Chapter Thirty-Six
The first day of Round 3 of the Shikoken Tournament has begun.
War Zone - Outskirts of Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan
Within an abandoned city zone filled with broken buildings, cracked pavements, smashed cars, and abandoned items strewn about, the first match of Round Three of the Shikoken Tournament was underway…
Rolento Schugerg spun his baton rapidly at his opponent named D.D. - a biker-looking fighter dressed mostly in red and black leather with black biker gloves, a button-down black silk shirt underneath his jacket, and red sunglasses with black frames. D.D. managed to jump back from Rolento's attack before he swiftly moved in again to perform an ax kick surrounded by red electricity. The heel of his boot actually hit Rolento's wrist and forced him to lose grip of his baton.
"Damn!" Rolento shouted with annoyance. He was then forced into defense as D.D. moved in to deliver more attacks.
Meanwhile a few feet away, their respective tag team partners - Sergei Dragunov and Rook - jumped into their own battle as soon as the five-minute timer ended. Dragunov himself was on offense as he performed an uppercut to Rook's chin. As his opponent stumbled away, Dragunov took a step forward before he kicked upward and hard enough to send Rook into the air. The militant then waited until Rook fell back down, but didn't give him a chance to land before he jumped forward and executed a spin kick. His foot smashed into Rook's side with enough force to hurl him away until he crashed onto the pavement.
Rook shook off the pain before he forced himself to kip up. As he combed his fingers through his long blonde hair, Rook noticed Dragunov's attempt to cover the space between them. He immediately jumped into the air, flew forward, and delivered a heel drop that hit the top of Dragunov's head. The hit managed to force the militant back while he inspected the potential damage, but Dragunov was otherwise mostly unfazed.
Just as Dragunov began to focus back on the fight, Rook rushed towards him before he unleashed three kicks in quick succession - one to the stomach, the second to the chest, and the last underneath Dragunov's chin, which sent him hurling upwards.
Dragunov shook off the pain as he rolled to the side and flipped himself back onto his feet. He got into a fighting stance and waited until Rook was close enough to throw a right hook. Dragunov swiftly ducked underneath the attack before he delivered a palm strike to Rook's stomach. As Rook keeled over, Dragunov straightened himself up, grabbed for the back of Rook's long hair, and forced him to bend over and smash his face into his knee. Rook shouted with pain as he stumbled back and held his face just as his nose began to bleed.
"Dammit!" Rook yelled through clenched teeth. By then, a small stream of blood trickled down his face. "I'm not about to get my ass kicked by some kind of… zombie military experiment!"
Dragunov barely raised an eyebrow at that comment (and with some amusement) just as Rook unleashed a battle cry and ran towards his opponent once more…
Nearby, Rolento just blocked an incoming kick from D.D., who then attempted to follow with a forward punch. However, Rolento ducked underneath it with ease, which gave him the opportunity to slam the side of his baton into his opponent's abdomen. D.D. gasped and keeled over as Rolento pulled back to leave some berth between them.
While grabbing a pair of knives from his utility belt, Rolento leapt upward, performed a backward somersault, and then threw the knives at D.D., one after the other. "Attack!" he shouted.
After quickly noticing the knives, D.D. attempted to get out of the way. The first one barely missed him, but the second just managed to get close enough to sting his face and leave behind a small cut. Instinctively, D.D. felt for his cheek to check the damage left behind.
"Hey! Watch it!" D.D. warned with annoyance.
"Deal with it, maggot!" Rolento shouted like a drill sergeant as he landed back on the pavement. "If you're meant to be a soldier, you must be prepared for every situation!"
That left his opponent completely and utterly confused. "...What the fuck are you talking about? You're insane! And with your outfit, it wouldn't surprise me if you were some kind of dictator wannabe!"
Rolento glared at D.D. with disdain, insulted by his insinuation. "Me... dictator? Me... insane? Negative! Absolutely negative!"
