Chapter Forty-Two
The last day of Round Three of the Shikoken Tournament has arrived!
Ad Deir - Uum Sayhoun, Jordan
In front of a centuries old monastery carved out of rock, both Crimson Viper and Raven were more than five minutes into their match against French sisters Elizabeth and Amelia - both wearing long white sleeveless dresses with their arms and/or legs covered in armor that reminded their opponents of knights. Elizabeth specifically wore silver colored armor and sported silver armor over both legs and arms, her mostly red and white hair puffy and shoulder length. Her sister, Amelia, only wore gold armor over her arms, red high-heels pumps, and her light brown hair was pin straight and shoulder-lengthed.
On one side of the battleground, Crimson Viper jumped back from the swinging bo staff that was held by Amelia. This went on a couple of more times before Amelia growled with frustration and swiftly moved back a few feet. Then without hesitation, Amelia pulled her arm back before she threw her staff forward like a spear.
Noting the incoming weapon, Crimson Viper took a step towards her opponent before she promptly ducked underneath the flying staff. She then closed in on Amelia before she delivered two punches, one after the other. Both of her fists were surrounded by electrical surges generated by her battlesuit, which was given to her by her CIA superiors during her SIN undercover work. The suit, of course, still needed more testing on the field - and it was definitely very useful for the tournament.
The force of the two punches sent sheer pain through Amelia's body, and the force of the last attack knocked her back a few feet. "Dammit!" she cried out. She rubbed a hand tenderly at the area between her shoulder and collarbone, the last spot where Crimson Viper's fist landed.
The CIA agent stood in her spot as she waited for Amelia to be ready to continue. Once the staff wielder was ready, she covered the distance between them and began to throw various punches and kicks. Crimson Viper blocked and dodged them with ease for a few moments until she managed to find an opening. Taking the opportunity, the agent slid forward, leading with her electric-gloved fist. Her fist soon landed hard into Amelia's abdomen. As her opponent keeled over from the hit, Crimson Viper pulled back a couple of feet before she jumped slightly and swung her left leg in a wide-arc kick. Her tech boots quickly ignited with flames, which did a good job in motivating Amelia to move out of the way before the kick connected to her torso.
Amelia narrowed her eyes at the agent with anger. "Putain de merde, why don't you tell me you plan to singe my hair next time!"
Crimson Viper gave her a smug smirk as she got herself into her fighting stance, prepared for more attacks. "What's the fun in that?" she answered nonchalantly.
That question, of course, got a rise out of Amelia, just as the agent intended. With a battle cry, Amelia ran towards where her opponent stood. The second she was within reach, Amelia jumped up and attempted to perform a diagonal downward kick with both of her feet which aimed at her opponent's face...
To her dismay, Crimson Viper side-stepped the attack with ease, which forced Amelia to land back on her feet. "Getting tired, huh?" the agent asked matter of factly.
Amelia didn't have the chance to respond to that before Crimson Viper leapt forward and performed an elbow drop that knocked her opponent onto the ground. Despite the pain on top of her head, Amelia ignored it as she rolled backwards along the ground before she stood up once more.
By then, Crimson Viper deactivated her glove's limiter and was ready to unleash her next move.
Crimson Viper quickly raised her fist - which was surrounded by bolts of electricity as she charged her battlesuit just slightly above its normal capabilities - above and behind her head. Then, with a yell, the agent jumped up and towards Amelia before she dropped down and pounded the ground. An electric explosion emerged from her fist with enough power to catapult Amelia into the air. Then, without pausing, Crimson Viper jumped up, ignited her boots once more, and performed four flaming somersault kicks with quick succession.
Each kick sent Amelia higher up into the air until Crimson Viper was done. The agent flipped back and landed gracefully on her feet. As she turned her limiters back on, her opponent flew back down before she crashed hard into the ground back first…
Amelia didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected," announced a nearby drone.
As she walked back to the sideline, Crimson Viper adjusted her glove. A small amount of electricity surged from her battlesuit and surrounded both her hand and wrist. The agent shook her head over how quickly her part of the match ended.
"What a pity," she murmured under her breath. Once she was on the sidelines, the CIA agent turned around to watch the match that was still taking place a few yards away…
For most of the match, Raven found himself using his twin kunais in both offense and defense against his opponent, Elizabeth. The young woman was using a pair of flanged maces against him in an attempt to get the upper hand. Her moves were quick and efficient to the point that she was giving Raven a run for his money…
Almost.
Eventually, Raven found an opening and performed a high kick, his foot landing just below Elizabeth's collarbone. He then kicked her with the same foot and right on the same spot before he pulled back, crouched low, and delivered a spin kick that swept Elizabeth off her feet. After all that, she still managed to keep hold of her flanged maces.
As Raven straightened himself back up, Elizabeth kipped up back onto her feet. She then flicked a switch on one of her weapons before she threw it forward. The flanged mace glowed in a red aura as it spun rapidly and forward towards her opponent.
The intelligence agent noted the flying weapon. After he quickly placed his kunais back behind him in their respective scabbards, Raven jumped and somersaulted backwards to evade the weapon, which ended up flying underneath him completely. It finished passing him just as he landed back on his feet. From there, he ran forward with fast speed, which created a trail of purple rings behind him - a ninjutsu trick he learned in his early days of training. Elizabeth tried to move out of the way, but Raven was able to get within reach before he delivered a cartwheel kick. His foot kicked the front of her shoulder hard enough to send her hurling back before she crashed into the sand. She lost her grip on her second flanged mace in the process.
Elizabeth took a moment to roll onto her stomach before she pushed herself onto her hands and knees. From where he stood, Raven watched as his opponent growled with frustration before she slammed a closed fist into the sand.
Raven shook his head over her behavior. "It's just business. Do not take it personally," he told his opponent.
Like her sister Amelia during her fight against Crimson Viper, those words set Elizabeth off. She quickly got on her feet once more before she quickly turned to face her opponent. Then with a battle cry, Elizabeth jumped up high and diagonally and lifted her left leg - which glowed in a red aura like her flanged mace earlier - before she kicked downward. The kick unleashed a crescent-shaped projectile that hurled fast towards her opponent.
As expected, Raven dodged out of the way of the projectile. From there, Elizabeth had hoped the projectile would serve as a distraction as she landed back on her feet, moved in close to the intelligence agent, and attempted to deliver a right hook.
To her dismay, not only did Raven crouch underneath the punch, but he didn't hesitate to follow through with a sweep kick, which knocked Elizabeth off her feet. He then straightened himself up while his opponent was still airborne. From there, Raven pushed both of his palms forward and quickly unleashed a ghost-like image of himself towards Elizabeth. The image came within reach before it delivered a hard kick to her back with enough force to hurl her towards the outer wall of the monastery. She screamed along the way until she crashed face first into the wall hard enough to leave behind a dent, fell back into the same, then rolled to her side.
For a few moments after, Raven waited for his opponent to recover. However, the more time passed - specifically the drones' ten-second countdown - the more Elizabeth seemed to struggle with even pushing herself up with her hands. By the time the drones counted to eight, Raven realized that the fight was over as Elizabeth stopped struggling and simply stared up at him with defeat in her eyes.
"I… concede…" Elizabeth murmured before she collapsed completely on the ground with exhaustion…
One of the two drones soon made the usual call; "Concede announced. Raven and Crimson Viper win the match!"
Raven turned his head to his tag team partner, Crimson Viper, who gave him a small, satisfied smirk. "Three rounds down," she said.
Raven gave her a simple nod in reply.
Foherish Water Temple - Cork, Ireland
"Welcome to the Foherish Water Temple in Cork, Munster Province, Ireland, Stryker and Hotaru. Your opponents will arrive momentarily."
The simple outdoor temple Stryker and Hotaru stood upon was surrounded by lush, rolling green hills. A green and white marbled floor covered the large, square-shaped platform the fighters would have their match. The southside of the platform had steps that led the fighters out of the outdoor area and towards a walkway that was directed towards a nearby parking lot. The north side was connected to a bridge that brought visitors over the River Lee and into a smaller building - the main part of the temple. Surrounding the outdoor platform were green and white columns designed as arches. Aside from a few scattered trees, nothing more was seen for as far as the eyes could see.
