Chapter Five
3 Months Ago – Not long after the Mishima Zaibatsu declared war.
Unknown Location
"Mr. Kazama!" someone yelled through an intercom on Jin's desk in his large office. The frantic voice caught the attention of the Mishima Zaibatsu CEO. "We have an intruder who breached security! They're currently heading up the stairs in your direction!"
With an annoyed breath, Jin leaned forward in his seat and pressed a button on the intercom to respond. "And how do you suppose this... intruder managed to breach security since you're the main head of it?"
"I... I can't explain it right now sir-"
"You better have one by the time you capture them. Right now, which stairs are they located at?"
"The set on the west wing. Last location was between floors twenty-three and thirty. That was reported just a minute ago."
Whoever this person is, they a least weren't halfway up towards the top floor where Jin's office was located. Going to his computer, he typed in a few commands before the screen brought up the feeds from the security cameras from those stairs. He didn't have to go through them long before he noticed his Tekken Force fighting the intruder in question.
There was no doubt in Jin's mind how skilled the soldiers of the Tekken Force were. They were capable fighters with strict training. They were far superior compared to the Outworld Guards serving Shao Kahn back in the day. However, from the looks of things, they might as well be like those Outworld Guards with the way the intruder was taking them down with ease.
A handful of the Tekken Force soldiers were laid out on the ground by the time he saw the video feed. Whether they were unconscious or dead remained to be seen. Even with the intruder's fast movements, Jin could tell that they were female. Though small in stature, she proved to be much more skilled in combat along with great speed and strength. There were a couple of times where he swore that there was a sadistic grin on her face as though she was enjoying the fight.
Curiosity got to him, and Jin simply waited until the woman cleared house before he paused the feed on the camera that pointed in her direction. "Computer," the young man said as he pressed a few more commands on his computer. "Proceed with identification on the human female subject on Camera 298."
Moments later, he got the results. A few files came up which included a 'Wanted' notice from Interpol. He decided to read through that first;
WANTED by Interpol for Destruction of Property, Conspiring with Terrorists, and Murder.
Name: Juri Han
Birthday: January 1st, XXXX
Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea
Height: 5'3''-5'7''
Weight: 100-110 lbs.
Hair: Black-Brown
Eyes: Purple
Sex: Female
Scars & Marks: None known.
Remarks: Former ties with the debunked Shadaloo Organization, specifically its weapons branch, Shadaloo Intimidation Network aka S.I.N. Is a Tae Kwan Do practitioner. Left eye contains advanced tech, likely from S.I.N., which can be used as a weapon. Approach with extreme caution.
What caught Jin's attention in the poster was the fact that Juri had ties with Shadaloo, which went under not long before the Blood Tournament. However, their S.I.N. branch seemed to have moved forward in secret, and they were eventually discovered just a few months after the Universal War. Jin only knew of their existence because he tried to buy out some of their advanced weapons, but the branch was destroyed before the transaction was completed.
The question at this point... why was someone like Juri interested in the Mishima Zaibatsu?
He decided to find out for himself.
After leaving his office, Jin took his private elevator down and stopped just a few floors up from Juri's last location. He then went down a hallway before he reached the doors to the west stairs. He felt the cool breeze on his face from the vents inside.
Immediately, Jin heard fighting from below, and it only took him three flights of stairs before he reached the first knocked-out soldier who laid out at his feet. At this point, just down the next set of steps, Juri had just finished knocking back the only other soldier who was standing. He landed back first into the wall with enough force to make him lose consciousness. It only took a moment for him to slump to the floor like a rag doll.
After brushing a strand of hair from her face - her hair was styled with bangs and two horns pointing out from either side of her head and held up by ribbons - Juri gazed up in Jin's direction. Her eyes immediately beamed with amusement.
"Well, well," she said aloud as she placed one hand on her hip. "I was hoping to meet the big baddie himself. I didn't think you'd be so eager to meet me."
"Don't flatter yourself," Jin balked. He folded his arms in front of him. "And I won't make it a secret that I know who you are, Juri Han."
"Ooo," Juri hummed. "Tough guy knows my name. Should I be scared?"
"Only if you don't tell me why a former Shadaloo agent is interested in my company?"
Juri growled at the mention of the debunked organization. "Sure, I had connections, but I wasn't actually an agent. Besides, if you're that curious, I was only associated with their weapons branch, which is also now debunked, as I'm sure you know. I'm quite confident that you already know all that from my Wanted poster. It's pretty infamous around this part of town from what I've gathered. Too bad the rest of the world is too busy with this little war you created to notice I'm around. They're missing out on the substantial reward money Interpol is offering-"
Jin chose that time to cut her off. "If you don't get to the point, then you'll give me no choice but to kill you like you did to my soldiers," he sternly warned.
Juri rolled her eyes. "First of all, your soldiers are not dead. As much as I love to destroy people, that wouldn't be smart of me considering my reasons for being here in the first place... though may I suggest getting better soldiers? I hardly broke a sweat-"
"You're trying my patience," Jin uttered with annoyance.
"Pfft, you're no fun," Juri grumbled as she began to pace the stair landing she was standing on. "I'm here for one simple reason; to join your corporation. I figured sneaking into your building and fighting your men was one sure way to prove my worth."
"What's your interest?"
"Believe it or not, with S.I.N. wiped out a few months ago, I'm a little bored these days. I also have great taste in destruction, and it hasn't been satisfied in a while. I figured with my skills, you could use someone like me to get the tough jobs done quickly and efficiently."
Jin narrowed his eyes at her. "You have to do better than that. Aside from your combat skills, what else can you offer me?"
Juri nearly cackled at that. "I still remember how your corporation tried to buy out S.I.N's weapons a while ago. Too bad they went under before your buy-out was completed. If you're still feel a little sad over that, you're in luck."
The young woman pointed at her left eye. "It's called the Feng Shui Engine. Lost my real eye a while ago... that's a long story, but anyway, S.I.N. developed a tech to replace an empty socket to use to my advantage. It looks like an ordinary eye, but it's got some pretty awesome powers, and it also enhances my abilities. Amongst them are speed, strength, and quicker reaction time, all beneficial in a fight whether one-on-one or me versus the world. If you want more assurance, I bet whatever files you can find on me will give you whatever information you need to be convinced."
