Chapter 10
Jaguars and Dragons and Gotz
"JAGUAR KICK!!"
Suddenly, Kurt leapt into a front flip, and followed up with a slashing kick at his foe, but Mitchel simply side-stepped out of the way.
"RISING JAGUAR!!"
Kurt then leapt into the air while he thrust out both knees in near-simultaneous timing with a force that managed to propel him either higher, but his opponent ducked underneath his attack and rolled off to the side.
"JAGUAR KICK!"
Once again, Kurt unleashed his acrobatic slash kick, but Mitchel remained on the floor and rolled out of the way.
Once the leaping Muay Thai fighter landed graceful on his feet, he stood triumphantly with his hands on his hip while Mitchel quickly went into his fighting stance.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! How about that them apples, "World Warrior"?! After baring witness to my master's disgraceful defeat, I decided to develop a few techniques on my own based on my reliable speed! With my fearsome Jaguar Knees, your pathetic fireballs stand no chance!" Kurt bragged.
The Champion shot his flame-haired foe a dirty glare.
"Very good, hotshot. I've just "bared witness" to your new techniques over a dozen times without getting hit even once." Mitchel groaned. "Now tell me, just how easy will it be to defeat me with said techniques now that you've given me the perfect opportunity of studying your attacks while wasting your own energy at the same time?"
"Unfortunately for you, being exposed to my new deadly attacks must leave you too psyched out and quivering with fear to focus properly, eh? Too bad, because that's the way of the fight, and any weakness you show is simply your own fault!" Kurt taunted while once more missing vital bit useful information.
"Uh, sure…" Mitchel said with a shrug.
"But I've got even better news, kid! You ain't seen nothing yet!" Kurt taunted.
Suddenly, Kurt did a backflip, then leapt up and pounded both legs on a nearby tree, propelling himself off of it like a springboard to reach even higher heights.
Back on the ground, Mitchel looked up at his opponent in the sky curiously.
"…this guy realizes he just places himself right above me, which happens to be the perfect position for some serious hurt, doesn't he?" he thought to himself.
"JAGUAR TOOTH!"
Kurt then shot out his foot close to his head, ready to deliver a deadly axe-like kick enhanced by the force of gravity. Unfortunately…
"SHORYUKEN!!"
The spiky-haired warrior's aerial assault was cut short by Mitchel's rising fist, which also knocked him completely off balance and send him spiraling into the ground.
Despite sustained damage, Kurt quickly picked himself up and stared at his opponent looking completely lost.
"What?! You have more tricks than your cheap ass fireballs?!" Kurt exclaimed.
Mitchel nodded slowly.
"…You DID watch that fight between your old Master and I, right? I used that same attack against him as a finisher, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to you." He mentioned.
Kurt replied with a furious stomp on the ground.
"DAMN IT!! How could I have forgotten that critical moment in the fight during my training? That's how Bob got that scar, right? And damn, that really did hurt!" Kurt muttered to himself.
But then a devious smirk slowly formed on his face.
"That's right… the same attack that scarred my old Master… and I survived it without a scratch!" he cheered.
"Actually, you do have a pretty big bruise where I hit you." Mitchel called out as he pointed a finger at Kurt's under thigh.
"SHUT UP!" Kurt shouted back. "What matters is that you scarred my Master using that same attack, but you couldn't do the same to me, right? That only proves my current superiority over that old hack!"
Mitchel sighed at his opponents apparent ego.
"That's because I didn't put my full strength in it like I did with Bob. There's no way I'd waste my energy to do the same for you…" Mitchel muttered.
"But you know what? Because you've managed to last this long against the new and improved me, I think I owe you a demonstration of my ultimate technique!" Kurt proclaimed. "Prepare to be finished!"
Suddenly, Kurt broke into a mad dash while Mitchel prepared himself in a defensive stance.
"What the-- is he planning to rush me now?!" he panicked in thought. "Damn! He's coming in too fast! And I have a feeling I'll be in for some real punishment if I can't avoid it, even though I can block it decently enough!"
Immediatley, Kurt's devilish grin flashed right in front of Mitchel's face.
"JAGUAR REVOLVER!!"
The daredevil Muay Thai Warrior then leapt high in the sky… and right over his opponent with a rising, slashing kick.
Again, Mitchel stared in the air with disbelief.
"Wait a minute. Did he just jump over me again?!" Mitchel thought.
In his descent, Kurt followed up with two more slashing kicks in succession, and landed right behind Mitchel filled with inexplicable pride.
"Ha! Now do you understand?! You never stood a chance! How can you deny the destructive power of my Jaguar Revolver now that you've experienced it firsthand?!" Kurt taunted confidently.
The flame-haired warrior then let out a maniacal laugh on triumph until he realized something unusually off from performing the attack.
"Wait… I never actually felt my attack actually connect with that karate guy. But I got up close to ensure I wouldn't miss! Is his body that unusually light?" he thought to himself.
A quick moment later, Kurt realized an error in his training when he tried the very same tactic on a practice dummy.
"Oh, crap! That's right! I did the same thing to that dummy and whiffed entirely! I needed some distance for this attack because being that close was a definite no-no! Crap!" Kurt thought.
But then he remembered that his attack landed him right behind his opponent.