"This reminds me of a place in the lowlands of Seido," Hotaru mentioned out of the blue. "It's one of the few tranquil places in that part of the realm."
"I'm sure it's nice for those living near it," Stryker guessed.
"It should be. Anything less would be against the law, and those arrested for making it so would likely face thirty years in prison."
Of course… Stryker thought while he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. I wouldn't be surprised if the citizens there get arrested for simply breathing the wrong way…
A few seconds later, the portal opened once more, and two people stepped out. Stryker hardly noticed the first person as his blue eyes suddenly went wide with both shock and surprise.
…The fighter wore a metal mask that covered his face and a tracheal tube was attached to his neck to help him breathe… Even with the mask over his face, Stryker recognized him instantly. "No way…" he uttered under his breath.
The drone made the announcement before Stryker had the chance to say any more; "Welcome to the Foherish Water Temple in Cork, Munster Province, Ireland, Havik and Kabal. You may begin the match at any time."
…Stryker knew ever since the second round of the tournament that his old police rookie, Kabal, was well and alive after thinking him dead for years. He just hadn't expected to come face to face with him in a match any time soon, not with the amount of participants that were still in the tournament.
It didn't take long before Kabal's eyes went wide underneath his mask as soon as he recognized his former trainer. "Stryker?!" he called out.
…That at least confirmed that the matchup was a coincidence. Kabal sounded just as shocked as Stryker was feeling inside. Stryker was also grateful that Kabal didn't call him 'Kurtis.' It would've certainly blown his undercover operation.
Before any more was said between them, Kabal's tag team partner, Havik, suddenly shouted, "Hey! You! I know that armor! You're an Orderrealmer! What in the chaos are you doing here?!"
Of course, Stryker didn't have to turn his head to know that Havik was talking to Hotaru. Behind the officer, Hotaru took a few steps towards Havik while his pale eyes glared at him. "Ah, the 'Cleric of Chaos.' So this is where you ran off to."
"You are NOT going to drag me back to Orderrealm!" Havik declared as he pointed a finger at his foe.
Hotaru drew a breath through his nose before he responded. "Lucky for you, I have no jurisdiction on Earthrealm as declared by my superiors of the Seidan Guardsmen. If we were on Seido or Chaosrealm, however…"
Havik seethed as he reached his right hand to grasp around his left wrist. "That's never gonna happen, Orderrealmer!"
Then suddenly and with a yell, Havik literally tore off his left arm from its shoulder socket, the tearing of flesh and tendons louder than Stryker had expected. As blood spewed from both his torn bicep and his shoulder, Havik quickly swung his amputated arm in various directions like a blunt weapon, which forced Hotaru to duck and dodge out of the way. At the same time, and to Stryker's shock, a new arm began to grow where the old one used to be.
"HOLY SHIT!" Stryker screeched at the top of his lungs after witnessing that. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"Meh, that's not the craziest thing I've seen him do," Kabal said almost too casually.
Stryker's eyes went wide as he turned his head to Kabal. "Seriously?! Where did you find this guy?!"
"He found me, actually. He saved my life a few years back," Kabal admitted.
Stryker shifted his eyes between Kabal and the match between their respective tag team partners before he spoke again, his voice lowered so that the two drones monitoring the fight didn't hear them. "So then… I assume the reports of your death were greatly exaggerated?"
Kabal chuckled lightly at the reference before he replied in a low murmur. "If Havik hadn't found me in Outworld, those reports would've been true."
Stryker frowned a little. "Something tells me you feel like you owe him big time. Is that why you revived the Black Dragon after the Special Forces completely eradicated them? And don't deny it, I noticed the Black Dragon symbol on the back of your coat."
"It would've happened sooner or later, especially since it turns out that Kano's still breathing."
"So I've heard through a colleague. I can't imagine he's sitting around and just letting you lead. After all, he was the founder of the clan to begin with."
"Oh he's trying," Kabal mentioned. "Trust me on that. I'm not going to let him take back what I worked hard to rebuild."
Stryker didn't have any words for that. Instead, he turned his attention to focus on the match taking place a few yards away…
After dealing with evading Havik's attacks since the beginning of the match, Hotaru finally found a moment to grab for his naginata and swung it sideways with enough force to knock Havik's arm out of his hand. By then, a new arm replaced the old one as though he never tore his arm off at all.
"That… is not natural," Hotaru stated.
"Of course it's not, Orderrealmer!" Havik called out. "And neither is this!"
Before Hotaru could react, Havik quickly bent his knees backwards before shooting out a bright purple projectile from his fists. Swiftly, Hotaru placed the blunt end side of his naginata onto the ground before he jumped up, held onto the weapon tightly, and cartwheeled over the projectile. The maneuver brought the Seidan Guardsman closer to his opponent and gave him the chance to deliver an ax kick. His heel smashed into the back of Havik's head and forced him face first onto the floor.
Hotaru then landed back on his feet before he extended a hand out and unleashed a projectile made of hot lava. By then, Havik lifted his head up in time to see the bright glow of the projectile coming towards him. He quickly rolled to the side before the lava crashed and burst upon impact with the ground. Havik then got on his feet before he pulled out his mourning star from behind his back. Noting this, Hotaru shifted his naginata in front of him in a defensive position.
With a yell of determination, Havik covered the space between him and his opponent before he began to swing his weapon wildly. With calm and focus, Hotaru dodged and blocked the attacks with his naginata with ease…
Back on the sidelines, a thought came to Stryker. Once more, he spoke low enough so that only Kabal heard him. "So… should we both fight each other after the five-minute timer goes off, or wait until one of them gets bashed over the head and loses consciousness?"
"Hmm," Kabal hummed as he mulled over the question in his head. It didn't take long, however, for him to decide. "Let's let them hash it out until someone gets knocked out. Obviously, if Havik is left standing, you go up next. If Hotaru wins, I go up next. Then we'll see who comes out the victor and go from there."
"Yeah…" Stryker said with a small sigh. He then dared himself to ask the one question that's been on his mind for the last couple of minutes. "Seriously, Kabal… Why did you revive the Black Dragon after all you did to walk away from them in the first place?"
"Anarchy," Kabal answered simply.
That got a raised eyebrow from Stryker. "Um… I'm pretty certain this current war is causing a lot of that as we speak."
"Why do you think I sided with the Mishima Zaibatsu?" Kabal asked suddenly.
That was a bomb Stryker hadn't expected, but he remained calm over the news the best he could. He let out a disappointed sigh as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "Why are you telling me this?"
"You were going to find out sooner or later," Kabal answered.
Once more, Stryker was lost for words as he returned his attention to the fight…
Back on the temple platform, Havik had just knocked Hotaru's naginata from his hands with his mourning star. Havik then looked at his own weapon, shrugged, then tossed it aside before he ran towards his opponent. However, once he was close, Hotaru quickly struck Havik in the face with his fist.
With a laugh, Havik exaggerated the hit by twisting the top half of his body in a one-eighty degree angle. "Eat this!" he yelled as he lifted a foot and smashed it hard into Hotaru's stomach. Though he felt the impact, the Seido native's armor protected him from the full force of the attack.
Just as Havik readjusted himself back to normal, Hotaru shot out another lava projectile towards him. The Chaosrealmer quickly jumped out of the way… it was exactly the kind of distraction Hotaru was hoping for…
Swiftly, the Seidan Guard jumped forward and up into the air before he turned himself forty-five degrees with his feet pointing down and diagonally. Once he was within reach, he kicked Havik's face rapidly while also pushing him back every couple of feet or so with each kick. Once he noticed he was starting to fall back to the ground, Hotaru gave Havik one last kick to the face - hard enough to make the Chaosrealmer's neck snap back with a loud crack!
After he landed on his feet, Hotaru waited in a defensive pose as Havik staggered before he regained his balance. Once he did, the Chaosrealmer grabbed his own head and cranked his neck back into its original position with a deafening snap! He then stretched his neck from side to side as though he was releasing some tension within.