After her explanation, Jin took a moment to think about all that he learned before he finally made a decision. "All right... I'd like to see more of that weapon of yours. I'll also look over those files. If I feel that it'll benefit in this war, then I'll decide what to do with you from there. Either way, this engine of yours better be as good as you make it out to be."
Juri seemed to give Jin a sweet smile. "I guarantee it."
Present Day...
The generic ringtone similar to an old-fashioned telephone on Juri's phone went off as she sat on the edge of the rooftop of a building just located two blocks away from the Mishima Zaibatsu headquarters. And the ringtone alerted her to the fact that it was not coming from the standard phone the Mishima Zaibatsu gave to her three months ago.
Good timing... it was a call she was expecting tonight, and she was far enough from the Mishima Zaibatsu for Jin to not catch on...
With an annoyed sigh, Juri took her phone out of her pocket. After briefly looking around to make sure no one was near, she answered it.
"Yeah? … There's nothing to report, just the same old crap since I joined this corporation like you asked me to... yeah... well, there is that tournament coming up... of course I'm participating! … Yeah, whatever, I'll report back when things get interesting."
Wolfkrone, Holy Roman Empire, Keisei
'True warriors... think not of themselves, but of others. You have sacrificed everything to atone for your sins, and demonstrated true valor. Now that everything has come to an end... I, Hildegard von Krone declare that you, Siegfried Schtauffen, are forgiven for your sins.'
These were that words that rang forth in the Kingdom of Wolfkrone the day Siegfried Schtauffen arrived. That day, he intended to rest overnight after a long journey from the city of Chiri-san in Joseon Dynasty. Better yet, it was after a long journey after months of being trapped in another world while he dealt with both an old curse and what was dubbed as the Universal War.
However, he found himself at the wrong place... but perhaps at the right time. It turned out that this kingdom - which contained architecture from centuries past among rolling green hills - was affected by the Evil Seed event that sent their king into permanent madness. They were also once in the path of the Azure Knight, the wielder of the infamous Soul Edge weapon, which left it's devastation all around the realm of Keisei.
Two years ago, Siegfried was the Azure Knight named Nightmare. He has since been freed from the corruption after the events of the Blood Tournament in Outworld. Afterwards, he'd been on a path to atone for the seven years' worth of atrocities he committed. In a way, the Universal War was the first stepping stone towards this noble goal.
There were heavy rumors that Soul Edge became no more some time ago. Siegfried had wondered if the rumors were started because there were no reports of its devastation against humanity in the last two years. Either way, a year since the end of the Universal War, there has yet to be a new report.
However, just because the onslaughts ended, it didn't mean that those affected wouldn't forget what was done to them any time soon. The people of Wolfkrone had recognized him within hours after his arrival and brought him to the fields near the kingdom's castle.
That was when he met Hildegard von Krone - Hilde for short - the Princess of Wolfkrone, for the first time. She was also the leader of the Wolfkrone Army, a responsibility she took up when she was barely an adolescent after the events of the Evil Seed. Her father, George von Krone, was the king who was driven to permanent madness then, and she was the only heir he had.
Of course, Siegfried didn't learn all of this on that day. That was later on during his stay here. On that first day, Hilde explained that ever since Nightmare came here, the citizens of Wolfkrone had gone through many struggles in rebuilding their home. She and her people had always lived simple lives, so there was never enough money to truly rebuild as they wanted to. The Universal War put all of their efforts nearly back to the beginning even after they received prior warning of the Outworld Forces' inevitable arrival.
Siegfried did not hesitate to admit his guilt and regrets. He told her of his path to atone as well as his role in the fight against their enemies in the Universal War. However, if Hilde and the rest of the kingdom felt that the only way that they could forgive him is to end his life, he would accept that.
And that was, after a moment's hesitation, when Hilde delivered her speech, spoken loud enough for all to hear, the words that forgave him for his sins. Though it was another way for atoning, Siegfried knew that a mere speech from a Princess wasn't going to be enough, at least to him.
What was supposed to be an overnight stay ended up lasting ten months. Siegfried ended up staying in Wolfkrone to help with their recovery. They've made progress, but Hilde mentioned not even a month ago that it would take years before the kingdom would be what it once was.
Today, he was departing for the city of Chiri-san once again. Clearly, this would bring the last ten months into full circle for him. However, this time, he wasn't traveling alone.
Siegfried's thoughts were disrupted when he heard footsteps nearby the stagecoach station he was sitting at. After turning his head, he noticed Hilde as she approached the bench he sat on. In one hand, and on her back, were duffle bags he figured contained clothes and other necessities as she chose to wear her battle armor for the trip ('easier to travel in,' she had said earlier that morning). The armor was all chrome with a dark red undersuit underneath it. He guessed that she packed her helmet away in her travel bags as she chose to leave her long auburn hair to flow freely behind her. A short sword was in its scabbard strapped to her hip, and she used her six foot tall spear with the Wolfkrone banner attached to it as a kind of walking stick. The banner itself was in a triangular shape colored in red, gold, and black, and contained an image of a wolf.
"There you are," Siegfried greeted.
"Sorry for my tardiness," Hilde replied as she sat down next to him after she put her bags down on the grass. "It took a little longer than I anticipated to leave the kingdom. So many wanted to bid me farewell. I admit, it was... harder to leave than I imagined."
"Sometimes, one has to leave behind what they love in order to protect them," Siegfried mentioned. "It was something I learned from a few allies during the Universal War."
"I think I understand what they mean," Hilde said. "But still, I think they're right. Leaving the kingdom to protect not just them, but all of Keisei. I don't like it, but I know this is important, especially after hearing everything you've explained to me."
"And it took two days to convince you after Fujin visited me," Siegfried pointed out.
Hilde shrugged. "Sorry for my hesitation. I also wanted to add that I would've kicked you out of Wolfkrone for those crazy stories you've told me if I hadn't seen the Universal War with my own eyes with all the creatures we've seen. I especially hated the ones with those pointy teeth..."
"Tarkatans," Siegfried told her. "Yeah... they're an interesting species, but not in a good way."
"So..." Hilde began to change the subject. "Aside from convincing me to protect my home from a potentially future threat... whatever this threat is... why else did you ask me to come with you? You mentioned before that there were plenty of these 'chosen ones' on your side."
