Chapter 14: Battle Frenzy, Bryan Fury
The next day, Rhima was outside of the rebel base while looking at the necklace that she had currently worn. She remembers when she had fought Leroy when her powers as a Psychic-Assassin has been activated as well as Jin being the real key to her mission as she had thought.
This necklace that Mrs. Kazama had given to me makes me felt exhausted after I used my power once. Jin was telling me about his mom and protecting me is their top priority.
Flashback:
"The pendant from my necklace actually glowed when you attempt to stop me earlier. After that, I ended up tired and exhausted..."
"Like mother says, the necklace she gave you can regulate your ki." Jin said while he continues to tell her. "She knows that you may faintly collapse again if you used it. It just reminds me of what I did before when I lost control of my devil powers."
"..."
"Mother can suppress the Devil Gene if I was losing control. But now that I'm able to control it from the inside after I got comatose, I can feel its power." Jin said while looking at his fist and soon tells her. "Don't worry, Rhima. Both me and Lars are going to protect you from my father's hand and you'll be safe here. Since I became the real key to your mission. We have to find another place to finish your mission so that both my father and G Corporation won't located us. Crossing paths between the both of us are not a coincidence."
"I just hoped I can finish my mission here." Rhima said wanted to finish her mission so that she can come back to the real world and Jin encourages her.
"You can do it, Rhima... We're right here with you."
Flashback over:
Rhima knows that they are supporting her until she heard a motorcycle sound just like Jin's and to her surprise, it was his rival Hwoarang and the latter was also surprised to see her presence as he spoke in his native Korean language.
"Oh God! Is that you, Rhima!? Yeah! She's for real!"
Hwoarang happily reunites with Rhima in a humorous manner but stopped and went back to becoming more serious and rebellious.
"I never expected you were here, Hwoarang."
"What's with the hairdo, Rhima? Did you cut it off by yourself? I kinda like seeing you with longer hair." Hwoarang questions Rhima's main hairstyle as she answers.
"It was the Korean hairstylists from my dad's church. They gave me a makeover. You know it has a Korean salon called Tony & Jackey, right."
"Ah... right... I clearly forgot, they have Korean salons around in your place." Hwoarang smiled as he shakes his head for being forgetful and soon asks her. "How's the old man and Crimson... after all I haven't seen them for six months."
"They're okay... Mr. Navarro has been joining up in my dad's vigilante crusade. And now they have mission to take down a Korean bomb terrorist who wanted to endangered throughout the Metro or any provinces in the Philippines." Rhima answered as Hwoarang having his arm crossed and reminded himself about people in his home country.
"To be honest... the Korean guy you were saying kinda reminds me of a real control freak who once lived in the slums and now trying to get revenge over losing his family from a freak construction accident."
Inside the rebel base, both Lars and Jin were informed by one of the rebel soldiers about Kazuya's plan to capture Rhima as Roderick is trying to hear their conversation. As the soldier leave, both knew that Kazuya had already making its move and they need to protect Rhima at all costs.
"Seems like Kazuya had already sent their commander to recapture her. It's best if we keep her inside." Lars said as Jin looked at one of the cameras and it reveals that Hwoarang was present who is talking to Rhima outside of the rebel base and soon tells his half-uncle.
"My rival was there and I'll take care of it."
Back outside, it reveals that Hwoarang is still searching answers regarding about Brian's main rank in Taekwondo as he asked Rhima about this since both Brian and Baek had been keeping this to him.
"I wanted to know about the old man's rank. He said that he was once a disgraceful Taekwondo master and was defeated by your own father. Much like how me and Kazama would even fight for supremacy."
"It's pretty different between Philippines Taekwondo and its International Taekwondo. I think he once told me when I eat at his restaurant. Why do you asked me about this, Hwoarang?"
"I already attained the 8th dan black belt in Taekwondo and I surpassed my master Baek. They even kept me from asking these personal questions." Hwoarang said as he pointed out the eight tags from his black Taekwondo belt.
"My dad knows about Brian's main rank and he was an 8th dan like you." Rhima said which surprises him.
"Really? An 8th dan taekwondo black belter like me. At least his own taekwondo style was in your place, Rhima. I don't even know if the old man got kicked out or just left due to sports politics."
"I never expected you were here, Hwoarang. And Rhima should be inside the rebel base right now." Jin arrives and seeing his rival again.
"I'm glad that I put that devil freak to rest, Kazama. I still need to borrow her for a little while. More likely of how I talked to her in the real world." Hwoarang smirked after he reveals to Rhima that he had defeated Jin's devil form at the Middle East until he temporarily injure his right eye caused by the UN forces. "I just wanna borrow Rhima for a short while."
