Chapter 9: The Dashing Gentleman's Fresh Bout

We had just arrived in London about 2 hours ago, and it had already started to rain. Despite that, the sights of the city seemed quite more elegant than what I used to back at home, and it looked like a place that Effie may one day decide to live in. The four of us were all sitting in the middle of the town square waiting for my next opponent to arrive, and as usual Yun was hungry again.

"Man, I'm starving... I hope they've got a Chinese restaurant somewhere around here."

Yang turned to him and said, "Sorry brother, but there aren't any places like that around here. Besides, now is not the time to be hungry if Illia's got another match."

"Oh that's okay, I'm getting hungry myself." I said, noticing that my stomach had begun to growl, "But luckily I brought a little something for us to eat for the time being."

I pulled out a plastic container of leftover eggs and bacon, and passed them around to everyone. It was almost like a real picnic, except with all the rain... Yun looked up at me, with a pleased look on his face after he had finished.

"Wow Illia, this stuff's great! Did you make it?"

"Nope, Effie did," I said, with a hand stretched out towards Effie, who was smiling. "But I did manage to steal them from the lab before I escaped."

"I wish my girlfriend was as cool as yours..." he said wishfully, as my next opponent finally arrived.

My opponent was a fancy looking man, who wore a white dress shirt with a green bowtie, blue boxing gloves, and green dinner suit trousers with matching suspenders that had a yellow stripe running down the sides. From the looks of him, it seemed that he always kept his hair and mustache well groomed.

"Well look who's here everyone, my new practice dummy!" I shouted in my usual manner.

"Yes, and he looks like an expensive one at that too." Yun cockily pointed out, and I nodded in agreement.

"You scoundrels have quite the nerve to speak of me this way." The man said with a somewhat irritated tone, "Perhaps pounding your limy hides should teach you a lesson in being gentlemen."

"A lesson!? In being a gentleman!? Ha! Don't make me laugh." I said, almost about to laugh.

Yang came alongside me and said to the man, "I hate to break it to you, but the way you're sounding right now makes you look more like a rich snob than a gentleman."

"I suggest you eat those words kid, especially after I get done with you, and that electric mutant too." He then got into a fighting stance, similar to a boxer's.

"You wanted a fight, well you've got one... but I've gotta warn you, Illia and I are very tough to beat once we get warmed up." Yang replied, in his calm manner.

"Yeah, and we're definitely going to make a punching bag out of you big time!" I added, with confidence and a huge and somewhat scary grin on my face.

"Round 1: Fight!"

The round began with the so-called "gentleman" and us dashing towards each other to attack.

"Let's see you try this on for size. Jet Uppercut!" he attempted to make an uppercut jab on Yang, but just as the gentleman was about to strike him, I snuck behind him.

"Snake Fang!" I grabbed his ankle and threw him backwards, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"How'd you like that, rich man?!" I shouted with a tinge of overconfidence, as I heard Yang laugh. He got up and seemed impressed by what I had just done.

"That was bloody good, young lad. But your moves did nothing to affect my poise."

"Really? Well I'm just getting started!" I motioned for Yang to approach my position. I figured that I should have him put his little observation skills to the test.

"Ready for this Yang?" I said, as I charged my electricity.

"I'm ready when you are."

"Torou Zan Blast!" I began shocking my opponent to the point of paralysis, allowing Yang to slash him three times with his hand. But just as the third hit was about to land...

"Cross Counter!" the gentleman began to make a swift punch towards Yang.

"Look out!" I jumped in front of him and took the bone crushing hit, sending me to the ground.

"Damn it... that really hurt. Thank god I've got a stretchy body."

I got up and noticed a surprised look on everyone's faces, even our opponent was shocked himself. But Yang, he had a tearful look on his face.

"Illia... you didn't have to do this... I could've taken the blow myself instead of you..." he said, as I was clutching my gut in pain.

"It's all right. I wanted to make it up to you somehow after beating you in the first round... so I did just that." I smiled, as my pain slowly went away.

"Thank you..." Yang smiled, "Now let's finish him off... together! I can already see that he's wide open."

"Okay, let's do this! Tornado Hook!" I swung three times striking our opponent hard each time.