"Well not only do you have the drive, as well as a good heart and soul as required to be a chosen one, but from our sparring sessions, you are a formidable warrior. You'll contribute nicely to this cause."
"I see," Hilde replied. She then sighed a little. "You'll have to excuse my lack of enthusiasm. I'm feeling weary about this journey, especially one that will take us to a new world."
"You're worrying too much about Wolfkrone. It'll be fine. Keisei as a whole is knowing peace right now. We'll only be gone for a couple of months at most. Nothing will happen. However, if you feel that you need to return to Wolfkrone at anytime during the trip, I'm sure the Protector of Earthrealm will find a way."
Hilde smirked a little at that. "At least the option is there. But I'm sure I'll remain on Earthrealm until we're sent back home. I just hope we can find a way to stop whatever is threatening the safety of our world. Wolfkrone can't afford any more devastation."
"No place in Keisei does," Siegfried said.
Hilde nodded. "You're right."
It was at that moment when the stagecoach, drawn by four brown horses and a driver, began to pull up at the station they waited at. They stood up, their belongings in hand, and awaited for the rider to meet with them.
"Morning!" the driver greeted cheerfully to the two as he placed down the step stool in front of the carriage's door. He then began to take their items to place on top of their ride. "Looks like you two are going to be my first riders of the day. I'm about to start switching horses, so it'll be about twenty minutes before we head out, so relax until then."
"Thank you," Siegfried acknowledged.
As the driver began to get to work on switching the horses, Hilde gazed up at the stagecoach. "I've heard of these things, but I've never rode on one before. Is it as nice as people say it is?"
"You see a lot of nice views along the way," Siegfried began to say. "But I must warn you... you may want to put on your helmet during the ride. It can get very bumpy."
Hilde huffed with a little amusement. "I'm sure... but something tells it'll be less bumpy compared to whatever threat we're going to be fighting against soon."
Siegfried took a deep breath as he remembered everything Fujin informed him about what's going on in Earthrealm these days. "Yes. I think you may be right..."
Macau, China
Sitting on a stool at the bar table, Scott Wagner wondered briefly if the headache he had was making the neon signs inside the bar a little brighter than they really were. While rubbing his temples with his fingers, he focused on the shot glass that sat in front of him. The glass was mostly filled with the golden brown liquid of Jack Daniels whiskey.
He was starting to realize that maybe it was better to just pop some aspirin and head back to base to sleep. It was funny to think about... back when he was just twenty years old, the accomplishment of even getting into a bar with a fake ID was fun in itself. Then the primary goal was to drink as much as he could handle. Now, three years later, he was starting to think that just a couple of shots of whiskey would be enough for him. Once again, he blamed his headache.
To think this was actually Guile's idea, Wagner thought to himself. Well, at least the bar's noise level was at a minimum at the moment. He just hoped that no one decided to use the nearby karaoke machine while he was here.
Speak of the devil, William Guile, who was both his mentor and surrogate father, returned to his place next to the younger man after he talked with his family over his cellphone outside. Wagner turned his head to him. "How are they?" he asked.
It was almost strange to see a smile upon Guile's face. The last three months saw the older man keeping a stoic façade in front of his unit, understandably so ever since Guile's promotion to Brigadier General after the Universal War. Wagner couldn't imagine the pressure of that title. He just got promoted to 2nd Lieutenant himself, just after he passed the officer's exam, not too long ago after being Sergeant for what felt like a lifetime. Aside from a couple of new given duties that came with his rank, life in the Air Force still felt the same to him.
It didn't take long to see why Guile was smiling. Using his thumb to make swipe motions on his phone's screen, he was clearly going through a few pictures he had, and he didn't stop until he found one snapshot in particular.
"They're doing fine," Guile finally answered. "Jane sent me this earlier today of Amy and Chris."
He turned his phone so that Wagner could see better. In the picture, he saw nine-year-old Amy smiling at the camera while she held her new baby sibling - only a few months old - in her arms.
Wagner smiled. "Cute." Then he chuckled as a thought came to him. "I still think it's hilarious how you still insist on calling little Christine 'Chris.'"
"Jane's not complaining as long as she gets to call her Christine," Guile pointed out as he pulled his phone back. "Chris can just choose whatever she prefers to be called when she gets older."
Wagner took the shot glass that was in front of him in his hand. "At least you were able to be with her for the first few months of her life before we got sent out to fight this war. And here I was sure we'd get more peace time after the Universal War."
"We all thought that," Guile pointed out. "But at least now, with this new assignment in less than two weeks, we'll be off the front lines for a long while."
Wagner knew what he was talking about. Recently, Guile's superior got into contact and asked him to attend the upcoming Shikoken Tournament, which began in nine days on Mishima Island.
The day before, however, someone interesting came to them, and that thought alone made the younger man wonder. "Do you think General Taylor would've let us go to this thing if we had requested it in the first place? Because I'm pretty damn sure telling him, 'the God of Fire told us to go,' would've placed us both in the brig for the rest of our lives."
"That's hard to tell," Guile said, though he laughed a little over Wagner's last sentence. "But I imagine the excuse to 'get as close as possible to the tournament's host' would've been a more valid one..."
"In that case, we got lucky..."
"Yeah... we did."
"Did you tell Jane about it?"
"I did," Guile said. "And I told her it was a good excuse for her and the girls to meet up with us. However, Jane's not sure it could happen because of how young Chris is."
Wagner sighed at that. "Yeah... I forgot about that."
Guile took a moment to drink a shot of whiskey from his own glass. "We'll see what happens, though I don't expect her to make a long trip like that. Besides, Amy needs to finish off the rest of the school year."
"At least we'll reunite with the others from both the Blood Tournament and the last war," Wagner pointed out. "Though it would've been nice if this reunion had been at Ken's mansion like we originally planned."
"Not everything works out the way we want it to," Guile said.
"True." Wagner then looked at his watch for the time. "Let's see... 11pm Tuesday here... should be-"
"9am Monday in Los Angeles," Guile finished for him.
Wagner nodded. "Thanks."
It was at that moment that someone decided to use the karaoke machine. Wagner hadn't even noticed the music starting up until someone's off-key voice started belting out lyrics for what he soon recognized as 'How Am I Supposed to Live Without You' by Michael Bolton.
