Just when I got my hands on a PSP and DR, along comes the announcement that DR will be coming to PS3 via Sony's online shop. At least now I have one reason to get a Playstation 3, except all the reasons I have for NOT buying one still override that one reason. They didn't even update the graphics!
Enjoy the holidays, everyone!
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In order for a city to expand, sometimes it must say farewell to eras past to make way for newer, greater things. This held especially true for the massive city of Tokyo, where the population of the masses continued to swell at a rapid rate, leaving the local government scrambling to build new homes and buildings for the almost endless stream of people who came to Tokyo to make it their new home. However, there are times when there is no longer any available land to build a new structure, and thus older ones are torn down to create the proper amount of space.
Just as there was a graveyard for living creatures, so there was one for any material from the demolished structure that could still be put to use in other forms. However, the proper name of such a monument was not nearly as intriguing as a word such as "cemetery," but rather a more vulgar term that denoted the heaps and heaps of refuge that congregated to such a specific area: a "junkyard."
Ironically, the thing that three young men by the name of Kenichi Masamune, Jin Kazama, and Feng Wei were seeking did not qualify as refuge material. The trio had come to the city junkyard in search of their two missing comrades Asuka Kazama and Ling Xiaoyu, both of whom were kidnapped by the maniacal Bryan Fury mere hours before. Bryan had told Feng that if the lovely pair was to remain unharmed, he was to bring Jin and Kenichi to "the usual place."
"This is the place where we're supposed to fight that monster?" Kenichi said out loud while he inspected the mountains of garbage that were abundant as far as the eye could see. "It figures that Bryan would find a scrapyard hospitable: I wouldn't be surprised if some of the material here was used in his transformation into a cyborg."
"Bryan picked the time well: even with some of the lights on at the junkyard, it's still difficult to see clearly where Asuka and Xiao are being kept," Jin observed, noticing how some parts of the area were well-lit while others were concealed in the shadows of night. "Kenichi, try morphing and scanning the area with-"
As if on cue, more floodlights lit up to reveal a large crane a little over twenty meters away parked right next to a massive metal vat. The contents within the vat gave off steam that was visible even from the distance that the trio was watching from. However, the vat's contents were the least of their worries: dangling from the hook of the crane were Asuka and Xiaoyu, bound together with rope and gagged with handkerchiefs.
"It is time I explained to you how I came in possession of my morpher," Feng said calmly as Kenichi was about to morph. "A little under two weeks ago, I received a call from Tokyo that someone had found the sacred scrolls of Shinken, and was willing to give them to me if I cooperated with them."
"We can talk about that later," Jin replied abruptly while he and Kenichi glowed in unison before their respective ShinkenRed and ShinkenSilver suits formed on their bodies. "Right now we have to get Asuka and Xiao down from there!" Before they could spring into action, they froze in place as a chilling sensation filled their bodies. What they were feeling was a presence so malevolent and twisted that it struck terror into their very souls. Struggling to regain his composure, Jin looked around him to try and pinpoint the exact location of such a presence.
"As I was saying, I was blackmailed into donning the mantle of ShinkenBronze," Feng remained calm as he turned in the direction that Jin and Kenichi were looking to. "Isn't that right…Sorel?"
Sorel…Jean Sorel!?
The name rang loud throughout the minds of both Jin and Kenichi as the Japanese youths looked up to the top of a nearby car heap to see a medium-built blonde man with long golden hair tied back in a red bow, wearing a black tuxedo with a white undershirt, the top button undone to reveal a hint of his toned abs. His hands were dressed in red gloves with the tips of the fingers covered in sharp silver points, and sitting at his hilt was a thin rapier with a crimson hilt. However, the most striking feature about him was not his distinguished attire, but his pale skin and shining red eyes. He's even more frightening than last time, Jin observed as he quickly assumed a fighting stance. I remember mother saying that his demons consumed him after his bout with my father but…I had no idea she meant that in a literal sense!
Five weeks prior, Jin had held the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 specifically to lure Jean Sorel, the vice-president of G-Corporation, into his fists so he could beat out the location of his missing mother, who had been in the genetic giant's custody for seven years before. While Jin did indeed reunite his mother, he did not anticipate Jean following his own agenda as the crazed Frenchman turned the lives of anyone he came across upside-down in his war against the Mishimas.
"You called me by my name," Jean said with a hint of rage as he jumped down from the mound of scrap metal we had been standing proudly upon and landed a few feet away from the trio. "I guess that means you have indeed betrayed me! However, I supposed it can be overlooked," The madman's eyes shone with insanity while he turned to Jin and Kenichi. "You brought two of my finest adversaries to me, and for that I am grateful."