"You know, Orderrealmer," Havik growled. "You really are a pain in my neck!"
Hotaru said nothing as the Cleric of Chaos slid forward in fast speed before he twisted his body from the waist, which ended up looking like a corkscrew after the second full twist. At the same time, Havik had both of his fists up and out on either side of him. Hotaru was forced to block the first couple of hits, but Havik then broke through his defense and managed to hit his face a few times until his opponent stumbled out of reach. From there, the cleric retwisted himself back to his normal form.
As Hotaru staggered from the hits, Havik took his chance and moved in close enough to grab the Seidan Guardsman by the collar of his armor. From there, he yanked the white-haired man close enough to where their faces were inches from each other. Hotaru made an attempt to attack, but his opponent ended up being faster than him…
"Nighty night!" Havik called out - right before he pulled his head back and smashed his forehead hard into Hotaru's with all of his strength.
Both men grunted and fell back onto the platform on their backs with a loud thud! Some blood spewed out and covered their faces, though no one was sure if the blood came from one of them… or both. Their respective tag team partners waited with baited breath as they anticipated who would get up first, or…
"Double knockouts detected," the drone soon announced. "Only one fighter per team is left standing."
"...Well, shit," Kabal mumbled with a small shake of his head. "Figured Havik would end up knocking himself out at some point." He then turned his attention to his former training officer. "Guess it's just you and me at this point."
"Yeah," Stryker murmured with a small sigh. "May the best win."
Suddenly, Kabal ran with inhumane speed towards Stryker, who completely forgot that Kabal picked up the skill during Outworld's first invasion, so to speak. Stryker didn't have time to move out of the way before he found himself spinning rapidly, almost like a tornado. Kabal skidded just a few feet away before he stopped, spun around, and kicked forward. His foot landed on Stryker's side, which caused him to fly sideways before he crashed onto the tiled floor.
Stryker shook his head as dizziness overtook his head momentarily. As he sat up, he could hear Kabal's footsteps walking towards him. He forced himself to focus and soon found his former friend just a few feet away. With his eyes closed, Stryker rolled forward along the ground, got on his feet, and grabbed Kabal on either side of his waist. Before the Black Dragon leader could react, Stryker rolled himself back, planted his foot into Kabal's stomach as he lifted him over himself, then threw him backwards with all of his strength. Kabal was hurled away a few yards before he crashed onto the ground.
Stryker's dizziness was finally subsiding as he stood back on his feet and turned to face his opponent. Meanwhile, Kabal took a moment to get back up. Once he was ready, he let out a small growl as he pulled out one of his hookswords from behind his back. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw it low and forward before the weapon embedded itself into the ground and cut right through it and towards his former training officer.
"Shit!" Stryker yelled out as he practically flew out of the way. The hooksword ended up missing himself and eventually stopped just underneath one of the pillars that surrounded them. At the same time, Stryker grabbed a small grenade from his pouch - one designed for minimum damage - pulled out the safety pin, then tossed it towards his former rookie.
"Damn!" Kabal shouted as he ran backwards and away from the explosive. He managed to get out of the way just as the grenade detonated and left behind a burst of fire and some shrapnel.
Kabal pulled out his other hooksword from behind his back before he glared at Stryker. In response, Stryker pulled out his two nightsticks from his utility belt. The two then circled each other without a word for what seemed like a long while. At one point, Kabal walked by the other hooksword that was still embedded in the ground. He took it out with some force before he used it as part of his defense pose. He never let his opponent out of his sight the whole time.
"You know, Stryker," Kabal began to say, breaking the silence in the process. "I hated cops my whole life. After a while, I thought maybe, just maybe, I might be able to improve things from within. Turns out there are cops who are just as much of a criminal as those like me are. In the end, at least in our precient, you ended up being the only cop I liked, and that's because you were the only one who truly live by your oath."
Stryker frowned a little after hearing that. "Funny you should say that… because you're one of, if not the only, criminal I actually like. You were always honest about your past. And perhaps it's because I always thought of you as a potentially noble person, someone who could redeem themselves for the greater good if given the chance. I said it before and I'll say it again, I wasn't a fan of you becoming a vigilante, but I figured as long as you were cleaning our streets, well…"
Kabal narrowed his eyes on Stryker before he finished his sentence. "So what you're saying is… you'd rather I was a vigilante than a full on criminal?" the Black Dragon leader asked.
Stryker nodded. "Precisely. You were keeping the streets safe on your own terms while protecting the innocent. That's something to admire."
"Well… those days are over."
"...Only if you let it be."
Kabal clutched onto his hookswords tightly. "Enough!" he shouted - right before he ran forward and closed the distance between himself and his opponent. Stryker stood in his place, his nightsticks posed in front of him, until Kabal performed an overhead maneuver with one hooksword. Stryker quickly lifted one nightstick and blocked the incoming attack with ease.
From there, the two went back and forth with their respect weapons as they both tried to overtake the other. It wasn't long, however, before Stryker managed to get the upper hand by spinning one baton and performed an uppercut that caused Kabal to fly back and upwards before he fell back down towards the Earth.
After hitting the ground, Kabal didn't hesitate to roll back onto his feet, and straighten himself up. As Stryker ran towards him, Kabal shot out a projectile from the mouth section of his full-face breathing mask. The purple energy ball hurled towards Stryker, who didn't have enough time to dodge out of the way before the projectile hit him squarely in the chest. With a pained gasp, Stryker was hurled back through the air for a couple of yards before he slammed into the tiled floor back first.
As Stryker attempted to catch his breath, the Black Dragon leader clutched the hilts of his hookswords before he dashed close to Stryker with his unnatural speed until he was within reach. From there, he used the hooked parts of his weapons to dig into Stryker's shirt just above his collarbone. Once that was done, Kabal quickly lifted Stryker off the ground and to his own eye level. Stryker tried to escape from Kabal's grasp, but to no avail.
"It was nice catching up with you, Stryker," Kabal admitted.
"Too bad it wasn't under better circumstances," the cop added.
With that, Kabal lifted him up high, spun him in an eight-figure rotation while jumping up, then lifted him above his head before he slammed Stryker into the ground with all of his strength. Kabal heard Stryker shout out before he hit the ground hard enough to not only bounce back up a few feet, but also create a crater of cracks on the tiled floor. After he bounced up once, Stryker soon landed back on the ground and stayed put from there…
He didn't get up after that…
"Knockout detected. Havik and Kabal win the match."
Kabal sighed inwardly as he placed his hookswords back behind him. "Sorry, Stryker," he murmured under his breath. "Nothing personal."
In his mind, Kabal was certain that this wasn't the last he was going to see of Stryker…
Pueblo Granate - Unknown Region of Mexico
Just outside a small village somewhere in the deserts of Mexico, the sky above was almost a garnet color as the sun began to set for the evening. A small group of villagers watched as a roped off area surrounded a match that was specifically from the Shikoken Tournament.
It was Guile who found himself fighting first against his opponent - a well-dressed, fedora hat-wearing man only known as Cracker Jack. Despite his formal wear, C. Jack proved to be formidable as he managed to keep Guile on his toes through most of their fight. He was just as good of a brawler as the Air Force Brigadier General was.
Five minutes into the match, C. Jack's tag team partner - a dark blue-haired wrestler named Blair Dame - jumped into the fray and went up against Guile's tag team partner, Jax Briggs.
Noting Blair's approach, Jax quickly jumped up into the air. Then, as he fell back down towards the Earth, he lifted his fist above his head before he punched the ground as soon as he landed. The punch created an earthquake, the shockwave extending out from around him. It quickly reached Blair, who was promptly
Jax straightened himself back up and began to run towards where his blue-haired opponent fell. However, Blair was quick to kip up before she ran towards Jax. Before they were within reach, Blair suddenly crouched low before she slid her body feet first towards her opponent with quick speed. Before Jax had the opportunity to get out of the way, Blair swifty grabbed for his ankles with her feet. She then locked them in her grasp before she forced him to flip sideways and forced him to smash onto the dirt ground.
