Chapter 5: To Challenge the King of the Mountain
Deep inside one of the many canyons formed of wind erosion that plaster the Northern Wastelands, a short, stocky Rolo Yeung continued to stride forth on his way to the Cell Games with a newfound arrogance that few people exuded. A few hours prior he had finally earned both a drink and a full canteen after trouncing the mother of all Lost World rejects, and this accomplishment was making him feel cocky as hell. He felt now as though the sun rose and set on his ass. His defeat of tyrannosaurus bloated his ego to such a degree that it helped him forget all about all the nasty cuts and bruises that Godzilla wannabe dealt him back at the oasis.
'Man, if I can kick a T-Rex's head in then surely nothing else can stop me. Cricket man is going to be in for a huge surprise when I get over the mountains,' thought the young master.
Yes, to Yeung it was beginning to seem as though nothing would stop him from reaching his objective: kicking Cell's green cockroach ass.
Not paying attention to where he was going, Yeung kept on strolling down the canyon until he stepped on something course and hard. Suddenly he was thrown ten feet into the air and wound up landing on his backside. Seething, the runt looked up to see a massive wild boar staring down at him. The boar itself could have easily weighed more than 600 lbs, and its' tusks curved out from not one jaw like most pigs but from both the lower and upper jaws.
Yeung in a rare moment of stupidity on his part just sat there with his stare frozen with that of the great mammal. The boar was the first to charge, and before Yeung could act, the pig was bearing down on him with all its' viciousness. It dove in between Yeung's legs and chomped down on his left calve muscle causing the kid to cry out in anguish. It then proceeded to toss Yeung around in its' mouth like a sack of potatoes. The boar bashed Yeung against rocks, trees, the ground, thorn bushes, anything that was nearby.
After thirty seconds of this joy ride, Yeung had had enough. Grabbing on to a nearby tree root, he looked back at the varmint that had dared to screw with him before drawing back his other fist for the punch to end all punches, and just as his fist was about to connect with the beast's muzzle, a gunshot rang throughout the valley. The beast let go of Yeung and began to run in the other direction before something struck it accompanied by another shot. The wild boar lay there convulsing for a short while before it finally stilled.
Looking in all directions, Yeung wearily picked himself off the valley floor. He soon spotted a pair of ragtag, bearded locals descending from the high cliffs.
"Stay Right There!" hollered one of the men. "Don't Move! We're coming down to help you."
"OK!" responded the young fighter.
Yeung sat on a nearby rock and waited patiently for the men to arrive. When they got close enough, Yeung could discern that they were indeed something similar to mountain men. One had a long bushy white beard and could easily pass for Santa Clause while the other one bore a full although shorter red beard. Each of the armed men were dressed from head to toe in every kind of buckskin and leather one can imagine, and neither looked as though he had ever heard of a shaving razor before.
"Goddamned kids!" yakked one of the yokels. "They know damned well that they haven't got any business out here."
"Now, now Swiss," said the other man in a calm tone, "There ain't no reason fer us ta get riled up. Besides, I don't think this kid's from around these parts anyhow."
"Come to think of it, you may be right," reasoned the first one. "I don't remember ever seeing him in the town."
"He looks like he hails from down south a ways," said the second one.
"I'm right here and I can hear everything you guys are saying," mouthed Yeung in a smart-assed manner. "And yes I do come from down South you dumb redneck."
"Wow, aren't you touchy?" replied the hairier of the two men as he reached into his tobacco pouch for another dip. "That ain't any way to talk to your rescuers."
"Spare me the lecture old-timer." At this last remark by Yeung, the younger of the two mountain men looked as though he were gonna throttle the kid but was held back by the older one.
"Come on Scot," said the older one who Yeung learned was called Swiss, "He doesn't mean it. Let's just get him to the town physician and he can go his own way from there. Whatever we do, we had best get a move on. Where there's one razorback there are bound to be more." To this, the tempered redhead turned to his partner and nodded. The older one bent down and aided Yeung to his feet. He then proceeded to help Yeung walk, but Yeung would have none of it.
"I thank you for your kindness, but I can walk by myself just fine," declared the young warrior. The old man released the rambunctious adolescent, and with a slight limp, Yeung began to walk as though nothing had happened. After the first few moments you wouldn't have been able to tell he had been in a brawl with a wild animal at all.
"Well," started the white bearded hunter, "I guess if your well enough to walk your well enough to help Scot carry that pig back into town."
