Chapter Thirty-Two
"It's either my life or yours!"
The rain fell rapidly as Dhalsim was backhanded hard enough to fly away until his back hit a tree. Sheeva, the female Shokan he was fighting, went after him and he spat out a large flame from his mouth in protest.
"This is my choice!"
Dhasim was on his feet again, but blow after blow was delivered on his face and chest as the Shokan overpowered him until she grabbed him by the throat and pulled him up at her eye level.
"You need all of your strength to see through this!"
A punch to the stomach was then followed by a headbutt before he was thrown to the ground and onto his back.
"I'll hold them back for as long as I can!"
Sheeva grabbed Dhalsim before she hoisted him up high above her head. He was defeated, yet he strangely looked at peace with his fate as his pale eyes gazed up towards the clouded sky above.
"GO!"
A deafening crack! was heard as a bone snapped in half.
Mishima Hotel - Nighttime
With a sudden gasp, Kenshi shot up from his bed. One hand reached out as though he was attempting to grab for something - or someone - but he was only met with air. The dream faded and his vision was replaced with the darkness he had long been used to since he lost his sight.
Only then was Kenshi able to feel the cold sheen of sweat on his skin while his heart pounded almost frantically against his chest. As he made attempts to catch his breath, the adrenaline that pumped through his veins started to slowly fade away.
With his eyes closed, Kenshi moved his outstretched arm and brought his hand to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose. As the swordsman focused on his breathing, he was reminded of the nightmare that just left him.
Ever since the end of the Universal War, there were two things that haunted Kenshi's dreams - Shang Tsung, and Dhalsim's death. Tonight, it was the latter that came to visit him.
We shouldn't have listened to him, Kenshi thought as he was reminded of Dhalsim's last words to him, Ryu, and Jin the morning the three of them, and Ivy, fought Shao Kahn and ended the Universal War. Dhalsim had ordered for them to go while he held off the two Shokans - one killed during the battle - who went after them.
Ryu was right. We should've stayed and helped him. Then he might still be alive…
A sigh escaped the swordsman as he gently massaged his temples upon feeling a small headache enter his head. Aside from the fact that his visions and dreams were 'seen' in black silhouettes against a blue shadowy background, he remembered that morning as clear as day. Even with his limited psychic abilities, he was able to foresee Dhalsim's death through the imagery in his mind.
To this day, Kenshi wondered if Dhalsim used his own psychic abilities as a way to send out 'one last message' so that someone would know what happened to him.
What the swordsman saw then shocked him, and it nearly cost him his life as Shao Kahn had used his distraction to attempt to end his life. Had he been alone that day, the deceased Emperor would've likely succeeded.
Ever since Jin's war began, Kenshi always intended to find a way to confront his former ally. That was a fact that he didn't hide from anyone. However, there was one aspect of his plan he had yet to voice. Not even those closest to him knew of it.
Dhalsim died specifically to protect The Four so that they could succeed in ending Shao Kahn's reign on the realms. For Jin to turn around and start his own war might as well have been him spitting Dhalsim's sacrifice right in the face. Had it not been for Kenshi and Ryu's respective warriors' paths and Ivy's own path of redemption, Dhalsim's death could've very well been in vain.
If Kenshi ever came face to face with Jin again, he planned to make sure to inform Jin of that very thing. He only hoped it would provoke the reaction he wanted…
As for Dhalsim's killer… Kenshi knew that the late yoga master wouldn't want him to seek revenge. However, if Sheeva ever came for his or any of his friends' heads, well… it would be a convenient excuse.
After taking a deep breath, Kenshi laid back down against the bed. He then slowly turned to his side before he reached a hand out to where Alex Walker should've been - only to find her side of the bed empty.
The swordsman tilted his head up at that. "Alex?" he called out.
There was no answer, and he used his hearing to listen to his surroundings. Sometimes, he would hear the shower on as Alex would sometimes use it in the middle of the night from time to time, especially if she woke up from her own nightmares. However, he realized that the suite they shared was completely silent.
Kenshi sat up from the bed again and used his senses to check his surroundings more. It didn't take long for him to note her energy to his right and out on the balcony.
She must've had a nightmare, too, he thought.
Upon deciding to join Alex outside, Kenshi carefully got out of bed and sauntered over to the door that led out to the balcony. His sword Sento, sheathed in its scabbard, was placed between the bed and the nightstand on his side. As long as he didn't stray too far, he didn't need to take it with him in order to 'see' where he was going.
Their balcony faced the downtown part of the island. As Alex described it, it was a beautiful sight no matter what time of day it was, though the noise compared to the forest-facing rooms were left to be desired. Then again, as long as they kept the balcony door and windows closed, the double-paned windows and balcony door did their job to keep the downtown noise out of their suite.
With sensitive hearing, it would've driven Kenshi mad otherwise.
Alex was on her feet and looking towards the dock area when Kenshi slid the balcony door open. She did turn her head to spot Kenshi momentarily - likely to make sure that it really was him - before she brought her attention back to the outside world.
"Hey," Kenshi greeted as he slid the door back halfway.
"Hey yourself," Alex replied.
"Nightmare?" he questioned quietly.
Alex took a deep breath in reply. "Shang Tsung... You?"
"Dhalsim…" was his simple answer.
Alex frowned a little. "We're both a mess, aren't we?"
"Like my grandfather used to say," Kenshi started as he approached her from behind. "Heroism is a good thing, but it can come at the cost of adding weight to our burdens."
Alex smirked a little over a thought. "I thought you didn't like being called a hero."
"Well… no," Kenshi answered as he enclosed his arms around Alex and gently pulled her towards him, her back to his chest. "But the words felt right at the moment."
"Hrm," Alex hummed as she reached her hands up to grasp onto one of his forearms. "Then… I suppose we'll add more weight to that burden when this war is all over."
"Maybe," Kenshi said. "We both just might have to learn to live with it."
Alex sighed a little. Her eyes were on the island and the downtown lights below, but her mind was somewhere else. "Some are easier to live with than others…"
Kenshi said nothing, though he did take a moment to leave a small kiss at the crown of Alex's head. Afterwards, the two of them stood on the balcony for a little while longer in silence.
Mishima Hotel - The Next Morning
An hour after dawn, Wagner woke up in his bed. Upon cracking his eyes open, he spotted Juli across the room as she looked at herself in the full view mirror that was placed on the door that led to the bathroom.
The first thing Wagner noticed through the mirror - which was angled in a way so that he saw her front side - was the fact that Juli was wearing a new outfit - a pastel yellow sundress that fell to her knees with a waist strap and sleeveless straps over her shoulders. Her brown hair was left down and the strands fell just above her waist. Wagner also noticed that she was wearing a silver necklace with a charm that he couldn't quite make out from the distance. She was specifically looking at that as she proceeded to check herself out in the mirror.
"New dress?" Wagner managed to say even while still half asleep.
He saw Juli's smile through the mirror. "Yeah. I got it a few days ago when some of the girls and I went on a little shopping trip downtown."
Wagner remembered that. The two, along with a few other girls in their group, went clothes shopping the morning between Round One and Round Two of the tournament just prior to the evening he and some of the other guys hung out at the casino - that night poor Maxi and Forest unknowingly got drunk on Outworld liquor.