Jin eventually putting his right hand on his hip knowing that he would disapprove to borrow the girl he likes as he arrogantly taunt.
"I disapprove, you'd better come at me if you do!"
Hwoarang smirks because he knows that Jin would disapprove if he likes to speak with Rhima more. With this, both men finally engaging in a bout as they equally lands a powerful kick. Although, Hwoarang briefly overpowers Jin when he demonstrates his Taekwondo moves including his Heat. Rhima sees them fighting and knowing it was just like in the game they came from and became dismayed to see them as she thought in her native language.
Mga dalawang lalakeng to, wala talaga sila ginawa kundi pinapakita lang ang lakas ng pagkalalake nila sa labanan. Bahala kayo sa buhay niyo. (Those two guys, they have nothing to do but to show their strong testosterones in the fight. Do what you want.)
As soon as Rhima left the scene, Jin eventually stopped fighting when Hwoarang attempts to kick him using the Hunting Hawk, but missed as he lands safely on the ground in frustration.
"Hey Kazama! Why did you stop there?"
"If we continue beating each other, Rhima had already knew that she would leave us." Jin replied much to Hwoarang's disbelief.
"What?! She has no interest to see us fighting... What's with her?"
"She had already seen me fighting with my half-uncle Lars in a sparring fight. Because if we fought, it's like we're from the game we came in. We're the characters from the game and Rhima-san is from the real world. She has reasons to leave us. I already got mad at her first when she left." Jin said realizing the reality of their world is just like from the game itself.
"Guess that we're gonna make a brief truce in bringing her back to this base. It reminds me of how I made a resistance in the first place." Hwoarang grunted in reluctance when he made a brief truce to his rival Jin who soon nods in agreement.
At the deserted town, she noticed that more G Corporation soldiers are still occupied in the area and knowing that Kazuya was not joking of raising hell on Earth and to capture her to keep away from his own son. While trying to hide on the wall, someone murders the soldiers in cold blood as she looked down to see one of the bullets came from a gatling gun. To her shock, it was Bryan Fury who takes on a battle frenzy since the war between both companies.
This guy hasn't changed a single bit. Ever since in the game he appears in, all he has to do is just causing chaos and misery even what Jin had started this dumb war and now his father Kazuya. He would do what it takes to continue his frenzy bout.
Rhima eventually escapes the premises. Just as Bryan sees her presence, it was eventually rammed by Paul Phoenix with his motorcycle and knowing he has unfinished business with him. Rhima then sees Hwoarang makes a slide stop from his motorcycle.
"Rhima, come on!"
Rhima then rides on Hwoarang's motorcycle from his back and soon rides off. Bryan then unleashing his new Rage Art where he launches Paul with a Stomach Blow and beating him down with Gatling Rush while Paul had blocked his punches while in airborne and knocks him away with his Left Upper. Bryan locks on his target and dashes his opponent with a powerful Mach Breaker, knocking him down. Upon seeing Hwoarang and Rhima who is escaping, Bryan gets his gatling gun and attempting to shoot them with rapid fire. However, Rhima's eyes glow blue as well as her necklace causing her to use telekinesis as she is able to levitate the gatling gun bullets that forms into an energy blasts and levitates directly on Bryan causing him to block in explosions. As the smoke clears, they are nowhere to be seen as Paul knocks him down with his Phoenix Smasher after getting up from being knocked down and soon confronts him while clutching his knuckles.
"I'll let you taste the power of my fists!"
Bryan stands up and slightly laughs in a maniacal tone and both finally exchange their punches with Paul counters with an elbow, leading him to unleash his Rage Art as well where the right sleeve of his jacket was torn off just to deliver a powerful Burning Fist to knock him in a greater distance. On the way back to the rebel base, Hwoarang was relieved to see them alive after Rhima uses her powers to negate all of Bryan's gunshots from his gatling gun using telekinesis and soon speaks to her again.
"You were so lucky that you used similar powers like Kazama's monster side. Thanks for the save..."
"You don't have to compare me to Jin's devil form, both of their personalities are different. I do this for desperate measures." Rhima replied in a cynical tone as Hwoarang whistles knowing that her attitude is different than other girls in their world.
"This is what Xiaoyu is lacking at, Rhima. You want to know."
"Sure..."