"Whatever," shrugged Yeung as he grabbed one end of the wild boar carcass. To the astonishment of the two men, Yeung lifted the entire animal over his head and started to walk with it at a brisk pace.
"Jesus boy!" stated the old man. "How the hell can you do that!?"
"I'm well trained," answered Yeung. "I'm a fighter I'll have you know."
"A fighter you say?" replied the red-bearded man. "There ain't many of those from around here anymore. What manner of fighting do you in engage in? Boxing? Karate?"
"Kenpo," answered the boy.
"Kenpo? Never heard of it."
"Didn't think so," said Yeung. "Are there any fighters at all around here?"
"Most of the bad asses that traverse these parts are from out of town like you," answered the white bearded man. "Only one really good fighter is native to these parts."
"And who would that be?" inquired Yeung as he tied the pigs feet to the end of a rope leading up the valley walls.
"The local tourist trap and hero, Hard Copper, the Mountain King," said the red head. "And other than the mining company he also happens to be the reason we have any commerce in our community whatsoever."
"Hmm…" mussed the kid as he and the two men began to climb the rope leading out of the canyon.
Five minutes later, the three of them reached the top of the canyon walls. They began to tug the wild boar's body up the cliff lest its' smell attracted predators. Once again, Yeung's superhuman strength came to good use as he almost single-handedly brought the once majestic pig up over the ledge and back into their possession. Yeung looked up at his 'rescuers' trying to think of something to say that would spur on a conversation.
"So… How strong is this Hard Copper fella?" Yeung asked the hunters.
The two of them only looked at Yeung incredulously for a moment as though they thought he had been raised under a rock before finally one of them shook themselves out of their stupor and answered him. "You really don't know?!"
"Uh-uh," responded the short boy shaking his head. "I didn't even think anyone lived out here to begin with. Is he strong?"
"He's only one of the strongest men in existence," answered Scot in a candid manner. "He's the reason fighters even pass through here."
"Then I guess I should go see this man in action for myself."
The trio continued on like this for several hours before reaching the mining town of Ridgewood. All around the bustling silt trap were dust covered mine workers and their families going about their business to and fro. Upon arriving in town, Swiss and Scot checked Yeung into the coroner's office to get his hog bite sterilized.
"It's a good thing you got him in here when you did," explained the doctor. "That's the thing about hog bites. You can never tell. Their teeth practically are germs." The doctor continued to suave the gnarled tusk marks that lined Yeung's left calve with alcohol using a cue tip. Yeung winced as the doctor switched to using iodine on the wounds.
"Considering the size of that pig, I'm surprised that his leg isn't worse off than it is," added the coroner. "What are you made of kid?"
"I've been training ever since I was five years old," disclosed Yeung. "My master gave me every manner of training one can imagine."
"You keep mentioning your training," spoke Scot. "Just who is it that you trained under anyway?"
At Scot's question, Yeung just answered flatly, "King Choppa."
"No way!" shouted the coroner.
"Doctor, you know who he's talking about?" inquired Swiss.
"Sure do," acknowledged the physician as he bandaged Yeung's wounds. "You were probably too young to know him, but he won the eighteenth Tenkeichi Budokai over thirty years ago. He was said to be the Lion of martial arts that is until the students of the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi, and those of the Crane Hermit, Master Shin, began entering the tournament once again. I went to watch those fights myself. They were nothing short of awesome."
"Alright, there we go," continued the doctor. "You're all set kiddo. Now all that's left is for you to foot the bill."
"I'll take care of that doc," offered Swiss.
Yeung sat up and headed out the door followed closely by the hunters. They engaged in idle chit chat while they walked down the halls.
"So Yeung, what are your plans from here on out?" asked Swiss kindly. "You can always stay at our place until you feel it's time to leave."
"It's a nice offer but no thanks," replied the teen warrior. "I've got places to go, things to do, and people to see. As to your question, I intend to ask around town and gather information on this Hard Copper. It may come in handy when he and I finally butt heads."
"What!?!" yelled Scot. His eyes looked as though they were gonna bug right out of their sockets.
"Are you crazy?" asked Swiss frantically. "He's the strongest man in the entire region. His hide is said to be so thick that bullets bounce right off him. I don't care how strong you think you are kid. You can't win."