With a battle cry, Rolento jumped and flipped back before his feet landed on the side of one of the broken buildings that surrounded them. He then kick-jumped away from it, performed a forward somersault, and flew back down towards D.D. D.D. tried to get out of the way, but Rolento's reach was better than he expected as the military General swung down his baton and smashed his left shoulder.
"Fuck!" D.D. shouted in pain as he fell back. He immediately grabbed his injured shoulder to check for damage.
"Judgment!" Rolento called out. "You are not qualified to be a soldier!"
"Whatever, man…" D.D. grumbled as he rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder...
Meanwhile, D.D.'s tag team partner Rook managed to land a punch on Dragunov's chest, but when he attempted a left hook to the face, Dragunov grabbed his fist before it connected. Rook went in for another punch with his free hand, but the silent officer grabbed for that fist as well. As Rook was left wide open, Dragunov lifted a leg and unleashed a forward kick that propelled Rook a few feet. Though the blonde fighter managed to remain standing, he was clearly in agony from the last attack as he keeled over, his hand clutching his stomach as he tried to catch his breath.
This gave Dragunov a moment to charge up some power, his hands quickly surrounded in a red aura. From there, he rolled forward along the ground before he extended his leg and hit Rook's shin with the bottom of his boot. Dragunov then straightened himself up and went in for a swift side kick. The move stunned Rook enough to give Dragunov the opportunity to move in and land a right hook to his opponent's face. As Rook's head snapped sideways, Dragunov went in for one last low kick to the leg before he followed with a spin kick that made Rook stumble away in a circular motion.
Dragunov then waited until Rook regained his balance, his back turned to the Lieutenant. As soon as Rook was able to, Dragunov moved in - his hands still glowing red - and raised both of his fists together before he unleashed a double punch at the back of Rook's head.
The move rendered Rook unconscious before he even hit the ground face first.
"Knockout detected," one of the drones declared right after.
While that was going on, Rolento just stunned D.D. with a backhanded punch. From there, Rolento swiftly moved in with his baton and performed an uppercut that sent D.D. in the air. As his opponent headed back towards the pavement, Rolento jumped up as high as he could. Like an acrobatic performer, he threw his baton above his head in a spinning motion before he somersaulted back - and pulled out six grenades from his utility belt.
The grenades were not real of course. Technically, these particular ones were meant for training purposes.
With a big grin on his face, Rolento threw the grenades down in a way that they managed to completely surround D.D. As soon as they hit the ground, they detonated all at once with enough blast to send D.D. towards the sky.
From there, Rolento landed back on the ground. A split second later, D.D. slammed back into the ground hard enough to render him out cold. Right after that, the General caught his spinning baton in his hand with ease.
A drone soon made the expected call; "Knockout detected. General Rolento Schugerg and Lieutenant Sergei Dragunov win the match!"
Rolento shook his head. "Judgment! Grade C! Those two are in need of supplementary training!"
From the sidelines, Dragunov leaned against one of the brick buildings in silence. As usual, he had nothing to say.
Alamo Square in front of the Painted Ladies, San Francisco, California, USA
"...Everywhere you look. Everywhere - there's a heart, there's a heart. Something something hold on to-"
"Um, Lei?" Chun-Li began to question with a raised eyebrow. "Are you… singing?"
Lei Wulong's eyes quickly went wide when he realized that his quiet singing ended up being noticed. "Eh… maybe? Sorry, eh… I recognized that row of houses in front of us from an old American show and… yeah."
The two of them were sent to the heart of San Francisco and into the Southeast section of Alamo Square. It was a park that had the famous view of the 'Painted Ladies,' a row of Victorian and Edwardian-style homes colorfully painted in ways that enhanced their architectural features. As it was early evening in that part of the world, there was still light even as the sun began to set west and created a mixture of yellow, red, and orange glow across the grounds and buildings within the large city. The highest point of the sky was a violet color.
San Francisco was also known as 'the Windy City' - and today was no exception. Chun-Li was grateful for the double oxhorn hairstyle she worked on earlier that day. Still, she had bangs that seemed to have a mind of their own as the wind whipped the strands in various directions.