"I still haven't forgotten what you did to Asuka, you fiend," Kenichi pointed an accusing finger at Jean before assuming his own fighting stance. "Why are you doing this to her once again: didn't you do enough damage the last time?"
'The last time,' Jin repeated mentally with confusion, quickly darting his head to Kenichi's direction, Asuka never told me that she had dealings with Jean!
"It's quite simple, really: she and little Miss Xiaoyu are nothing more than bait," Jean answered casually, as if he was discussing the matter over tea. "You see, two weeks ago, Xiaoyu and a certain Tekken Fighter completely destroyed the small group of Jack-4 we sent to disrupt Heihachi's little peace charade." The Frenchman drew his rapier and smiled as he watched Jin and Kenichi jump back in surprise, expecting him to strike. Instead, he used his blade to point to Feng's wrist, and his morpher. "We came to the conclusion that Xiaoyu, and in fact the rest of your little Sentai, had possession of a classic morpher that could amplify one's capabilities a hundred fold. The Turkish diplomat had a similar suit, although not nearly as compact or as powerful as e that was brought forth by a henshin."
"I remember Irvin-san telling me that G-Corporation was hiring mercenaries for the upcoming war with the Zaibatsu, as well for the mysterious enemy that we've been fighting for the past three weeks," Kenichi lowered his fighting stance and crossed his arms, listening intently to Jean's tale. "I suppose it would make sense that you would also take steps to counter the power of our morphers after seeing their power, so that you could defeat the new enemy, as well as us. You're insane, to be sure, but you are certainly not stupid."
"You're damn right about my lack of stupidity, bishonen," Jean's smug smirk turned into a more serious expression upon hearing the boy's comment. "While I was at the tournament a few weeks back, some of my other associates were able to get their hands on the legendary Shinken scrolls, thus allowing me the means of luring an unsuspecting guinea pig to test-drive my prize creation: the morpher of ShinkenBronze. Normally I would do it myself, being the diehard tokusatsu fan I am, but it was far too early to reveal myself to you. He proved our success with his bout with that shape-shifter, and it was easy enough to make another one."
"I am hardly the unsuspecting guinea pig you claim that I am, Sorel," Feng shouted out angrily as he prepared to strike. "Perhaps if I tear your flesh asunder, you will be far more respecting of those who aided you! Once I do that, I can take the scrolls by force!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jean grinned sadistically as he casually sidestepped Feng's flying kick. "All I have to do is snap my fingers, and Mr. Fury will drop your two damsels into that vat of highly corrosive toxic waste. Isn't that right Mr. Fury?"
"I hear you loud and clear, boss," Bryan's voice echoed throughout the courtyard, as he was speaking through a megaphone from the driver's seat of the crane that he was sitting at. "Just give me the word, and these two sex dolls will be taking a swim in our custom-made hot bath!"
"You make me sick, Sorel," Jin clenched his fist in an attempt to control his rage, knowing that his dearest Xiaoyu would be dead if Jean had wished it. "Stop hiding behind our friends and fight!"
"That's exactly what I intend to do, my friend," Jean's smile only widen as he rolled up his right sleeve to reveal the very same device that Bryan was wearing a few hours earlier when he attacked Feng and Kenichi at Tokyo Tower: the morpher of the ShinkenSlayer. "As Feng can vouch on my behalf, the power of ShinkenSlayer is far more potent than that of ShinkenBronze. I brought you here so I can manhandle you fools personally: after all, you two are the only ones in your fine Sentai that have earned the privilege of battling me!"
After putting his rapier back in its sheath, Jean's emerald-colored ki crackled across his body while his morpher shone with a wicked light before uttering in a female robotic voice, "Standing by…" However, before the sinister martial artist could transform, Jin and Kenichi leapt into action and attacked with a pair of simultaneously-executed standing kicks. Jean bent over backwards to avoid getting a pair of feet to his face, and then muttered quietly the fateful word:
"Henshin."
Unwilling to wait for his suit to form entirely across his body, Jean righted himself and took to the offensive, grabbing the two legs before they could be put down onto the ground. Tucking the legs underneath his arms while his body was engulfed with darkness, Jean started with Jin's kneecap by lifting up his own foot and stomping on the joint, causing the young man to roar in pain. Jean let go of Jin's leg, and then used Kenichi's leg to swing the bishonen around until he collided into Jin. The Frenchman couldn't help but cackle as the darkness completely blanketed his body while Feng watched on, knowing that he couldn't interfere without endangering Xiaoyu and Asuka.