"Raishin Mahhaken!" Yang finished him off with his signature hand swipe attack.

"Nice one, Yang! That was awesome!"

"So were your tactics. I'd say you planned that out pretty well."

"Yeah I did, didn't I?" I said, with a tone of pride. The man slowly got up, and seemed somewhat impressed with our performance.

"That was a bloody good show chaps. But this next round, I won't be so easy on you."

"Bring it!" I said, "We'll be ready for whatever you've got."

"Round 2: Fight!"

Things began to get even more intense than before as the three of us went at it.

"Machinegun Blow!" our opponent began making rapid punches intended for me.

"Blast!" I countered him with a current of electricity that sent him flying backwards.

"Oof!" he flinched as he got back up.

"Oh my, I've just damaged a very expensive practice dummy!" I said, nearly laughing.

"Well, you've got some nerve... but I shall see to it that you'll be out of the way soon enough." he said, "Uppercut!" he launched me straight into the air, causing me to slam hard onto the ground.

"Ah... damn it!" I said in a mixture of pain and frustration.

"Senkyutai!" Yang rolled towards the opponent and launched him with an upward kick. He turned to me and said, "I've just repaid him the damage he caused you."

"Thanks, Yang!" I said, as he helped me up.

"No problem." Our opponent seemed weak, but still had some strength into him.

"Short Swing Blow!" he tried to use another uppercut on one of us, but we jumped over him.

"Try harder." Yang said, "Unless you don't have anything to lose."

This infuriated the dashing gentleman to no greater end. "Excuse me, I have something to lose... my chance at getting my daddy's car back!"

I gasped, as it seemed he and I both had something we were fighting for in this tournament.

"Really? That's quite interesting." Yang said observantly, "My friend here has something to fight for too."

"Hey! What I'm fighting for is none of his damn business!" I said angrily.

The opponent then took a closer look at me and became surprised.

"Oh mercy! I never noticed... but you look like one of those mutant soldiers that work for..."

"Don't even think about saying that name to me!" I said in an even angrier tone. "Besides, I've already got some unfinished business with that asshole to attend to anyway!"

"Well Illia, let's say we finish him off?" Yang suggested, as he seemed to know how angry I was.

"I was just thinking the same thing!" I charged my electricity at full power, as Yang readied his super art move.

"Magno Raishin Mahhaken Storm!" we said in unison.

I shocked the opponent, as Yang performed his killer hand slash attack. Within seconds, he was knocked out and was still conscious luckily. I felt a lot better after we had finished him off, especially after he tried to mention Gill's name to me... the last thing I wanted to hear out of anyone's mouth.

"That was amazing... I'd say you guys were awesome together." Yun remarked with a look of amazement.

"I already knew that the first time around." Yang said with the usual calm tone in his voice.

"Me too. I did have faith in the two of you after all, and I still do." Effie said warmly.

"I knew you would, and I'm glad you do my little love." I embraced her, and then gave her a warm kiss.

"Now that this match is done, we should find out who your next opponent is."

But just as we were going to do just that, our opponent got up. He looked kinda sad, but kinda happy at the same time. "That bout we had... it was fresh." he said, and then said to me, "Especially that good deed you have done for your friend... that was even fresher."

"Thanks..." I said, slightly blushing. "I was only trying to make it up to him, but I think I can trust him and his brother enough to call them friends... but what'll you do now that you've lost your chance at getting back your father's car?"

"Don't worry about it. We shall discuss this matter over tea. You could use a break from battling anyhow." He could sense how tense I really was.

"I guess you're right... I am kinda tense anyway."

"I agree with Illia. We need a place to rest, since we've just been on a long flight here." Effie replied to him.

"Gotch! Get us a limo on the double, I'm escorting these guests to my house for tea."

"Right away, sir Dudley." said the man wearing a fancy butler suit, and he immediately got out a phone to call the limo. Within a few minutes, the limo appeared and it was something I never got to see in my whole life.

"Hop on in chaps, you're in for a ride, and one in style too." Dudley held the door open as we slid inside.

I became lost in thought during the trip... and I began to wonder what kind of discussion I was going to have when we arrive. But whatever it was, I hoped it would aid me in any way towards finding Gill and Mikhail... and most importantly, attaining my freedom.