"As for your question old timer, yes I am crazy," retorted Yeung hotly. "I crossed the entire Northern Wastelands on foot. Do you know any sane person who would do that. And also, I killed a tyrannosaurus rex with my bare hands. Who says I can't win?"
"You what!?!" shouted Swiss. "That's impossible! There's just no way you could have done either of those things! No one to my knowledge has ever crossed the Northern Wastelands on foot. The whole desert is said to be cursed, and also, nothing short of artillery fire would bring down something as huge as a T-Rex. Your full of it!"
"Fine! I'll prove that I did what I did." Yeung took a moment to look around. He scanned the surrounding crowd and the town square so that he could find something that would make fools of these nonbelievers. His gaze soon came upon a fully loaded freightliner parked out front of the local grocery store.
"Alright, this way you two." Yeung led the two hairy hunters over to the eighteen wheeled tractor and trailer and stood in front of the tractor's cabin.
"What? Don't tell us you're going to lift that," said Swiss pointing at the truck. "It easily weighs over forty tons fully loaded. The physics involved are mind-blowing." He was very close to deeming Yeung a kook at this point.
The two men, Swiss and Scot, began to laugh aloud. However, their smiles soon turned into looks of absolute shock as Yeung squatted down in front of the large trucks' grill. He gripped the underside of the bumper firmly and began to concentrate. Slowly, the entire vehicle began to lift almost effortlessly off the pavement, its trailer soon following. A small pressure-induced crater formed beneath Yeung's feet that indicated the forces involved in this utterly phenomenal feat of sheer power.
'I can't believe what I'm seeing here. I really need to lay off the beaver tranquilizers,' thought Scot who at this moment wasn't having nearly as much trouble fathoming what was going on as his friend.
'This is only a dream. Only a dream. That's right. Any moment now those glycerin tablets are gonna kick in and I'll be alright. Just click your heals together and keep repeating 'There's no place like home. There's no place like home'.'
Yeung gently placed the massive truck back on the street and turned back to the two mountain men. Scot was the first one to shake himself from his stupor.
"Holy cow!" exclaimed the redhead. "That was unreal! Woah!"
Scot rubbed his eyes again to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. He then extended his hand to the youth in a gesture of respect.
"I'm sorry," said Scot. "I saw you as just a snot-nosed kid, but now my eyes are wide open." Yeung took his hand and the two of them shook on it.
Wincing at his hand, Scot looked down marveling at just how strong the boy's grip was. He pulled his hand away and began to massage it. "As to your earlier question, if you want information on Hard Copper we can take you to the town bar and grill. Hard Copper is said to patron that club often."
"Alright, let's go," said the young warrior. The three of them moseyed on over to the local tavern where Yeung believed he could get some leads on Hard Copper's location as well as a decent meal. He didn't want to get sidetracked for too long by his search for one man. However, he believed that any battle he could get with the Mountain King would provide beneficial experience that could contribute to his upcoming battle with the monster Cell.
When Yeung and his hunter/fur trapper companions reached the bar, they were stopped at the door by a bouncer who was so huge he looked as though he could pass for an SUV on legs. For a moment the behemoth looked sternly down at the two bearded men and the boy who was traveling with them. Finally, his voice boomed.
"You two fellas can go in." The man pointed a finger at Yeung before continuing. "This tiny tot can't, so don't even bother giving me some lame excuse about him losing his ID. At this point in my career I've heard every one of them."
"Tiny tot!?!" shouted the indignant young fighter. "I'll show you. Follow me Magilla!" Yeung began to walk around back.
He looked back to see if the big guy was following him or not. Before entering a dark alley he glanced in Scot and Swiss's direction. "You guys go inside and take a seat. This won't take very long."
"I shouldn't even be waste'n my time on a runt like you," remarked the burly bouncer, "But if it's a spanking ya wantin, you came to the right man. I'm gonna beat you like your bastard father should have done."
The bouncer proceeded to follow Yeung around the building into a dark alley. Once out of sight, the bouncer removed his overcoat and sunglasses. Yeung didn't even see any reason why he should assume a fighting stance.
"If you want to back out pipsqueak, now's the time to do it."
"Nah, but feel free to do so if you're scared," chided Yeung. "I can see how being big in one area doesn't necessarily translate into being big where it counts most."
The double meaning of these words were not lost to the oversized bouncer who immediately tried to backhand the little smartass who dared to mock him. Yeung grabbed the large man's wrist just before his right hand connected with his face and began to apply pressure. A shot of pain traveled up the man's arm making it feel as though he had just stuck his forearm in the jaws of a snapping turtle. The giant of a man began to throw punches at the boy warrior in an attempt to force the youth to loosen his grip. Yeung deliberately allowed the hits to connect for the time being.