Kill me now! Wagner suddenly thought. He didn't know which was worse... the headache getting worse by the music choice itself, or the terrible off-key singer on stage.
The young man got up from the bar stool. "I think now's a good time to call Juli. I assume she hasn't gone to her volunteer work yet if Jane was still home when you called her."
"When you get back, don't be surprised if a sonic boom was thrown at the karaoke machine during your brief absence," Guile mentioned.
That made Wagner nearly lose control of his laughter. "Please do! That'll make this shore leave even more worthwhile!"
With that, Wagner headed outside and soon found a bench just ten feet away to sit on in front of the building. Once he sat down, he began to dial Juli's cellphone number before he brought his device up to his ear.
It didn't take long before Juli answered. "Hey you," she greeted. "I was wondering when you would call."
"Guile and I figured we'd take turns calling you and Jane," Wagner said. "Guile won the toss, so he got to make his phone call first."
"Liar," Juli said, though a small laugh indicated to him that she was joking with him. "But seriously, how are you?"
"Fine for now, but that's to be expected when you have two days of shore leave. After three months, it's... nice... for the most part. Oddly enough, Guile and I are the only ones who decided to just go to a bar. The rest of the unit went to a nearby strip club."
"You know I've told you how I don't care if you go to one of those," Juli reminded him. "Just as long as you keep your hands to yourself."
"I know, but I think Guile and I only wanted to just drink and nothing else... though I'm sure we'll have more of a break soon with the way things are going at the moment."
"Jane mentioned something about the two of you going to a tournament," Juli mentioned. "I assume that means you guys will really catch a break soon."
"For the most part, yes," Wagner said. "We're still going to help with trying to get as close as possible to... well... you know what organization we're talking about."
"I thought as much," his girlfriend replied. "Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to book a flight to Japan and head over there next week. I figured this tournament would be a good excuse to see you again. Three months is a long time without see you, you know."
Hearing that gave Wagner a warm feeling in his chest, and he ended up smiling. "You have no idea how happy that just made me. It's funny because I was about to ask if you wanted to go... long story short, but all of us chosen ones are going to reunite again. I'll explain more once you're here."
"Either way, I imagine you're giving off your goofy grin."
Wagner laughed. "I am." Though almost as quickly, his smile faded. "I wonder... Guile was hoping that Jane and the girls could fly over to join him at the island, but they weren't sure how Chris... Christine, whatever, can handle the trip at her age."
"I'm sure there are ways, but it would be hard," Juli replied. "If I remember correctly, it's a 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Japan. That's a lot of traveling for a four month old baby I imagine... it's inevitable for her to cry a lot and annoy the other passengers, I'm sure."
"That's what I figured they were worried about... although..." Wagner suddenly realized something. "Ken Masters does have a private jet that could fly over the Pacific, and I'm positive he'll be at the tournament. I don't think that'll resolve the long travel of course, but at least Jane doesn't have to worry too much about disturbing strangers for 12 hours."
"It's worth a try," Juli said. "And heck, see if there's room for me... I'll still pay whatever fee is needed to be paid."
"You're practically family at this point," Wagner pointed out. "I'm sure Jane will talk to her sister to convince her husband to take you along. I'm sure all of your will have fun. Better flying in a metal tube with friends and family with plenty of entertainment than... the other option of being crammed like sardines. Just talk to Jane and see what she thinks."
"I'll do that before we head off to the nurse's station," Juli agreed. "Speaking of which, I have to start getting ready. When do you think it'll be a good time to call you back?"
"Well, we still have about twenty hours before shore leave is over," Wagner said. "Guile and I will probably head to bed in about two hours, so..."
"I'll see if I can call back in 10 hours," Juli said. "Hopefully by then, we'll have everything arranged to get us all to the island."
"Sounds good." Wagner then took a deep breath before he said quietly, "I miss you."
"I miss you too," Juli replied solemnly. "But it won't be long before we see each other again in Japan."
"I know... the last three months just sucked," Wagner said. "I don't fucking get why this war had to happen, especially by Jin of all people..."
"None of us understand it," Juli reminded him. "But... maybe with this tournament, we could find a way to end it for good."
"I'm not holding my breath, but it would be nice., Listen, do me a little favor when you get the chance today."
"And that is..."
Wagner grinned again. "Help my morale and send me a sexy picture of you in your nurse's uniform."
Juli laughed. "It's not that kind of nurse's uniform, you know. It's just scrubs and sneakers."
"Just amuse me regardless," Wagner chuckled.
"I'll think about it. Just be safe out there. I love you."
"I love you, too. Hopefully the next nine days goes by fast."
"I couldn't agree more. I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye."
With that Wagner, pressed a button on his phone to end the call. Even from his bench, he could still hear someone singing off-key at the karaoke machine. Guess Guile decided not to pay for property damage tonight, he thought. Instead, the young man decided to stay where he was and enjoy the cool night air while he hoped for the next nine days to go by quickly...
Osaka, Japan
Under a large tree that still had some pink cherry blossoms on the branches, a group of five college-aged girls sat together with a blanket that covered the green grass. All of them enjoyed the lunches that they brought along with them.
One of the girls was Asuka Kazama. Using chopsticks and eating from a purple bento box, she enjoyed a meal that consisted of various pieces nigiri she prepared herself earlier this morning along with a side of chopped vegetables. Even as she ate, she noticed how quiet her other four friends were being as they indulged in their own meals.
"So how's everyone's day?" Asuka decided to ask her four friends to break the silence.
One of them was her good friend, Sakura Kasugano, who decided to answer first. "Mostly filled with chores. And as always, my little brother Tsukushi was being lazy and playing video games the whole time. I don't even think our parents even try to get him to work these days."
"That's a bummer," Asuka replied. "I admit, every time I hear something like that, it makes me glad that I'm an only child."
"Lucky you," Sakura grumbled.
Asuka turned to the other three girls with them. She pointed her chopsticks at two of them. "You two also have a brother. How do you feel about them?"
"Well if there's one thing I can say about my older brother, he's hardworking and responsible," said one of Asuka's newer friends – Makoto, a country girl who Asuka later learned was a very competitive Rindo-kan practitioner in her own right. "I just kind of wish he helped with continuing the tradition of running our family dojo."