"You were more rational to many people around in your place as well as respecting human life. This is how I've learned from you too and how I can communicate with fellow Koreans at your world. You also protecting and saving anyone else that you cared about. In Xiaoyu's case, all she can do is trying to find Kazama and his whereabouts." Hwoarang explained clearly to Rhima about the entire events within the seventh game as well as the new game itself. "She may found Jin's whereabouts at the Zaibatsu, but she doesn't know about his current state where he ended up in the desert and I found in the Middle East where I fought his devil side. Since I defeat the monster within Kazama and regaining himself, I saved his butt from the UN soldiers and injures my eye from a grenade explosion. Your father had been telling me the whole thing happened when we stayed at your world and that's how I've learned about what happened to Kazama after I saved his butt, he was rescued and given medical treatments by his uncles to keep him safe and they can use him to fight his own monster dad to save the world."
"My dad just went to your world too. But getting synchronized with Jin by synchronization just to find out the entire events." Rhima said confirming of Hunyo's travels in their world.
"Wow... so that's what happened to Mr. Panganiban after he had found out about what happened to us back then." Hwoarang said amused on how Hunyo had travelled there and soon tells her. "After I rescued Kazama's butt, I continued my relentless training in Taekwondo afterwards and that's why I became an 8th dan black belter."
Rhima finally learns how they lived in their world and she had thought.
It's just like how my dad would say, their lives are just like from the game. But their time is just like in the real world. Although, Jin had to save their world from his evil father's global chaos from the war he had started. About Xiaoyu like Hwoarang had told me, all she cares about is Jin. No wonder why she keeps searching for him most of the time. Like a dog who keeps looking for an owner who had abandoned it. It's pretty immature, rather than to focus on other things in life aside for just one guy because Jin is your long time high school crush who soon became a less-educated high school drop out.
"Guess what, Rhima... Kazama had been missing you." Hwoarang said smirking.
"..."
"Ever since you got separated from him, Kazama has been thinking of you most of the time. When in desperate times such as he lost in a fight, he always thought about you. Too bad that I didn't reciprocate Crimson because I'm not the type of guy that goes on a relationship."
Rhima smiles when Hwoarang sadly blames himself for not reciprocating his feelings for Crimson and they continue to drive straight. Back at the base, Jin was waiting for them while putting his right hand on his hip and to his smirk, his rival arrives with his motorcycle and Rhima finally gets down the motorcycle.
"I finally bring Rhima back to you, Kazama. You'd better look after her."
"Sure... I knew I can count on you." Jin replied smirking over his rival and Hwoarang warns him about Xiaoyu.
"You need to be careful on Xiaoyu, Jin. After your reunion with her, you're the main reason of why she has given a lot of determination and hope. Since Rhima is with you, she will make her as a love rival to you."
"All right. I got your warning." Jin said accepting Hwoarang's warning and Hwoarang smirks and gives Rhima a salute before riding off his motorcycle.
Jin was worried because Xiaoyu might even hurt Rhima because she has feelings for him too in which he never reciprocates his feelings with her and soon faces Rhima.
"You look worried, Jin."
"Rhima, it's going to be harder for the both of us. Xiao has been thinking of me ever since I had to deal a lot of family problems including the global war that I started. I always had fun staying with you at the real world and it was my first time to see other places that I had never seen it before." Jin said became worried and concern because of Xiaoyu.
"I don't want to criticize her deeply, Jin. Your friend Xiaoyu, she mostly thinks about you and wanted to change your evil ways." Rhima said and became sighs over the latter's actions. "All she cares about was you."
"...Rhima-san." Jin reacted as Rhima closes her eyes in regret.
"I'm sorry, Jin... despite our reunion between us, it was difficult for ourselves to repair our relationship."
"Come on, Rhima... let's get inside. It's pretty dangerous outside." Jin said as he pushes Rhima from behind to get moving inside the base after he had sensed an evil presence. They are watching closely by Nina since she was currently working with Kazuya to capture her as she thought.
Forgive me, Rhima... I'm no longer a savior in your toes. This time, we were enemies and I will capture you.
Back in the real world, both Brian and Ibrahim have arrived at Baras, Rizal and Brian remembers of how he was expelled by the taekwondo sports federation after being set-up by fellow taekwondo practitioner and became a disgraceful vagabond. He knows that he must be living at Baras as both continued on to find the time bomb which was planted by Jang-geum at the Laguna Caldera.
Trivia:
*The way Hwoarang greets Rhima humorously is based on Super Junior's Kim Heechul where he plays on the various Korean variety shows.
*Rhima reveals that Brian Navarro was an 8th dan in Philippine Taekwondo and also shows that he was set-up by fellow Taekwondo practitioner for the deaths of taekwondo students, leading to his expulsion and becoming a vagabond.
*Paul Phoenix and Bryan Fury made their brief appearance for this chapter.
*The unique intros between Jin and Hwoarang and both Bryan and Paul are now seen in this chapter.
*Despite their current relationship is going to be repaired after their long separation, Rhima knows that Jin has problems because of Xiaoyu who currently had feelings for him.