Which reminded him… neither of them had yet to bring up the subject of T. Hawk since that night three in-a-half days ago.
Upon choosing to get up, Wagner got himself out of bed. He took a moment to stretch out his arms before he sauntered over to where Juli stood. Wearing a wrinkled t-shirt, a pair of boxers, and sporting unkempt hair, Wagner looked like a complete bum compared to how Juli appeared at the moment.
However, he didn't care as he approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Juli smiled as her hands reached to his just as he leaned his head down to kiss her bare shoulder. He then gazed over at the necklace he wore and noted that the charm in question was that of a flying dove.
"I assume you got that necklace on that same trip," Wagner guessed.
Juli frowned at that as her eyes shifted downward. "Actually… no. Someone gave it to me," Juli started. She then drew in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Scott. I've been meaning to tell you something since we came here."
"That you met someone from your past," Wagner admitted. "Thunder Hawk."
Juli's eyes widened at that. "What?! How did you know?"
"Abel," Wagner replied. "But don't blame him. It was an accident. He assumed you already told me when we talked about it. I, eh… kinda met Hawk that night when some of the guys and I went to the casino."
Juli's jaw dropped at that. "Wait, he's here? On the island?!"
"Yeah. You didn't know?"
"No, I swear!" Juli whirled around to face him. "I mean, he did say he was going away, but he didn't provide any details. Granted, though, I kinda was the same. I told him I was going away, too, but didn't mention where."
"I get that, Jul. That's not important anymore." Wagner frowned. "What is important is why you didn't mention that he showed up back in your life while you were still in LA."
Juli sighed as her eyes casted downward. "Because you and I just reunited after three months apart because of this war. Okay, granted, it's been two weeks, but between our reunion and my own shock, I just wasn't ready to deal with it, at least until the shock wore off."
Wagner smiled a little as he reached a hand to her chin and tilted her head back a little so that she was looking at him. "I figured as much. I just needed to hear it from you."
Juli furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Sooo… you're not mad?"
"Weeell, I'm mildly disappointed that I had to find out the way I did," Wagner admitted. "But at the same time, I understand where you're coming from. I mean, this is huge . Not only does it answer those dreams you've been having, but you finally found someone who is connected to your past. "
Juli frowned over that. "Yeeeah about my past…"
It was Wagner's turn to furrow his eyebrows, especially with the way she just said that. "Do I want to know?"
"Yeah. Actually, you need to know. It's another part of why I didn't say anything right away, but with him being on the island, I better say it now. ...He spent the last seven years looking for me. He said we were… lovers."
Wagner sucked in a breath at that. "Seriously?"
Juli slowly nodded. "I'm afraid so. After our conversation in LA, I believe it." She pointed at the necklace she wore around her neck. "He also gave me this prior to Shadaloo kidnapping me. He held onto it for me after all this time."
Wagner looked up as he realized something. "That explains the weird look he gave him at the casino that night."
"What look?"
"Hard to explain," Wagner sighed. He placed his hands on Juli's shoulders. "Listen, I'm tired, hungry, and I might be turning a little crabby due to the combination of both. Let's put this subject behind us for right now, at least for today. Let me take a quick shower, get into something decent, and then we'll head out to get breakfast. Sound good?"
Juli nodded. "Yeah. Oh, and there's one other thing he mentioned."
Wagner took a quick breath. "And that would be…"
"Taube. That's my surname."
"Oh thank God!" Wagner breathed as he dramatically placed his hand over his heart. "I thought you were gonna reveal that you both had a kid together."
"What?! No! " Juli shouted as she playfully slapped his arm, which got a laugh out of him. "And even if we did, I'm certain he would've brought it up that very day. Now go shower, I'm starting to get hungry, too."
"Yes, ma'am," Wagner said before he quickly gave her a kiss. "Be ready at twenty."
"Yes, sir," Juli replied as he went into the bathroom. "And use mouthwash while you're in there, Mr. Morning Breath!"
"Oh quiet, you," Wagner shouted teasingly before he closed the door behind him.
Juli sighed after that exchange. Well… that went better than I thought, she said to herself. A frown came over her face. But I get the feeling that this is far from over…
Halong Bay, Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam
After spending most of the early morning waiting for their match, the tag team of Ryu and Ken were finally called upon. Beforehand, they were already aware of who they were going to face in their upcoming fight.
"Hope those kids are ready for us," Ken had mentioned while they approached the portal in the front of the room.
Ryu only gave him a smirk in response just before they went through the device.
The place they ended up at was in the middle of an emerald bay while the morning sun was more than halfway up towards the cloudless sky. They were also surrounded by tall, limestone islands topped by rainforests. The fight itself would take place on an open air junk boat with its two red sails unfolded and standing tall above their heads.
One of the two drones in the area soon made its usual announcement. "Welcome to Halong Bay in Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam, Ryu and Ken. You may start the match at any time."
The announcement just barely finished when one of Ryu and Ken's opponents - a young man wearing a yellow karate gi not too different from their own - pointed at Ken as his jaw dropped in astonishment. "Y-your Ken Masters! I thought you were in the tournament, but I wasn't sure until now!"
Ken tilted his head a little with curiosity. "And you would be correct. I assume you're a fan?"
"You bet I'm a fan!" the young man answered. "Ever since you won the US Martial Arts Championship! And I gotta admit, I was hoping to run into you one of these days. The day I saw your win was the day I swore that I'd be your student and learn everything you know!"
The young man's tag team partner - a young woman with long black hair with half of it starting at cornrows before it blended back with the rest of her hair - suddenly grabbed him around the neck and started to rub her knuckles over his head. "Aww, my little brother finally got to meet his crush! How cuuuute!"
"AH!" Sean yelled out as he struggled to get out of her grip. "Stop it, Laura! That's not funny!"
"Hang on, hold up!" Ken called out as he lifted a palm in hopes of getting their attention. "I'm, eh, pretty sure you're supposed to fight us in this match, not your own tag team partner."
"Haha, my bad!" Laura chuckled as she let her brother go.
Sean glared at her as he rubbed his neck. "I really should've tag teamed with Enzo…" He then turned his head back to Ken. "How about it? I would be really honored to be your student."
Ken rubbed his chin with his hand. "Hmm honestly, kid, I'm not taking any students right now. Heck, I'm still learning myself if I'm being honest."
"Then let's have a bet," Sean offered. "If I win, you become my teacher. If you win, I'll come back in a year. And I'll keep coming back every year until the day I finally defeat you. That, or you change your mind and decide to teach me anyway. What do you say?"
Ken gave him a side smirk as he got himself into a fighting stance. "All right, you're on."
"I guess you're going first then," Ryu said as he stepped back to give his old friend space for the match.
"You can go first in the next round," Ken promised.
"That's assuming you guys win this match," Laura mentioned as she took a couple of steps back. She then gazed at one of the drone cameras. "Sean is good, but when it's my turn, I'll show everyone watching this match the real power of Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu!"
Sean rolled his eyes as he got into a fighting stance. After a couple of seconds, he ran forward towards Ken, who stood in his place until Sean threw the first punch, which the millionaire blocked with ease. From there, the two went back and forth for a few seconds.