"Damn," Jax growled underneath his breath. As he said up, Blair moved with fast speed to return to her feet. From there, she attempted to jump up and perform a dive bomb. Noting this, Jax rolled himself out of the way and returned onto his own feet. The maneuver forced Blair to make an impact with the ground face first. Jax heard her gasp in pain right after the hard landing.
"Oof. That's gotta hurt," Jax said to himself. He then waited until Blair was standing once more, though it took her a moment due to the pain that was coursing through her body.
Once she was facing her opponent again, Blair glared at Jax before she ran forward to cover the space between them. She then attempted a backhand punch as soon as she was within reach, but Jax blocked the maneuver with ease with his metal forearm. From there, Blair delivered a few more punches, but Jax kept his defenses up each time. Then, at the last punch, he grabbed her wrist before he reached his other hand out, grabbed her neck, then lifted her up into the air at his eye level.
"Gotcha!" Jax shouted before he punched her a couple of times in the face before he tossed her aside. Blair skidded a few feet across the ground before she came to a complete stop.
Angered at this point, Blair forced herself back up. With a battle cry, the blue-haired wrestler ran back towards Jax before she crouched down a little and landed two punches to Jax's stomach. The bigger man gasped as the air left his lungs and was forced to double over from the unexpected pain. From there, Blair straightened herself up and unleashed a low side kick that nearly knocked Jax off balance before she used the same leg to swing it sideways, her knee bent, before she delivered a kick to the right side of Jax's head.
"Damn!" Jax yelled out as he staggered back. As he did, Blair followed through with a cartwheel kick that landed on his chest before she, finally, delivered one more sidekick to the same spot on her head. At that point, even while mildly dizzy from the attacks, Jax knew that she was trying everything possible to knock him out cold sooner than later.
Of course, he wasn't going to let that happen.
It was then that Blair pulled back a bit before she began to run towards him once more. She then jumped up, shifted her body so that her feet were pointing towards him, and bent her knees in preparation for a double kick. Jax realized what was coming and promptly stepped sideways just as Blair began to extend her legs out for the attack. He then reached his hand out and grabbed one of her ankles.
"Gotcha!" he yelled out once again. From there, Jax spun Blair halfway around before he tossed her a few yards sideways. The blue-haired fighter flew until gravity had her crash into the dirt on her back.
"Dammit!" Blair shouted in anger as she slammed a fist into the ground. She then rolled onto her feet before she turned to face the Special Forces Colonel…
Only to find herself face to face with an incoming purple, moon-shaped projectile.
"Shit!" she shouted as she moved to dodge away from the projectile. As soon as she did, Blair noticed another similar projectile - this one she ducked underneath. A third flew towards her, this one she kicked out of her path before she jumped sideways from a fourth.
All this time, it gave Jax the chance to move in closer and closer each time his opponent was distracted.
After the sixth projectile, it only took Jax two steps to get within reach of Blair. Before Blair realized what was going on, Jax was already behind her. From there, he grabbed her around her waist before he lifted her up and performed a German suplex.
And despite her attempts to prepare for the impact, Blair ended up blacking out as soon as her head hit the ground…
"Knockout detected," a drone called out moments later as the Special Forces Colonel stood up after the last maneuver.
Jax frowned a little as he took out a lighter and a cigar from the pocket of his vest. He realized how quickly his part of the fight ended. "Now that's just sad," he muttered before he lit up his cigar. He then leaned against the wooden fence just off to the side of the fighting area before he brought his attention to the other half of the match that was still taking place…
A few yards away, Guile unleashed his sonic boom projectile, which his opponent, C. Jack, literally batted away with the baseball bat that he carried with him. The projectile went sideways, and Guile chose that moment to unleash another. Noticing this, C. Jack ducked underneath the attack before he covered the remaining distance between them.
From there, C. Jack attempted a few quick swings with the bat at Guile, but after the fourth, Guile had enough. The Air Force officer jumped back to give himself some berth, charged up some chi into his arms, then proceeded to unleash a non-projectile version of his sonic boom which whirled in place directly in front of him. It was big enough to reach his opponent, who got caught up in the hurricane-like attack. With a yell, C. Jack spun a couple of times in the air before he was tossed to the side yards away from Guile before his body slammed against the dirt. In the process, he lost grip on his baseball bat.
With a growl, C. Jack rolled backwards along the ground before he was on his feet again. At the same time, Guile was running in his direction to continue their battle. C. Jack decided to take advantage of that as he pulled his fist back. A white chi surrounded his fist and forearm before he jumped towards his opponent with fast speed. With a yell, C. Jack delivered a hard punch to Guile's face, and the white chi dispersed into what looked like palm-sized particles.
Guile's head snapped sideways upon impact, which gave C. Jack the chance to land a few more blows to the older man's chest and abdomen. However, to his dismay, Guile was able to recover faster than he expected, and the blonde-haired man grabbed C. Jack's fist before he pushed him back slightly to create some space between them.
"Flash kick!" Guile shouted as he performed a somersault kick. A yellow chi trailed behind him as he unleashed the attack. However, C. Jack was able to bend back just enough to barely evade the tip of Guile's boot, which nearly caught him underneath his chin.
After somersaulting backwards, Guile let himself fall back to Earth and land on his feet. There were only a few feet between the two men at this point - and neither hesitated to run towards each other to continue their match.
For a few moments, they found themselves exchanging blows, one after the other, at least until C. Jack got the upperhand as soon as he landed a fist just below Guile's throat. As Guile keeled forward while the air rushed out of his lungs, C. Jack moved in to land a few more punches to Guile's chest before he performed an uppercut that hurled the older man into the air. The younger of the two was certain that would do the trick and give him the win, even with his opponent's tag team partner waiting nearby…
To C. Jack's dismay, Guile caught himself by flipping back and straightening himself out before he landed gracefully on his feet once more.
"Why you-!" C. Jack started to yell out. But Guile didn't hesitate to slide a few feet forward before he let loose a flurry of punches that landed on C. Jack's face and chest. Once he knew his opponent was stunned, Guile ended the attacks with another flash kick maneuver. This time, the tip of his combat boot caught underneath his opponent's chin with enough momentum to hurl him upwards a few feet into the air. He then flew back and fell back towards the Earth under he hit the dirt hard against his back.
When it was over, C. Jack didn't get up again…
The drone soon made the expected announcement; "Knockout detected. William Guile and Jackson Briggs win the match."
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about," said Jax right after he blew out a puff of his cigar. "Let's hit the bar once we're back on the island. First round's on me."
"Sounds great," Guile agreed. "Now we just have five more rounds to go to win this thing."
Shanghai Arena - Shanghai, China
"Welcome to the Shanghai Arena in Shanghai, China, Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. Your opponents will arrive momentarily."
In a circle-shaped fighting ring placed in the middle of a large arena half filled with local spectators, Paul - who wore his beloved red sleeveless karate gi - quickly raised a fist as he yelled out with enthusiasm and stared right at the camera part of one of the two drones monitoring the upcoming match. "Time to prove once more that I'm the best in the universe!"
"You mean we," Marshall pointed out. "Since this is, you know, a team effort this time around."
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Paul grumbled as he put his arm down. "Anyway, I'm gonna feel sorry for the poor chumps who are gonna get a beatdown from us."
Marshall couldn't help the smug smirk on his face. "On that, we agree."
It was then that a portal opened up nearby and two young men stepped through. Paul and Marshall's jaws dropped the second they recognized their opponents - especially one in particular…
"Welcome to the Shanghai Arena in Shanghai, China, Abel and Forest Law. You may begin your match at any time."
"...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Paul and Marshall yelled at the same time with their arms raised up. Forest, who found out a minute ago back on the island that he'd be fighting his father and best friend, gave them both a nervous smile and a shrug of his shoulders. Meanwhile, Abel glanced at all three of them and couldn't decide if the situation was amusing or awkward.
Eventually, it was Marshall who dropped his arms to the side and sighed. "Well, I guess I should've seen this coming at some point."
