's house and being sided with Crimson.

"My daughter can be flabbergasted at times. She doesn't know that those mercenaries are out there to capture either Rhima or Marissa. Divisoria is a very crowded place just to go out there buying vegetables." Brian said grunting over his daughter's actions.

"You mean... it's full of people on that place."

"Yes... aside from getting many vegetables on the streets. It has malls too to buy any sorts of stuff you wanna buy." Brian said telling him. Jin knows where she had went after observing her yesterday until Lee, Meng, Daya, Lars, Rick, Broadie, Lidia, Margie, Tessie and Josie arrive to see them.

"Brian... how is Marissa doing?"

"She is fine... and both her and Rhima are present. But we have to stay on our toes because these bastards are still out there."

"Just like in Acacia Estates..." Broadie remarked in concern after the mercenaries had attacked the subdivision as Marissa arrives to see them.

"Oh Lee... I'm glad you're recovering your arm."

"It may take a while, but I really like you're-" Lee happily woos Marissa until Jin angrily kicks him to his testicles, knocking him out.

"Don't start on that, Lee. And like I said before, while Mr. Panganiban was not around, I'll take his place on his absence." Jin angrily scolds his adopted uncle for wooing Marissa and he looks at Brian. "I'll be off to find Rhima and Crimson."

As Jin leaves to find them, Lee clutches his testicles and Brian shakes his head in disappointment and Lars happily remarks.

"I guess, you can't even woo something like Rhima's mom. If I had a foreign girlfriend, I would make sure to protect them as well."

"I haven't done anything wrong... I wanted to... ugh." Lee said while clutching his testicles in pain.

Within C.M. Recto Avenue, Crimson just got more than enough meat and vegetables as Rhima helps her out. Behind them, Veron was observing their movement while disguising as a fashionista. Meanwhile, Jin parked his motorcycle and he remembers how they came back to the Panganiban residence to get his motorcycle by taking a cab. However, some mercenaries are still there to hunt down both Rhima and Marissa while seeing Veron's presence, knowing she is a threat to her. Jin removes his sunglasses and decided to find her.

"Ah you're the guy who saved me. Hey, Jugs... come here."

"Crimson, you go on ahead. I'll take care of these guys." Rhima said and Crimson thankfully nods in agreement.

"Thank you, Rhima..."

As soon as Crimson leaves with her meat and vegetables had bought in C.M. Recto Avenue, she sees the guy whom she had saved and his friend Jugs trying to see her. But posing as a guy who is capable to speak but not.

"Sabi ko sayo eh, siya yung knight and shining armor nagligtas sakin." (I told you, he is my knight and shining armor who saved me.)

"Oo nga, Kulas... kakaiba siya lalake." (Yeah, Kulas, he is a different guy.)

Rhima tries to hide her gender while in a male disguise while trying to ignore them both until both are asking her.

"Ako nga pala si Kulas at etong kasama ko si Jugs. Sa itsura mo parang ka si Joon Pyo sa Boys over Flowers." (I'm Kulas and this is Jugs. By the looks of you, you look like Joon Pyo on Boys over Flowers.)

"Uhhh... I'm Japanese and I'm not Korean." Rhima said in a manly voice in Japanese and introducing to both of them. "I'm Jun Arasaka, please to meet you."

Rhima eventually leaves them both after introduction and both men are shocked and surprise and soon they had a crush over her presence. As soon as she tried to leave them both she was confronted by Veron who gunpoints at her.

"I tried so hard to find you. You're a very lucky girl so that you can evade from us."

Rhima glares over Veron's presence as many mercenaries are about to surround her. She personally confronts her as she tried to shot her, she immediately disarms her followed by a kick to her groin to escape causing other mercenaries to gunned her down. Rhima tries to evade their gunshots as she takes down one of the mercenaries who managed to caught her off. Once she gets out of the mall, she was cornered by the mercenaries. Veron confronts her while clutching her groin due to her weakness.

"You can't escape from me! I know you're smart enough to evade my men and I won't let you escape!"

Just as she is about to gunned her down, she was stopped by Jin by knocking her out from behind with a left straight punch and a left straight kick which is his Spine Striker. Rhima sees him because he had been keeping an eye on her after both went back to Manila to find her mother Marissa. He immediately drags her to safety as the mercenaries begins to gunned them down. While trying to get away, other mercenaries are attempting to block their escape which Jin quickly subdues them as the other tried to attack him. Remembering his mother's sadness of not forgetting her teachings, Jin closes his eyes because he already unlearned his original fighting style in favor of mastering his current fighting style, Kyoskushin Karate. Jin immediately executes a Dragon Wheel Kick to knock the soldier down, surprising Rhima upon seeing him doing some of his old moves from his old fighting style while the other getting knocked down with his Demon Slayer whenever he sidestepped and executed the move. He then continues to drag Rhima to safety again.

