Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and all associated licensers. The King of Fighters and it associated series are the property of SNK-Playmore and all associated licensers. This is not a work for profit. I claim no rights to the characters. This is a work of fiction.
Continuity for Ranma is mostly derived from the manga, with some of the anime sprinkled in for good measure. Continuity for the King of Fighters is a modified form of the current story, how that is should be explained in story, but I am willing to explain for those with further questions.
Enjoy!
Chapter 17
"Ryo, wait! Where you going man?" Robert watched in exasperation as his friend stormed down the corridor ahead of him. "You telling me you're not going to watch this match?"
"Yeah big bro, we should be staking out our competition." Yuri chimed in. "And I want to see how that guy with the pigtail fights! You made such a big deal about it before, what gives?"
Ryo came to a halt. "I can't watch this! It's a conflict of interest! My student is on one team, and the kid is on another!"
"What conflict of interest? We have to root for Marco! He's representing our school!"
Ryo shook his head in disappointment. "You just don't get it yet Yuri, and you wonder why I don't consider you a serious martial artist."
"Big bro, you are such a jerk!" Yuri said peevishly. She stuck her tongue out at him and stomped off down another corridor. "I'm going to find a room where I can watch this thing, you coming Robert?"
"Eh, give me a moment honey. I'll try to talk some sense into your brother here first."
"Suit yourself, and here I thought we could cuddle together on some chair and…"
"Didn't you say were going somewhere?" Ryo yelled at her.
"Nyah!" Yuri finally left.
Robert took a deep breath. "You know Ryo, it's not like it's any of my business…"
"But you'll say something anyway."
"Ahem, you and Yuri would get along a lot better if you stopped treating here like she was still ten. I know you practically raised her through a good chunk of your life, but she's a full grown woman at this point and you need to start respecting her as such."
"She doesn't understand though, the code between men." Ryo said as he sighed deeply.
"I'm going to take a wild guess here and say it's because she's a woman! Oh, you are hopeless."
"You understand Bob, right?"
"What? The match? I guess. How would the Master put it? Something like, 'a student who violates the principles of the Art, even with the intention of doing good, is still doing evil.' Am I right?"
"More or less. I'm sure Marco meant well when he entered the tournament, but he doesn't understand that until he's fully trained in every aspect of Kyokugen, he's in no position to be fighting anyone. An improper application of the techniques could get him or someone else seriously hurt, crippled, or even killed."
"But as long as he stays to the basic stuff it shouldn't be a problem."
"He knows a lot more than the basics though. Marco was already an experienced fighter when he came to our school, so he picked up things much faster than a total novice would. He's already learned the Haoh Sho Ko Ken, and he's been fooling around with the Ko Hou, trying to match my father's perfected version of the move."
"Alright, but he doesn't know how to use the Ranbu, right?"
"…"
"Ryo." Robert felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"There's no possible reason he should, but with Marco…"
"Oh man." Robert put his face to his palm. "But it's just a hunch on your part. You know you could simply be over thinking this."
"But if I'm right, the consequences could be horrific." Ryo turned his back to Robert. "I have no way of calling this fight off. It's totally in the hands of Ranma and his friends to stop this now. But it's making me sick just thinking about it."
Ryo could feel Robert's hand gently come down on his shoulder. "Come on, let's go meet up with Yuri and watch this fight. Whatever happens, we owe both teams the courtesy of watching their battle."
Ryo took a deep breath and relaxed. "Okay, but under one condition: no cuddling."
"Not even with you?" Robert grinned.
"Ugh, now I really am going to be sick."
"Did you see him out there Duo Lon? Arrogant little brat, acting as if he had already won!" Elisabeth was livid, the first time that Duo Lon could ever remember her being so.
"Please, I know it was upsetting," he tried to console her. "But we must keep our emotions in check here. You know as well as I do that Ash thrives off of manipulating people's emotions. Do not fall into his trap Miss Elisabeth."
"I am quite aware of that." She said imperiously. "It just enrages me that I just had to stand there while Ash gloated. Does he really think that he is going to get away this time?"
"I understand your anger Miss Elisabeth, but you know that it would have been a disaster if we had attacked him right then. Think of the panic it would have caused in the audience, and the possibility that innocent people would have been hurt."
"What garbage you speak." Gato growled in a mixture of disgust and mockery. "You were worried people would get hurt? You are an assassin by trade!"
"I am an assassin by trade, that's true, but I still have my code of ethics. I do not slay a person unless there is ample evidence of their crimes, and even then I will try to dissuade a potential client from hiring me if there is another option available. You can mock my ways if you wish, but I am glad to live by those principles."
"How very noble of you," Gato replied sarcastically, "But If you have so much trouble with the idea of blood being shed, then you should retire to a monastery to ease your conscience, you pathetic hypocrite."
'This man,' Don Lon thought with great discomfort. 'He is remarkably gifted, but his personality is unbearable. How can he hold such bitterness? We both suffered tragedy and betrayal in our lives, but I never allowed myself to succumb to such feelings!'
"I know why you were so reluctant to fight." Gato lips twisted into a cruel smirk. "It was that tart with the green hair." He saw Duo Lon noticeably react to that, and decided to probe even further.
"Who is she, a former lover of yours? Perhaps your cold, dark exterior holds an even softer heart then I first imagined?"