Lei wasn't having much luck either. Despite his long black hair being pulled into a low ponytail, he still had short strands that framed his face - enough to nearly get in his eyes as the wind whipped the strands around.
"Need a hairclip, dear?" Chun-Li teased as she noticed her husband's predicament.
"Very funny," Lei grumbled as he swiped some of his hair out of his face - only for them to smack him right back on his forehead.
It was then that a portal opened up nearby, and their opponents appeared within seconds. Lei nearly chuckled as he and Chun-Li were just talking to them back at the casino while they waited for their match to get underway.
"Welcome to Alamo Square in San Francisco, California, USA, Baek Doo San and Bo' Rai Cho. You may begin the match at any time."
"Well I'll be damned!" Lei called out with surprise. "Not only did we get scheduled for a match on the same day, we ended up getting matched for a… match!" The detective quickly gave the two older men a thumb's up with some enthusiasm. "Also, as I'm sure you noticed, the wind here is very… prominent."
"Yes, the wind really is making itself known here," Baek agreed.
Lei then turned his head to his wife and whispered his next words. "I wonder if there's a way to ask 'you-know-who' upstairs to please calm this wind down."
Chun-Li huffed with some amusement at that as she knew Lei was referring to Fujin. "I'm sure he has better matters to attend to, given his status."
"True."
"I look forward to our match," Baek cut in as he took a couple of steps forward. He then got into a fighting stance. "Are you ready?"
Lei and Chun-Li turned their heads to regard each other in order to decide which one of them would go first. Eventually, Chun-Li smiled and winked at Lei before she walked a few feet to face Baek. She placed her right fist on the palm of her left hand and bowed to Baek with respect. Noting (and appreciating) her gesture, Baek followed suit before they both got into their own stances in preparation.
"Whenever you are, Master Baek," Chun-Li responded.
Within seconds, the two of them moved in at the same time and didn't hesitate to throw numerous punches and kicks at each other. It was a while before it was Baek who got the upperhand after he pushed back one of Chun-Li punches, which left her open. From there, he unleashed a flurry of kicks to her torso before he jumped forward to deliver two kicks, one swiftly after the other. The last kick pushed his opponent a few feet away from him.
Chun-Li quickly shook off the ache in her mid-section before she flipped herself upside down. She then extended both of her legs in opposite directions, pushed herself up a bit, then began to rapidly spin herself as though she had turned herself into a human helicopter.
"Spinning bird kick!" she shouted just as her feet connected to Baek's face. He was hit a few times before the last kick hurled him a few feet away. Though a bit dizzy and his body ached from the hits and stumbles, he still was able to get himself to kip up on his feet.
"Wow," Baek managed to say, clearly impressed. "How were you able to defy gravity like that?"
Chun-Li got herself in a fighting stance, but still managed to smile at her opponent. "Sorry. That will always remain a secret."
Baek chuckled. Of course, he himself had his own secret techniques when it came to his own fighting style. "Fair enough," he said simply. He then posed in his stance to signal that he was ready.
It was Chun-Li who quickly enclosed the space between them with a series of punches and kicks, which forced Baek to defend himself. After a few seconds of this, Baek used his forearm to block, then push away one of Chun-Li's punches before he kicked her shin, which stunned her. He then followed with a knee strike to her abdomen.
"AAH!" Chun-Li cried out as she stumbled away and held her stomach. She then shook it off as she noticed Baek approaching her once more.
With a battle cry - and as soon as Baek was within reach - the Interpol detective grabbed for her opponent's shoulders before she performed a handstand. She didn't give Baek the chance to retaliate as she twisted her body, swung downward, then delivered a kick to the back of Baek's head. The older man shouted with some agony as the move sent him flying forward until he crashed into the grass face first.
Chun-Li landed gracefully on her feet and returned to her fighting stance. From there, she waited until Baek was ready…
It was then that the five minute timer went off. Both Bo' Rai Cho and Lei Wulong took out their respective flasks and each went to take a sip. They suddenly stopped when they both noticed the other doing the same exact thing. Bo' Rai Cho beamed with amusement at the situation.