"Well some people prefer a different path in life," Asuka tried to reason. "This is what he's chosen and you've chosen your own path."
Makoto sighed. "Maybe it would be easier if my fighting style wasn't dying off. Besides, the old dojo needs to be rebuilt anyway. That's why I was attending university to begin with – to learn more about construction. Then this war happened and school gets canceled... but at least our university is housing us students for free until the war is over."
"Which hopefully won't last much longer," Sakura hoped.
The second person with a brother – Elena, who originally came to Japan from Kenya to study and learn of other cultures – spoke up next. "I guess I've had a better experience. My older brother and I always got along well."
"Well considering how positive you always are, I'm not surprised," Makoto pointed out.
Sakura chuckled at a thought she had. "You know, if it was up to me, I'd trade my brother in for a pet panda who's not lazy all the time." She pointed to her left. "One of us got very lucky in that regard."
Everyone turned to look at the fifth person in the group – Ling Xiaoyu, a native of China who's been living in Japan since she was a young teenager. Right behind her, while overlooking the group and enjoying some fish, was her pet panda named... Panda. Throughout their get-together, it wasn't hard for the group to notice the faces of strangers who walked by them. They either spelled of astonishment, confusion, nervousness, or downright scared. Some even walked as far as possible to give them some wide berth.
Xiaoyu chuckled as she patted Panda's paw tenderly. "Yes, I did get lucky. She's been a wonderful friend ever since she was given to me as a gift." Panda actually nodded enthusiastically in response to hearing that.
"Well if there's one great job she did, it's keeping perverts away," Asuka mentioned. "Like that one from the other day... he had to have been in his 50's... just... ugh..."
"Yeah, that was disturbing," Makoto agreed.
"I'm pretty sure he soiled his pants the second Panda showed up," Sakura mentioned, which made the other girls giggle.
Xiaoyu decided to change the subject then. "So... who's looking forward to the Shikoken Tournament?"
"Definitely me," said Makoto. "Not only is it an opportunity to show off Rindo-kan, but it would be nice if I made it far enough to actually win that bounty."
"Trust me when I say that's going to be a very tough road to walk through," Asuka said.
"You mentioned that there's a chance that we'll see some of your friends at the tournament," mentioned Elena.
"Oh yes," Sakura said. "Our friends Mika and Maki will surely be there. It would be even better if our friend Cassandra could make it here from Keisei."
"You know," began Makoto. "If it wasn't for the Universal War, I wouldn't have believed there were other worlds beyond Earth."
Asuka happened to turn to Sakura after that comment, and it wasn't hard for her to notice the slight frown on Sakura's face. That alone made Asuka feel a little sad as memories of what happened to her friend came back to her mind – when something dark and sinister took over Sakura while Asuka and their friends thought her dead for months before she came back, not herself. To this day, Sakura tried to move forward as best she could, though there were times where bitter memories came back, which left her depressed. However, the support of both her family and friends helped Sakura stay on her feet for the last year.
It was also something they never discussed with Makoto, Elena, and Xiaoyu. It was better off that way.
Immediately, Asuka changed the subject. "Hey! Does anyone want to meet up tonight for dinner? We can pick a place that has outdoor seat right at the front so Panda can sit with us."
"Oh she would love that," Xiaoyu said. "Though hopefully we don't scare our server like last time at that one Thai place we went to."
Before anything else was said, a bright light suddenly hit Asuka's eyes, which forced her to squint her eyes and lift a hand up to shield them. "What the-" she uttered. Within a second, she realized that the light was the sun reflecting off of an object, perhaps a watch or a glass cup.
That thought made her annoyed, especially once she realized it wasn't an accident judging by how long it remained in her face. "Who the hell is doing that?!" she called out.
Soon, the light went away, and Asuka was able to look to see where the reflective light came from. It only took a couple of seconds because the person who made the source was standing just five feet away, holding up gold-made binoculars in her left hand. She gazed over the group's head, seemingly not paying attention to them.
Asuka growled upon recognizing her – Emilie 'Lili' De Rochefort, her sworn enemy ever since they both attended the 5th King of Iron Fist Tournament. The two battled during one round in which Asuka emerged the victor. Lili had beef with her ever since, one that was little... obsessive to say the least.
"You..." the Osaka native growled.
"I say," said Lili, who was talking to another person next to her – Karin Kanzuki, who was both a friend to Asuka and a friendly rival to Sakura. "The view here is quite lovely from afar."
"I must agree, it is a wonderful view," replied Karin.
That comment somehow made Asuka hate Lili even more. Karin, who Asuka considered an acquaintance after a dose of reality straightened the rich girl out a bit, had been with her all throughout the Universal War. Though the experience humbled the heiress, she still retained a little bit of her high-class snobbery only because that's how she's always been. It was especially worse whenever she spent time with Lili, who she became friends with ever since the Monaco native decided to attend university here. Asuka swore it was a way for Lili to taunt her.
After Karin's response, Lili finally 'decided' to notice Asuka. "Oh, I did not see you there, Asuka Kazama. Don't you agree that this day is lovely?"
Immediately Asuka stood up while the rest of her friends watched. "Don't play coy with me!" she yelled as she pointed at her. Already, she wanted to smear the condescending smirk Lili gave her with a punch to the face. "You shined that light on me on purpose!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lili said innocently. The smirk still remained on her porcelain face.
"Let's face it!" Asuka continued. "Ever since I beat you at the last tournament, you've been obsessed with getting back at me! I bet you had no reason to attend university until then!"
"That reminds me," Lili began. "I plan to attend the Shikoken Tournament, and I imagine you will as well. Perhaps we can settle our score there."
Asuka growled at that. She hated how much Lili was avoiding the obvious. "If you want to avenge yourself for your own loss, you're on! But expect me to kick you ass again! Maybe then you'll learn a little more humility."
Lili covered her mouth with her hand as she giggle. "You know, I don't blame you for being so angry, especially since this war was started by your cousin-"
"I'll have you know that I'm NOTHING like him! Now you've crossed the line!" Asuka screamed right before she jumped forward, ready to fight. However, Lili was ready for her and immediately blocked Asuka's maneuvers. From there, they began what was not their first fight against each other since the last tournament...