After about thirty seconds of just standing there and taking the massive hulk's assault, Yeung dropped into a fighting stance and thrust his left arm out with such force that when the palm of his hand connected with the belly of the brute, the man went airborne. However, because Yeung did not let go of the bouncer's wrist, the man recoiled back towards the teen warrior with enough force to give a crash test dummy whiplash. Yeung made good use of this recoil force, and with an almost spring-loaded throw, sent the pub bouncer sailing straight into a nearby dumpster.
Seeing that his 'fight' with the club bouncer was over, Yeung made his way inside the bar unhindered. Once inside, he took a stool at the bar right next to Swiss. The old hunter looked at Yeung and was compelled to ask him about what had happened but decided against it.
"Now, about that information on Hard Copper?" inquired the boy.
"If you want info on him, you need only to ask the bartender," replied the white bearded rogue.
"Hey, bartender!" shouted Yeung.
The bartender, a short chubby man with a mustache wearing an apron, walked over to where our hero sat. He eyed Yeung for a moment before asking "Aren't you a little young?"
"I didn't come here for a drink," said Yeung his voice once again full of indignation, "I came here for intel."
"Really? Well get in line kid," responded the chap in a cheap Irish accent. "I can tell you're not from around these parts both by the way you dress and the way you look. Almost every one of you damned outsiders is trouble."
At the bartender's show of utter disrespect Yeung was beginning to grow agitated. "Look buddy! All I want to know is where I can find Hard Copper." When Yeung said The Mountain King's name, the entire bar went deadly silent. The anxiety in the air was so thick that a loud fart would cause half the tavern to jump ten feet.
"Young'n…."
Rolo Yeung turned around to see a scrawny old man sitting at one of the tables in the center of the room. He had the look of a hermit, and his voice sounded like dry leaves rubbing against one another. Judging from the number of empty glasses in front of him, it looked as though he had been wetting his whistle for a good while.
"My boy. If you wish to find Hard Copper, follow the dirt road leading out of the northeastern end of town. The dirt road leads up to a trail on Mt. Stratus. About halfway up the mountain you will find a fighting dojo. It is there where Hard Copper lives and trains."
"May I ask just why you wish to find him?" inquired the bartender.
"Klimb, the boy wishes to do combat against the Mountain King," declared Swiss. "I have seen what this runt can do first hand. Do not judge him by his size alone. I believe your bouncer learned that lesson the hard way."
Upon hearing about his employee's disposition the bartender began to hyperventilate. "What did you do to Clarisse?"
"Don't worry mister," A shit-eatting grin spread across the boys' face before he continued, "I didn't kill him although he's probably on his way to a landfill right about now."
When the bar patrons heard this, they began to mumble amongst themselves. All of a sudden, the front doors swung open to reveal the bouncer who looked worse for wear. He was covered from head to toe with garbage, and when someone asked him about what had happened, he started sputtering incoherent nonsense about evil midgets.
When everyone turned their attention back to the bar, the first thing they could tell you was that the bartender, Klimb, began stammering a whole sentence of unintelligibles. He was brought back to the real world when Swiss began tugging on his apron.
"We would like to order some food. Yeung what will you have?" Swiss passed a menu to the boy wonder who immediately began to scan the options. He circled one of the items and handed the menu to the bartender.
"So you want the catfish filet sandwich?" asked the barkeeper.
"Yep, and give me a side order of fries," answered Yeung.
"Comin right up!" The bartender shuffled into the kitchen to pass the orders onto the cook. About thirty minutes later, Yeung, Swiss, and Scot were served. After about twenty minutes of eating and carrying on, it was time for Yeung to be on his way.
"Sorry we got off on the wrong foot earlier," said Yeung apologizing to Swiss before turning to the club's resident bouncer. "I'm sorry I beat you up big guy." He extended his hand to the large man in a show of mutual friendship. The bouncer eyed the hand for a moment before seizing it in a strong handshake.
"Wait, I didn't catch your name young'n," shouted Swiss.
"My name is Rolo Yeung." Yeung approached the older man. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a long, white fang which he handed to Swiss.
"This is from the T-Rex I killed out in the desert," Yeung explained. "Let's just call it a momento." He then turned to leave and continue his journey.