Lei laughed at the coincidence before he asked, "Let me guess; apple juice, too?"
"Actually," Bo' Rai Cho responded. "It's what I call, 'Rye and Chai.'"
"Huh, I don't think I've ever had… hey, wait a sec-!"
From there, Bo' Rai Cho took a quick swig of his drink. At the same time, he pulled out a thick matchstick from one of his utility pouches. Once he was done drinking, he swiped the match against a tree, quickly igniting a single flame. He then brought it to his lips and blew on the flame. The combination of the flame and alcohol from the rye immediately made it look like the Outworlder was a human blow torch as he aimed the flames just barely in front of Lei's toes.
"Wha-AAH!" Lei screamed as he jumped over and back away from the flames. He then ran a few steps back before he gazed up with astonishment at the Outworlder. "What are you trying to do, burn my feet off?!"
Bo' Rai Cho unleashed a belly laugh at Lei's response. "No, my good man. Just seeing if I can keep you on your toes."
Lei shook his head as he stood in a crane stance. "That's an understatement…"
Suddenly, Bo' Rai Cho flew forward in an attempt to land his belly bash maneuver, but Lei managed to get out of the way before he was hit. It also gave Lei the chance to get himself behind the Outworlder before he spun himself, his fists out for a double punch - one after the other. Bo' Rai Cho hissed at the pain against his back and was just turning around to face the Interpol detective before he was met with an uppercut to the face. The force of the hit was enough to hurl him a couple of feet up before he crashed onto his side.
Despite his girth, Bo' Rai Cho quickly managed to roll back before he lept onto his feet like an experienced acrobatic performer. He then forced himself to back up as Lei attempted a cartwheel kick, his feet barely missing the older man. Lei then swiftly got back in his crane pose and tried to snap kick his opponent. However, the Outworlder pulled his head away to evade the attack - before he promptly used the momentum to throw his head forward and bash the younger fighter right in the face.
"YEOW!" Lei screamed as he stumbled back and held his face in pain.
The Outworlder then used that moment to perform a couple of flips forward - the first to get closer, and the second to knock Lei back with his feet. The detective flew back until his back hit a nearby tree and slid down until he was in a sitting position.
"Damn…" Lei groaned under his breath. He quickly attempted to shake off the pain. He definitely wasn't done fighting just yet…
Not too far from them, Baek attempted an upper side kick, which Chun-Li attempted to duck under - only for it to be a sike moment as Baek pulled his foot back to the ground, landed a forward punch onto Chun-Li's shoulder, spun himself into a crouch-down position, then performed a low kick that hit his opponent's ankle. Chun-Li yelped as she stumbled back and briefly rubbed her ankle tenderly from the sudden pain.
After shaking it off, Chun-Li noticed Baek moving towards her once more. She attempted to charge some chi into her hands, but Baek slid forward within reach - his foot extended out in front of him - before she could finish. The taekwondo master lifted his leg further up and attempted an axe kick, which forced Chun-Li to take a step back. She then had to jump as Baek crouched low as he delivered a low spin kick.
As Baek straightened himself back up, Chun-Li was ready.
"Kikoken!" she shouted as she unleashed a light blue projectile from her hand. Due to its close proximity, Baek didn't have time to block nor maneuver out of the way before the projectile hit him squarely in the chest. Baek gasped for breath as he staggered away and nearly lost his footing.
This gave Chun-Li the opportunity to hop up and perform an airborne roundhouse kick that made Baek stumble once more. Just after she landed, Chun-Li moved in, pivoted on one foot, and quickly began to rapidly perform kicks with the other foot. The move she kicked, the faster her moves as her foot hit in various spots between Baek's face and torso to the point that her leg became a blur to those watching the match. Baek tried to block the moves, but found it hard - even with all of his experience - to pinpoint exactly where to stop the onslaught.