"Fighting your own son," Paul mentioned. He made a show of clicking his own tongue while shaking his head from side to side. "How unfortunate for you."
"Who said I was gonna fight my son?" Marshall stated.
"What?!" Paul shouted as he turned fully to his long-time friend. "You can't expect me to-"
"Come on, you two!" Forest called out with amusement in his voice. He stepped forward and quickly got into his fighting stance. "I can take you both on! Or would you rather continue to argue like a pair of old biddies?" Behind him, Abel forced himself to bow his head and cover his mouth to hide his amusement from his opponents.
Paul gasped with exaggeration before he turned his attention back to Forest's father. "You hear that, Marshall? He called us old! Are you gonna take that kind of abuse lying down, and from your own child no less?!"
"Heck no!" Marshall shouted as he took a few steps forward towards his son. Once he was a couple of feet away, he posed in his own fighting stance. "All right, Forest, let's see how much you can keep up with this 'old man.'"
Forest gave Marshall a sly grin. "I'll make sure you don't break a hip, Dad."
From there, the younger of the two jumped forward with a flying kick which Marshall ducked under with ease. As soon as Forest landed on his feet, the two turned to face each other before they promptly covered the space between them. Forest threw a forward punch and Marshall blocked it easily with his forearm.
The two went back and forth for a few seconds as they both tried to overtake the other. Eventually, it was Forest who saw an opening after he crouched low to evade a punch from Marshall's fist. The young fighter didn't hesitate to deliver a right hook to his Dad's side, which caused the older man to hiss in pain and keel over sideways. This gave Forest time to straighten himself up before he turned and extended his left leg behind him for a back kick. His foot connected to Marshall's chest with enough force to make him stumble a little. Forest then followed with a cartwheel kick which Marshall dodged away from. However, Forest was still within reach and used the opportunity to perform a sidekick. The last attack was hard enough to hurl the former chef sideways before he crashed onto the ground.
Marshall quickly shook his head to mentally get himself back in the game before he rolled back and flipped onto his feet. He got back into his fighting stance before he beckoned his son over with a wave of his hand. "That was just luck," he said.
Forest snorted at those words. "Oh please, you've got nothing on me," he teased.
Marshall smirked with amusement. "Don't get cocky, son. After all, who taught you how to fight to begin with?"
Then with a battle cry, Marshall slid forward before he lifted his right leg to kick the younger man's chest, but Forest sidestepped away before it connected. Marshall then followed with a forward punch that landed on Forest's abdomen. As the young man gasped for pain, his father straightened himself up, spun halfway, and hit his face with a backfist. That stunned him to where Marshall was able to move in and deliver three uppercuts with quick succession. The last one hurled Forest up into the air before he fell back and crashed onto his side.
Forest shook off the pain before he kipped up and swiftly covered the space between him and Marshall. The young man didn't hesitate to perform a roundhouse kick, which Marshall promptly blocked by grabbing his ankle. Forest didn't hesitate to push the older man's hand back with the same leg before he had the chance to think about his next move. From there, Forest slid forward, landed a few more punches to Marshall's torso, then lifted his right fist and punched downward. The attack landed on the older man's shoulder and forced him face first into the ground.
"Take a seat, Dad," Forest suggested with a hint of mirth. At the same time, he pulled back to leave some berth between them. "You know this fight is mine."
Marshall rolled back before he returned to his feet. He then flicked his nose with his thumb before he returned to his fighting stance. "You might want to sharpen those senses a little better, son."
"Oh trust me, they totally are," Forest replied. Then with a yell, he flew forward to continue the match.
Marshall inwardly sighed. He may be a Chosen One like me, but he still has a lot to learn.
As soon as he was close enough, Forest attempted a backhand, but Marshall promptly blocked the move with his forearm. The younger Law then followed with a shin kick, which connected and caused Marshall to hiss with pain. Despite that, he remained standing. From there, Forest pulled himself back before he somersaulted forward as he tried for a flying ax kick. However, his father saw the maneuver coming and backed away before it connected to the top of his head.
"Close, but not close enough," Marshall stated with a wag of his finger and a smug smirk on his face. Of course, as he expected, that got a small rise out of Forest, who launched forward with a battle cry.
As soon as he was within reach, Forest attempted multiple punches and kicks, but all of them were either blocked or dodged by Marshall. The young warrior then crouched low for a sweep, which his Dad evaded by jumping over it. However, just as Marshall was about to land on his feet, Forest promptly performed a somersault kick, his foot catching the older man's chin. Marshall shouted with pain as he found himself flying backwards. While still in mid-air, he caught himself by tucking back into a ball just before landing. Once he was on the ground, the older man rolled back before promptly jumping back on both feet.
"Damn…" Marshall grumbled under his breath as he wiped his chin with the back of his hand.
"YAH!" Forest screamed as he flew forward to continue the fight. However, Marshall was ready for him as Forest attempted another flying kick. Marshall simply moved out of the way, which forced Forest to fly past him. The younger man soon landed on the ground before he promptly turned to face his Dad and launched towards him again.
Forest delivered a right hook, but Marshall pulled himself back from it before he performed a triple spin kick with quick succession. All three kicks hit Forest on his side, even when the young warrior tried to evade it. As Forest tried to recover, Marshall took a moment to charge up some chi into his foot before he moved in and unleashed a back kick with enough force to make Forest stumble a few feet back.
Marshall saw an opportunity as he slid forward and unleashed four rapid punches to Forest's mid-section. Forest attempted to block the attacks, but his father was too fast, and he soon found himself doubled over, especially after the last hit to the stomach.
"WA-CHA!" Marshall soon shouted at the top of his lungs as he unleashed a flying side kick that landed successfully - and hard - on Forest's chest. Forest shouted with pain as he found himself flying backwards with fast speed. Eventually, his back hit the ropes that surrounded the ring, but with the momentum he was going at, the younger fighter ended up flipping over the ropes before he crashed hard onto the matted ground outside the ring.
In the aftermath, Forest was still conscious, but felt immense pain throughout his body. At the same time, he saw that his head was spinning like a tilt-a-whirl ride. Meanwhile, a nearby drone then began the ten second countdown. The audience in the arena counted down at the same time. "One! Two! Three!"
Oh maaan… Marshall thought in his head. I think that last maneuver might've been too much!
"Four! Five!"
Oh maaan… Forest groaned in his mind as the whole arena seemed to spin in every direction. This sucks big time!
"Six! Seven!"
"Come on, Forest!" Abel called out from the sidelines. "Get up!"
"Eight! Nine!"
"Uh oh…" Paul uttered from the sideline.
"TEN!"
Unfortunately for Forest, the time end buzzer went off before the pain and dizziness subsided.
"Time over," a drone eventually called out. "Only one fighter remains on Team Abel and Forest Law."
"Forest!" Marshall called out as he jumped out of the ring and ran to where his son fell. Once he reached him, Marshall got down on his knees and began to frantically shake the younger man's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Forest! Are you alright? Speak to me, son!"
Forest actually let out a small groan, his head rolling back a little before he opened his eyes. He didn't look at his father, but somewhere above his head instead… and Marshall didn't miss how the young man's eyes looked a little crossed.
"Easy… squeezy… lemon…" Forest started… but then he fell unconscious once more before he could finish his sentence.
Marshall sighed to himself before he stood up, lifted Forest off the floor, and threw him over his shoulder before he walked over to a side bench just a few feet from the arena's fighting ring. "Well… so much for that…" he said as he laid Forest across the bench.
"You want me to take on Abel, or do you want to continue?" Paul asked his long-time friend.
Marshall thought about it for a moment, but he quickly made his decision. "Sure, why not?" he said before he walked over and tagged Paul in with a shared high-fived.
By then, Abel had walked to the middle of the ring and was adjusting his fighting gloves just before Paul approached him. Paul pounded a closed fist into the open palm of his other hand twice before he quickly stretched his neck from side to side in preparation. Abel actually heard Paul's crack loudly at that moment.