Yeung made his way out of town and into the woodlands just below the tree line of Mt. Stratus. After several hours of walking, he reached a mountain trail that looked easily traversable. He hiked his way up for about three miles until things began to get very cold. He changed into his wind breaker and kept on trudging over rocks and mountain glaciers until he came upon a ledge overlooking a high chasm. On the ledge he could make out what appeared to be an old army encampment house with a flag fluttering in the wind overhead. The structure itself looked like it would house a basketball court. Just in front of the building stood a grand Shinto gateway. Beneath this were a series of steps that led up into the building.
Yeung began to climb the stairs until he reached a pair of doors that looked as though they could receive a brontosaurus. He pushed the massive doors until they slowly inched open. He shut the door with a resounding thump that reverberated throughout the structure. When Yeung turned around he thought he had run face first into something not unlike a tree trunk causing him to fall on his rear. Rubbing his sore rump, Yeung looked up to see just what he had ran into. Before him stood what he could honestly say was the giant to end all giants. A man so huge that Yeung had to back up just to take the sight of him all in.
"Great…" said Yeung sarcastically, "Another Solem'n Grundy audition."
"Go home to your momma kid," ordered the large brute. The man himself stood at least eight feet tall and had the look of someone who had been afflicted with Acromegaly. His upper torso was literally etched in what Yeung could surmise were battle scars, and he had a deep tanned reddish skin suggesting that he was of tribal lineage. His hair was done into a ponytail that had feathers and shinny beads woven into it, and his hairstyle was topped off by a Mohawk. Truth be told, he looked like a giant Apache Indian. Next, Yeung's attention drifted to the giant's hands. Palms open, they must have been as big around as dinner plates. They were also well calloused indicating a life of either intense training, heavy labor, or both. Shaking himself out of his state of awe, Yeung quickly remembered why he had come here. He puffed out his chest and sized up the mountain of muscle before him.
"Are you Hard Copper, the one they call 'the Mountain King'?" Yeung's question sounded more like a demand. The native simply smirked at Yeung's mocksey.
"Yeah, that's me," answered the brute. "Who are you boy, and why are you here?"
"I heard of your strength from the villagers," continued the boy warrior. "I came here to try you out for myself!"
Hard Copper simply stood there and laughed at the little SOB who thought he was some kind of hardass. He ruffled the teen's hair a little before turning to what he believed were more pressing matters. He could tell that being ignored infuriated the kid in front of him, and Hard Copper could only chuckle to himself.
"Kid, I've spit bigger pieces of tobacco chew than you from my mouth," stated the tall man sarcastically. "Besides, I already have a challenger on my hands, so even if I were to fight you you'd have to wait your turn." The Mountain King pointed at a bulky fat ass who stood in a stone arena that was built into the room. He looked like your typical sumo wrestler: Folds of fat, ceremonial bottom piece wrapped around his unmentionables, looked as though someone raised the titanic, etc. Around the stone ring were rows of bleachers. Sitting on the first row were dozens of other challengers who had also come to test their mettle against the might of the Mountain King.
Yeung noticed a bench just outside the arena so he decided to watch the match. On the bench was a cooler that contained several types of soft drinks so Yeung grabbed one, sat down, and relaxed.
While Yeung was enjoying his soda, he took a moment to look around at the assortment of powerful looking fighters who had gathered in the bleachers. Warriors of every stripe including everything from Judo Hidoshis, to Karate sensei's, to Mongolian wrestlers packed the coliseum-like building. It didn't take long for Yeung to notice that some of the powerful looking martial artists were pointing and laughing at him.
'Fools. I could kill every one of them as though they were ants under a magnifying glass. I'll let them laugh for now, but they will learn soon enough.'
Soon, the match was underway. The sumo was the first one to make a move. He charged at Hard Copper and flung his arms around in a system of intricate movements. Just before reaching Hard Copper, the wrestler brought both hands together and thrust his palms forward putting all his weight and power behind the strike which happened to be a lot because of the sumo's immense size. The attack connected dead center on the Mountain King's rock hard abs with enough force to knock down a rhino, yet HC didn't even budge an inch. Panicked by this, the sumo stepped back and started delivering blow after blow to the massive Indian's face, upper body, and midsection. This continued until the wrestler started to run out of steam.