At the Baywalk, Rhima was clearly upset after Veron had blown her cover as her hoodie is now tied around her waist to reveal her yellow T-shirt which she had worn during her third and final day where Jin trains her to fight. But Jin knows about her wardrobe since she tried to pose as a guy.

"Don't feel upset, Rhima... You shouldn't leave if your disguise is not yet fixed. I would expect you got caught up with that fake bitch."

"I'm sorry, Jin... I wanted to see my mom everyday. That's why I decided to leave early." Rhima said finally apologize to Jin for leaving so early.

"I'm not mad at you, Rhima... The hood has ribbons just like mine and look you tied your hair in a ponytail. That's why the fake bitch had blown your cover." Jin said pointing out of why her disguises are too easy to blow her cover which he had an idea. "Maybe you should tied into a bun like you did yesterday. It reminds me of how Nina would tied up her hair in formal occasions."

"It's really weird... you became more protected of me despite your previous actions before." Rhima said knowing of Jin's actions in the previous game and this time he was the only guy can beat his own father Kazuya due to their family bloodline within the latter's maternal side of the family. Jin finally tells her about the pranks she had previously put on him.

"Did you remember when you talk back at me and at the same time you pulled off a very dangerous prank on me?"

"That was in the past, Jin. When I figured out about your anti-heroic behavior." Rhima reacted which Jin took her hand and soon confesses to her.

"That prank you gave me due to my recent actions when I was the head of the Zaibatsu at that time until my grandfather takes over my absence. I deserved this worst punishment. Because of this, I became an international criminal by the UN because I started the world war against G Corporation and I destroyed countless lives on the war that I made."

Rhima knows how guilty Jin is when he finally confesses to her about the prank she had made to him as well as his previous plan in his game and soon changes the subject about using his old moves from his unlearned fighting style.

"It's okay, I apologize for what I did to you. But I was surprised, those moves you pulled off. That's from your old fighting style that you've unlearned."

"Okay, I admit it... I always use my current fighting style to fight those mercenaries. But I still remember my mother who asked me if I forgot her teachings. So I tried to recall myself if I still know her teachings and I did. I managed to recall two of her moves which I learned from her training as a teen." Jin admitted calmly and tells her nicely. "I was 19 when I utilized my old fighting style in both Advanced Mishima-Style Fighting Karate and the Kazama-Style Self-Defense but I already unlearned this fighting style for two years just to master Kyokushin Karate at Brisbane, Australia. Now that you saw me doing all this without everyone noticing, can you keep this to everyone for me?"

"Sure... Your secret is always safe with me. My dad doesn't know much if anybody plays as you on the old retro games." Rhima said finally decided to keep Jin's other secrets which Jin calmly smiles since he rarely smiles towards her and his mother Jun and Jin plainly remarks to her.

"You're a petty one, Rhima. You don't even see me doing my old fighting style but you can see my main one. That's why we're different, you're the brains and I was the brawn. Although, you and I are always connected."

Rhima also smiles at him after getting rescued and both looked at the mall side which makes Jin an idea.

"I'd never go this big mall behind us. I think we can shop to fix your disguise, Rhima."

"Right..."

"Come on, let's go." Jin said as he calmly takes her to the mall which happens to be SM Mall of Asia.

Back at the noodle house, Brian receives a video call by Hunyo via Skype and Kunimitsu II finally sees Tessie at their side which she waves at her. He requests Rick and Lars to find Rhima after learning of the attack. Therefore, Margie receives a text message from Rhima and informs them that they are in SM Mall of Asia and Lee knows the place.

"It was the biggest malls than all the mall branches in the Metro. I hope you can get there."

"I'll let these two ladies to stay here for more questions about the Black Devil organization."

"I think I like to help with you two. Lidia and I are always together to fight side by side." Broadie decided to go with Rick and Lars and he tells her.

"Sure... be our guest."

"I want to see that mall looks like. It's pretty different than in my home country in Poland." Lidia said nicely.

"I'll inform the NBI about these attacks as well. It is already overheard in the news." Margie said as she looked at Josie which she had agreed with her to come.

As soon as they leave separately, Lee, Brian, Marissa and Hwoarang looked to see both Meng and Daya as both Reggie and Alisa arrive too late.

"Am I late?"

Trivia:

*More pasts are revealed in this chapter came from the unofficial the Strangest Things story concepts.

*Rhima is mistakenly her as a Korean under her male disguise.

*Despite unlearning his original fighting style in Tekken 3 in favor of Traditional Karate starting from Tekken 4 onwards, Jin is able to recall some of his old moves that he had unlearned particularly some of his mother's moves like his own Demon Slayer.

*Jin is able to do the Dragon Wheel Kick from his old fighting style which is exclusive to him as he never utilized this move in his canonical playable debut in Tekken 3. Although, his teenage self can utilized this move.

*The prank Rhima uses on Jin during flashbacks is taken from Urumi Kanzaki in GTO when her true personality is revealed.

*Veron's fashionista outfit is taken from the dress worn by Vice Ganda during the noontime show, Its Showtime.