To Ken's surprise, Sean actually got himself on offense first as a kick to the older man's side sent him stumbling. From there, Sean slid forward, grabbed the top half of Ken's red karate gi, then pushed him back with enough force to send Ken crashing onto his back. Sean then rolled forward until he was on top of him.
Ken's eyes widened for a split second right before he raised his hands and blocked Sean's fists before they smashed his face in. There was a brief power struggle between them before Ken yelled out and used all of his strength to push his opponent off of him. Within a split second, the two fighters rolled back and onto their feet.
" Hadouken! " Ken shouted as she unleashed a projectile without hesitation. Sean made an attempt to get out of the way, but was hit squarely in the chest before he took his second step. He flew back until he hit one of the poles that held up the sails of the junk boat they were on.
Sean clenched his teeth as he shook himself out of his brief daze before he ran back towards Ken. When he was close enough, Sean jumped forward.
" Tornado! " he yelled as he spun himself and delivered three kicks, one after the other. Ken ducked under the first, then moved back from the second. However, the third kick actually hit his face, which caused his head to snap sideways.
Ken wiped his face with the back of his head before he looked at Sean. "Not bad. But here's something with more style."
Ken ran closer to Sean before he jumped up, extended one leg out, and spun himself rapidly. "Tatsumaki Senpukyaku! " he yelled as the move managed to hit Sean in the face, which sent him hurling back once more before he crashed onto the wooden ground.
Ken landed on his feet seconds later and waited until Sean was standing again. The older fighter could see his opponent struggle briefly, but was otherwise ready to fight again. As soon as they made eye contact, Ken beckoned Sean over with his fingers. From there, Sean didn't hesitate to cover the space between them before he began to throw various punches and kicks from different directions, all which Ken blocked and parried with ease.
Soon enough, the five-minute timer went off. Predictably, Laura ran towards Ryu. "All right then! Let's begin!" she yelled.
Like Ken before him, Ryu got in his fighting stance and waited until Laura was within reach. She went in with a jumping roundhouse kick, which Ryu ducked underneath with ease.
"Two on two battle initiated by Team Laura and Sean Matsuda," a drone called out.
From there, Laura threw a few more punches at Ryu, who blocked, dodged, and parried them with ease… at least until Laura delivered a lunging elbow strike that managed to strike him squarely in the chest. As Ryu gasped for breath, Laura followed with an overhead tumblewheel kick that hit him right on top of the head. Despite that, Ryu managed to keep standing as he backed away in order to give himself some berth.
"Boom!" Laura called out. "Now that's how you start a fight!"
" Hadouken! " Ryu shouted as he unleashed his projectile. Because she hadn't expected it, the projectile hit Laura and hurled her back until she crashed onto the floor.
Despite the pain in her back, Laura rolled away and onto her feet before she ran forward to cover the space between her and her opponent once more. She then threw a few more punches and kicks at Ryu before he parried a side kick. That left her wide open and Ryu swiftly got on offense and threw his own punches before a roundhouse kick to her side forced her to stumble a few feet.
Ryu waited as Laura regained herself. Then with a yell, the young woman flew in and delivered another lunging elbow strike that hit him just below the right collar bone. As Ryu stumbled back, Laura rotated herself and jumped back and over him. From there, she grabbed his shoulders and tried to both knock him back and lock in one of his arms, but Ryu quickly grabbed her leg with his free arm before that happened. It left Laura sitting on his shoulder and nearly falling back herself.
"Oh crap!" she yelled as she tried to knock him down with her weight. It took him a moment, but eventually Ryu was able to throw Laura off of him. Despite that, she was able to land on her feet, though she nearly lost her balance in the process.
" Tatsumaki Senpukyaku! " Ryu yelled as he performed a hurricane kick. Laura's eyes widened momentarily before she ducked underneath the attack. Ryu's foot narrowly missed her. It wasn't long before he was on the ground again. From there, the two warriors faced each other in their respective fighting stances as they waited for the other to make their next move.
"I gotta admit," Laura started as she got herself back in her fighting stance. "It's been a while since anyone kept me on my toes in a fight. I'm really impressed!"
"You're impressive yourself," Ryu replied. "What style did you say you were using earlier?"
"Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu," the young woman answered with a grin. "It's a family invented fighting style."
"Hmm," Ryu hummed as he thought of something. "Suddenly, I think I remember my master mentioning about the style years ago."
That clearly piqued Laura's interest. "Really? Maybe your master and my grandfather have met before. I'd love to know more, buuut…"
From there, Laura suddenly clapped her hand before she unclasped them, one upward and the other downward. As she did this, a yellow electrical charge emerged from her hands and flew forward like a projectile. It made Ryu back away, though the projectile fizzled out before it was able to reach him.
"Ugh, I really gotta work on that…" Laura grumbled aloud. She then quickly shook her head before she ran towards Ryu once more.
Ryu was long ready for her.
" Shoryuken! " he shouted as he performed a jumping uppercut. His fist landed underneath Laura's chin, and the young woman cried out as she flew up towards the air. From there, Ryu jumped up as he charged some chi into his hands.
" Ren Hadouken! " Ryu yelled as he threw five hadoukens in rapid succession. Each one knocked back Laura a few feet while they were both still airborne. The last projectile, however, shoved her a few extra feet before she bashed into one of the sail's poles. She then tumbled down until she hit the ground with force. Ryu landed on his feet a second later.
It wasn't long before the drone called out, "Knockout detected."
Not too far from Ryu, the fight between Ken and Sean carried on. At that point, Ken could tell that Sean was starting to get a bit more tired the more maneuvers he threw. To Sean's credit, he seemed to have recognized this as soon as Ken thought of it, and he pulled back to leave some space between them within seconds.
Sean took a quick but deep breath before he let out a yell and jumped towards Ken once more. After twisting his body, he performed a tumbling-forward wheel kick with his leading leg before he kicked downward. However, Ken was long ready and simply hopped away before Sean's foot hit his head.
Frustrated at that point, Sean clenched his teeth before he ran in and delivered his own version of a Shoryuken , only he used both firsts instead of one. Ken barely moved back again, and he actually felt the wind from the maneuver in the process.
" Shoryuken! " Ken called out as he jumped up. His leading fist was immediately surrounded by flames, and he was able to punch Sean underneath his chin, which hurled him further up towards the sky.
Time to finish this! Ken thought as he extended one leg out once more - his foot surrounded by flames just as his fist did moments ago.
As Sean started to fall back down, Ken quickly flew forward and performed a handful of hurricane kicks in a horizontal straight line. The last kick sent Sean back up in the air while Ken landed safely on the ground. He then waited until Sean fell back towards him before he landed one last flaming spin kick with enough force to send Sean flying back until he hit the side of the boat's wooden railing, which was the only thing that kept him from being thrown overboard and into the bay.
Sean lost unconsciousness after that.
"Knockout detected. Ryu and Ken win the match."
"Phew," Ken huffed. He wiped some sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as he walked over to where Ryu stood. "I have to admit, Sean has a lot of potential. However, he still has a very long way to go before he's anywhere close to our level."
Ryu's voice went low so the drones didn't catch his question. "You think you might actually train him one of these days?"
Ken looked over to where Sean had fallen. "Maybe someday, when the time is right. Who knows when that will be."