Noticing that the fire was beginning to leave his challenger's punches, Hard Copper decided it was time to make his move and put an end to this pitiful excuse of a match. He reached across the ring with his great arms which in themselves must have been at least six feet long and grabbed the exhausted wrestler by the shoulders. He then tilted his head backwards and delivered a bone-crushing headbutt to the other man's face. Reeling from the force of the headbutt, the sumo rolled out of the ring as though he were a beach ball with legs until he connected with a steel support column in such a way that the whole building shook down to it's very foundation.
Yeung stared in awe at the red-skinned fighter's strength. He had looked far and wide for at least one half-assed challenger, and now, just inside of the ring, that said challenger was standing before him. Removing his shirt, Yeung quickly finished his drink and prepared to enter the ring.
When the sumo wrestler stumbled to his feet, he raced for the entrance as quickly as his bulky legs could carry him. A large wet spot on both the front and back of his ceremonial diaper made it known to anyone in the building that the man had crapped himself.
With his latest match over, the Mountain King turned to leave the ring, but he was stopped by something that was tugging on his pants leg. He turned around to see Yeung whose eyes were burning with determination.
"Now it's my turn," declared Yeung.
"Kid, go home to your momma," advised the giant Indian.
This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Yeung had heard this same BS from one person after another his whole life. Everyone berated him for his size. He could defeat any number of guys who thought themselves to be strong fighters, but in the end it never changed.
"What's your problem kid?" asked the man mountain. However, his question fell on deaf ears. He tried again. "Hey! Answer me boy."
Anger roiled up within Yeung until suddenly he felt something snap inside of him. All of this rage needed an outlet, and wouldn't you know it? At that time, Hard Copper just happened to be in the path of the tornado.
Suddenly and without warning, Yeung exploded into HC with a jaw-shattering uppercut. The sheer force of the hit lifted the warrior native at least fifteen feet into the air. This earth-shattering action on Yeung's part created quite the impression with the brawlers and grapplers that comprised the audience. When HC came down, he struck the ground with a hollow boom, the sound of which carried straight into the bedrock underneath the building, causing the light fixtures overhead to momentarily flicker.
"Bastard, don't you ever talk to me that way again!" cried Yeung who stood over HC. Every bit of his body shook with seething rage, so much so that he was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.
Hard Copper just laid there sprawled out on the ring floor staring at the ceiling with a smile graced across his lips. He picked himself off the stone tiles that made up his indoor arena, laughing and smiling like a Cheshire cat as he did so.
This frightened Yeung a little bit. Other than King Choppa, he knew of no other fighter who had ever shrugged off such a savage hit. In front of him stood someone who was quite possibly the toughest fighter he had ever encountered.
"I apologize for the way I acted earlier," said the massive hulk in whose eyes a strange glint could be seen, "I see now that despite your appearance, you truly are matured many more years than the average warrior, and I don't just mean in terms of strength. I would be honored if you would face me in battle." The much larger redskin then spread his feet wide and settled into a fighting stance.
To Yeung, the stance he bore looked something like a cross between the typical sumo stance and that of a wide receiver. Yeung too fell into a fighting stance, his being one of a standard grappler's. "Finally, some results."
'Could this be the battle that I had always thirsted for?'
Yeung barely had time to settle into a stance of his own before Hard Copper came charging like a raging bull. The boy warrior braced himself as the mountain ruler flung his satellite dish-sized palms at him repeatedly causing the boy to stumble all over himself. Yeung blocked as best he could with his knees and forearms. Nevertheless, to Yeung it felt as though someone were repeatedly taking swings at his arms and legs with sledge hammers.
Hard Copper was enjoying every moment of his battle with Yeung. He revved up his powerful right arm and brought it down squarely on Yeung's cranium just as the boy regained his balance. Luckily, Yeung was able to intercept the mind-blowing attack. Still, the hit had the effect of pushing Yeung vertically into the concrete floor which was evident by the deep impact crater forming beneath him.
Yeung squinted in excruciating pain at this last attack. His knees felt as though they were seconds away from buckling, and had he been a normal kid they may have just done that. Still, he stood firm.
'My God! The bones in my feet feel as though they're about to crack,' thought the boy. He began to fall forward and just as he staggered, Hard Copper caught him in the jaw with an uppercut so powerful that it sent him flying 20, 30 feet into the air until he collided with a light fixture. The light fixture itself barely served as a speed bump in Yeungs' rapid ascent. He went through the light fixture and impacted with the ceiling above the arena. Just as Yeung was about to fall to the arena floor, he flipped over with the grace of a jungle cat and grabbed the cable hanging from the ceiling that once led to the now shattered light fixture. Hard Copper just stood there and looked on with amusement from where he stood in the arena.