After a few seconds of this, Chun-Li let out a battle cry as she delivered one last kick underneath Baek's chin with enough push to send him hurling towards the sky. It wasn't long before the older man fell back down before he crashed hard against the grass.
Baek didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected," a drone soon called out.
Chun-Li smiled a little sheepishly upon that announcement. "Eh… Duìbùqǐ, Master Baek…," she murmured apologetically.
Meanwhile, Lei Wulong attempted a high kick, but Bo'Rai Cho backed away before it connected. The Outworlder was then forced to jump once, then back up once more as Lei tried to deliver two kicks - one after the other - to both shins. Bo' Rai Cho continued to remain patient as Lei jumped up to perform a high spin kick, which the Outworlder moved away from, before he landed on his feet and swiftly followed with a roundhouse kick.
Bo' Rai Cho quickly blocked the kick with his forearm before he slid his hand to grab for Lei's ankle. Then without hesitation, the older man twisted Lei's ankle and forced his younger opponent into the air.
"Oh SHIT!" Lei screamed as he suddenly found himself spinning.
While Lei was still in the air and was starting to fall towards the ground, Bo' Rai Cho moved in quickly with multiple forward hand slaps that kept Lei suspended. The larger man then somersaulted backwards, his foot hitting underneath his opponent and sending him towards the air. He then simply waited until Lei fell back down and - before the detective hit the ground - jumped forward with a flying kick. His foot hit Lei's side and hurled him a few yards away before he crashed into the same tree he hit before. Lei then crashed face first onto the ground and rolled a couple of times before he came to a complete stop.
The crash knocked him unconscious.
"Knockout detected," called out a drone. "Only one fighter per team is left standing."
Bo' Rai Cho turned his attention to Chun-Li, who stood a few yards away. "I hope you don't take your husband's defeat personally," he said with a slight hint of concern.
Chun-Li she got herself into a fighting stance. "As long as he's not too hurt. We're always prepared for anything, Master Bo' Rai Cho."
"Glad to hear," the Outworlder said. He, too, got himself in a fighting stance. "Now then… shall we?"
From there, Chun-Li didn't hesitate to swiftly jump up in the air in a diagonal before she outstretched one leg and somersaulted forward. She then attempted to slam her leg into her opponent, but Bo' Rai Cho ran out of the way and forced her to hit the ground instead and she ended up in a split position.
Once Chun-Li got back up, Bo' Rai Cho swiftly moved in and threw various punches and palm strikes at her. Chun-Li managed to block and parry them until Bo'Rai Cho crouched low and attempted a sweep kick. Chun-Li quickly flipped herself back to evade it.
Once the two were face-to-face once more, Bo' Rai Cho jumped forward and diagonally in the air before he positioned himself for a body slam. Noting this, Chun-Li jumped towards him and performed a handful of rapid kicks while spinning repeatedly. The kicks hit Bo' Rai Cho a few times before the last hit hurled him upwards. As Chun-Li landed back on the ground, the older man regained himself and somersaulted backwards before he landed in a three-point landing.
"Kikoken!" Chun-Li shouted as she threw another projectile from her hands. By then, Bo' Rai Cho stood back up before he grabbed for his jō - a four-foot short staff - and swung it in an up-to-down diagonal direction. The jō hit the projectile and sent it back to its owner, who had no choice but to jump out of the way before it hit her.
That left Chun-Li wide open for the Outworlder's next move. After covering the space between them, Bo' Rai Cho landed two back punches to Chun-Li's face before he followed with a forward kick to the stomach. That caused the detective to stumble back before she keeled over a little bit from the throbbing ache in her abdomen. Bo' Rai Cho then flipped forward towards her three times - the first to get closer while the last two allowed him to smash his feet into her torso. The last attack hit hard enough to send her flying a few yards away until she crashed hard into the ground. She stumbled along the grass for a couple of more yards until she came to a complete stop.
Chun-Li tried to get back up despite feeling dizzy, but it wasn't long before she completely collapsed and the darkness took over her vision…
"Knockout detected," a drone soon announced. "Baek Doo San and Bo' Rai Cho win the match!"