Mishima Gardens
After eating some breakfast, Yun-seong decided to make his way over to the Mishima Gardens. He was mainly there to relax, but he was also curious about how Seong Mi-na and Hwoarang's morning training was going - more out of his own amusement than anything else.
Originally, from what he heard, Mi-na and Hwoarang were to be trained under Hwoarang's master, Baek, in the morning, then be trained under Bo' Rai Cho right before dinner. However, when he soon spotted the two, it was the Outworlder who was training them this morning. Briefly, the young man wondered about the change in teachers.
Whatever, Yun-seong eventually concluded in his mind. At least I'm not the one under strict training this time around.
By the time Yun-seong arrived, Bo' Rai Cho - who looked to be beaming with pride… or amusement, Yun-seong wasn't sure - as he talked to his students. Yun-seong didn't really listen to what was being said. The only thing he noticed was how tired and exhausted Mi-na and Hwoarang were.
That earned an amused smirk from the Keiseian. He also decided right then and there to rub it in their faces just a little bit.
Yun-seong waited until Bo' Rai Cho stopped speaking before he walked forward. He stretched his arms up above his head and let out a nice, loud exaggerated yawn, which got the trio's attention. "Oh man, I slept reeeaaal good last night," he started. "Most amazing. Sleep. Ever! I would have slept aaall day, but I just had to just get up for a nice, big breakfast. I'm stuffed to the gills!"
As he expected, both Mi-na and Hwoarang glared at the younger warrior. Hwoarang especially looked like he was ready to cave his face in with his foot. But then suddenly, a sly smirk came over Mi-na's face as if an idea just popped into her head. The smug look on Yun-seong's face dropped almost right away because, for as long as he's known the young woman, that look always meant that whatever idea she had in mind, it was definitely going to be at his expense.
Oh shit. Needless to say, he was starting to regret the tease he just gave them.
"Master Bo' Rai Cho," Mi-na started as she kept her eyes on her fellow apprentice. "Have you met Yun-seong yet?"
"We have a few times," Bo' Rai Cho replied. "If I recall, he is very bright and very high spirited, but also very brash and easy to anger."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Mi-na agreed.
"I'm not brash and easy to anger!" Yun-seong shouted.
"Dude, even I can see you just proved their point," mentioned Hwoarang.
Yun-seong glared at him. "Shut up, man!"
"Make me."
Mi-na continued. " Anyway , I was just thinking… Yun-seong has been kicking back and relaxing probably a little too much since we came here to Earthrealm. I think he would benefit greatly if he also trained under both you and Master Baek."
"No way!" Yun-seong shouted. "I didn't come all the way to Earthrealm just to train even more than I already do back at home!"
"For a tournament, need I remind you," Mi-na pointed out. "But in all seriousness, you really should train with us. You could learn a lot during your stay here."
"And why should I?"
Her smirk began bigger as she folded her arms in front of her. "Because if you don't, I'll tell father that it was you and not the Black Dragon who stole White Storm and took it to the Visayan Islands during the Universal War."
"...You're bluffing."
"Do you really want to risk it?"
Yun-seong glared at her for a few moments before he growled a little and slightly kicked at a loose rock, which caused it to bounce away a few times before it stopped. "Fine! This better be worth my time!"
"Most excellent!" Bo' Rai Cho called out with some enthusiasm.
As the Outworlder continued to speak, Hwoarang turned to Mi-na and whispered. "What the heck's a White Storm?"
"It's a Ming Empire based sword," Mi-na explained in a low voice. "More importantly, it's an heirloom passed through generations of my family. Legend has it that the sword shows the reflection of the deepest part of the wielder's heart. I never really used it because I lack interest, so I haven't had the chance to see if the legend is true. Yun-seong, Hwang, and even my father all swear by it.
"As you can imagine, my father was pretty upset when it went missing. When Yun-seong returned to Chiri-san after the war, I actually felt sorry for him because he was already in enough trouble with the Coastal Forces, so we pretended that he 'got it back from a Black Dragon mook who stole it.'"
Hwoarang raised an eyebrow after hearing all that. "I swear, your world has some really questionable stuff going on with your weapons. Soul Edge, White Storm, and whatever Ivy's sword is. What's next, a sword that talks?"
Mi-na grinned. "I once saw a lizardman use an uneaten gigantic meat on a bone as a weapon."
"...Now you're lying."
"Actually, it's true," Yun-seong mentioned. "We both saw it along with Hwang and a few other Coastal Forces members. A couple of our guards actually got knocked out cold by it. Needless to say, that was a weird day."
Hwoarang shook his head. "I swear, things have been absolutely loony ever since I joined up with the Chosen Ones!"
"All right, my students!" Bo' Rai Cho called out. "As amusing as this conversation is, it's time we get back to training. First, let's show Yun-seong what you've both learned from me so far."
"Great…" Yun-seong grumbled.
As this all went on, no one except Bo' Rai Cho knew that Baek was off to the side in hiding. There, he watched his students, and the newcomer, train under the Outworlder with a little amusement.
This all going better than I had hoped, Baek thought to himself.
Mishima Hotel
Since morning, Cammy - who had her own hotel room - tried all she could to relax, which was what she wanted to do on this particular day. She initially tried yoga, but her room didn't allow adequate space for that. She almost wished there was a punching bag to unleash her kicks on, but it would've been moot considering, once again, the lack of space.
So she did the next best thing - take a bubble bath. Later, she planned to order herself some cake to be delivered to her room.
For a while, Cammy managed to not think of anything, which was nice for once. No worries about her job, the war, or anything else that caused even the slightest amount of stress. Not even a certain person who came and went in her life…
Upon that thought, memories of Jin Kazama attempted to seep into her mind because of course . Cammy shook her head slightly in a vain attempt to push him away from her thoughts. Dammit! she yelled out in her head. He's not worth thinking about! Not after his betrayal!
It didn't take long for her mind to be clear again. Cammy took a deep breath to relax herself. A part of her wondered if maybe lighting a candle or two might make her environment more relaxing… but at this point, she was too comfortable to get out of the bathtub.
As she closed her eyes, Cammy suddenly couldn't help but think back on an old memory - one from her time in Outworld, specifically the moment she began to get to know Jin…
Cammy was still talking when they were just beginning to pass Jin. At that second, Lita stepped to her left and bumped right into Cammy.
"Oops!" Lita called out.
Cammy suddenly found herself stumbling sideways and before she knew it, unknown to her during that moment, she slammed right into Jin. Jin was caught by surprise himself. He was busy looking at the statue and never saw Cammy coming. Instinctively, he held on to her arms as the two stumbled back a few feet before finally coming to a halt.
"I, I'm so sorry, I-" Cammy began to say. She stopped talking then when she looked up and recognized Jin, who had a surprised expression on his face as he gazed at her. At that moment, Cammy suddenly found her face burning hot… again.
First I accidentally saw him naked, now this! Cammy thought frantically.
She was SO going to kill Lita once this was over.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment. During that time, Cammy took a step back as she realized they were close to hugging each other. Jin placed his arms on either side of him once she did that.
It was then that Jin spoke. "So, um… we've been seeing each other a lot lately."
Cammy couldn't help but smile at the remark then. She only heard him say one word since the tournament began and this was the first time she was truly hearing his voice. He had a light Japanese accent as he spoke, one which Cammy seemed to like already.