"Good, good!" said the wily tribesman, "Show me more."
"If you insist!" chided Yeung who used the cable to allow himself to attain an upside down standing position on the ceiling. Suddenly, the youth leapt off the ceiling like some kind of ghoulish bat. Using the force of his jump combined with the additional speed gravity would allot him, Yeung plowed into Hard Copper with his patented Ariel Attack eliciting awe from the other fighters stationed outside the ring.
"Can you believe this kid?!" asked one martial artist.
"Someone pinch me," said another.
Hard Copper stumbled from the strike before falling on his backside. About ten feet away near the edge of the ring, Yeung's body hit the ground with a sickening thud the sound of which reverberated throughout the building like a sack of wet mayonnaise that had just been stepped on. It barely took a few seconds for Hard Copper to shrug off Yeung's strongest finishing move before he was on his feet again. Slowly, he began to stroll towards Yeung like a panther stalking it's prey.
Meanwhile, Yeung felt as though his entire body were sent through a meat grinder. He hadn't been fighting with the Mountain King for more than ten minutes and he already felt as though he had reached his limit. Never in his life had he ever encountered someone who could withstand the Ariel Attack of the Holiest Rite. Not even King Choppa himself. It was just unheard of.
'Sweet mother of Christ! He's so freakin powerful. That attack would have punctured tank armor. If I don't do something quick, I'm gonna leave this fight in a body bag.'
Hard Copper stopped just in front of Yeung. Then, out of the blue, HC grabbed Yeung by the throat and yanked him off the ground until he eye level with him.
"I'll say this much about you child," spoke Hard Copper, "In all my years of experience, I have only fought a bare handful of warriors who could put up a fight as decent as the one you've shown me. The only difference between them and you is that they were all in their prime. I can only imagine just how powerful you'll be in but a few years."
Yeung couldn't believe what he was hearing. For once in his life, he was actually getting something akin to respect.
"Still," continued the mountain ruler drawing his left fist back, "The difference in age between you and those who have come before you will be the only difference. As far as the fight's concerned, the results of our battle shall be the same as those I have had with other accomplished warriors." Hard Copper then let loose on Yeung with a devastating flurry of punches. Yeung tried as best he could to defend, but to him, it felt as though his blocks weren't even registering. It didn't help that HC was holding him by the windpipe either. Hard Copper's blows simply plowed through his forearms. In fact, Yeung may as well not even been blocking at all. Needless to say, the onlookers in the bleachers went nuts over this.
After about two minutes of being the Mountain King's punching bag, Yeung felt something snap inside him. To him, it felt as though a huge groundswell of power were coming up from inside of him. Whatever this new sensation was, to Yeung one thing was for certain: This power made him feel impure all over. His muscles bulged, his whole body trembled, and his vision clouded over with a deep crimson red like something out of a horror film. Also, his body began to glow with a dim ember. This scared the shit out of the mountain ruler, causing him to loosen his grip. Needless to say, this was all Yeung needed. In his crazed state, Yeung slowly reached up and grabbed Hard Copper's wrists. Then with a sudden twist, he wrenched himself free of the Native American's massive mitts.
By the time HC realized what was happening, it was too late. Using Hard Copper's forearms for leverage, Yeung delivered a mind-numbing kick to the Mountain King's sides causing the red-skinned brute to haunch over in pain. Then, taking advantage of opportunity where it presented itself, Yeung leaped towards HC and delivered a bone-crushing heel kick to his right temple, sending the tower of terror through the concrete floor of the arena. This spectacle sent their audience into a heated frenzy comparable to that one would find at the Super Bowl.
At this point, one would say Hard Copper was more than a little angry. Hell! He was furious.
"Damn you!!" boomed the giant Indian while getting to his knees. "That's it! I'm tired of playing around. This shit is over!"
'Did he just say he was playing around?' thought Yeung who was beginning to feel more than a little anxious.
Before Yeung could react, Hard Copper then brought both of his fists together and plowed the mother of all axe handles into the tile floor. This created a massive shock wave that knocked Yeung straight into the air. Hard Copper then caught Yeung with a massive heel-stomp to the gut that caused the boy wonder to connect with the ring floor at such a level of force that an impact crater formed in the concrete tiling.