A few seconds later, his body became visible again to reveal his newest form: a familiar combination of purple, dark gray, and crimson. Jean's torso was adorned with the very same outfit that Bryan had donned hours ago, with one notable exception: instead of a holster carrying a handgun, hanging at Jean's hip was his rapier, it's blade as ebony as the night sky. "Now allow me to reintroduce myself in the proper tokusatsu fashion," Jean performed a quick flurry of kicks in the air as Jin and Kenichi got back onto their feet. "Drowning my foes in a cesspool of unending darkness," the Frenchman concluded his kata by stomping his foot on the ground and removing his rapier from his sheath, lifting it high in the air and striking a dynamic pose. "Behold the Disciple of Despair, ShinkenSlayer!"
Quickly getting out of his pose as his adversaries began their assault anew, Jean lunged at Jin with lighting speed, scraping his blade off his chest and drawing a shower of sparks as the Japanese man roared in agony. With Jin temporarily stunned, Jean turned his attention to Kenichi, who had just drawn his katana to counter the Frenchman's rapier. Kenichi swung his weapon in a horizontal slash, but Jean blocked the blade easily with his own and punished such a futile effort with a high-striking standing roundhouse kick.
Without even having to turn around, Jean put his rapier behind his back to catch Jin's fist with his blade before shooting his foot backwards and sending the surprised Jin sprawling backwards. Suddenly moving with lighting speed, Jean turned around to pursue Jin, and by the time the Japanese youth sprung back onto his feet, the Frenchman was there to greet him with a powerful knee to his stomach causing the man to bend over in pain while Jean prepared to impale the kneeling man with his rapier.
However, before he could deliver the fateful blow, Jean was sent flying back courtesy of Kenichi's straight punch. With his opponent momentarily preoccupied with trying to get back onto his feet after such an impact, Kenichi kneeled down to help his comrade. "Unbelievable," Jin muttered to Kenichi as he got back onto his feet. "We've only crossed fists with him for a little under a minute, and he's already all but guaranteed a victory. If we do somehow get an edge, all he has to do is snap his fingers and he wins automatically."
"Maybe if you distract him, I can get in close enough to the crane to rescue the girls even if those madmen decide to drop them," Kenichi suggested as they watched Jean get back onto his feet and crack his neck. "Once we do that, he'll be out of handicaps and then we can punish him with no regret." The Japanese youth quickly turned around to see Feng, who was clenching his fists in anger. "More importantly, without the girls to threaten, there wouldn't be anything Jean or Bryan could do to stop Feng from joining in."
"Are you two discussing a plan without my permission?" Jean shouted as he began to walk towards the two Japanese martial artists. "I won't have any of that!" With malicious intent in his eyes underneath his helmet, Jean bombarded Jin with a repetitive series of forward thrusts, eliciting a cry of pain with every stab. The stabs became increasingly faster in speed and execution, and the shouts of agony became louder. With his rapier shining with a wicked light, Jean concluded the seemingly-endless stings with a powerful lunge to Jin's leg, causing him to fall down.
"OK, bishonen, it's your turn-" Jean taunted as he waited for Kenichi to come at him…and continued to wait until he noticed that he was no longer participating in the battle. He wouldn't have to search far to find him: all Jean had to do was dart around to find the boy rushing towards the crane that Bryan was manning, his wings glowing bright blue and further propelling him. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," Jean sarcastically commented on Kenichi's rescue attempt and snapped his fingers. "Bryan, let them drop!"
"You got it, boss!"
"Xiao, NO," Jin was about to rush to his friend's aid, but was quickly stopped by Jean's foot to his chest as he was pushed back-first into the ground. Feng was about to come to his aid, but his advance was halted with a simple gesture of Jean's hand, creating a gust of wind that sent Feng flying into a nearby heap of spare tires.
"Sir Jin, have faith in the young genin," Jean spoke with mockingly comforting tone before suddenly switching to a far more serious tone. "I'm pretty sure he'll make it in time…at least, let's hope so."
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With those fateful words, Bryan pulled out a magnum from his pocket and leaned out of the door of the crane's cockpit, aimed his firearm carefully, and shot the rope that was keeping Asuka and Xiaoyu from falling to their deaths. With their lifeline severed, the two girls began to plummet to their dooms as Kenichi took to the air and increased his speed until his wings shone brighter than any star.
