Street Fighter: The Lynx of La Tuque
Chapter 2: Chun-Li
I never I would see the day that I would run into my equal, well, equal in terms of meat on the legs. The invitation got me on a one way flight to Paris from Montreal. What a nice city to host the World Martial Arts Tournament. After checking in at Le Meridien, I decided to take a walk around the city and maybe get some lunch. Some places in the city are best left to the Metro. My first stop was the Musee De Orsay, a former train station that is now an art museum. You expect me to pick the Eiffel Tower? I don't follow the flock
I looked at, and admired the beautiful bronze and marble statues. Some remind me of fighters I have faced in the past. While there, I saw a woman, a bit older than me, and around my size with brown eyes and an 'ox-horn' hairstyle. I offered her a grin and a nod, "How you doing?" I asked her, she just smiled and turned away. Little did I know that this trip to the museum was going to be more eventful than I had planned. As I walked around the museum minding my own business, I heard a pair of heeled boots behind me.
I was not bothered by the older woman walking around me. I was thinking she happened to be going the route of the audio guide. What I did find unsettling was the one behind her. This one looked like a female air force cadet with a serious dominatrix fetish. She wore a navy blue cadet cap with a matching thong unitard, a golden-yellow tie and navy blue leggings and boots with red fighting gloves. I turned to face her to see what her deal was. I was a little annoyed, but I didn't want to be rude, "Can I help you?" I asked,
"Target 'Molly Mercier' acquired," she said in a deadpan voice,
I tilted my head lightly, "What?" I questioned, I never heard anyone sound like that. Just then, it seemed this little missy had friends. They all looked of different nationalities, but something about them seemed...off. They were like machines. They had red eyes like something was controlling them, "well, that's not good," I remarked, as I took up a fighting stance. These ladies seemed to mean some serious business. My fighting gloves were in my backpack at the check-in at the front, but I still had on my weighted boots.
(Que: 'Face to Face' by Sevendust)
Two of them looked to be fighters, the other two were armed with a wrist blade that looked like a lightsaber and other had tomahawks, "Target 'Molly Mercier' acquired, initiating termination," said the one that looked like the leader of these squad. Right as they were about to attack, that woman I had met earlier jumped right in and stopped one of them with a block. She was dressed in blue and gold and wore tennis shoes. I was willing to accept help from the stranger, and was now back to back with her. It was two against four.
"Who are-?" I asked only to be interrupted by Miss Wrist Blade,
"We'll talk after this, right now you're in danger," she replied, and the fight began. I attacked one with a 'Fouetté Whip-Kick' combined with a 'Leg-Breaker'. My fight buddy seemed to take it up a notch, "Spinning Bird Kick!" I have never seen an attack like that before. I need to get out more and expand my horizons with fighters. On my end it seemed every strike and every kick was being blocked, and I was on the defensive. These ladies hit like a ton of bricks. Miss Wrist Blade nearly cut my throat by centimeters.
I did a back handspring to dodge it, and spun into a back leg sweep. She went down hard on her back, but got up like it was nothing. Now it was my turn to step it up. The leader took a jab at me from behind. I spun to evade her punch, and weaved to evade her kick. This should knock her out cold, "Fleur-De-Lis!" I called out as I executed one of my signature moves. She was shot up into the air, and came back down to earth on her belly. Hitting the marble, now that's gotta hurt. She stumbled a bit, and fell unconscious.
"I like your moves," she said back to back with me as there were two left,
"Same here," I said back to her with a wink, and focused on the fight.
One of the fighters went up to the other as if they were family, like sisters. She looked at me as if I offended her. Being a fighter is not the most glamorous career in the world, not by a long shot. Yet with every punch and kick, there is purpose. The crack of a punch or a kick hitting a body brings a kind of satisfaction that is hard to describe, "Uh oh...I think she's mad at me," I said to my new friend, my opponent had sweet-potato colored hair and brown eyes. She attacked with the same level of strength, "eeyup, she's mad,"
I got on the offensive after my forearms were blocking every strike and kick coming at me. This fighter was waring me down, and she found a spot in my guard. She leg-sweeped me, and shoved a foot in my gut. My ankles hurt, and I held my gut as she was coming in to make the killing strike. I looked up at her, and wondered if this was it. I was going to be defeated before the Tournament even started. That was until I heard a strike coming from behind, and she fell to the floor knees first and then face down.
My fight buddy held out a hand to me, "Need a hand there?" she asked,
"Thanks," I replied, taking the hand. Still they kept coming, it was Miss Wrist Blade
Each punch and kick from her was like getting whacked with a two-by-four. I had to finish her off, and fast, "The Lynx's Fury!" I called out, and performed one of my other moves, and brought down this rather petite looking fighter. These fighters were not like anything I had ever faced in the ring in Canada. My new friend pulled out a cellphone like she was calling for some sort of backup. I kneeled down to one of them, and checked the pulse of the first one that felt my 'Fleur-De-Lis', "who are these ladies?" I asked her,
(End of the Song)
I picked up my backpack from the check-in, and left the museum with my new friend. We stopped at a place called 'Chez Leon' for lunch, "Now then, I'm Chun-Li, INTERPOL," she said as we sat down, "and those fighters you faced, you're lucky to get away from them alive, those were the 'Dolls', Shadowloo's assassins," my eyes widened, I thought the 'Dolls' were an urban legend passed around from fighter to fighter, usually with a disappearance of a fighter or two, "oops heh-heh, I'm so sorry, I didn't ask your name,"
"I'm Molly Mercier and uh... I'm Canadian," I replied to Chun-Li's giggle,
"As your attackers pointed out to today," replied Chun-Li, I admit she's cool,
I showed her the invitation I got from El Fuerte, "Ah...so you got invited to the World Martial Arts Tournament? So did I, trust me, the 'Dolls' are going to keep coming after you, Shadowloo doesn't give up very easily," Chun-Li warned me, "stick with me, from what I've seen, if you can watch my back, then I'll watch yours," she added with a wink, and we had lunch together. Nothing like moules et frites to end a day out in the city, "here's my number in case you want to keep in touch," she said handing me a business card.
This is one of those moments where I do curse, so forgive me, "I don't know Kung-Fu, but I know Kick-Ass," I jested to my new friend. I left on my way back to the hotel, and soaked myself in warm bath. I cringed and gritted my teeth as my arms and legs touched the water, and I was soon soothed into it. One has to learn to work through pain. No one is going to take it easy on me, and I will not take it easy on my opponents. If, as Chun-Li says, Shadowloo is after me. I have to keep my guard up. I don't wanna be a 'Doll'
Something does not feel right though. Rumor has it that there are twelve 'Doll' assassins for each month of the year. Why would they go after me? There has to be something else behind the attack at the museum. Part of me wants to know, and part of me doesn't. I guess I will have to keep in touch with Chun-Li about this matter. It's going to be a challenge to try to be a tourist, and keep my guard up for more attacks. Still that question remains. Why me? I'm just a Savateur. What could Shadowloo want with a Canadian?