"Just remember, Abel," Paul started as he got himself in his fighting stance. He then raised his arm and pointed a finger up towards the ceiling. "I'm number one!"
Abel, who was ready, moved his arms to his side. "Well, then. Let's begin," he said before he got himself into his own fighting stance.
A split second later, Paul and Abel moved in to cover the space between them before they began to throw various punches and kicks at each other. The exchange only went on for a few seconds before Paul managed to land a knee into Abel's stomach. The pain from the attack forced the younger blonde to keel over, which left him open for an uppercut from Paul's fist. As Abel's head snapped back, the older man promptly performed a roundhouse kick that knocked his opponent a few feet back.
Despite nearly losing his balance, Abel quickly shook off the pain and promptly moved back towards Paul, who attempted to deliver a left hook to his face. However, Abel ducked underneath it while he grabbed for the collar of his opponent's shirt at the same time. Once he had a good grip, Abel lifted Paul off the ground, spun him around over his head like a lasso, then slammed him into the ground as hard as he could.
"...Ow," Paul grumbled right after impact.
From there, Abel jumped through the air sideways while spinning in the process. Paul turned his head just in time to see Abel flying down towards him and promptly rolled out of the way before the younger fighter's legs came crashing down on him. Both men quickly recovered soon after as they stood up and faced each other in their respective fighting stances.
At the same time, the two fighters closed the space between them once more. Abel got in two punches, one to the chest, and the other to the face which caused Pauls' head to snap sideways. He then tried for a knee strike to the stomach, but Paul recovered quick enough to jump away before the attack connected. Abel then tried to get within striking distance, but as he attempted to punch with his right fist, Paul managed to sidestep away and grabbed Abel's fist before he landed an elbow strike on his chest. As Abel gasped for breath, Paul let him go before he spun around and delivered a back punch to Abel's face. The older blonde then bent his knees and delivered a forward punch to Abel's stomach.
"Osu!" Paul shouted as the punch connected. It was also hard enough to force Abel away until his back hit the fighting ring's ropes, which prevented him from falling. Instead, he was pushed forward by the ropes and practically flew back towards Paul.
Paul took the opportunity to jump and perform a double kick. However, Abel was able to regain his balance by that point and swiftly backed away from both kicks. From there, Paul crouched low and attempted a sweep kick, but once more, Abel evaded it by jumping over his leg with ease.
With a frustrated growl, Paul jumped up and forward in an attempt to perform a downward punch. However, they left him wide open, and Abel seized the moment by grabbing Paul mid-air by the collar, twisting around, and throwing him against the ground behind him. The impact was hard enough to shake the arena's ring.
"Damn," Paul grumbled as he forced himself up. He was impressed with Abel's strength. Of course, he wasn't going to admit that aloud anytime soon.
Just as the older man got back on his feet, Abel moved in once more and managed to land a handful of punches and kicks at Paul, who was able to block some, but not all of them. Eventually, a roundhouse kick to the face stunned him, and that gave Abel the chance to grab him by the shoulders, swing him above his head like a lasso again, then tossed him up high in the air.
While Paul was airborne, Abel jumped up to his height with the intention of grabbing his older opponent and performing a suplex as they fell back down to the ring…
What he hadn't expected, however, was for Paul to grab him by the shoulders first before he had the chance.
"Gotcha!" the older man shouted - right before he used all of his strength and shoved Abel back to the ground with a yell. This caused the younger warrior to lose his momentum briefly as he freefalled back into the ring. However, he caught himself in time as he flipped back and landed gracefully on the ground.
Paul landed just in front of Abel seconds later. As the young blonde rolled back and returned to create some berth between them, Paul bumped his right fist into his open left palm before he cracked his neck from side to side. "I'll show you!" he called out. From there, he slid forward and delivered a forward punch hard enough to send Abel stumbling back again.
As his opponent hit the ropes again, Paul lifted his left leg, slammed his foot down against the ground, bent both knees, and raised both his fists to waist level. "Osu!" he called out. From there, he charged up some chi into his right arm in preparation for his next attack. By then, Abel was pushed forward by the ropes and was coming towards him again.
"Strongest in the universe!" Paul shouted at the top of his lungs. He then clenched his right fist and flexed his bicep with anticipation. Then, as soon as his younger opponent was within reach, Paul slid forward and pulled his fist back - the mix between the fast maneuver and the charged up chi created a whirlwind effect that surrounded his arm.
With a triumphed battle cry, Paul threw his fist forward, which landed hard on Abel's chest. The impact caused a burst of flames that emitted from Paul's fist and unleashed the charged chi. With a gasp and a yell, Abel flew backwards. This time, he went over the ropes and out into the sidelines. He then fell diagonally until he hit his head against the steel barrier between the walkway surrounding the ring and the audience. After the crash, Abel rolled onto the walkway mat and his body ended up face down…
Abel blacked out right after the landing…
"Knockout detected. Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law win the match!"
"Yeah!" Paul and Marshall both shouted with excitement - as did half the audience in the arena (mainly because they won their bets - the rest simply grumbled with disappointment). They ran towards each other until they were close enough to exchange a high-five.
"One more step towards the cash prize!" Marshall stated with a big smile on his face. He then remembered their main mission as Chosen Ones and quickly cleared his throat. "Among… other, eh… more important causes, of course."
"Yeah yeah, of course," Paul replied with a wave of his hand. He then looked over to where both Abel and Forest were laid out. Paul narrowed his eyes particularly at Forest. "Your kid's gonna get his revenge on us eventually for his loss in the tournament, isn't he?"
"...Probably," Marshall sighed. He had the feeling that he wasn't going to get much sleep for the next few nights…
Mishima Casino
Within the audience and after he joined up with his tag team partner, Smoke quietly told Matrik what was going on with Ashrah and Sareena's tag team partner, Shura. When he finished his explanation, Matrik shook her head. "That's… not what I was expecting when you told me you had something important to discuss."
"Trust me, when I found out, I hadn't expected it either," Smoke mentioned.
"How did you manage to get Shura to tell you who she was targeting?" Matrik questioned out of the blue.
Smoke groaned and nearly slapped his hand on his own forehead out of mild frustration. "...Do I have to answer that?"
"No," Matrik replied. "But I suppose I can inquire the next time I speak with Sub-Zero-"
"Shura and I had a date night, shared a whirlwind passion, and we talked about the assassin enough for her to trust me to share that information," Smoke quickly spat out. Right after that, he noticed the subtle frown from Matrik's lips - the lower half of her face was the only human part of her exposed to the world. "And don't give me that look!" he warned.
"What look?" Matrik deadpanned.
"...Ugh, nevermind."
It was then that the portal in the front of the room opened up, and the winners of the previous match stepped through. Most in the audience clapped and cheered for a few seconds after. They only stopped once their losing opponents stepped through - one was awake while they carried their unconscious tag team partner in a fireman's carry.
Once they stepped down, the PA system crackled with life, and the voice of the female announcer was heard. "For the next match, we ask the following tag team to step forward and through the portal; Smoke and Matrik."
"Here we go," Smoke said as the two of them stood up. Nothing more was said as the two cyborgs walked to the front of the room until they reached the portal entrance. Smoke stopped in his tracks before he turned to his tag team partner and gestured a hand towards the portal. "After you."
Matrik said nothing, but still obliged by stepping through the portal first. Smoke followed right after. After a brief time within the blue swirling vortex, the two soon found themselves in a very small field clearing surrounded by a forest so thick that it made the mid-afternoon day look darker than it really was. Aside from the trees, there was nothing else of note as far as the average eyesight could see.
"Welcome to the Dead Woods in rural China, Smoke and Matrik," one of the two drones in the area spoke. "Your opponents will arrive momentarily."
"A very thick forest in the middle of nowhere and with that type of name?" Smoke started to question sarcastically. "That's totally not ominous whatsoever."
"According to my Global Positioning System," Matrik began. "The village of Kongjiapo is located approximately thirty-seven kilometers southeast from our location. If we were to find ourselves in danger, it would be the closest place to seek shelter and safety."
"That's comforting… I think," Smoke replied.