Let me make it time…for all things holy, PLEASE let me make it in time!
Kenichi prayed and hoped and he increased the velocity of his flight, pouring every ounce of his ki into his wings as he rocketed towards the two girls, who were still bound together and falling towards the vat of toxic waste. For anyone watching the boy's effort, it was truly a spectacle to see: it was as he was something greater than human trying to prevent two angels from falling into the depths of hell.
And miraculously, Kenichi caught the two girls, mere feet away from the vat of toxic waste, and quickly slowed down so that he could land. "YES!!" Kenichi exclaimed his victory as his feet screeched to a halt as he landed behind the vat and onto the dirt ground, leaving a massive cloud of dust in his wake. Quickly regaining control of his excitement, the Japanese youth inspected his two unconscious friends, and his excitement quickly turned to rage. They had numerous scrapes across their bodies, and their clothing had multiple tears as if someone had been slashing them with blades.
Before Kenichi could assess further damage, he felt a light thump at the back of his helmet. Slowly turning around, he realized that the thump was in fact the nozzle of Bryan's magnum, who was now standing over him with his weapon pointing to Kenichi's head. "Sorry, kid," he said with a cruel grin as he cocked his firearm. "Looks like I'm going to have to blows your brains out now."
However, Kenichi's hand was even faster than Bryan's inhuman reaction time, as the boy quickly drew his katana and spun around to slice the ex-policeman's handgun in two. Quickly standing back up, Kenichi used his free hand to bombard the surprised cyborg with a sextet of punches, concluding with a powerful roundhouse kick that sent Bryan spiraling to the ground.
Bryan flipped back onto his feet and gently rubbed where he had been struck. If he had the ShinkenSlayer morpher at that moment, rather than Jean, who was preoccupied trading blows with Jin, he could have swatted Kenichi like the fly he was. However, he didn't have the morpher, so now Kenichi was more evenly matched with him. It doesn't matter, he thought as he ran over to one of the heaps of wrecked cars, I'm still much stronger than he is, and I'm willing to bet that Wonder-Boy here can't hold up against this little maneuver.
"So you got to save your own bitch, AND Kazama's bitch as well," Bryan shouted loud enough for Kenichi to here as the boy slowly walked towards the cyborg. The ex-policeman, using his near-limitless strength, grabbed onto the bumper of one of the wrecked cars and yanked it from the heap, quickly backing away from the shifting pile. "Here's a special gift, courtesy of your Uncle Fury," Lifting the car over his head as easily as a child would lift up a football, Bryan hurled the vehicle at Kenichi with one arm, "take a look at your brand new CAR!"
Undaunted by such a crude attack, Kenichi lifted his katana and brought it down vertically as the vehicle came to him. The vehicle was sliced through the middle and peeled apart like a banana, completely missing Kenichi while its two halves continued flying in opposite directions. Bryan growled in frustration as he lifted another car from the pile next to him and launched another vehicle at the boy. With his katana once again cutting through the steel car like a hot knife through better, Kenichi gave the second vehicle the same treatment as the first.
"Listen kid, if you're wondering about why your girls are a little worse for wear," Bryan continued as he threw another vehicle (a mini-van, to be exact) at the boy that continued to make his slow and silent advance towards him, "we roughed them up a bit: it's not like we did anything raunchy! Besides, we're not into kids."
"They are not kids," Kenichi finally uttered as his rotated his katana clockwise until it glowed bright green. "They are young women who you kidnapped and tortured." With his wings shining once again, the bishonen rapidly gained momentum and sped towards Bryan at enormous speed. The cyborg quickly got into a fighting stance and shot out his formidable fist just as Kenichi sped past him, leaving blue sparks in its wake. He had definitely made contact, but he felt a slight itch in his left kneecap…
The two fighters remained perfectly still for a few seconds, knowing that they had just been struck with enormous amounts of power. After what seemed like an eternity, Kenichi spun around while a crack formed in his torso armor, putting his middle and index finger together and holding them out in front of him. With an uncharacteristically cold tone of voice, Kenichi hissed, "ARUKYO…TAI SAN!!"
Bryan's itchy kneecap blasted forth in a shower of sparks and flesh as Kenichi's slash revealed itself, causing the man to roar in agony as the cloth and skin covering his knee was cut open, revealing his metallic bones. The cyborg shouted and cursed as he hopped around comically gripping his damaged knee while Jean burst out laughing. "It's not funny," he shouted out through gritting his teeth as he turned back to Kenichi. "That was uncool, kid! I liked that knee!"