Duo Lon stopped in his tracks. An eerie aura developed around him, making even Gato pause.
"Let me be very clear Gato." Duo Lon's tone was a cold as ice. "You are my teammate, and Miss Elisabeth considers you a critical part of her efforts, so I grant you a great degree of latitude in your behavior. But if you ever speak of my younger sister in such disgraceful terms ever again, I will kill you where you stand."
If the Hizoku assassin had thought that would silence Gato, he was sorely mistaken.
"I think I would enjoy that!" the other man bellowed. "It would be my first worthwhile fight in a while! In fact, why even wait, try it right now. I would love to see if this Chinese Black Magic of yours is actually worth a damn!"
"ça suffit!" yelled Elisabeth as she cracked her riding crop, a dazzling white aura surrounding it. "I will not brook this behavior among my allies any longer!"
Her outburst managed to silence the two men. Duo Lon bowed ever so slightly to Elisabeth, a sign of apology for allowing his emotions to overwhelm his judgment. Gato simply scowled; annoyed that he had been denied an opportunity for a worthy challenge of his skills.
"So are you going to watch the match?" Elisabeth asked Gato, trying to change the subject. "The pirate and the wrestler, they are former teammates of yours."
"Does it make a difference? Do I owe anything to them for it? I have no use for such pointless actions."
"You do not seem to have much use for anything." Duo Lon looked upon his teammate with equal parts disgust and pity.
"It is what makes me strong… you will see that soon enough, one way or the other."
"Honey, get in here!" Nodoka called to her husband from across the Tendo house. "Our Ranma and his friends have been picked for the first match!"
"What? So soon?" the elder Saotome muttered. Genma was in the bathroom, doing what comes naturally to all men… even if they do not talk about it in polite company. "Stupid boy, he always puts me in these bad spots!"
"Saotome, aren't you coming down?" Soun asked. "This is your son making his world debut in competitive martial arts. I would think even you would be excited."
"I'm coming Tendo, I'm coming." Genma said as he flushed the toilet. He rushed back to the living area and joined the others. "So who is the boy fighting?"
"I'm not familiar with them." Soun said as he stroked his chin. "They are all foreigners. The girl seems European, and I have no idea about the other two."
"Well that wasn't very helpful. I could have figured that much out just by looking at the screen."
"Why is everyone so hard on me?" Soun sobbed. "You try to do a favor for a friend and you get insulted for return."
"Oh brother, are you trying to guilt me Tendo?"
"Shush you two!" Nodoka demanded. "The match will begin any moment!"
"Don't shush me woman, this is a serious discussion about men's deep feelings… wait a moment, that came out wrong."
"I don't even have my daughters here to console me." Soun continued to whine.
"Lucky them." Genma said as he plopped onto the couch next to his wife. It was time to see what that ungrateful boy was really capable of. All the training that Genma had put him through, all the adventures they had gone on, it would all be meaningless if Ranma humiliated himself before half the world. But could the boy really wash out in his first match? If his previous fight with that Sakazaki man had been any indicator, then the odds did not look good. However, that (very) small piece of Genma that was a proud, concerned father felt that things would be different this time…
"Do it boy, make me proud." He said quietly, but with absolute conviction.
Genma then felt Nodoka's head lightly rest on his shoulder.
"I could not agree more Dear."
Soun continued to sulk off to the side, oblivious to anything else.
Hiroshi hummed merrily as he prepared some snacks in the kitchen. Girls! Girls were in his house! This had been such a great idea, inviting Yuka and Sayuri over to watch the tournament. It had worked out even better than he ever imagined! What with Akane and her sisters going off to Germany, her friends had been feeling bored and gladly agreed to the suggestion of watching the fights on his family's brand new plasma set. His parents had been so thrilled at the prospect of their son having any sort of contact with females that they gladly left him and Daisuke alone to their own devices. It did not get any better than this; it was like his life finally had some meaning!
'And I owe it all to Ranma. That guy, I knew I was hanging around him all this time for a reason!'
"Yo Hiro-kun!" he could hear Daisuke shout from the living room. "How's the snack situation in there?"
"I'm bringing them, I'm bringing them." Hiroshi said as he picked up the trey and hurried back to the living room (and the girls!) as quickly as he could without spilling the food all over the place.
"So what did I miss?" he asked.
"Oh nothing big," Sayuri said, lounging on the carpet belly down, her chin held up by her arms. "Just Ranma and his team getting picked for the first match."
"What? You're kidding! That's huge! Why didn't you guys tell me sooner? I could have missed some of the action!"
"Relax Hiroshi." Yuka said. "We would have filled you in if anything had happened." Her eyes narrowed. "You did bring all of the snacks I wanted?"
"Yeah… of… of course." Hiroshi sputtered. "Five kinds of pocky for you and this sweet red bean paste here for the lovely Ms. Sayuri."
"I'm not lovely?" Yuka growled dangerously.
"No! I mean yes! You're very, very lovely! The loveliest girl I know by far. "
Sayuri got off the floor. "So what gives? All the sudden I'm not so lovely to you Mr. Hiroshi?"
"That's not what I meant!" Hiroshi said desperately. Damn it, what was he supposed to do now? Ranma had come up with a good idea to get the girls to come over to the house, but he never said what to do next! Then a horrific realization dawned on Hiroshi.
