Chapter 17: Controlling the Power
At Punta de Fabian resort where Brian, Ibrahim, Rick, Mariana and Kim while watching the full view of seeing the Laguna Lake.
"We can see the whole lake, guys." Mariana smiled after seeing the full view and Rick scolds her.
"There's no need to get enjoyment on watching the full view. We're here to help Brian in finding that man who is the real disgrace Taekwondo practitioner. Several years ago, Mr. Navarro was branded as a disgrace since he was truly a witness behind the murders of the Taekwondo students."
"That case was in the past. According to intel, this practitioner behind the Philippine Taekwondo currently lives here and he was the only suspect that enables him to escape from justice." Ibrahim said and seeing Brian's eyes are filled with vengeance and rage. "Because of his hiding, we are unable to trace his whereabouts."
Brian soon confronts the hotel reception and asking where is the owner of this resort until he sees a man who strongly resembles the man behind for framing him for the murders and immediately grabs him in the neck.
"Now tell me where is your father? I know he was there?!"
The group tries to stop Brian to save the man and it was revealed that the man he had choked was also a Taekwondo student who is handling the hotel and resort business.
"What is he saying?"
"Sorry for his vengeful acts, young man. We came here searching for your father and the man who is responsible of framing Brian for the murders." Ibrahim said informing him about the past case.
"I know that case... where he committed that murderous crime on other students and framing someone else for the killing. He truly blame himself ever since he was on the run by the authorities." The man said and soon introduces himself. "I'm Nathaniel Samaniego..."
Brian was soon restrained when he knew that Nathaniel knows the incident and decided to know his father's whereabouts.
"You better tell me where your father is. I had been keeping my anger and rage towards him for the frame up he gave me."
At Duomo di Sirio main headquarters, Rhima finally wakes up after losing consciousness and she noticed the entire surroundings. She also looked her dark blue cargo vest were hanged and immediately gets up to see the books in the shelf containing about demon exorcism.
I'm at Claudio's territory, no wonder why I was in their main headquarters.
Rhima soon receives a call from her cellphone and it was not the cellphone that Lars gave her, it was her personal cellphone and Kyun-bin has been calling her the whole time.
"Kyun-bin... is that you?"
"Rhima... I've been calling you most of the time. How's your trip?"
"I'm fine... I guess I was on Italy right now... it's like I'm visiting their beautiful cathedral." Rhima said while trying to keep it from herself that she was travelling on another world.
Claudio arrives to see her and to his surprise, she was speaking to someone as he wanted to hear their conversations.
"I see... but you know. I wish if I passed the audition at my home country in South Korea and I was writing a music composition today. It's because of you, I had many inspirations about you."
"Good for you... Tell Krelian to say hi again, Kyun-bin. He was the reason why I was told to make compromise to anyone." Rhima said calmly.
"Sure... I'll tell him and I need to go, my performance at the church is up."
As soon as he hanged up, Rhima was saddened because she had so many conflicts when it comes to relationship and Claudio surprises her.
"Are you speaking to Krelian, milady?"
"Claudio... you heard me... and that person is not Krelian. That was Kyun-bin..." Rhima said in response to his sentence.
"Ahh... another Asian guy again." Claudio replies in Italian language while shaking his head but tries to keep his straight face to her. "At least it's not Jin Kazama and he was the main reason why Xiaoyu keeps looking for him."
"..."
"I clearly forgot that you're welcome here to my main headquarters in Duomo di Sirio. I put you in the guest's room so that my men would not noticed." Claudio said and finally welcomes Rhima to his main headquarters.
"Seems like you're the strongest exorcist than anyone else around in your main base." Rhima said noticing of Claudio's prowess as a powerful exorcist which he replies with a smile.
"Yes, it's true..."
"Thanks for saving my life, Claudio. I never recognized you because of your haircut." Rhima said thankfully and Claudio smiles at her in amusement.
"You're welcome, milady. Me and my men have been sensed your presence when you were after by those soldiers. So we arrived in time to save you."
Rhima became sad and upset because Kazuya had wanted to see how her powers are uncontrollable to use and Claudio sees her eyes.
"The powers you've used. It was the same as mine showing the purifying blue flames in my right hand. Remember the time that I faced you in battle during that siege when I had many chances to take down my main targets. You've used that to pummel me into the ground."
"How did you know that?" Rhima reacted when he knows she was using her powers.
"Me and my men had sensed your power. So we tried to follow your tracks. And I'm sure that my targets would really wanted to get you." Claudio said and soon smirks upon her presence. "I want to teach you how to control your power, milady. So that you will become an equal to my targets. It is my personal favor because I'm your friend."
Because of Claudio's friendship in the past where he was given another chance to make friends with her, Rhima accepts his favor since she was always collapsed in exhaustion and fainted if she used her power.