Everyone was silent for a moment as they watched the fight between Asuka and Lili. At least until Karin turned around to look at Sakura. "Guess there can be worse rivalries than our own."
"Tell me about it," replied Sakura with a grin. "But if you want to, we can try to beat their rivalry with our own."
Karin chuckled at that. "I guess that hot dog eating contest we had last autumn wasn't enough for you."
"Oh I can totally take you on again," Sakura mentioned. "Before the event got canceled this year, I was preparing for the competition at Coney Island in America. That's actually a pretty big deal for us hot dog lovers."
Karin smirked then. "Well, I also plan to attend the Shikoken Tournament. If you want, it'll be an opportunity to compete again."
Sakura grinned at the challenge. "In that case, you're on!"
With that Karin decided to take her leave, even while Asuka and Lili still brawled nearby. She couldn't help but smirk over the exchange she just had with Sakura. It was strange, but... considering how she though Sakura had died at one point before the Universal War, Karin was glad to still have their rivalry, though it's been much more friendly than it was in the past. Somehow, it felt right.
Meanwhile, the entire exchange between Asuka, Lili, Sakura, and Karin left Makoto, Elena, and Xiaoyu a little baffled. Even Panda's head was tilted a little to the side, also unsure of what she just witnessed.
"Does... anybody have any idea what's going on between those four?" asked a confused Makoto. Elena, Xiaoyu, and even Panda only responded with a shrug.
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
"One! Two! Three!"
Immediately after the last count, the bell at ringside in an arena dinged three times, and the people in the audience cheered with excitement. Moments ago, the wrestler they rooted for delivered a power-bomb on his opponent. The move was guaranteed to end the match.
"Here's your winners, and STILL tag team champions; King and Marduk!"
After standing up from inside the ring, the Mexican wrestler King gazed up at the audience who cheered on for him, the lights above him flashed in various colors in his victory. At the same time, his tag team partner, the Australian wrestler Craig Marduk, jumped into the ring to meet with King. Immediately, the two high-fived each other before they raised both of their arms up in celebration. They spun themselves around so that the entire arena, and the cameras, were able to get a good look at them.
"Once again, the greatest tag team in the world are victorious!" Marduk yelled out, which caused the audience to go wild once more. In response, King let out a leopard's roar, which was part of his in-ring persona due to the leopard mask he wore over his head to conceal his facial features.
In moments like these, it was easy to forget that just over a year ago, King and Marduk were the worst of enemies after a bar fight Marduk was involved in resulted in the death of King's teacher, Armor King, a few years ago. King vowed to avenge his master's death, even going as far as paying the prison that held Marduk to release him so that they would have a go at it. Their intense rivalry even sent Marduk to the hospital at one point, but it didn't stop there...
It wasn't until the Universal War when King and Marduk were forced to work together in order to survive. Prior to the battle that would decide the fate of the realms, King and Marduk were able to finally settle their score and put the past behind them. In the final battle of the war, they discovered how well they worked together as a tag team and swore to take the world by storm once the wrestling industry was in business again. Since then, they'd been good on their promise, having been tag team champions for the last six months.
Even while the new war currently heated up, that wasn't going to stop their wrestling industry from entertaining their audience. In a way, it was a good thing as it provided people with ways to take their minds off the war, if only temporarily. Not every entertainment industry followed the same example.
However, tonight's victory against their latest opponents would be short-lived. Just as the referee, who oversaw the match, brought their championship belts to them, the bright lights suddenly went mostly dark. Only a purple and red hue remained.
"What the-" Marduk uttered as he and King turned around. Even the audience's cheers quickly turned into murmurs as they also wondered what was going on.
Then, they saw movement on the catwalk at ringside, and the audience were quick to yell out their displeasure with hisses and boos. A young woman, who held a black riding crop in her right hand, entered the arena. Her red high-heeled shoes clicked against the metal ground as she made her way towards the ring. Her long, wavy pink hair fell all the way to her hips, and she wore nothing but a white mid-drifted tank top with one strap hanging off her shoulder, a black leather collar around her neck, very short jeans that were slightly torn at the bottom ends, a chained belt with handcuffs connected tot them, and a navy blue policeman's hat with another chain wrapped once around it.
King rolled his eyes underneath his mask as he recognized her. Known as Poison Kiss – Poison for short – she was the manager of one famous wrestler he's heard about before. Knowing what was about to happened, he hoped that Marduk started to prepare himself like he was.
However, upon looking at his tag team partner, Marduk's mind was clearly on other things. While leaning on the ring's ropes, he beckoned Poison over with a wave of his fingers. He gave her the kind of grin that clearly said, 'I don't care if you're a challenge or not, but one thing is for sure... you're hot!'
"Dios mio..." King uttered in his native tongue with a small shake of his head. He just hoped Marduk was ready for the wrestler who Poison managed.
Once she was ten feet away from the ring, Poison spoke up loud enough for everyone to hear. "Boys! It's time you learned who's number one around here!" She then pointed her crop at the ring before she yelled at the top of her lungs, "HUGO!"
Within a split second, the chain-linked fence door at the other end of the catwalk behind Poison was sudden ripped off its hinges and thrown halfway across the catwalk. Then, emerging into the light was Hugo himself – a German wrestler who was eight feet tall and so big and wide in muscle mass that he made even the seven-foot Marduk look like a dwarf. With a loud roar, Hugo quickly ran towards the ring... though at one point, he almost tripped over the very door he just ripped off the hinge and threw forward. The big lug was able to keep his stride and not completely lose his footing.
King would have laughed at that sight if he wasn't feeling tense over what was to come. He quickled gazed over at Marduk, and the luchador wasn't surprised to see how quickly his tag team partner's grin wiped away from his face. It was replaced with wide-eyes, a raised eyebrow, and gritted teeth.
"...That's big," Marduk eventually uttered out loud.
That's an understatement, King ended up thinking.
Soon Hugo reached the ring and jumped right in. His landing caused the platform to shake violently. Immediately, the two went after him before Hugo turned around to quickly deliver a clothesline with his left arm. King saw it time and swiftly ducked underneath it. However, Marduk wasn't as lucky as Hugo's arm slammed right in his face with enough force to send him flying out of the ring before he crashed onto the ground. The maneuver left him briefly disoriented. Meanwhile, Hugo focused his attention on King. The two began to go at it as the audience watching began to cheer wildly. Some of them chanted King's name, which motivated the luchador.