Bo' Rai Cho took a swig of his tea from his flask after that. The last of the four fighters who remained standing, he gazed at both Chun-Li and Lei Wulong. "Both of you are great and strong warriors. You even defeated the likes of a veteran such as Baek," Bo' Rai Cho mentioned aloud, even though he knew neither could hear him. A smile came over the Outworlder's face. "But you - like many before - made the grave mistake of underestimating me."
Rooftop Overlooking an Alleyway, Seoul, South Korea
A light amount of rain fell as a pair of swords clashed together, the sound of steel hitting steel echoing around the area. The sound especially bounced off down the nearby alleyway. Though it was daytime, the taller buildings blocked out the sun and made it look like it was already dark. It made the neon lights from the nearby businesses that much brighter.
Of course, aside from the rain, all that didn't matter to a blind swordsman.
From the rooftop of a small building near an alleyway somewhere in the middle of Seoul, Kenshi Takahashi found himself in a sword battle against his opponent, Soushi. He could tell from her silhouette in his mind's eye that she was dressed like a geisha, mainly due to the outline of the sakkō hairstyle and kimono. Like a traditional samurai, Soushi had her katana's scabbard at her hip and connected to a belt that went around her waist.
The swordplay between Kenshi and Soushi continued until one last clash resulted in the both of them leaning their weapons against each other. It was an attempt for the both of them to try to overtake the other. Not long after, Kenshi managed to push her back a few feet with some force, which left some space between them.
With a yell, Soushi swiftly pointed the tip of her katana at her opponent and shot out a lavender, oval-shaped projectile. Noting this, Kenshi clenched the hilt of his sword before he rose it above his head and swiped it in a downward motion. As she hadn't expected it, the projectile smashed squarely into Soushi's torso and she shouted with surprise as the force of the hit sent her flying a few feet away before she hit the ground.
They were more than five minutes into the match at that point. Their respective tag team partners - Ermac and Takumi - already began their own battle a few feet away. Takumi spun her naginata at Ermac, who blocked the attacks with his ax. Takumi was also dressed like a geisha, her kimono red patterned with gold flower embroidery while her tag team partner wore a forest green version patterned with silver leaf embroidery.
After a minute of going back and forth, Takumi made an attempt to sweep the bottom end of her naginata at her opponent's ankles to trip him. However, Ermac used his powers to swiftly float himself over it, a move which caught Takumi off-guard. As she straightened herself up, Ermac performed a downward kick that knocked her face first into the ground. He then followed through by dropping down with an elbow slam to the middle of her back.
"AAH!" Takumi screamed from the impact.
Nearby, Soushi managed to get back on her feet. She glared at her opponent, almost with suspicion. "Is that blindfold see-through or something?"
"I get asked that all the time," Kenshi said with some mirth.
"...That doesn't answer my question!"
A small side smirk came over the swordsman's face. "What do you think?"
Soushi shook her head with frustration before she swooped in close with her sword. Prepared, Kenshi blocked the attack with a downward swipe with his own weapon. Once more, the two went back and forth until Soushi crouched low and performed a sweep kick that knocked Kenshi sideways onto the ground. She then straightened herself
Kenshi used that moment to raise a hand - which glowed in a light blue aura along with his head - to stop his opponent with his telekinesis. Her foot stopped just inches from his chest and her entire body glowed blue.
"Wha-!" Soushi started to yell as she struggled to move.
From the ground, Kenshi lifted Soushi a few feet up while he moved himself to stand again. Once he was ready, he threw her over his head and sent her across the rooftop before he released his psychokinetic hold. Soushi screamed until she hit the ground.
As Kenshi dashed towards her, Soushi kipped up onto her feet before she got herself in a fighting pose. She then waited until Kenshi was close enough before she extended her open palm in an attempt to strike his chest. However, the swordsman used his wrist to block the maneuver before he shoved her hand to the side.