At the rebel base, Lars orders one of his men to find Rhima's whereabouts after they failed to rescue her. Both Jin and Roderick watched them while they are doing their best to find her whereabouts.
"I'm glad you always sided with the Swedish guy. He really did his best to find and locate where Rhima is." Roderick said amusing over Jin's alliance with Lars as he personally asked him about Rhima.
"Can I ask you of how Rhima was doing? Even after she and I got separated for another three months since I broke my promise of seeing her again."
"Rhima was all right, Jin. Ever since you got separated from her, she was living a normal life on the real world we came in. The only problem for her was, you had been distracting her throughout most of her life even she tried playing video games like this one."
That's right... I always called her when she was playing the game that we came in. I understand why she was mad at me in the first place.
"A lot of suitors are still crazy over her beauty and appearance even other Asian guys too." Roderick smiled shyly until one of the rebel soldiers had response about Rhima's whereabouts.
"Sir, we located the signal and it was from a GPS."
"A GPS... much like our cellphones." Lars wondered while looking on his mobile phone.
"She was located in Italy."
"Italy was on Europe... how could she be here?" Roderick reacted over Rhima's location as Jin decided to find her there.
"We have to get through that country, uncle Lars. So that I can sense her presence."
"My home country in Sweden is also a European country like in Italy. All right, we're going there by helicopter."
At the hallways in Duomo di Sirio, Rhima looked to see many exorcists are present which are the Marksmen of Sirius and Claudio calls her.
"Milady, there's no need to worry about my men. They came here to watch of how I teach you to control your power."
"..."
"Since I'm the most strongest exorcist, I'm able to control my exorcism sorcery." Claudio said while showing his arrogance over his purification powers and soon became serious. "Watch closely, milady. I will execute my Starburst and you will see how I'm able to control my powers of exorcism. Osserva! (Observe!)"
"Sure... I'll watch." Rhima said agreeing to watch how Claudio is able to control his powers using his main fighting style as he finally executed the move where it shows the tattoos on his left eye that changed to black with white irises as well as the blue flames are engulfing all over his right arm which makes her surprise.
"And this is how I control my powers." Claudio smiled calmly as he reverted back to his normal self and the blue flames are covering his arm dissipates and soon tells her. "Now milady, it's your turn and I let my men to put any various things that you might able to float them."
Rhima sees that most men are putting old books on the floor which he was trying his best to teach her how to control her powers as she retorts.
"I don't even float any objects like those old books. I'm not going to do that."
"Non discutere con me (Don't argue with me). You're already getting stuck up in the tar pits." Claudio shrugged over her retort and soon lectures her dearly. "If you want to control your power, you need to get more focus and be fearless. You're also a proficient fighter like us."
Because of Claudio's lectures, Rhima had no other choice but to learn as she thought.
Unlike Jin, he beat me up when he won his challenge on me so that he can teach me how to fight for real. And now, to control my ki where Mrs. Kazama had seen me losing control of this power. It's going to cost my strength if I did.
Rhima tries to meditate while focusing on utilizing her ki as Claudio observes her and soon felt her powers are about to release.
"You're getting there, milady. Keep concentrate."
Rhima continues to focus on channeling her uncontrollable ki as she had levitated one book as she opens her eyes that changed to blue. But soon collapses including the book she had levitated had dropped while reverting to normal. Claudio then comes to her aid.
"Are you okay, milady?"
"Whenever I used my power, it zaps my strength. That's why I always collapsed or faint." Rhima answered and Claudio thinks of how she was collapsing from using her powers and gives her a feedback.
"You're not weak, milady. You're also pretty good on fights. I think you were easily to collapsed because you always thinking too much. This is why you were so scared of using it."
"..."
"Like I said, you have to focus and be fearless. You're the smartest person with a large head and I don't insult you because that was the way of utilizing your power. Now take a deep breath and think of yourself." Claudio said giving her advice to get focus and be fearless as Rhima takes a deep breath and closes her eyes to focus.
Claudio observes the surroundings around the hallway and to see her powers are about to release as Rhima thinks about her family as well as her friends especially Jin who always with her. She soon opens her eyes that changed to blue and blue aura are engulfing within her as all of the books on the ground are finally levitate with a relative ease which are embedded with blue aura.
"Incredibile! (Unbelievable!) You did it, milady. You're controlling it, keep it up!" Claudio said excitedly to see her controlling her powers.
Rhima is able to levitate the books and return to the Marksmen who had put it on the ground and Claudio was happy that she had finally controlled her powers.
"If I keep continuing using this, I'm sure Jin and the others can even sense it."
"My target may sense you, milady. But your power can get even with them. Now just relax so that you will remain conscious." Claudio stated in a calm tone of his voice and Rhima eventually returns to normal and gives her advice. "You need a bit rest afterwards because if you're thinking too much, you might collapsed in exhaustion or faint. That's why if you hit me with your power, I was knocked down into a pulp."