Meanwhile, Poison took the opportunity to climb up a taller platform nearby to get a better view of the fight. At this point, she was very confident that Hugo would take on the tag team champions. The reason she initiated the fight was to prove that Hugo could take on the team that claimed themselves to be the best in the world on his own.
We'll see who's the best in the world when this is over, Poison thought as an amused smirk came over her face.
Marduk noticed Poison up on the platform once he was out of his daze. He saw the smug look on her face as she casually watched the fight between Hugo and King. Annoyed, Marduk found a way to wipe that smug off... by running to the bottom of the platform and tip it over. As soon as it shook, Poison yelled out in surprise before she looked down to see Marduk below.
"Now it's your turn, sister!" Marduk yelled out just as he finished tipping the platform over. The top headed straight down and into the ring!
Meanwhile, back in the ring itself, both King and Hugo saw the platform headed in their direction. King immediately got out of his way while Hugo managed to catch the thing in his hands. Luckily for Poison, she was able to maneuver herself in a way that she was able to land safety and move herself away from the ring.
Then, the combined weight of both Hugo and the platform caused the main ring to collapse completely. That alone made the audience go even more wild, their cheers and yells nearly deafening in the enclosed arena. Despite the collapse, Hugo still managed to stay standing, and he eventually threw the platform he caught out of his way and onto the ground.
From behind Hugo, Marduk jumped up and managed to slam his fists into Hugo's upper back, which caused the larger man to nearly fall on his knees. Hugo was about to get up again when he was suddenly kneed in the side of the face by King, the force knocking him onto his back. By then, Marduk stood up after his last attack.
Before Marduk could join in the fight again, a pink projectile suddenly shot out and hit his chest, the force of it knocking him onto his back. Almost gasping for breath, Marduk looked up to see where it came from. Soon he saw Poison as she stood a few feet away. Her riding crop glowed in a pink aura, which indicated to Marduk where the projectile came from.
Well, that's not the weirdest thing I've seen in the last year in a half, the Vale Tudo fight thought to himself.
Poison gave him what almost looked like a death glare. "That was for almost breaking my neck, you big jerk!" she yelled out in anger.
Meanwhile, while Hugo was on his back, King gazed up at the audience before he raised an arm up and pointed one index finger towards the sky. He let loose a loud leopard's roar, his way of letting his viewers know that he was about to finish the match. Of course, the audience went crazy in response.
Before Hugo realized what his opponent was about to do, King grabbed him from the back of his knee and lifted the very large man off the ground. He then started to spin around and went faster and faster with each spin. King eventually gained enough momentum to actually have Hugo's upper body suspended in mid-air!
"Oh no, NO WAY!" Poison cried out in shock, clearly not believing that the six foot seven wrestler actually pulled off such a maneuver on a much larger opponent. Even Marduk was surprised as his jaw dropped in awe.
"Holy shit," Marduk uttered. "I didn't think he had it in him."
Soon enough, King let go, and Hugo went flying away. To Poison's dismay, Hugo ended up flying in her direction. With a yell, Poison was knocked back and the two of them tumbled violently out of the ring and into the catwalk where they originally came from.
When the two of them didn't get up after the ten-count, the bell dinged three times, once more declaring King and Marduk the winners! And once again, the audience cheered loudly over their victory.
Later, both Poison and Hugo were backstage being looked over by a doctor. For the most part, they were bruised up and they only needed a few bandages to cover up some scrapes. Other than that, they were fine.
"Damn it!" Poison yelled out after what seemed like a delayed reaction. "We had it in the bag! We threw those two off guard just by arriving unexpectedly and they STILL beat us!"
"Maybe we just... underestimated them," suggested Hugo.
Poison pouted as she folded her arms in front of her. "Don't try to use logic on me, Hugo."
"But you told me once that I should use my brain more often," Hugo pointed out.
That made Poison frown a little bit. She still felt bad about that old 'suggestion' she made out of anger and frustration a couple of years ago. She and Hugo had known each other for quite a while as they both once served the now-debunked Mad Gear Gang in Metro City years before. Hugo and his family, the Andores, were prominent members at the time the gang ruled the city.
Hugo himself was a great fighter and could intimidate even the strongest fighters they've came across. It made him valuable in Mad Gear. However, he was very simple-minded with intelligence that was compared to a child's. Still, that didn't stop Hugo from thinking for himself. He gained Poison's admiration when he decided to leave Mad Gear on his own and not let anyone order him around anymore. Poison sought him out in hopes to manage his aspiring wrestling career when she decided to try her hands in the industry. She always enjoyed watching the sport on television as a child who grew up in a Los Angeles orphanage. She was able to teach Hugo the difference between 'guidance' and 'being ordered around,' and she always made sure to let Hugo be part of any decisions they made about his career path.
After thinking about all this, Poison decided to look on the positive side. "Well Hugo, it doesn't matter. At least we tried. But remember, we do have the Shikoken Tournament to look forward to in less than two weeks!"
Hugo smiled enthusiastically. "And they'll be lots of cameramen watching and broadcasting this around the world."
"That's right!" Poison replied. "This will be an opportunity to show the world what we're made of, and soon enough, we'll be world famous!"
"Yeah!" Hugo called out as he and Poison gave each other a high-five. Those thoughts about the tournament alone lifted both of their spirits despite being beaten in tonight's match. If a tag team like King and Marduk could take the world by storm, so could they.
Meanwhile, in the locker room, King and Marduk were already dressed in their day clothes, though King kept his leopard mask on as always. However, he did adjust it a bit after he noticed that it was a little crooked. After that was done, he closed the door of his locker.
"I thought our main event match was great," Marduk said as she packed some clothes into his gym bag. "But that's nothing compared to that last minute match that got thrown at us. That was awesome!"
"And to think it's going to be two weeks before we're in the ring again," King mentioned. "Of course, the Shikoken Tournament will have more than just wrestlers in those matches."
"And the whole world will be watching us continue to be the best of the best," Marduk replied. He then rubbed the back of his neck. "I admit though, I'm still a little freaked out by that new God that appeared to us about that new threat a few days ago."