'That because Ranma doesn't know how to handle his own girlfriends! I'm doomed, doooooomed!'
"Hey girls, it looks like they're announcing something new." Daisuke said as he tried to calm the girls down.
"Really? Let me see that." Yuka turned her attention back to the set, Sayuri following her lead.
Hiroshi put the trey down on a small table in front of the couch and sat next to Daisuke. The two looked at one another and gave a quiet sigh of relief.
"We dodged a bullet there my friend." Daisuke said in hushed tones.
"What are we going to do next Dai? I don't know how to talk to chicks." Hiroshi also whispered.
"Let's just take it as it comes. Ranma got us this far, I think he's about to come through for us again. After all, we are his best friends, right?"
"More or less."
"And we've seen a lot of his fights."
"Yeah, where are you going with this?"
"So… let's do some commentary dude. The girls don't know that much about martial arts, so we'll explain things for them. Think about how impressed they'll be."
"Eh, we can do that?"
"What's stopping us?"
"The fact that I can barely pronounce the name of that fighting style Ranma uses, let alone all of the other crazy techniques those other guys use."
"Well the girls don't know that."
Hiroshi's expression brightened. "Yeah, I see where you're going Dai. It's so crazy, it might just work!"
"What are you two blabbing about over there?" Yuka said sharply without even turning around. "Are you even paying attention to what going on?"
"Of course my dears!" Hiroshi said, flushed with new confidence. "In fact, let me and Dai explain to you the finer points of what's going on."
"Well they're all standing in the arena, duh." Yuka said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world (because it was).
"We are doomed Dai, dooooooooooooomed…"
"We are now selecting the matchup for the first round of this battle." A female voice blurted out over the speaker system. "Teams, please line up at the opposite ends of the ring."
Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse moved to their end of the ring, and watched as Jenet's team did likewise. Above them, on the giant monitors that surrounded the arena, their names flashed up in bright red. After a few moments of waiting, two of the names turned green.
"The selection has been made." The voice on the speaker began. "The first round will be… Marco Rodriguez versus… Ryoga Hibiki!"
The crowd began to rustle in excitement at the news.
"Hibiki was picked first?" Mousse asked. "It seems… totally unfitting."
"To hell with you!" Ryoga shouted at him over the deafening roar of the crowd. He turned to Ranma. "I guess I'm fighting even sooner than I expected."
"You can do this man." Ranma said in a supportive tone. "You can almost match me in a fight, so you should have no trouble against this guy."
"Almost match you in a fight!" Ryoga's face lit up bright red. "I'm your equal and then some! You'll see it when I bulldoze this guy over in no time flat!"
"That's the spirit, but I am a better fighter than you."
"Agh!" Ryoga snarled as he jumped up into the ring.
"That's your version of a pep talk, Ranma Saotome?" Mousse said. "I think I can do without them, thank you very much."
"Don't worry; I wouldn't ever waste my time encouraging you."
"…
"I really hate you Saotome, you do know that?"
"I can't believe it Great-grandmother! Airen is not going to be fighting first? He's the team leader. Leaders always go first in battle!"
"Quiet child, I have great interest in this battle." Cologne focused on Ryoga's distant form.
So much potential in that one. He was immensely strong, and possessed great determination and endurance. Under Cologne's careful guidance, those traits had been enhanced even further. But he was not without his weaknesses. While he was hardly clumsy, he lacked the degree of control, restraint, and grace that Ranma or even Mousse possessed. His temper had improved greatly in the past few months, but he was still prone to letting his anger get the better of him in a tough fight. He had already tested himself well in several fights against opponents besides Ranma, but how would he do in a more formal setting?
'And that man's ki,' Cologne thought in regards to Marco. 'He's most likely a student of the same school as that Sakazaki fellow. Can Hibiki do any better against it?'
She turned to her Great-granddaughter. "What do you think of this situation child?"
"I just hope Airen gets to fight soon." Shampoo sulked.
'As I thought, hopeless as ever.' the old woman shook her head.
In the VIP box, Akane looked worried as she watched Ryoga take his place in the ring. Her mind raced with many thoughts.
'Oh Ryoga, be careful down there. This is a big deal for you, I know that, and I want you to do well. I'm also sure you can take care of yourself but…'
"That kid is in trouble."
Over in the corner, a well-dressed young man, maybe a few years older than Kasumi, sat in a fine leather chair. He held a writing pad and a pen. Lying on the floor in front of him was an open laptop.
"What did you say?" Akane started literally glowing with rage. "You dare to make fun of Ryoga?"
Her sisters, sitting on each side of her, sensed what was coming next.
"Now Akane, please try to come down." Kasumi pleaded. Things had been going so pleasantly up until this point, and she simply did not want it to be spoiled due to some flippant remark by a stranger.
"You should listen to Kasumi." Nabiki said in an equally desperate tone.
"Nabiki, you're actually backing me up?" Kasumi eyes grew misty as she was overcome by joy.
"Of course of I am! We can't afford to get sued if Akane assaults this guy!"
"Oh, of course." Kasumi felt her spirits plummet back to earth.
"No I won't back down!" Akane said as she stomped towards the man, greatly alarming everyone else in the VIP box. "You take back what you said about Ryoga!"
"I just call them like I see them." The man said casually; seemingly unafraid of the violence that Akane threatened to unleash upon him. "I'm guessing the kid in yellow is someone you know?"