"Yes we have been," the Delta Red member replied. She then decided to start a real conversation. "So how has the tournament been treating you?"
"Well," Jin answered. "I just won this round yesterday."
"Congratulations. Unfortunately, I just lost this round."
"Sorry to hear that. But what really matters is that you did your best."
Cammy nodded. "Yes, that's true." She then looked up at him. "Say, did you have breakfast yet?"
Jin shook his head. "No, I just arrived here."
"Great because I just arrived here too. You don't mind sitting with me, do you?"
Jin smirked a little. "I don't mind at all."
Jin and Cammy soon began their walk towards the palace. As they did, Cammy spoke again. "I'll admit… if the food here wasn't free, I'd pay the tab."
Jin smirked more. "That's very kind of you. And if that was the case, I'd say no and I would pay the tab instead."
Cammy laughed at the comment.
A knock at the door suddenly jolted Cammy from her daydream and she nearly splashed some water out of the tub. With an eye roll and an annoyed groan, she stepped out of the tub, took a moment to dry herself off with a towel, then grabbed for her green cotton bathrobe. At that moment, the knock was heard again, this time slightly louder.
"I'm coming!" Cammy called out just as she got the robe around her body. She tied the matching rope around her waist as she walked out of the bathroom and to the front door. The young woman took a moment to look through the peephole to see who was on the other side.
With a sigh upon recognizing them, Cammy unlocked the door before she opened it. "Lita."
"Hey Cam," Lita replied. She then noticed her friend's state of dress… as well as the frown on her lips. "Um, sorry, I didn't realize you were bathing. And… is everything all right?"
"It's fine," Cammy replied. "Just… plagued with some old memories."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not now, but thanks. What did you need?"
"I was hoping we could have lunch together," Lita suggested. "There's a quaint little bistro place near the docks that looks really good. I saw their menu and they serve American style brunches. I've been meaning to try their version of eggy bread for quite some time."
Cammy managed to smile. "Thanks, but… I was planning to just stay in today. Maybe tomorrow?"
"Sure, just let me know," Lita said. "And… if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here for you."
Cammy nodded. "I'm fine. But thank you, Lita."
Lita nodded to her before she departed. With that, Cammy closed the door and locked it before she turned to lean her back against it. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily. In her mind, all she could see were a pair of amber eyes staring back at her. She furrowed her eyebrows at that mental image.
After all this time and after everything, Cammy thought with a shake of her head as she opened her eyes. My time with Jin still haunts me…
Volcano Rim, Somewhere in Oceania
It took all of Sareena's strength to not overreact to the sight before her. She wanted to believe that it was all a coincidence, but she couldn't help but question whether or not it really was.
There, near the sight of an inactive volcano as the site of her tournament match, Sareena faced two women she had not seen since her days as one of Quan Chi's assassins. Even more baffling was the fact that the last time she saw them, they were destroyed and sent to the fifth plane of the Netherrealm, just as she had before.
Sareena uttered their names aloud. "Kia. Jataaka."
"Sareena," Kia replied almost too sweetly as she smiled at her. "Long time, no see."
"We've missed you, dear sister," added Jataaka as she pulled out a katana from the scabbard on her belt. "We hope you will rejoin us someday."
Sareena narrowed her eyes to them. "That will never happen," she seethed.
Kia took out her boomerang blade. "That's a shame to hear."
"What is this all about?" Sareena's tag team partner, Shura, suddenly asked as she walked forward to stand next to her.
"She didn't tell you?" Jataaka spoke up.
"That she's a demon?" Shura said. By then, she pulled out her pair of wakizashi swords. "I already know everything, sweetheart." She then got herself into a fighting stance with both swords positions in front of her. "Care to dance?"
Jataaka gave Shura a smirk as she tightened her hold on her sword. Then swiftly, she jumped forward and started to slash her sword sideways once she was close enough to Shura, who blocked it with one of her own swords with no issue. However, Jataaka quickly kneed Shura in the stomach, which caused the Keiseian to gasp for breath. However, she managed to keep herself from keeling over. As Shura tried to recover, Jataaka used her free hand to deliver an uppercut to Shura's jaw, which caused her to stumble back.
Shura clenched her teeth as she shook her head to get herself focused again. Just as she did, Jataaka started to cover the space between them. Prepared this time, Shura blocked another weapon attack with her own sword. From there, the two women fought as the sound of steel clashing against steel echoed around them. It was a few seconds later when Shura managed to leave behind a gash on Jataaka's cheek. The Brotherhood assassin hissed as she pulled back, her hand to her cheek. She then examined her fingers and narrowed her eyes as she noticed a few drops of blood.
"Imagine if this was a real fight," Shura mentioned with a smug smirk on her face. "You'd be dead with half your head cut off right about now."
Jataaka simply glared at Shura before she swiftly pointed the sharp tip of her sword in the Keiseian's direction. To Shura's surprise, a light blue projectile shot out from it, and she was forced to bend backwards to evade it. After the projectile flew over her, Shura somersaulted back and returned to her feet.
A smirk came over Shura again as she spread her arms out from either side of her. It amused her to see Jataaka pause for a moment as Shura rose in the air by a couple feet. Then with a yell, Shura swung both swords in front of her and unleashed a turquoise-colored projectile. As she expected, Jataaka ducked underneath it.
It gave Shura the advantage as she flew forward in a spinning motion feet first. Jataaka had just stood up when Shura's feet slammed her in the chest with enough force to send her flying back. As Jataaka crashed onto the ground, Shura flew back down and glided into a stop. She then straightened herself back up and waited for Jataaka to fully stand as well.
"See, I can shoot a projectile with my swords, too," Shura pointed out with hubris in her voice. "I just happen to do it with more style."
Jataaka narrowed her eyes at her opponent as she shook her head. "You're arrogant. It'll bite back at you someday."
Shura chuckled in response. "Your assumption is cute." She then raised a hand, which still held one of her swords, and beckoned her opponent over with an index finger. "Come on. Let's have some more fun!"
With a low growl, Jataaka jumped forward and lashed her sword at her opponent once more. Shura blocked it with her weapons with ease, and from there they continued their battle…
It was during that time when the five-minute timer went off. And Sareena was not surprised when Kia, who stood opposite her, took out one of her two boomerang blades and threw it directly at her. In retaliation, Sareena pulled out two of her knives and threw them forward. The knives soon hit the boomerang blade, and all three weapons promptly dropped to the ashened ground. While that happened, the two women started to run towards each other.
"Two on two battle initiated by Team Kia and Jataaka," a drone notified in the meantime.
Kia drew out her second boomerang just as Sareena pulled out her two kamas. At the same time, they lashed out their weapons, the blades clashing with a loud clang! For a few seconds, they fought each other in an attempt to overwhelm the other, at least until Sareena blocked an overhead attack from Kia. From there, Kia attempted to use all of her strength to push Sareena down to her knees, but her opponent relented by pushing back with equal resistance.
Sareena couldn't help but ask the question that was on her mind since the match started. "Quan Chi made a deal with you, didn't he? That's why you're working for him again, aren't you?"
Kia smiled at her. "That's something you're gonna have to figure out on your own."