"My apologies, but only my sensei has the right to slash you in the more suitable areas," Kenichi replied with his usual polite demeanor while his anger subsided as he watched Feng walk up to the two girls. "I won't strike you down today, monster. All I shall do is say to you one thing: he is coming for you."
"Oh yeah," Bryan said as he hobbled back onto proper footing. "You can tell that pogo-loving pansy that I'm waiting!" The cyborg once again turned to Jean, who had regained his composure just in time to kick Jin away from him. "Hey boss, should I plug these two girls?"
"No, that's quite alright, Mr. Fury. Just let them be and head back to base."
"That goes for you too, Kenichi," Jin added as he got back up on dusted himself off. "You and Feng need to take Xiaoyu and Asuka home before this slimeball decides to threaten them again."
Kenichi raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet as he heard Jin utter such an unexpected command. "Do you honestly think you can take him on by yourself? He might be too much for you."
"Right now the girls are the top priority, and as a martial artist, I'd prefer to fight him one-on-one," Jin replied truthfully. Throughout the past three weeks, Jin had time and time again pulled his loosely-knit team together to form a single cohesive unit, leading them to victory every time though sometimes their enemy was bigger and stronger. Even though Kenichi still knew that Jin's ulterior motive was to pummel Jean personally, he respected the simple wisdom of his command and bowed. Jin nodded his head as he stood back before concluding, "Tell Hwoarang and Steve that I'll be back shortly, and to get the usual medical supplies ready for when I get back."
Feng watched on with amazement at how calmly Jean and Jin were acting despite their seething hatred for each other. However, he too was a martial artist who respected the ways of a fair fight. I'll wrest the scrolls from the clutches of those madmen another day, he thought as he picked up the unconscious Xiaoyu in his arms while Kenichi held Asuka close to him before doing to same. Sorel and Fury…soon they both will know the folly of crossing me…once I avenge Dragoon, anyway.
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After watching all the other players leave the scrap yard, Jean and Jin turned to each other and slowly sidestepped in a clockwise direction, circling and sizing up each other cautiously. "I thank you very much for telling the young Masamune to leave the battlefield with his precious Asuka," Jean said quietly before drawing his rapier once again. "I do not want to have someone as noble as him to be stained with blood at such a young age, and I do hope that if Mademoiselle Kazama wakes up, she gives the young monsieur a night that he will hold dearly in his heart…"
"'If' she wakes up," Jin repeated with a hint of confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"You didn't I'd make things so easy that you'd just have to pick them up like a bunch of teenagers going to the prom, did you?" Jean put his rapier back in his sheath and crossed his arms. "Shortly after Bryan picked them up, he injected a poison within their bloodstream. It won't kill the victim instantly, but after a few hours they will most certainly be dead." The Frenchman tilted his head slightly as he observed Jin's reaction: even though his face was masked by his helmet, the Japanese youth's body language made clear his shock. "Surprised? Don't be: you should know by now that I never make things easy."
"You monster," Jin growled quietly as his fists burned with his crimson ki. "Why can't you just leave us alone?" Raising his fist at the Frenchman, Jin ran towards Jean with violent intent with his hands crackling with power. Unfortunately for him, the maniac had anticipated such a maneuver and shot out his middle and index finger at Jin's head, smashing through his visor and gently touching the Japanese man's forehead. Once he had made contact, Jean took advantage of Jin's confusion and muttered something incoherently. A split-second later, Jean's hand flashed bright green and elicited a cry of raw agony from his opponent.
What's happening to me, Jin thought through an overwhelming sea of pain and suffering, it's as if every cell in my body is boiling black!
"That, my friend, is a little technique I've been playing with," Jean answered Jin's unspoken question with sinister glee as he watched Jin's body radiate with dark energy. "All I needed was the proper nudge to get you angry, and then used my special technique to amplify that rage one-hundred fold…and I think we all know what happens when you get too angry! You see, I don't want to fight as you are now…I want to the Jin that defeated me in the previous tourney!"
"You…you're a monster!"
That was all Jin could say while his visor regenerated itself and his body continued to darken. He knew this feeling all too well: he was about to transform again.
"If you want to save Xiaoyu and Asuka, you will have to beat the antidote out of me," Jean drew his rapier and took a few steps back. "Hate me, despise me…and don't disappoint me!"
As the last threads of sanity unraveled in the two men, Jin began to transform…