"He's a good friend of mine."
"Then my apologies, but I stand by what I said. Do have any idea who that other man he is about to fight is?"
The man's question seemed to snap Akane out of her anger. "No, not particularly. Is he famous?"
The man folded his hands together and rested his chin on them as he looked out the window.
"In some circles he is. That guy is Marco Rodriguez, the 'Beast from Bauru.' He was at one time considered among the finest practitioners of full-contact karate in the world. A few years ago, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he was defeated by another fighter, Ryo Sakazaki, the 'Invincible Dragon' in the finals of a MMA tournament."
"Mr. Sakazaki beat that man?" Akane was unsure where this was all going, but she was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread.
"Oh, so you know who Sakazaki is, that's good, I can skip ahead. Sakazaki beat him alright, and Rodriguez retired from fighting. He traveled to the States, where he joined Sakazaki's dojo and learned from him. He was tough before, but with his new training, he's probably one of the fighters to look out for in this tournament."
"Oh my, one of Mr. Ryo's students." Kasumi said softly from her chair. "What were the odds?"
"Ryoga is fighting another practitioner of Kyokugen?" Akane tried to process that. Did that mean that Ryoga would lose the way Ranma did? No! He had witnessed that fight, he must have been able to take something from it, come up with a way of counteracting it. Ryoga was an amazing fighter in his own right; he couldn't just roll over and lose his first match!
Meanwhile, Nabiki had slyly moved next to the young man.
"Hey mister, you seem to know a whole lot about this stuff. Who are you exactly?" she tried to come off as seductive, but the man seemed to regard her with great annoyance.
"Gary O'Conner. I'm a reporter for SNN Sport Network. You could say it's my job to know this stuff, because well… it is."
"So you know most of these fighters?" Nabiki's head became flush with images of silver and gold. "Would you say you could make educated guesses on who might win a given match?"
O'Conner narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a gambler, and would you kindly take your hand off of my chair young lady?"
"Don't be so cold, I'm a sensitive girl."
"Right."
Akane (gently) pried Nabiki from the chair.
"Forgive my older sister Mr. O'Conner. She can be a little pushy."
"I never would have noticed." O'Conner said wryly.
"I'm Akane Tendo. Look, I'm sorry I blew up at you…"
"You don't have to say anymore, Miss Tendo. Friends are friends, I can understand that much. But your friend… he's got a very big challenge in front of him."
"I choose to believe in him."
"Well, at least it will make a good story for the magazine." O'Conner said as he started scribbling into his note pad.
"Come on Marco-baby, this is going to be an easy one. The kid uses an umbrella as a weapon for crying out loud!" Jenet said as she cheered on her teammate.
'I will admit he doesn't look like much.' The Kyokugen expert silently agreed with his partner. "But I cannot underestimate him. This boy is a comrade of Saotome, whom Master Ryo spoke so highly of. There has to be more to this one than meets the eye.'
"Marco my friend!" Tizoc shouted into the Brazilian's ear, breaking him out of thought. "Whatever happens, enjoy the fight for what it is! Enjoying the battle is as important as victory!"
Marco rubbed his ears. "I'll enjoy this fight a lot more if you don't blow out my eardrums first you frango louco!"
"Oh, sorry about that." Tizoc rubbed the top of his head and, for a man whose face was completely covered by a mask, looked remarkably contrite.
"Right, don't take Tizoc's words too seriously Marco. After all, only winners get the prize money!" Jenet stamped her foot down anxiously. "And I'll be damned if I go home with nothing this time around!"
Marco looked backed at his teammates and smiled. They meant well, even if they were both crazy. He stepped up into the ring and walked towards the center, meeting Ryoga halfway. Marco's large frame loomed over Ryoga, making the teenager seem even younger by comparison.
Marco then gave a sharp bow and began a little speech he had prepared for this occasion.
"Bom Dia.I think it's only appropriate that I introduce myself to my opponent. Osu to you, young man, I am Marco Nelson de Pereira Saldanha Rodriguez of Brazil! I represent the Kyokugen-ryu School of Karate and currently hold the rank of Jyuku. I also hold black belts in three other schools."
"Greetings to you Marco, I'm Ryoga Hibiki of Japan." He returned Marco's bow. "My school… I have none, I'm self-taught. So you use Kyokugen huh? Like Ryo Sakazaki?"
"You know of my Master then. Of course you would, from your team captain." Marco smiled, beaming with pride, before his expression turned serious again. "I warn you now though that no two Kyokugen practitioners fight exactly the same way. We pride ourselves on individuality and innovation, and knowing my Master's moves will not give you an advantage over me."
"Fair enough, but I'll warn you that Ranma is my rival, and the man I plan to surpass as a great fighter. Don't think you can grasp my ability by what you've heard about him." Ryoga paused for a moment, as he felt a little curious. "So you're really a Brazilian? I've been to Rio a few times, it's a beautiful city. The people are nice as well." He tried to say this with as much respect as possible.
"That's true boy, but you should know I'm no feckless carioca, I'm a paulista and we always get the job done." Marco then raised his hand up towards Ryoga and snapped his fingers, as if to emphasize the importance of his statement.
"My mistake." Ryoga replied impassively.
"They lost me at Brazilian." Said a very confused Ranma; seriously, what the heck were those two talking about?