Suddenly, Kia pushed Sareena back with all of her strength, which forced her opponent to stumble back a couple of feet. This gave Kia some space to deliver a roundhouse kick, though Sareena was able to kick underneath it in time. However, as Sareena straightened back up, Kia crouched low to the ground and performed a sweep kick, which tripped Sareena onto her back. As soon as Kia straightened back up, she lifted a food in an attempt to stomp on her opponent's stomach. Upon noting this, Sareena rolled out of the way before that happened.
Sareena then pulled herself back up, but then was promptly met with a foot to the face from Kia's flying kick. With a pained yell, Sareena flew back again before she crashed back first one the ashened ground. As she attempted to get back up, Kia grabbed one of her bladed boomerangs on the ground and threw it at Sareena again.
After seeing this, Sareena promptly ducked underneath the flying weapon before she stood back up. From there, she lifted one leg to torso level before, using her demonic powers, slid forward as her foot ignited in flames. The kick landed on Kia's stomach, who cried out in pain as she doubled over.
"You asked for this," Sareena said as she pulled her fist back. Just like her foot before, her enclosed fist became surrounded by flames right before she threw a punch into Kia's head. The hit was hard enough to snap Kia's head sideways. From there, Kia's body twisted and stumbled for a moment right before she fell into a heap.
For a moment, Sareena waited to see if Kia would get back up before…
"Knockout detected," one of the drones soon called out.
With a deep breath, Sareena took a little to get her weapons back before she gazed down at Kia's unconscious form. "You always were easy to take down in our sparring days," she murmured under her breath. "Clearly you haven't learned much since then…"
Back nearby, the fight between Shura and Jataaka continued. At one point, Jataaka swung her sword sideways, and Shura shifted herself back as the blade was trailed by a light blue aura. As soon as the sword passed her, Shura extended her arms out once more and spun herself rapidly. That made Jataaka jump away before her opponent's blades sliced her. After she stopped, Shura then moved in for a roundhouse kick, but Jataaka evaded it by flipping back and away a couple of times.
As soon as she was on her feet again, Jataaka grabbed the hilt of her katana with both hands and aimed it at the ground. She took a moment to bend down on one knee before she stabbed it into the ground. As soon as it did, the sword promptly glowed bright.
To Shura's surprise, Jataaka's body turned completely into stone before they broke into a bunch of pieces like rocks. The rocks floated momentarily before they darted towards the Keiseian at high speed. This forced Shura to dodge, duck, and block the rocks that were thrown at her. Only one managed to hit her in the shoulder, but Shura forced herself to ignore the pain.
Eventually, all the rock pieces returned together to reform into Jataaka. Her body then transformed back into her human look before she removed the sword from the ground and stood up. Just as Jataaka turned to face her opponent, Shura had already teleported close to her and delivered an uppercut. Jataaka's head snapped back and just as she stumbled, Shura planted one of her swords into the ground and used her free hand to grab the front of her opponent's shirt and pulled her close enough to where their faces were mere inches from each other.
Shura grinned almost maniacally at Jataaka before she whispered, "All show, no go." She then promptly headbutted the demon, which immediately drew blood, some which got on Shura's face. Jataaka fell back before she crashed onto the ground.
Shura gazed down at Jataaka with a smirk on her face as she took the time to sheath her swords back in their scabbards. "That was… disappointing…" she muttered under her breath.
"Knockout detected, " a drone reported. " Sareena and Shura win the match."
After the announcement, Shura took a moment to wipe Jataaka's blood from her face. She then approached Sareena, who by then was sitting on one of the nearby boulders, before she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You good?" the Keiseian asked her tag team partner.
Sareena took a deep breath and gave Shura a reassuring nod. However, her onyx eyes never left either Kia or Jataaka's unconscious forms. "Yeah. I'm good. For now…"
She finished the rest of her words in her mind. But I'm certain with them involved in this tournament, this is far from over.
Okan Bar & Grill
"How long have we been here?" Lei Wulong started to ask. "And there's been no progress since Round One of the tournament?"
"Well, we did get that confirmation from Juni that Rain and Tanya are here," Guile reminded him. "So that's something, at least."
The two of them, plus Chun Li and Jax, decided to have a light lunch at the Okan Bar and Grill as a way for them to brainstorm what they knew so far. This was especially because, with Round Two of the tournament ending tomorrow, time would soon be of the essence. Plus they received a notice this morning from Liu Kang. There was going to be another dinner gathering between the Chosen Ones tomorrow evening. They knew that updates were going to happen at that time, so it was best to gather what they knew so far.
Jax took a quick sip of his drink before he responded. "I can confirm that both Rain and Tanya are indeed with the new Outworld Forces. My informant confirmed it in our meeting last night." He then took a deep breath. "He… also confirmed the presence of at least one member of the Black Dragon. Whether they're on their own or with the Zaibatsu, that's unknown at this time."
"That's not surprising," Chun Li sighed. "Well, despite all this craziness with our adversaries, I do look forward to tomorrow night's meeting. It'll be the best time to get everything sorted out as well as getting everyone in our group caught up."
"You said it," agreed Lei just before he started to slurp his ramen noodles. He took a moment to chew and swallow his food before he proceeded. "I heard a rumor that something happened with Ivy two days ago."
"Where did you hear that from?" asked Guile.
"Ken heard something from Ryu about a cabin fire and her needing to be moved to the Kazumi Hotel down the street," Lei mentioned. "Otherwise, I have no clue."
"Well, whatever it is," Chun Li started. Her brows furrowed a little. "Maybe, somehow, she might get a small taste of how others suffered because of her actions…" Chun Li took a deep breath. "Sorry, I just -"
"Hey, it's understandable," Lei assured his wife. "I mean, I know in the end, Ivy helped save the universe, but one can't help but think of the things she's done before. It's a slippery slope. I mean, at the end of the day, she ended up doing the right thing despite being 'influenced' by that evil essence. On the other hand, the atrocities we saw, well… she was the Empress who ruled beside the attempted conqueror without question…"
"I guess it depends on the person and how they see it," Jax spoke up. "Of course, I personally wouldn't know when it comes to Ivy…"
"Neither would I," added Guile quietly. "Well… unless the nightmares decide to show that someday…"
Lei sucked in a breath as he was reminded that the two men who sat with him and Chun Li were brainwashed during the Universal War. "I'm sorry, you two. Are you both doing okay since…?"
"Yeah, I'm good," Jax assured the detective.
Guile didn't answer as his phone suddenly started to ring. He gazed at it momentarily before he looked at his comrades. "It's Jane."
"Take the call," Chun Li encouraged with a small smile. "We'll be here."
Guile nodded as he got up and answered his phone. He then started to walk towards the restaurant's exit as he began to talk into it.
"I guess I just need to learn more about this… Soul Edge or evil essence or whatever it is that apparently 'made her like that' during the war," mentioned Jax.
"Siegfried did vouch for her experience from what I recall," Lei reminded her. "Perhaps learning more from our Keisei friends might give us a better insight on what this essence is all about."
Jax shook his head a little. "I'm barely wrapping my head around any of this."
"To be honest, I feel the same way," Chun Li agreed. "I should also mention that Ivy was the one who defeated me in the Blood Tournament."
" Really? "
Lei shifted his eyes a couple of times almost nervously before he said. "She, eh… also kinda humiliated her during the match."