"Then again, if I managed to pull it off faster then he could catch up, maybe he doesn't realize that his back is turned to me! Oh, what a sweet opportunity! All I have to do is Jaguar Kick him from behind, and I can nail him!" he realized with glee.
With his confidence restored, the flame-haired fighter in boxers quickly turned around to assume his assault, only to realize he was a little too close for comfort, and a little too late to react to what came next.
"SHINKU TATSUMAKI SENPYUKYAKU!!"
The moment Kurt turned his face, it was immediately smacked around by a spinning foot that kept coming around for more.
Mitchel's body somehow propelled suspended itself in the same spot my increasing the force of his Ansatusken Style's usual "Tatsumaki Senpyukyaku" nearly a hundredfold. The resulting force created a whirlwind vacuum that refused to release Kurt from a flurry of furious feet until the overwhelming power eventually flung his beaten body away.
After awhile, the triumphant warrior slowly approached his fallen foe.
"C'mon, you honestly didn't think I'd have gone lazy after that tournament, did you? I actually managed to pick up quite a few moves myself while duking it out with my old sparing partner, and discovering that one was quite a hoot!" Mitchel grinned.
Apparently, the defeated Kurt was conscious enough to catch those words. He slowly brought his head up off the ground and shot his sworn enemy a dirty glare.
"Curse you, Mitchel!! You got lucky, punk…. LUCKY!!" he shouted.
Kurt then plopped his head on the floor and abruptly passed out.
Mitchel gave a peculiar glance at his unconscious foe for a minute, then shrugged.
"Okay! Well, that fight was… obscenely easy." Mitchel said to myself. "Guess I better head back to the cave and hope Karen didn't start that fight without me."
Suddenly, a piercing shriek ran throughout the island.
"Oh crap, that sounded like her!" Mitchel cried before taking off in concern.
Further away, Eve turned around and caught the shriek as well.
"It's as I suspected… that wily girl was ultimately no match for that demon. Her desire for revenge will gain nothing at this point." The blonde psychic thought.
Suddenly, she felt a conspicuous aura approach her. As it grew closer, Eve felt that there was something disturbingly familiar about it.
"That presence… that battle spirit… it's a lot like Gotz's!" Eve realized.
Eventually, the figure she sensed appeared right before her and halted on his sprint.
"Wait a minute! You're that psychic lady Karen called earlier! Eve, right?" the figure asked.
"…Young Mitchel, is it?" Eve asked him.
The young man in white nodded. "Listen! I don't have a moment to loose! Just point me in the direction where the cavern is! Since you just left, I assumed you're done with your little séance thing and she decided to pick a fight with Gotz alone, right?"
Eve nodded back, pointed out the direction of the cave as requested.
"You should be glad to know… your friend is of no relation to that man." She explained.
"Alright, that's a relief! Guess this means we're not mixed into a more complicated family feud, then!" Mitchel grinned.
"However, there is something you should know." Eve added. "This wish for revenge… it will not benefit none. Especially you, young warrior. Even if you succeed, it may cost you your sanity and your soul."
Mitchel nodded hesitantly.
"I… am aware of that. That's why this isn't about revenge for Master Woody. It's about--"
"A mysterious power dwelling within you?" Eve interjected. "So then you are already aware. Your aura and that man named Gotz'… you share a similar potential quality… the "Dark Hadou", otherwise known as the "Murderous Intent" of Ansatsuken Practitioners. You wish to understand this dormant strength, am I correct?"
Mitchel gazed solemnly at the fortune teller. "Ever since I defeated Bob at the World Warrior Tournament, I felt a flame within me desired to awaken… it cries for me to find a worthy opponent so that it may truly reveal itself to me. I believe that necessary opponent is Gotz, but… I don't want to become a demon myself. I just want to understand how it is he controls it himself."
"Young Mitchel, that man named Gotz can only remain composed under the Murderous influence because he accepted his vicious desires. I feel there is little you can gain from him unless you wish to follow the same path. And I am concerned for your soul that that path to power is not an advisable one. There is another way to gain strength." Eve warned.
"I know, but… it's not like the Murderous Intent will just lie down and die as soon as I wish it. It's like a subtle hunger that gradually grows. I have to understand how to quell it firsthand before I take another course of action." Mitchel sighed. "I'm sorry for trying something so foolhardy, but it's the only option I see for now."
"I understand. You're still so young and naïve… I suppose it's for the best." Eve said with deep sympathy.
"Pleae don't worry about me too much. I value my sanity too much to give in to ultimate power, you know?" Mitchel grinned with a wink. "Later!"
And with that, Mitchel took off to be with his best friend and fellow disciple, leaving Eve to watch in concern.
"For your sake, I hope you speak the truth, young Warrrior…" Eve uttered ominously.
She then turned towards the direction of the helicopter.
"So now, I still have a special appointment I have to make in Brazil, saving the world from an Evil Dictator and all that. Should I just take Mr. Masters' Copter and try and pilot it all the way over there from here? Hm…. Nah, I seem to lack piloting skills as pointed out when Mr. Masters gave me a try at the controls. Looks like I'm stuck here until business here is done." Eve said aloud with a sigh.
Left with nothing else to do, the blonde psychic decided to follow Mitch back into the cave.