"Don't think about it too much Saotome. You'll just tire yourself out before your fight." Mousse said smugly.
"Shut up."
"Fighters… are you ready?" the voice blared out over the speaker. The crowd gave out another cheer.
"Defend yourself boy!" Marco said as he jumped back a few steps and assumed a fighting stance.
"You'll be the one on the defense!" Ryoga readied his umbrella for battle.
For a tense few seconds, the world seemed to freeze around them.
"Round One… Ready? GOOOOOO!"
Ryoga charged in fiercely, thrusting his umbrella squarely at Marco's chest. Marco did not seem to react at all, still standing in the same spot, locked in his stance.
'Just going to stand there and take it?' Ryoga thought. 'Suit yourself! You don't know how strong I really am!'
He covered the ground between them in less than a second, and prepared to land the blow…
And then Marco made his counterattack.
"Ha!" the Brazilian called out as he moved in a flash. He ran around the tip of Ryoga's umbrella, despite it only being a few centimeters in front of him, and blitzed into his unprepared opponent. He smacked his forearm up into Ryoga's jaw, staggering the teen.
"Ugh!" Ryoga cried as he staggered back a few steps. He brought up his knee, hoping to hit Marco in the sternum, but missed. Marco had already retreated safely out of range, ready to take on the next attack.
Ryoga paused and took stock of his situation. Marco's blow had not really hurt him, all he felt was a slight tingling in his jaw.
'I'm alright. That was probably far from his best shot, but I still shook it off. I never expected him to move so fast though. He's good alright, just like I would expect from someone who studied under Mr. Sakazaki.'
"Taking a breather already boy?" Marco taunted him. "You're not as serious about this as I thought."
Ryoga gave his reply by jumping into the air and bringing his umbrella down with both arms in a downward thrust. He figured it was a safe attack, as the sheer power behind it would be almost impossible to counter. Marco would either have to step back or be crushed, and Ryoga already had another attack planned either way.
"Hien Shippu Kyaku!" Marco flew up into the air, his knee extended, wrapped in an aura of ki. He was very proud of his unique version of the classic technique, perfect for knocking down airborne foes. He met Ryoga in midair, trying to smash through the teen's defense as he had before, but Ryoga was more prepared this time, and quickly adjusted his umbrella to absorb the force of the blow.
"Arghhh!" Marco gritted his teeth as his knee connected with the umbrella tip. The ki sheath protected him from the worst outcome, a shattered kneecap, but the pain was still considerable. What was that umbrella made of anyway? The tip of it seemed to buckle and crack, but it still held together otherwise.
Through great effort, Marco brought his other leg forward, completing the technique. His left foot, blazing with golden energy, came down on Ryoga. Marco was too disoriented to score a direct hit, but it did graze its target. Ryoga was thrown back by the force and came crashing down to the stadium floor with a dull thud. He rolled himself off the ground quickly as Marco landed nearby, favoring his right leg.
'Come on, don't give out on me!' Marco thought as he rubbed his leg. It was sore, but it seemed that it would continue to support him. He grimaced in determination; this fight was far from over.
Ryoga picked himself off the ground carefully. Again, the impact had caused only minimal harm to him. So far, so good; his opponent definitely looked worse for their exchange of blows. He studied his damaged umbrella and without a second thought tossed it aside. While it was a powerful weapon, against an opponent so skilled in hand-to-hand combat techniques it could become a liability. Ryoga would be better able to counter Marco's moves with his bare hands, and end this fight that much sooner.
"Rodriguez looks hurt." O'Conner mumbled to himself as he scribbled down some notes. "Did not see that one coming, at least not this early in the match. Now the other guy is tossing that… club or whatever it is away. What a crazy match."
"I told you Ryoga could handle himself." Akane said proudly. "He trained hard for this tournament, and I knew he would do well."
"Geez Akane, save some praise for your fiancée." Nabiki teased. Akane froze in mortification at her older sister's statement.
"Fiancée? You're engaged, at your age?" O'Conner looked incredulous. How ridiculous, this girl couldn't be much older than his sister, and she wasn't even out of high school. He stared at Akane for a moment, trying to get a sense of her body language to see if it was true or not. It turned out to be fairly easy; the girl was terrible at hiding her emotions.
"You are engaged." He stated bluntly, and then without any other comment went back to looking out the window.
"That's all you're going to say?" Akane said in irritation.
"Not my business." O'Conner said, his head still turned away from her. "I'm here to cover the fight."
Nabiki had a flash of insight, and decided to press her advantage. "It's not even your business when Akane's engaged to one of the team captains?"
"Nabiki!"
"Wait, what?" O'Conner's interest was piqued.
"I can give you all of the juicy details Mr. Reporter… if you're willing to pay." Nabiki said through heavily lidded eyes.
O'Conner sighed; he knew he was going to regret this.
"And how much are we talking about here? Understand, my employers have allowed me a certain amount of funding for 'research', but if you think I'm going to just drop a pile of cash in your lap you are sorely mistaken."
"Let's start with a nice even number, say three thousand American dollars?"
"Baloney, whatever you know can't be worth that much. How about a thousand? And believe me, I'm being real generous."
"I don't know Mr. Reporter. My poor family spends a lot on house repairs, what with all the elite martial artists who tend to gather there and fight. A measly thousand is just not going to cut our needs."