" Kinda? " Chun Li questioned Lei with a raised eyebrow. "More like completely. "
"Sorry, honey, I was trying to downplay the story," Lei offered.
"Yeah, well… Jax is probably going to find out sooner or later anyway…"
"About how she humiliated you?" Jax pondered. "If you, eh, don't mind me asking… how?"
Chun Li drew a sharp breath through her nose before she answered. "Her sword has the ability to break into pieces and fly into different directions at will. That's what she did in our fight, and they managed to… well… let's just say it was a miracle that the blades left my bra and underwear on." She then let out a huff. "Nearly two years later and I'm still salty that she destroyed one of my favorite fighting attires!"
Jax's eyebrows raised up at that. "Dayum. In that case, I don't blame you for not liking her, war notwithstanding."
"At this point, why don't we talk about something more… happy," Lei suggested. He then gazed at Jax. "How's your family?"
"Good," the Colonel replied with a smile. He then pulled out his phone and began to press a few commands to bring up a picture. "I just got word from my wife yesterday that our strawberries were harvested recently on our farm. She'll be selling them on our stand in a day or so."
"I didn't know you had a farm," said Chun Li.
"It was Vera's idea," Jax answered as he turned his phone around to show the couple. "A project we started together not long after our daughter was born."
Chun Li and Lei leaned forward in their seats to get a better look at the picture on the phone - a young toddler holding up a strawberry while her mother bent down at her level to take the selfie pic. Both mother and daughter had big smiles on their faces.
"Aww that's so cute," Chun Li cooed. "I bet you're so proud."
"Absolutely," Jax said as he pulled his phone back. He grinned as he said, "I'm sure you'll both be proud parents soon enough."
"Too busy!" the married couple nearly shouted at the same time.
"Too busy for what?" Guile suddenly asked as he returned to the table.
"Nothing," Lei replied. "How's Jane?"
"She's good," Guile answered as he sat back down. "She called to tell me that she and the girls, along with her sister and nephew, are packed and ready to leave tomorrow night. They'll be arriving on the island the day before Round Three of the tournament."
"I bet you're looking forward to that," said Jax.
Guile nodded. "I haven't seen them since this war started, so… it'll be good."
Lei raised his glass up. "Cheers to family."
"Cheers," the others repeated as the four clinked their drink glasses together.
Okayama Bar
In the middle of downtown, the Okayama bar was dimly lit, smelled of stale beer, and there was a thin layer of smoke in the air from those who lit up their cigars and cigarettes. It was also one of the quieter bars on the island, which was why Marduk chose to have a beer there.
Unknown to Marduk, however, Armor King had followed him. At the moment, the masked wrestler was nursing his own beer as he spied on his brother's killer from the darkest corner of the bar. No, he didn't plan on confronting Marduk on this day. That would've been way too easy.
No… Armor King just wanted to give him a good scare. So for the moment, the wrestler waited patiently in the shadows like a leopard hunting its prey.
At the bar stand, Marduk just finished his beer when another full glass was placed next to him. Confused, the wrestler turned his head to his right and he soon noticed a very beautiful young woman at the seat next to him. Her wavy hair was colored honey brown and the strands fell to the middle of her back. She wore a loose peach tank top, short jeans - all which hugged her in all the right places - and a pair of white sneakers that looked brand new. Her only jewelry pieces were a bangle bracelet, an angel wing necklace, and a pair of small hooped earrings, all in silver.
"I thought I recognized you," the woman said in greeting with a warm smile as her chestnut brown eyes gazed up at him. "This drink's on me."
Marduk gave her a smirk as he took the beer in hand. "Thanks. And you are…?"
The woman smiled warmly. "Just a local who happens to be a wrestling fan. My name's Naomi. It's nice to meet you, Marduk."
Marduk then realized something. "I admit, it's been a while since I had a female wrestling fan approach me without accusations or suspicion, especially after the… scandal."
"Yeah, well, I never really believed what was reported, especially on social media," Naomi pointed out. "I highly doubt it's a coincidence that your boss's daughter would report you like that literally one day after you won the championship from her wrestling boyfriend. Anyone who noticed the pattern would've seen it, but you know how it is these days. Most people don't want to read anything more than headlines. And the media knows that and uses it to their advantage."
Marduk was surprised to hear that… and it felt good. He couldn't remember the last time he had this kind of conversation with a wrestling fan. The fact that she was stunning was a bonus. And smart to boot. On that thought, he decided to go ahead and chat with Naomi… and see where the day took them.
"Well," Marduk started as he leaned a little closer to Naomi while he still gave her some breathing room. "I try not to think about that any more. The past is in the dark these days, and the future is very bright, even with this war going on."
"Absolutely," Naomi agreed - and she leaned in just a little closer. That made Marduk smirk even more. "You're still a great wrestler on your own, but teaming up with King is the best thing to have happened in your career. It'll really boost your solo career when the time comes."
"Well, that's not happening any time soon," Marduk mentioned. "But it will happen someday, I'm certain."
"Good to hear," Naomi said. She then leaned in just a little closer before her voice dropped low and husky. "You know… this might sound a little bold, but I was wondering if maybe, while you're here on the island, we can-"
However, Marduk never heard the rest of what Naomi was about to say when he suddenly saw something get up from a dark corner of the bar and head to the back where the restrooms were. What caught the wrestler's attention was not only the shape of their head - like a leopard - but even in the dark, he caught the color of their eyes -
One was green, and the other was red.
What the - ! Marduk started to shout in his head.
He looked between the figure and the woman in front of him before he made a hasty decision. "Excuse me," Marduk said as he got up from the bar. "I'll be back." He then made a dash towards the direction the figure went towards. Marduk then noticed the door to the men's room swing shut.
Gotcha! Marduk thought as he stalked towards the door. With a yell, he kicked the door open… only for no one to be inside the single occupant bathroom.
"The hell-?!" the wrestler shouted in frustration as he frantically searched his surroundings. There was no sign of the figure anywhere, nor any indication of where he disappeared to.
Where the hell did he go?! I could've sworn I saw - no way!
"That can't be who I thought it was," he ended up saying aloud. "He's dead. Because of me. "
Not knowing what else to do, Marduk decided to give up his pursuit for the time being. He was definitely going to watch from his back from that point forward… just in case what he saw was more than an illusion.
Worse… when Marduk returned to his seat at the bar, Naomi was long gone.
Mishima Forest
It had been a few days since Lars, Alisa, and Lee talked about Lars' mission to find Heihachi in hopes of jogging his amnesia. Since that day, Lee spoke to Cyrax in hopes that he had some kind of connection to the Manji Clan, who may know of Heihachi's whereabouts.
"I can do you one better," Cyrax promised Lee during their conversation. "Give me a day, and I'll have everything set up."
The next day - which was this day - Cyrax contacted Lee again and asked him, Lars, and Alisa to meet up at the Shinto Shrine on top of the island's hill at three o'clock. The three of them made their way up to the highest point on the island through the hiking trails.
Once they were at the top of the hill, they reached a clearing where stood a tall red and black torii. Just by the stone steps that led up to it stood two figures - a black and yellow cyborg Lars figured was Cyrax, and a taller masked man with a mechanical right arm and two swords strapped to his belt.
Lee spread his arms out with surprise, his jaw dropping a little as he stared at his tag team partner. "You didn't tell me you actually knew the Yoshimitsu!"