From there, Soushi delivered various punches at her opponent, who blocked and parried them with ease. At one point, Kenshi was forced to crouch under one attack, which gave him the chance to strike her side with an open palm. As Soushi staggered, Kenshi quickly launched a backwards spin kick that propelled his opponent a few feet away. Before she landed, he lifted his hands and promptly caught her with his powers.
While Soushi struggled to get out of the invisible grip, Kenshi pulled her towards him with quick succession. She swiftly flew past him before he let her go, which made her crash face first onto the ground.
Even with the aching pain running through her body, Soushi managed to ignore it as she turned herself, kipped up, and shot out another projectile, this time from her hand. With how close her opponent was, Soushi was certain it would make an impact - only for the swordsman to teleport right through it. Within a split second, he was directly in front of her!
"No-!" Soushi called out with frustration.
From there, Kenshi delivered a right hook, but even while Soushi blocked the move, a projection of his fist still got past her and landed on her face, which made her head snap sideways. The same happened with his other fist, which connected as well. Finally, he lifted a knee and promptly struck her abdomen, the impact causing her to keep over as air left her lungs.
"Nothing personal," Kenshi said - right before he lifted his hand, which was once more surrounded in a blue aura, and tele-pushed her back. Soushi staggered back enough to give him room to deliver a spin kick that had enough force to send her flying away until she crashed hard against the ground.
Soushi didn't get up after that.
One of the drones soon made the call. "Knockout detected."
Kenshi grabbed for his sword - which had fallen on the ground during the fight - and slid it into its scabbard behind his back with his powers. He then silently took a few steps back to give more space to his tag team partner, who was still in the middle of the battle with his opponent.
Takumi was having as much trouble getting the upper hand as Soushi was as Ermac landed two punches to her face. He then followed with a palm strike just below her collar bone before he immediately used his telekinesis to create a tele-blast. It was like a bright green-colored explosion occurred from his palm. It struck Takumi with enough power to knock her back until she found herself on the floor.
Ermac swiftly floated towards Takumi as she forced herself to sit up - just in time to see him attempt another downward kick. Takumi swiftly rolled away, forced herself back on her feet, and dashed towards Ermac. Her fists glowed in a red aura before she started to lash out with punches from various directions. Ermac had no choice but to get on defense.
After a few seconds of this, one punch actually connected to Ermac's face with enough force to hurl him back. Even with that, he still remained afloat. That didn't stop Takumi from charging towards him.
Ermac attempted to shoot out a green projectile from his hand once his opponent was close enough, but Takumi ducked right underneath it while she still ran. She then went in for another punch, but Ermac quickly shifted away from the attack before he followed with an uppercut underneath her chin. Takumi cried out as she flew upward. Ermac then met her mid-air before he grabbed her with his powers, pushed her away, and tele-slammed her hard into the ground.
Even after that, Takumi was still awake, though much weaker from the fight than she was a few moments ago. Ermac floated downward to her level and waited until she was ready once more. Adrenaline ran through Takumi just as she stood back up again before she screamed out and ran the remaining distance towards him. Ermac simply waited until she was just a couple of feet away.
Quickly, he raised himself up, flew over head and behind her, and delivered a projectile to the ground and right next to her feet. Takumi shouted with surprise as she flew up in the air once again. This time, Ermac waited until she was falling down before he delivered a palm strike to her back. The impact sent her flying until she hit her back hard against the floor.
At that point, Takumi felt dizzy and the pain going through her body was starting to become unbearable. She realized early on that her opponent was strong, but she underestimated how. She actually saw this particular tag team in earlier matches and thought they were simply show-offs and nothing special.
No wonder a lot of the spectators are rooting for this team! she realized. And I had to find out the hard way! Forcing herself to blink away her blurry vision, she silently looked at her surroundings and weighed her options over what to do next.
With both opponents still active, her tag team partner out, and the pain that coursed through her, Takumi had no choice but to forfeit. "I… I'm done," she uttered as she leaned back against the wall. "You win."
"Concede announced. Ermac and Takahashi Kenshi win the match!"