It was then that the portal opened once more about six feet away from them. Smoke and Matrik turned their heads right as their opponents came through the portal.
They didn't recognize the gray-haired man who stepped through first. He was well-built with countless scars across his body, including one scar on his face that reminded Smoke of Sub-Zero's, only on the left side instead of the right. It was also quickly made clear that the man seemed ready for war based on the arsenal supply he strapped to himself.
The man's tag team partner, however, was one they definitely recognized. No current member of the Lin Kuei would forget the red cyborg in question any time soon.
"Sektor…" Matrik muttered with seething anger.
"Welcome to the Dead Woods in rural China, Sektor and Bryan. You may begin the match at any time."
Sektor took a step forward and glanced at his opponents. Despite his face being completely covered, Smoke could've sworn that the Tekunin leader was staring at them with amusement.
"The Lin Kuei," Sektor stated in a matter of fact.
"Yeah, whatever," Bryan grumbled as he took a couple of steps forward. He then got himself in a fighting stance and gave his opponents a smug smirk. "Come on," he goaded.
Smoke briefly turned to Matrik mainly to silently ask which one of them would go first. Matrik turned her head to her partner before she said in a murmur, "You take care of him. Sektor's mine."
Smoke nodded with understanding before he turned and took a few steps forward towards Bryan. He then got into his own fighting stance. "All right, pal," Smoke said. "Let's see what you can do."
Then, without hesitation, Bryan slid forward towards Smoke and threw the first punch right when he was within reach. Smoke immediately blocked the attack with his forearm with ease. From there, the two went back and forth in fast speed for a bit as they both found themselves switching between offense and defense.
Eventually, Bryan blocked one incoming left hook from Smoke and pushed him back a bit before the Lin Kuei had the chance to make his next move. As Smoke stumbled back, Bryan took the opportunity to cover the space between them again before he grabbed Smoke's shoulders with both hands. Before Smoke could react, Bryan swiftly kneed his opponent in the stomach, which caused him to grunt in pain. Bryan then let him go before he delivered a roundhouse kick hard enough for the Lin Kuei to stagger sideways.
Despite the hard hit, Smoke managed to regain his balance and refocus on the right. As Bryan moved in towards his direction once more, Smoke grabbed for a small bomb that he stored in a pouch that connected to his utility belt before he swiftly threw it at Bryan's feet. Before Bryan could react, the bomb exploded into a large puff of smoke that briefly surrounded him before it actually teleported him off the ground and into the air! Once his opponent reappeared, Smoke jumped up to his level and delivered a few kicks before the last one knocked him back to the ground.
As Smoke landed on the ground, Bryan kipped up to his feet. The two covered the space between them again, but Bryan quickly got the upperhand as he jumped up, somersaulted forward, and unleashed a downward kick. His heel landed hard on Smoke's left shoulder, who grunted in pain and pulled back to give himself some berth.
However, Bryan was having none of that as he moved in again and delivered a handful of punches, all which Smoke was forced to block - at least until the last one landed on his face and snapped his head sideways. Bryan then spun himself to unleash two back punches before following through with an uppercut that hurled the Lin Kuei warrior into the air.
Smoke was dazed only briefly, but while in mid-air, he somersaulted backwards and, once right-side up, kicked forward. His foot smashed into Bryan's face hard enough to cause the man to stumble back. After he landed on the ground, Smoke moved in and landed a right hook to his opponent's face. He then spun himself while crouching low before delivering an uppercut underneath Bryan's chin. Once Bryan's feet left the ground, the Lin Kuei warrior moved to unleash three more punches - two to the face and one the chest - before he lifted his foot and kicked Bryan in the stomach with enough force to send him flying back until he hit the ground hard on his side.
As Smoke waited for his opponent to get up, Bryan glared at him for a moment as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. Then with a growl, he swiftly ran towards him once more. However, Smoke was ready for him as he grabbed for a weapon - a curved knife called a karambit - and used his wrist to flick it in a way to where the small weapon spun rapidly in the air and towards his opponent.
Noting the knife, Bryan quickly moved and spun out of the way - which was what Smoke was exactly hoping for. While Bryan dodged, Smoke teleported to get himself behind Bryan before he lifted his leg and kicked him in the lower back. With a grunt, Bryan flew forward until he crashed into the dirt.
Bryan shook off the last attack and lifted his head up. Just a few feet away, he spotted a fallen tree trunk that was lying on its side and had, of course, long since died.
A smirk appeared over his lips as an idea came to him.
Bryan quickly got back on his feet before he bent down to grab the tree trunk with both hands. Then, seemingly with ease, he lifted the tree up above his head, carefully turned around, then rested the tree on his shoulder. His smug smirk never left his face as his blue eyes glared in his opponent's direction.
Smoke's eyes went wide upon seeing what his opponent was doing. "What the-" he barely got out - right as Bryan unleashed a loud yell before he pulled his arms back, then threw the tree trunk in his direction with only a little effort!
Any other normal person would've ran from the flying tree trunk. But Smoke knew he wasn't exactly ordinary - and decided to test something out. He waited until the trunk was close enough before he ran towards it, jumped up, and caught it with both arms! The flying momentum from the trunk, plus its weight, did cause Smoke to fall back to the ground and slide back on his feet, but he otherwise managed to remain standing while still clutching the tree!
Bryan's face was neutral after he witnessed that, but inwardly - in a very, very rare moment for him - he was actually surprised. Of course, he hadn't expected Smoke to attempt to catch the trunk at all, let alone with ease. To Bryan, there were only two reasons for that to happen…
"Huh," Bryan huffed. "Either you're a super human, or you're a cyborg, too."
"...Why don't we just say it's both?" Smoke responded right before he tossed the tree to the side with ease. Truth be told, he just barely managed to handle the weight of the tree, but he wasn't about to let his opponent know that. "And I get the feeling you're also both if you throwing that thing with ease is anything to go by."
"Bingo," was all Bryan said before he ran forward again. From there, Smoke teleported forward to get closer to his opponent. Bryan was prepared and he was able to block an incoming kick from Smoke. The two, human-looking cyborgs fought back and forth once more in order to get the upper hand on the battle between them…
While that was going on, Matrik barely waited for the five-minute timer to go off. The second it started to beep, she practically soared with high speed right towards where Sektor was standing. However, Sektor ended up doing the same. Both practically met halfway before Matrik lifted her foot for a kick. At the same time, Sektor lifted his fist, which collided with the bottom of the green cyborg's foot. Both cyborgs glared at each other right after.
"Two-on-two battle initiated by both teams," a nearby drone called out.
Sektor pulled his fist back to recover, but Matrik barely let him do so before she rapidly delivered various kicks at him. With each kick, a spinning saw at the bottom of her foot unleashed in an attempt to cut him. In her mind, he deserved it after he cut her wires back during the battle of survival in the immediate aftermath of the Blood Tournament nearly two years ago. The moment left her immobilized for months before she was eventually forced under the control of Frost, then Noob Saibot for their own gain.
It was Smoke - who had been through what she'd been through - who figured out the configurations to free her from control. Grateful, it was why she became fully loyal to the Lin Kuei.
Sektor was able to duck and dodge out of the way until he blocked Matrik's ankle with his forearm. With his hold in place, Matrik used the moment to jump, lift up her other leg, and swipe her foot across Sektor's chest, her saw blazing across it. Sektor swiftly jumped back and briefly examined the gash on his chest. Luckily for the Tekunin leader, it was nothing more than cosmetic damage.
With his fists clenched to his sides, Sektor teleported through the ground. Matrik used her scanner to locate him. She was able to figure it out right as Sektor reappeared behind her and attempted an uppercut, which she evaded. He then disappeared, then reappeared behind the green cyborg before he punched her back. The force of the hit hurled her forward before she crashed onto the dirt ground.
Sektor stood with his arms folded in front of him as Matrik pushed herself back up onto her knees. "Face it," the red cyborg began. "You are a pawn. Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei offers nothing more than a need for the skills I bestowed upon you."