"Like you ever pay for our repairs! The only reason you want that money is to buy a new Prada bag!" Akane screamed.
"I'll pay you fifteen hundred and that's my final offer!" O'Conner stated defiantly, taking a checkbook out of his jacket. "And this info better be good Miss Tendo, or I will be back for my money." Did this snotty little girl think she could just come out of nowhere and shake him down? He was probably over paying as it was.
Nabiki eyes lit up in joy as she saw O'Conner fill out the check and hand it over to her. "Done and done Mr. Reporter!" she said as she took out some photos. "This is to start you out. I can elaborate on them for you, but after a certain point you're going to have to dole out some more if you want the full story."
Akane peered over O'Conner's shoulder to take a look at what photos her sister had sold off to him. Her face turned beat red, partly out of rage, but even more out of embarrassment.
"Nabiki, those are photos of when Happosai went on his last panty raid, the one that started in my bedroom!"
"Well I wasn't going to tell him they were your panties Akane. Now why did you have to go and blow your cover like that?"
Akane's brain proceeded to crash into oblivion at that point.
"What the hell?" O'Conner had to stifle a gasp as he went over the semi-salacious photos. "Who is this old man, and why are the guys from that team down there fighting him?"
Nabiki got a knowing expression on her face. "Well now Mr. Reporter, how much is that worth to you?"
Marco stared down Ryoga from the other side of the ring, separated by a few dozen meters. He was breathing hard, trying to regain his composure.
This boy was just so strong! It was madness, pure madness! His physical strength was immense, probably matched only by someone like Tizoc or Master Takuma. His endurance and resilience were nothing short of astonishing either. Hitting him was like smacking a block of solid cast iron. How could this teenager, less than half Marco's own age, managed to have become so tough?
Marco noticed his teammates watching him carefully off to the side of the ring, and pulled himself together.
'So he's stronger than me! So what? I'm faster, older and more experienced. And I have the full set of the Kyokugen School's special techniques at my disposal. This is a fight that I can win. I just have to start approaching it in a different way."
"Hey Mr. Rodriguez, you okay over there?" Ryoga said sympathetically. "It looks like you put a lot of strain on your leg." He really was concerned for the health of his opponent. He had not known him for long, but Ryoga could see Marco was an honorable man who deserved respect as a worthy adversary. If only Ranma could be more like this during their fights…
"I'm more than okay Mr. Hibiki. I am ready to put you in your place!" Marco shifted his arms forward, palms open, as if preparing for another strike. He dashed forward and took a long jump forward, and landing in front of Ryoga, made a quick kick at Ryoga's sternum. Ryoga was equally quick to counter, swatting down the kick, but his opponent followed it up with a palm thrust to the face. This too was easily countered, and Ryoga caught Marco's open palm in his hand…
"That was exactly what I thought you would do!" Marco announced with a big grin on his face, readying his other hand.
"Kohou!" the Brazilian raised his fist upwards, his body being propelled by ki. Ryoga was struck square in the jaw and was sent several feet upwards. Marco flew upwards as well, but his sense of balance was thrown off by the Lost Boy continuing to instinctually clasp onto his hand with crushing strength. They fell to the earth clumsily, still entwined.
'He's going to break my hand into pieces if I don't get him off!' Marco panicked. He resorted to an old trick of his from before he even started training under Ryo: he headbutted Ryoga in the face. His own skull made a hearty thud against Ryoga's, and the boy shuttered and released his grip. However, while that may have saved his hand, Marco quickly regretted his decision. The world around him turned hazy, and he could see red engulf his vision; he realized he must have split his forehead wide open. Ryoga on the other hand looked slightly dazed but otherwise fine.
'I guess it was inevitable I would someday meet a person with a harder head then mine.' Marco joked to himself. 'How fitting that it would be a teenage boy.' He staggered backwards and fell on his rear.
"Marco…" Jenet said listlessly. She knew Marco was a tough cookie, by far one of the stronger fighters currently living in Southtown. Yet here it was, some Japanese kid who she had never even heard of until yesterday was overwhelming him!
"Neither one will give up." Tizoc said suddenly. His arms were folded across his chest, and he seemed deep in thought. "These two are both very stubborn. Even in a hopeless fight they go forward, no matter what the cost to themselves."
"And you're okay with that?" Jenet said accusingly. "If you're severely hurt, you should just keep on fighting until an even worse injury stops you?"
"A man's pride is a strange thing Ms. Jenet. Sometimes it drives him to do some pretty stupid things. Other times it makes him do awful, terrible things. But then… there are times were it drives him to do some downright miraculous things."
"I think that mask of yours is starting to cut off the oxygen to your brain, Tizoc-baby."
Tizoc chuckled. "I told you it was a strange thing. Why don't you watch it for yourself? After all, actions always express more than words."
"Oh man, that guy is bleeding all over his face." Ranma said with concern. "This is one ugly fight."
Mousse looked at him disdainfully. "Why do you care? Hibiki is winning, our team is winning. Does the pain of your enemies concern you that much, Ranma Saotome?"
"I don't have any patience for your crap right now." Ranma looked at the amazon with disgust and turned his attention back to the fight. He saw Ryoga getting back up to his feet, shaking off the effects of Marco's headbutt.
"Ryoga!" he screamed at the Lost Boy. "End this fight quickly. You're gonna accidently kill this guy at the rate things are going!"