Yeung tried to set up, but every time he attempted to move his lower body convulsed with seizures. Pretty soon Yeung found himself rolling around on the floor gasping for air.
"I don't know how you did what you did earlier but it all ends here," bragged the Mountain Ruler as he lifted his enormous foot for the finishing blow. "Send me a postcard on your way to the hospital!" He began to bring his foot down squarely on Yeung's head. However, just as it started to look as though this might be the end for Yeung, the small boy brought his hands up right before the hit connected.
What occurred next surprised everyone. A forlorn wind began to emanate from Yeung's palms. He didn't know why it happened or how it happened, but Hard Copper was sent skyward. The Mountain King kept sailing upwards until he bounced off the ceiling and slammed into the arena floor with a deadening boom. The Mountain King, bruised but not beaten, picked himself up yet again. He bore a stare that looked as though it could burn through lead.
Meanwhile on the other side of the ring, Yeung finally managed to work himself into a standing position. He felt a strange sensation filling his very being. To him, this peculiar feeling wasn't too dissimilar from what an athlete would experience when catching his second wind. There is only so much pain that anyone can feel before they stop feeling altogether. Yeung had reached this point. With a shrill battle cry, he sped across the ring barreling into his oversized opponent. All battle strategy, all planning had gone flying out the window. There could only be one recourse. He jumped into the air and wrapped his tiny legs around Hard Coppers neck. The boy then began to pummel Hard Copper's head with a flurry of punches, open palmed strikes, and headbutts. This went on for about thirty seconds until he noticed something shocking: None of his attacks were having any effect on Hard Copper. If anything, he was only succeeding in wearing the hide right off his own knuckles and forehead. Quickly, he pushed off the giant's torso and took up a stance some distance away.
"What's going on here!?!" demanded the panicked teen.
The mountain ruler looked on with mild amusement at Yeung's aggravation. "I'm sure your wondering right about now just why it is that your attacks aren't having any effect," announced HC. "If you must know, it's my skin."
"Your skin?"
"Yes," continued the oversized brawler. "Enhanced by both years of horrific training in the town's bauxite mines and by the kind of fighting that you and I are engaged in now, my hide has been toughened to the level of iron. Against this, few men or beasts can stand! Ha,Ha,Ha,Hah!"
"As entertaining as smacking you around has been, I'm afraid boy that it is time for me to finalize my victory," stated Hard Copper arrogantly. Getting ready to administer the coup de grace, he strode casually towards the boy.
Across from him, Yeung looked on at his opponent with a deep, passionate hatred. His legs ached something fierce, his arms at that point felt as though they were made of lead, his shoulders felt as though they were on fire, and his vision was beginning to fog over. In an effort to stave off unconsciousness as well as stave off the ringing in his ears, he thrashed his head from side to side.
'Damn it all to hell! How could this have turned out so badly?' wondered Yeung. 'Nothing that King Choppa taught me applies to this ape. Against this freak, my jujitsu has failed. If I somehow survive this walking mountain, I'm gonna have to remind myself to revise everything I've learned about fighting."
Suddenly, Yeung felt something slam into him with a force unlike anything he had ever experienced. It turned out to be HC's massive right fist. There was no time to block. No time to feel pain. All the boy could feel was the sensation of his eyes feeling as though they were still left where he was just standing. Then there was blackness…
Hard Copper stood over the fallen body of his latest opponent. He regarded Yeung's laid out form with a stoic face before turning to face the other fighters in the bleachers.
"Someone come pick him up," ordered the gargantuan red man. Promptly, two muscled men rushed into the ring with a stretcher. One of the two wrapped his hands around the back of Yeung's head, and the other grabbed his feet.
"Alright then, one, two, three, and lift," commanded one of the men as he and his partner hoisted Yeung onto the stretcher and carried him out of the arena.
Hard Copper looked back at the retreating form of the two men carrying his latest victim. A rye smile formed across his scarred, craggy face.
'I know that our paths will cross again someday. Until then, I'll continue to hone my power. Grow strong young one, and once again give me the true challenge I thirst for. The King of Mt. Stratus then broke into a fit of uncontrollable, sadistic laughter that turned more than a few heads.
Master Rolo Yeung: 115
Master Rolo Yeung after hitting limit break: 145
club bouncer: 20
sumo wrestler: 30
Hard Copper(The Mountain King): 155