"You mean Liu Kang," King reminded him.
"Hey, I'm not good with names, you know!" Marduk pointed out. "But anyway, we were going to go to this thing regardless... and imagine if we win. That bounty's gonna set us both for life, though I imagine you would give it all to those orphanages you run."
"Not only that, but I would build three more orphanages with that money, and I'll still have enough left over to provide for the orphans for years," King said sincerely.
"You just built a new one a few months ago with the money we've been making these days," Marduk mentioned.
"Yes, but there are still way too many unwanted children in the world."
"Damn, you're such a bleeding heart," Marduk said. "Of course, I should know that by now after witnessing how upset you got that one time we saw those kids crying-"
Marduk shut his mouth the second King folded his arms and made a low growl that sounded too close to the sound effects he makes in the ring. Marduk realized that it was a sensitive subject to his tag team partner, and he lifted his hands up in defeat. "All right, I'm sorry I brought it up."
From there, the two of them began to leave the locker room and walked through the hallway. Marduk continued, "Anyway, I have a way for the both of us to relax tonight. I have reservations at the spa at our hotel, and I chose these two beautiful women to help with the kinks in our muscles. It's my treat for the night since you paid for the last few rounds of drinks we've had at the bars we've visited."
"Thanks a lot," King replied. "Though before we go, I need to stop at a drug store... I need some Bengay for my back."
Marduk snorted at that. "You actually use that smelly piece of crap?"
King shrugged. "Hey, it works."
"Well either way, I'm surprised you didn't throw your back out tonight considering all that weight you lifted-"
Marduk didn't finish his sentence when he suddenly noticed something in the full-length mirror they walked by. He looked quickly and noticed someone dressed in black with silver spiked shoulder pads and... to Marduk's shock, a black and gray version of King's leopard mask with two different eye colors; green and red.
Marduk yelled, "What the hell?!" as he quickly turned his head to face the person he saw in the mirror... only to find no one there. Confused, he looked back at the mirror, and was baffled to see nothing.
King tilted his head as he witnessed his tag team partner's confusion. "Eh... Craig? You okay?" he ended up asking.
After a few more moments, Marduk groaned as he shook his head. "Forget it. Let's just get out of there." With that, Marduk began to walked forward. King followed right after.
However, unknown to Marduk, what he saw in the mirror was real, but the person had no intention of showing himself to the Vale Tudo fighter just yet... but he planned to in time...
If anyone were able to recognize him, they would be shocked to see the leopard-masked face of Armor King... the man Marduk killed in that bar fight a few years ago! They would surely think, was he in hiding this whole time? Or was someone else donning the mask?
With a low, threatening growl, Armor King swore in his mind that he would get his revenge... and settle the score with Marduk once and for all at the Shikoken Tournament.
Marwitz, Germany
A cemetery nearly surrounded by farmland was oddly quiet aside from a few chirping birds within the lush, green trees. The sky was a mix of blue, orange, yellow, and red as the sun began to descend for the day. Soon, night would take over and the stars above were expected to be bright as always.
With bouquet of flowers in their hands, Leo Kliesen walked through the cemetery grounds until they reached one grave in particular. After stopping just a foot away, they read the simple inscription on the granite stone in front of them;
Rest in Peace
Emma Kliesen
19XX-20XX
Leo frowned as they kneeled in front of the grave before they gently placed the bouquet onto the base of the stone. While staring at the granite in silence, they thought of the last year in a half of their life...
Just prior to the Universal War, Leo still remembered the day the police came to the cottage they shared with their mother, Emma. There was a raid at G-Corp, the company in which Emma served as one of the executives. The police were still investigating at the time, but there was an incident at some of the offices around the world. Quite a number of employees were murdered, Emma included.
Up until then, the only other tragedy in Leo's life ocurred a decade before when their father, a world-famous spelunker, disappeared during an expedition. Leo also trained to be a spelunker around the time of their mother's death. Afterwards, Leo fell into a deep depression.
The police were still investigating the G-Corp incident when the Universal War began. Leo's training in the Baji Quan style, as well as the skills they learned as a spelunker, helped them survive. Afterwards, they were sure the police would continue with the investigation, but a month after the war ended, they informed Leo that they were calling it off. After inquiring as to why, the investigators refused to give an explanation.
Enraged, Leo swore to find out the truth about their mother's death on their own.
As expected, their investigation wasn't easy. Leo was given a lot of runaround. Sneaking into the facilities to get information was trickier than most would think. They were able to enter a couple of facilities to get information; a few in Europe, and one in Nebraska in the United States.
It was in the Nebraska facility where Leo discovered who the current CEO was – Kazuya Mishima. They found the files on Kazuya that concerned his 'resurrection' after his charred body was found in a volcano more than twenty years ago. What made Kazuya a person of interest was the fact that he was made CEO of G-Corp two days AFTER the murders within the corporation. Leo didn't think for one moment that this turn of events was a coincidence.
Ever since that discovery, Leo tried all they could to get close to Kazuya, but like with getting inside the facilities, it was not easy. It was especially difficult ever since the Mishima Zaibatsu declared war. Worse, G-Corp's opposition against the instigators had the media and most of society praise them as heroes.
Recently, the Shikoken Tournament was announced by the Mishima Zaibatsu... and Leo had no doubt that G-Corp would be there.
Kazuya will surely be there, Leo thought. Despite the bounty they placed on Kazama's head, Kazuya and G-Corp would not miss the opportunity to take out the Mishima Zaibatsu at a time like this.
After standing up from their kneeling position, Leo felt anger swell up within, and their fists clenched at their sides in order to keep it under control. They won't get away with what they've done to my mother, and all those who perished that day Kazuya seized control of G-Corp...
One last time, Leo looked down at Emma's grave. I swear, mother... I will avenge you.
With that, Leo turned around and began to leave the cemetery, a determined look etched onto their face...
A/N: Because Namco can't seem to make up their mind about Leo's gender, I've decided to make them non-binary (they/them pronoun). This is not, in any way, an attempt to be 'woke' so save your stupid comments.
While we're on the gender subject, you might as well know now that I won't be touching upon the subject very often throughout the story in Poison's case. Even though it's part of her character, that's not just what she's all about.