Ryoga looked across the ring and made eye contact with Ranma, and slowly gave him a thumbs up.
"Ko ou Ken!" Marco's yell cut through the tension of the moment as a yellow blast of energy flew from his open palm at astonishing speed. He had taken advantage of the brief lull in the battle to choose another method of attack.
Ryoga's instincts took over and he dove to the right of him in order to avoid the blast.
"Ha! Ko ou Ken!" Marco called out again as he fired yet another blast, this time at the spot Ryoga had moved to. The teen had no time to dodge a second attack so soon after the first, and took the full force of the blast colliding into his chest.
'I knew it! My ki blasts are the key to winning this fight!' Marco thought. 'With their speed, I can keep this boy at a distance and pick him off, negating his strength.'
Marco's version of the Ko ou Ken had evolved differently from that of other Kyokugen students. His were explosively powerful compare to the blunt wave of energy normally produced. They were exceptionally fast as well, faster than just about anyone else's save for Master Takuma himself. Marco had become so proficient at it he could fire off one attack right after another, hitting a target twice before they could react. By the same token, he could time them to hit an opponent just as they were getting back on their feet, scoring a quick, powerful blow that left them vulnerable to further attacks.
"Now for the finishing blow!" Marco put his hand together and twisted his body slightly sideways. He began to pull blue ki into his hands and concentrate it into a large ball.
"Tchau!Kyokugen Finishing Technique… Haoh Sho Ko Ken!" he fired off a massive burst of blue energy at a speed even greater than that of the previous ki attacks. It traveled towards Ryoga in a matter of seconds, giving him only the briefest of windows to react.
In that time, Ryoga's mind was overcome with one emotion: despair. How could things have gone against him so badly? Here it was for the first time in what had felt like months where he was in total control of a battle, and in an instant he was losing again. How was he ever going to live up to his dreams of overtaking Ranma if he kept on giving away his fights like this? It was all so damn depressing!
It was desperation time. He poured all of that heavy emotions he was feeling into his chi and pushed it outwards into his Shi Shi Hokodan. The green energy ball formed just as Marco's ki attack hit.
"Shi Shi Hokodan!" the Lost Boy cried out as he sent it directly into the Haoh Sho Ko Ken. The clash of energies was terrible, and caused the immediate area to be covered in blinding light, obscuring the audience's view of the results. When it subsided, Ryoga was still standing, a little singed for sure, but still standing nonetheless.
"Yeah! That's it Ryoga! You've got this in the bag!" Ranma cheered from the sidelines. That had looked like Marco's last hurrah. The guy had clearly put a lot into that last attack, and yet he still could not hurt Ryoga. It was unlikely he had anything else that could do the job either. This fight was over; it was just a question of how much longer it would take for Ryoga to finish it.
It was now Marco's turn to despair. His Haoh Sho Ko Ken neutralized by another ki blast? It was unreal; this boy simply had too much power. Marco could continue to dance around him and get in small blows, but what would that accomplish? He would quickly tire, and then the boy would knock him out at his convenience. Maybe a voluntary submission was in order?
'No! I can't do that! It would be utterly disgraceful for me to just quit and walk away! Even if it breaks me, I will continue this to the bitter end.' Marco gritted his teeth.
There was only one choice left now. There was a very good chance that this would not work. Marco had never used this technique before in an actual match. In fact, it was not even clear if he could perform this technique under optimal conditions, but it was his only option left, and he would use it.
Ryoga approached Marco carefully, sensing something was off.
'What in the world is he doing now?' Ryoga thought. 'He should be on his last legs by now, but it seems like his body's ki flow is getting stronger by the second. Is he… drawing ki from the Earth?'
Outside of the ring, Ranma and Mousse could sense this as well, and were alarmed.
"Oh yeah, this is bad." Ranma said.
"I know that this going to sound stupid, but just how bad is this?" Mousse asked.
Ranma took a deep breath. "He's taking ki from non-living sources like the soil and air. Elder Cologne and I talked about it once, and she said it's one of the most dangerous things a martial artist can try to do, warned me not to try it for another ten years, and left it at that."
"Hmmm, is that so? Well, it's not like there's anything we can do about it."
"You could try sounding a little more concerned!"
"Empathy is cheap Saotome, that's not what Hibiki needs right now anyway."
"So what does he need?" Ranma asked crossly.
"Luck."
"Marco, you idiot!" Ryo yelled at the TV set.
"He really is going to do the Ranbu." Robert said, his face going pale. "Why do you always have to be right about this stuff?"
Even Yuri was sweating bullets at this point. "But I thought that was impossible. The only way you guys ever learned that technique was by studying under Dad for months! You shouldn't be able to do it otherwise!"
"You're right to a point Yuri. But Dad, Robert, and I have all used the Ranbu in public fights. Marco has watched all of us do it, and a clever guy like him can take a good guess on the principles behind it. I'd been wondering for months if he was trying to learn it, but I could never prove anything one way or the other." Ryo clenched his hands into fists.
"This is my fault. He's my student, and I never explained to him just how serious this all was. I have to take responsibility!" He bolted for the door, but Robert grabbed him.
"What do you think you can do at this point? One way or the other it's going to be over before you can get out there. You said earlier to have faith in those kids to do the right thing… so take your own advice damn it!"