"At least I finally got it now." Rhima said while looking on both of her hands.
"The training is not over yet, milady. I always had in my sleeve." Claudio smirked when he ordered his men to take energy arrow shots while they are ready to shoot her. "Since my targets are known to use supernatural abilities. Your power is able to deflect those. Since you are able to absorb all kinds of evil entities, that can increased your power. It's like a mere spiritual reflection."
"!"
"Okay, milady... you can deflect their shots with your power once I command them to execute. Don't worry their energy shots are weaker because mine was more powerful." Claudio allows Rhima to use her power and giving advice that their arrow shots are weak.
As soon as the Marksmen of Sirius finally shoot their energy arrow shots at her, Rhima changes her eyes to blue to unleash her powers which she holds the energy arrows off using telekinesis. Claudio sees their energy arrows had turned into blue flames.
"Milady, it looks like you were the one might turn the tables on my targets. You had turned their energy arrow shots into blue flames. At least mine is more purer than that."
"..."
"Don't worry, she's not gonna hurt all of you. Once she returns to normal it will dissipate." Claudio tells his men not to get hurt and Rhima reverts to normal and the blue flames disappear.
"That can protect me from them."
"And this is my last and final test if you can master your powers. Devils like my targets can shoot beams on their forehead as well as enhancing their superhuman strength and abilities.
"So what's the last and final test?" Rhima wondered in confusion as Claudio pointed out it was he himself.
"I'll be the one to do the honors, milady. Your power can even enhance your strength and abilities like my targets. Sparring with you will be a good idea."
"Just like the last time, I decided to fight you after taking Jin's place so that he can reserve his strength. Seems like it was you who wants me to fight you." Rhima reacted in dismay and Claudio goes in his fighting stance.
"Remember milady, you had fought me once because of my obsession of battling with you. But this time, your power may activated if you unleash something like my main targets. Preparati! (Get ready!) "
Meanwhile, a helicopter flies around in Italy as one of the rebel forces who drove the helicopter just found Rhima's location.
"I found her location, it seems that she was in Duomo di Sirio."
"That's where the exorcists were hired by Heihachi to locate you and Kazuya." Lars said confirming about the main headquarters and Jin stands up and sensing Rhima's presence.
"Lars, I might infiltrate that place alone. I can feel Rhima's presence. But why he tried to recruit them before he was killed by Kazuya's hands?"
"You were still in coma at the time, Jin and now's the time that you need to know this." Lars said and finally tells Jin about what Heihachi did to the exorcists. "Heihachi recruits them to gain extensive information network from them rather than being hired for their exorcism abilities. But after Kazuya's exposure in his devil form, he betrays them and dismissed them from their service."
"Xiao also told me about Claudio, Lars. He would do what it takes to get into me like he did to Xiao during her constant search for me. I'm sure he will use Rhima to stop me." Jin said knowing about Claudio's sinister plot.
"Very well... we'll get you off once we get through the safe landing." Lars said allowing Jin to infiltrate alone to find Rhima at Duomo di Sirio. And the helicopter continues to fly that leads to Duomo di Sirio.
Back at the hallway, both Claudio and Rhima were completely exhausted and to his surprise that she is able to keep up her pace and knowing she has more tools she will use for his targets.
"Listen, milady. I don't use you for my targets. It's for your own good. Surprising them was enough to show your power."
"You got a lot of moves, Claudio. I was so surprised when you can shoot energy arrows with symbols on it." Rhima said smiling over Claudio's new arsenal of moves as Claudio stands up.
"Perhaps, I can use this but not my La Luce Di Sirio. Once you block my punches and I execute this, use your power to block it. It's going to hurt you if I shoot."
Claudio eventually executes his previous Rage Art where he lands a left punch and a right uppercut which Rhima is able to parry the punches and witnessing him executing a powerful energy arrow shot which he attempted to hurt her.
"That energy arrow shot. It was the same shot as both my dad and Josie got hurt from it. He was right about this, I have to be prepared." Rhima mumbled and becoming serious to see him doing it.
With that, Claudio shoots her at point blank range and Rhima sees his shot. Can she blocked this shot?
Trivia:
*The way Claudio's teaching to Rhima to control her powers is how Cabba teaches Caulifla to transform into a Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Super.
*Lars is revealed to have knowledgable about Heihachi's recruitment to the Archers of Sirius which happens in the Tekken 7 Story Mode.
*Jin also reveals Claudio's sinister intentions after Xiaoyu had told him following their reunion in the game. This is due to their appearance from their Character Episodes in Tekken 7.
*Claudio had kept his previous Rage Art in Tekken 7 after he had given a new Rage Art in Tekken 8.
