Lesson 10: Advanced Mentorship
"I'm sorry I think my translator just went offline. What did you just say?" Ibuki asked softly. It was apparent that she was in disbelief of Makoto's words.
"It's true. I made this tournament so that I could improve my fighting skills and finally face off against him." Makoto pointed directly towards Akuma, who simply brushed her threat aside.
"And you really believe she will pose a great enough challenge for you?" Fei Long asked.
"If she can defeat all of her opponents, I'm sure that she can fight on par with me, especially with her little 'Gift'" Akuma jokingly stated.
"That's right. He's going to show me how to fully grasp its power. Unlike how Ryu trained Sakura to use the restrained techniques, Akuma will teach me the full arsenal." Makoto stated with pride. Both Fei and Ibuki were shocked by her words.
"Let's discuss this inside until your friends finish their fights." Akuma states as we walks inside along with Makoto. Before Ibuki says anything, Akuma shuts the door.
"This is stupid. All he'll do is change her into another version of himself." Fei says as he paces away from the house. He then stops in his tracks to reflect on everything that has happened so far. "Maybe we should have stopped her. Maybe if I didn't restrain myself when she used that power against me, I could've made her not want to proceed with this quest." Fei then looked at Ibuki for words of comfort, but she had none.
"Since we're being honest here, I wish I hadn't restrained myself either. I had many chances to put her down—too many to count. Even when you were going to prevent her fight with Dee Jay…" Ibuki was reluctant to finish.
"…I could've prevented her from killing Dee Jay." Fei stated. "And the fact that she didn't even use the power to influence her killing, she still did it. That can only mean it's beginning to take over her life."
"I knew I should've let Juri handle the situation." Ibuki ponders.
"It's her fault Makoto preceded with this challenge anyway. She would only make it worst." Fei explained. "Did she tell you the big secret? The one about…"
"…how she wants to use Makoto as a distraction against Akuma and plans to steal his power once his back is turned? Also to note that in turn, Makoto would probably be killed by Akuma? Yeah, I already know." Ibuki confirmed. "I know what you're thinking, but there is more to it than that." She clarifies.
"Such as…" Fei asked.
"Such as, it's none of your business." Ibuki responded. "Sorry, but that much is classified until the actual battle begins. The bad thing is that it's impossible now since she no longer has the Fei Shui Engine."
"If you two are finished pondering on should haves and could haves, can we get this tournament over with." A voice shouted. As they looked on, they realized it was Sagat.
"I know he isn't here for you, so does that mean…"
"Yes, my match is against Fei Long." Sagat verified. "Are you ready, or do you need a few minutes?" Ibuki looks towards Fei Long to see if he has any objections. However, Fei simply smirks and stretches his muscles as he stands before Sagat.
"Let's not waste any time here. Makoto will be ready for her next match, right?" Fei gloats as he goes into his defensive stance.
"Maybe you should go to Juri, little butterfly. She's been looking for you, apparently." Sagat states as he looks towards Ibuki.
"She's been looking for me? Where did you see her? I thought you were supposed to be eliminating her eventually?" Ibuki stated.
"I was, but you must've forgotten the plan. Between the two of us, you know what's at stake." Sagat explains. He then enters his offensive stance.
"Fine, you two have fun while I'm gone." Ibuki bids them farewell as she runs in the same direction Akuma came from. Suddenly, however, she is stopped by a well-known presence.
"You won't need to go anywhere, Ibuki." Juri arrives and strikes Ibuki in the gut with a powerful windmill kick. Ibuki's body sores pass both Sagat and Fei Long, landing in the hard grass. Juri slowly walks in her direction as she covers her left eye.
"How in the…" Fei couldn't figure out exactly how Juri was able to recover so fast. Especially after the way Akuma worded her condition. She seems very serious, as if she were trying to win this tournament.
"Don't lose sight of your opponent!" Sagat yelled as he kicked Fei. Luckily, Fei blocked the kick in time. Juri finally caught up to Ibuki. She placed her hand near Ibuki's eyes and began to drain Chi from them. She was stealing the energy from Ibuki's Feng Shui Engine.
"You monster! You're going to just take my power away?" Ibuki asked in rage. Juri smirked as she took the final bit of energy from Ibuki's eyes. Ibuki made a shocked expression as Juri dropped her on the ground and proceeded to walk away.
"I'm taking what was mine from the beginning." Juri responded. She then returned to spectating Fei and Sagat's match. Though Fei was able to keep up with Sagat's physical prowess, he was definitely losing stamina. He knew this, but he didn't realize just how fast it was draining.
"Ha, this is way too easy. Quit holding back." Sagat mocked.
"Fine by me." Fei Long agreed. He then focused his chi into his body and prepared to fight in a much serious and brutal manner. Juri was unimpressed as she pulled out a small book.
"I wonder how long that'll last." She commented as be opened the book and began to read the first chapter.
End of Chapter 10
(Upcoming—Lesson 11: Advanced Physics)