"Rob…" Ryo was shaking with emotion. His friend was right of course, but what was he supposed to do?
Just sit back and watch two men die?
"Great-grandmother, what is wrong?"
"What is going on down there?" The old woman shook her head. "That man is trying to channel ki from the Earth in his state? Madness!"
Granted, she conceded it was not always a bad tactic to use in battle. A well trained martial artist of proper experience like herself could use it successfully with no ill effects. But this man was already taking in too much, too quickly. It was as if he knew the ingredients to a recipe but had no idea how much was needed of them. At this rate he would blow out his body with all of that excess power. What sort of technique could he be trying to use it for anyway?
"Hey Tizoc? Remember when you were talking about a man's pride earlier?" Jenet said with a tinge of fear in her voice.
"What part of it are you referring to?" he replied, although he already knew the answer.
"The part where you said it sometimes drives a man to do terrible things. This is one of those situations, isn't it?"
"I am afraid it is Miss Jenet." The giant shook his head in disappointment. "Marco, why could you not take my advice and just enjoy the fight for what it was? I fear you are in over your head now."
Ryoga jumped back away from Marco, unwilling to attack until he knew what he was dealing with. The sheer amount of power that Marco was channeling at that very minute was astounding! Was he trying to fire off an even larger version of that ki blast from earlier?
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Marco thrust both of his palms forward, and locked his eyes on Ryoga. "It ends with this! The Kyokugen School Succession Technique: Ryuuko Ranbu!"
End Chapter
Ah, and so it begins. Writing this kind of material requires a lot of fine tuning. Thankfully I am a little more experienced now then I was last year when I wrote the Ranma vs. Ryo fight, so I believe it did come out well.
But enough about that, I have some important notes to make for this chapter. First off is Marco's nickname. He has one in canon, "The Black Beast of Karate" but I felt it was inappropriate. I mean, have you seen a picture of him? Yes SNK, Marco is a black guy, we get it. So I changed it to "The Beast From Bauru." In case you were wondering, Bauru is a large city in Sao Paulo state (not to be confused with the city) and the childhood hometown of football (soccer) great Pele. Why I chose goes into my next point.
You may be wondering just what the heck Marco was going on about when he said he was no carioca. Cariocas are people who come from Rio de Janeiro, and they have a long standing rivalry with people from Sao Paulo. I made Marco a paulista in this fic because he seemed to fit the stereotype: hardworking and more serious than the traditional image of Brazilians. It's nothing big, but I thought it gave a bit of texture to Marco's Brazilian identity, which rarely comes up in the games.
Also, the chapter takes its name from Marco's awesome theme music. Two versions of it can be heard here:
Original: http: / www .youtube. com/ watch? v=iBX47Ace JC4&feature =related
Arranged: http: /www .you tube. com/ watch?v= RFPSCSoY Fe0&feature=related
On another note, SNN, the network O'Conner works for, is the television station that often reports on the King of Fighters tournaments in universe. I figured they had to be represented in the story somehow, which is how the character of O'Conner was created. Original characters are always a double-edged sword in fanfiction, but in this case I thought it worked out quite well. I might do some more stuff with this guy in later story arcs, provided it does not derail the overall plot.
Now for reviews (which I have been putting off):
Hitokiri Onib: I think you were a little confused by what I wrote. Ryo is not on the same level as Akuma, I was talking about his father Takuma, who is very much is on the same level as those other boss characters you mentioned. Takuma holds back most of the time in order to challenge himself, but when he gets serious… see his final boss form in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos to get a better idea of what he can do. Brutal stuff.
And the laser beam that Takuma deflected may not have looked all that scary, but it had just blown up a huge chunk of a random city in a previous cut scene. It goes down as one of the most impressive power stunts anyone in the SNK universe has ever accomplished. In the backstory for the games, even Ryo sees his father as someone with unnatural abilities, and wonders how he could ever live up to that sort of legacy. It's a big part of what defines Ryo's struggle to become a stronger martial artist.
And I agree Saffron was tough, but he was also an immature brat who had no real combat training. And as writers far more talented than myself have pointed out, Akane (yes, the ever-despised one herself) played a large part in helping Ranma defeat the Phoenix King. It was an amazing accomplishment for Ranma to win, but he was also just plain lucky to come out of that fight alive.
As for your complaints about Ranma's characterization… you got me there. I realize he's not exactly as Takahashi wrote him. I try to stay in character with him as much as possible, but it does seem like he comes off as a very peevish guy in this story. Well he does act like an ass at times in the manga as well (but not as much as some people would like to believe), so it's not coming out of nowhere, but it could be refined. Your feedback is appreciated however, so keep throwing it at me!
Fionn the Otaku: Your suggestions are noted good sir and I will put them in consideration. I may well end up using some of those ideas. Thank you.
Next chapter… comes out in four weeks. The schedule slips again, but I had a bout of writer's fatigue back in June that I only broke two weeks ago. As always, it's about having enough time to produce quality writing, or at least something that is marginally readable. I think I can get back on the three week schedule afterwards though, so this should not be a huge delay.
Lastly, King of Fighters XIII was released in Japan this week. Initial response is very positive over there, which is good considering how much SNK banked on this game. One machine has already been shipped to the U.S. in Los Angeles… which I don't live anywhere near… sigh. Can always hold out for the console release, right? Sigh.
That's enough from me for now. Until next time, take care!