Matrik subtly shook her head at her foe's words. "Well then, we have different outlooks on the clan, don't we?"
Before she gave Sektor the chance to answer, Matrik rolled forward, turned herself around, and extended her right hand out. The former Tekunin's palm opened up a compartment and shot out five small golden orbs towards her opponent. Knowing that they were miniature bombs, Sektor opened up a compartment in his chest and released a single rocket that hurled towards the mini bombs. As soon as the rocket made contact with the first bomb, they exploded. The small shockwave affected the other four mini-bombs and they, too, combusted soon after.
Using the explosion as a distraction, Sektor once more teleported himself closer to Matrik and was able to get himself behind her. Matrik, realizing where he disappeared to, turned to face the red cyborg, but was quickly met with two palm strikes to the chest. Sektor then followed with an elbow to the face, then finally a forward kick that launched Matrik back a few feet.
While the green cyborg stumbled, Sektor made an attempt to cover the space between them. However, Matrik was ready for him by the time he reached her. The red cyborg attempted to throw a left hook, but Matrik stepped right to the side and, using all of her strength, clotheslined Sektor right at the neck. Even as a machine, Sektor let out a choking sound as his body flipped back and hit the ground hard.
Before Sektor could get up, Matrik slammed her foot into his neck to hold him down. He then went to reach for her ankle with both hands…
"Move even an inch and I'll cut your throat with my saw blade!" Matrik warned.
"In a tournament where my death will have you disqualified?" Sektor pointed out. "You are bluffing. So tell me, what was your real plan once you had me pinned to the ground?"
Matrik ignored him briefly as she pressed a few commands on her arm panel. A few beeps were heard with each button pressed. She then lifted the same arm to scan the two drones that hovered around the battlefield. It didn't take long before a clicking sound was heard, one from each drone. Sektor noted that the little green lights on the drones remained on, indicating that they were still sending the feed to those watching the match.
"The drones are still recording," Matrik informed him. "But the sound input is muted. No one will hear this conversation except us.
"I have a mission to complete, which is why I don't plan to kill you yet," she admitted with a hint of malice in her voice. The green cyborg knew that, as a Chosen One, getting her and Smoke disqualified from the tournament would not be beneficial. "But when that time comes, you will answer for your crimes."
"Some of these 'crimes' are ones you committed in the name of the Tekunin," Sektor pointed out.
"I'm aware of that," Matrik seethed. "But I also want you to know that when I finally do kill you, it won't be just for me, or the other cyborg victims. It'll also be for those who crossed your path, like members of the Tengu Clan. Does the name Mujina sound familiar? I doubt it as she's likely nothing more than a nameless face to you."
She then fell silent and waited for her former master's response. At first, Sektor said nothing as he simply glared up at her. His response came seconds later…
What she hadn't expected was for Sektor - the strict and stoic leader of the Tekunin clan and the son of a former Lin Kuei Grandmaster - to laugh. A dark, evil, maniacal laugh, but a laugh nevertheless. It left Matrik nothing more than confused and, perhaps, a little dumbfounded.
Matrik wasn't sure how to react to that, so she simply waited until he stopped. "What do you find so funny?" she soon asked.
"...You don't have a clue, do you?" Sektor asked.
"What are you talking about?" Matrik demanded.
Despite the threat against his neck, Sektor raised his head a little and seemingly looked straight into Matrik's eyes. "The Tengu Clan warrior, Mujina, is you."
…That was not what Matrik expected. Not by a long shot. She pressed her foot into Sektor's throat firmly, though she was certain it had very little effect on him. "You're lying!"
"The Tekunin was to follow in the footsteps of the old Lin Kuei - to only recruit male humans," Sektor stated. "But that changed the day you and your clan members infiltrated my facility to assassinate me. You were a formidable warrior, more so than I had expected of your gender. You were almost as good as Sub-Zero. But as you likely figured out by now, I got the upperhand and killed you when the chance came. I then used your corpse to make you a cyborg and join my ranks. You were successful too… until a malfunction in an upgrading process right before the Blood Tournament somehow regained your humanity."
"And let me guess," Matrik started. "This 'malfunction' is the reason I lost my memories."
"Precisely," Sektor revealed. "It was a fail safe in the event that you, or any other cyborg, regain your humanity. If you're seeking any other 'answers' to your past, you will not find any more than I've already told you."
"...That I believe," Matrik said bitterly. She then let Sektor go, stepped back a few feet, and pressed a couple of commands on her arm panel. That turned the drones' sound system back on. She then got in her fighting stance without another word.
Inside her mind, Matrik was shaken over what she just learned… which was why Sektor immediately got the upperhand as he swiftly closed the space between them and landed an uppercut that sent her up into the air. From there, the Tekunin leader jumped up to her level and kicked forward. As she flew away, Sektor teleported once more to get behind her and delivered another kick to her back. Once more, that hurled Matrik forward until she crashed against a nearby tree and fell to the ground.
As Sektor moved closer for another attack, Matrik rolled forward and back onto her feet before she turned herself around in time to block an incoming kick from her enemy. She then used his leg to push him back, which caused him to nearly lose his footing. Matrik then moved in to hit him in the throat with a palm strike. As Sektor stumbled again, she reached out to grab the back of his head to knee him in the face, which caused some parts of his facial plates to crack in a few places. From then, she pushed him back a little, turned around, and delivered a mule kick hard enough for him to hurl back until he hit the dirt on his side.
Matrik then tried to close in on him, but Sektor was faster as he once more sunk through the ground. Matrik expected him to appear in front of her, but he ended up performing an uppercut from behind. After being punched upwards in the back of the head, Matrik's head snapped forward as she stumbled. From there, the Tekunin leader grabs her from behind, teleports through the ground once more before he hurls back up and flies into the air. He then twisted himself so that Matrik's back was facing the ground before he flew down and slammed her hard against it with all of his strength.
Satisfied, Sektor stood up and waited for Matrik to get up, but quickly saw that the glowing red of her eyes were no longer functioning. This meant only one thing…
She had become inactive. For the moment at least. Still, it meant one thing in regards to their match…
"Knockout detected," a drone soon announced.
Sektor kneeled down next to where Matrik fell. "I said it before, and I'll say it again; you were a better soldier when you were under my control!"
…A few yards away, both Smoke and Bryan heard the drone's announcement, but chose to ignore it as they focused on their own battle. After spending the last few minutes switching between offense and defense, Smoke finally got the upperhand as soon as his fist made contact underneath Bryan's chin. Bryan's head snapped back, which gave Smoke the chance to throw a smoke bomb down onto the ground at his own feet. The Lin Kuei XO used the smoke's coverage to teleport away and reappear behind Bryan just above his head. He then made an attempt to deliver a downward kick, but Bryan was quicker and ran forward before the kick connected.
Smoke landed back on his feet and got into a defensive stance. Bryan gave him a smug smirk before he launched towards him once more. His first punch was blocked by the Lin Kuei, but his follow-up punch landed on Smoke's face and made his head snap sideways. From there, Bryan followed with more punches to the face and head, enough to stun his opponent. Before Smoke could recover, Bryan clasped his fists together and, with all of his strength, delivered an uppercut hard enough to hurl Smoke up into the air.
From there, Bryan waited until Smoke was at his level again before he spun into a roundhouse kick with all of his strength. The kick connected to Smoke's side and sent him flying across the area at fast speed. It didn't stop until Smoke slammed the back of his head against a tree. Afterwards, his body practically fell to the ground face first like he was nothing more than a ragdoll…
Smoke didn't get up after that…
"Knockout detected. Sektor and Bryan win the match."
The two cyborgs gazed across the field until they spotted each other about twenty yards away. Despite their victory, nothing was said between them.
A/N: Anyone recognize the two fighters Jax and Guile fought against? :) Also, I'm aware that C. Jack has a cowboy look these days in Fighting EX Layer, but I chose to dress him in his old look as a nod to the Street Fighter EX days for this chapter.
Anyway, Round Three has come to an end, and we'll be moving on to Round Four very soon! This chapter also marks the last of the jobber matches!