Cyrax chuckled a little. "You didn't ask me."
"And… you recognize him despite the mask?" Lars pointed out with some confusion.
"Lee and I attended a couple of King of Iron Fist tournaments over the years including the last one," Yoshimitsu mentioned. He then stretched out his prosthetic right arm. "I'm sure this old thing gave him the distinctive clue."
"Granted, we've never faced each other," Lee added. "But one could never forget the face of the Manji Clan's leader."
Yoshimitsu chuckled. "So to speak."
"I have to admit," Cyrax started as he became serious. "It took some convincing to have Yoshimitsu meet us here. But he admits that he's very curious about what this is about and what it may lead to."
"This is true," Yoshimitsu confirmed. He then looked at Lars. "So let me see if I have this right. You're looking for Heihachi Mishima who, as you know, went missing right after the Universal War somewhere in Outworld. You're looking to find him in hopes of remembering something due to your amnesia. And you're seeking my clan's help."
Lars nodded. "That's all correct. Someone I knew said that, before I lost my memories, I was looking for Heihachi but never stated why. As you said, I'm hoping it'll help with my memory somehow. He also suggested seeking your clan out, specifically you, on the off-chance that you, or they, may know where he is given how large the clan is."
"I see," Yoshimitsu said. He then tilted his head a little. "Have we met before? I can't help but wonder why you seem so familiar."
"I don't think so," Lars replied with a shake of his head. "Of course, you're not the first to say that, so now I can't help but wonder why…"
"You likely have that kind of face with common features many have," Cyrax guessed. "Your hairstyle is very unique, though." He gave Lars a thumb's up.
"I like it."
"Maybe," Lars replied. "And thanks."
There was a few moment's pause before Yoshimitsu spoke up, his voice in a serious tone. "What I'm about to share is technically classified among only my clan members. The only reason I'm sharing this is for the sake of this war. Yggdrasil's morale would rise significantly once you're leading them again."
"Eh, should I walk away from this right now?" Cyrax ended up asking.
"Technically, you already know more than you should," Yoshimitsu pointed out to the cyborg. "Just swear by secrecy like the rest. Besides, as a Special Agent for Special Forces, the information may prove beneficial for you and your unit. Until then, however, all of you are sworn to secrecy, at least until this war between Jin and Kazuya is over. Is that clear?"
"Got it."
"Scout's honor," said Lee.
"I promise," replied Alisa.
"Same," said Lars.
Yoshimitsu nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Now then, here's the thing - six months ago, my scouts staying in Outworld actually found Heihachi living within the Living Forest in Outworld. From what I've heard, the old man gave Rip van Winkle a run for his money in terms of looks, but with a much shorter beard and still pretty well-muscled for an old geezer. Anyway, my scouts are posing as well-meaning Outworlders who sympathized with his plight and actually built him a homestead reminiscent of his former home here on Earthrealm called Honmaru. We even brought over his pet bear, Kuma, to keep him company. We made it look like Kuma found him all on his own, but we just secretly coaxed him to Outworld for their reunion."
Cyrax tilted his head at that. "Heihachi owns an exotic animal as a pet? Why? "
"Owning exotic animals as pets is kind of a rich person thing to do," Lee mentioned. "They see it as a 'right of passage' of sorts. I hear Heihachi's deceased wife once owned a Siberian tiger during their marriage."
"Have you ever owned an exotic animal, Mr. Lee?" Alisa asked with some curiosity.
"I admit, I occasionally thought about owning my own panther. But then I think about how much of a mess they'll make on my Fabrica plush carpets. Besides, not only would the environment not be good for them, but my maids already deal with enough as it is."
"Is there a reason for all this rather than simply bringing Heihachi back here to Earth?" asked Lars.
"Very much so," Yoshimitsu answered. "After Jin took over the Zaibatsu, we initially thought he'd use it for the betterment of the world, and Heihachi would most definitely disrupt that given the family history. Heihachi is Jin's grandfather in case you didn't know. It was for the best given how much Earthrealm still needed to recover from the Universal War." He gestured a hand at his surroundings. "But as you might've figured, that's a moot point. Still, it's best to have him remain in Outworld during this war."
"That's understandable," Alisa agreed. "The last thing this world needs is to complicate the war even more so than it already is by adding Heihachi to the mix."
"Exactly."
"So with all this in mind, is there a way we can get access to Heihachi's whereabouts?" Lars asked.
Yoshimitsu didn't say a word right "My sword has the power to transport us between realms, though it's limited. I can't transport large amounts of warriors between realms at one given time, if that makes sense."
"So what you're saying," started Lee. "Is that we're going to Outworld?"
"Yes, but not today," Yoshimitsu said. "It's best if we wait until we're between Rounds Two and Three of this tournament. As you know, that's in two days. This way, it gives us all a full day to get it done. Once we're there, my sword will need to 'recharge' before we can return here. This will also give me an extra day to coordinate with my scouts who are here with me at the tournament."
"Sounds like a plan," Lars said.
"Any advice on what we should expect when we arrive?" Lee asked.
"Just be prepared for anything," Yoshimitsu suggested. "Outworld is still an unstable realm and the people there do not easily trust outsiders. We tread carefully and stick with the plan." He turned to the cyborg who stood next to him. "Perhaps you can come along with us. If we end up arriving at night, your night vision will prove useful in case anyone tries to attack us on our journey."
"I can do that," Cyrax replied with a nod.
"I can do that as well," Alisa spoke up. "But as the saying goes, an extra set of eyes and ears wouldn't hurt."
"She's an android," Lee mentioned.
"Even better," Cyrax said. "And I bet your processing data uploads just slightly faster than mine."
"That is possible," Alisa answered. "For example, while we were having this conversation, I scanned our surroundings and brought up records of the area we're standing on. It took me only point zero eight seconds to upload."
Cyrax was silent for a split second before he answered. " That's impressive. Mine usually takes point one five seconds to upload."
"Since we're on the subject, what did you find?" Yoshimitsu ended up questioning.
Alisa began to explain. "There was a military encampment here at one point, at least until an airship dropped a single bomb in this area. No one died, but a shinto shrine that used to stand just over that hill behind you was destroyed. The event occurred in the summer of nineteen forty-four."
"Sounds like something that took place during World War II," guessed Lee.
"That explains the vegetation that's grown over the shrine ruins since then," Yoshimitsu added. "Anyway, let me coordinate with my scouts here. And in two days, we'll meet here early in the morning and head to Outworld."
Lars sighed. "Something tells me it'll be easier said than done."
"But if it means getting the answers you need, it may be worth it," Alisa said.
"Perhaps."
Unknown to anyone, amongst the thick branches of the trees, Raven kept himself hidden from view as he spied on the conversation between the five. He heard everything that was said between them, and Raven couldn't help but shake his head a little. He swore to make sure no harm came to Lars. Lars going to Outworld would guarantee that would happen.
Dammit. Not even a week in and already I may have to get more involved.
At the very least, Raven was curious about Heihachi's fate. His agency had wanted to know about the old man's whereabouts for some time, and this might be the chance for him to find out and confirm it.
This oughta be interesting, the agent thought.
Silently, Raven jumped off the branch he stood on and headed towards the bottom of the hill.