Kenshi turned his head to his tag team partner after the drone's announcement. Inwardly, he was a little relieved that their match went smoothly. Ever since they trained together during the second round of the tournament, Kenshi had some concern about the chaos between the souls within Ermac. He even wondered if it would have any effect during the remainder of their time in the tournament.
After their third victory, it seemed as though Ermac had the souls under control. For the moment.
Garden of the Eiffel Tower, Paris, Île-de-France, France
The setting for the next match could not have been more perfect for tag team partners Karin Kanzuki and Lili De Rochefort.
The portal back on Mishima Island took them straight to the southeast side of the world famous Eiffel Tower. On this particular side was a park-like setting with well manicured trees, evenly trimmed lush grass, and bushes blooming flowers in both red and orange. The sky above was cleared from any clouds with the warm sun high above their heads.
"Oh if only there was time to do a little sightseeing after our match," Karin commented as the two waited for their opponents to show up. "I've been here before, of course, but I haven't had the chance to visit the Musée du Louvre after all this time."
"When you do," Lili began to advise. "Make sure to 'donate' to them in advance if you wish to see the Mona Lisa. They'll clear out the congestion for you in almost no time."
"Thanks for the heads up," Karin replied.
Moments later, another portal opened to let their opponents jump through. Karin and Lili stared at the portal and waited to see who they would come face to face with. To their shock, the tag team that stepped out were none other than their respective rivals!
"Welcome to the Gardens of the Eiffel Tower, Kasugano Sakura and Kazama Asuka," one of the two drones observing the upcoming match reported. "You may begin the match at any time."
Lili didn't hesitate to rush towards Asuka, and it wasn't long before the two were practically nose-to-nose. As Asuka glared at her, Lili gave her a snide smirk. The fact that she was taller than her opponent by a few inches made the moment even better.
"Well well well," Lili started in her well-known condescending tone. "If it isn't Asuka Kazama herself. Our long-awaited rematch will finally begin! And I will come out on top this time!"
Asuka pushed her back by the shoulders with a little more force than necessary - though she didn't care about that for the moment. "You don't have to be so dramatic about it. Plus, it hasn't been that long since our last match. And do yourself a favor; don't get too close enough for me to tell that you ate garlic with your lunch!"
Lili gasped at that before she clenched her teeth with anger. "Why you-!"
While this went on, Sakura and Karin looked at each other as though they expected this. It was Sakura who spoke first. "I, eh… assume they want to go first in this match."
"I assume that as well," Karin agreed. "Well then, Sakura… since I doubt they'll tag us in anytime soon, why don't we begin our own match as soon as the five minute timer goes off. Then, we shall see which one of us gets to add another win to our personal battle total."
"Sounds good to me," Sakura replied. From there, the two of them took a few steps back to give their respective tag team partner some space.
Meanwhile, Lili quickly got into a fighting stance, her glare never leaving Asuka. "I won't make this easy. My father's name is at stake!"
However, before Asuka had the chance to prepare herself (or even asked what her opponent meant by her words), Lili suddenly flew towards her and threw a right hook, which Asuka managed to block with her fist. Lili then followed through with an uppercut, and her opponent barely backed her head away, which caused her to miss.
As Asuka stepped back, Lili spun herself and went in for a spin kick. Asuka narrowly had her jaw caved in as she felt the heel of Lili's boot just barely swipe over it. Just as Asuka was getting her footing, Lili jumped forward once more to deliver a roundhouse kick. Asuka lifted both of her arms and stopped the kick before it connected to her face.
"Hey! Chill out, will ya?!" Asuka shouted with annoyance.
However, Lili's only response was to unleash a battle cry as she spun around and unleashed a backhanded fist to Asuka's face. It managed to connect and snapped her opponent's head sideways. Asuka let out a yelp as she stumbled back a couple of feet.
From there, Lili moved in before she delivered a somersault kick, which managed to land right on Asuka's face. Asuka let out another pained cry as she fell flat onto the grass face first. She heard Lili run up towards her, and she quickly rolled away before the rich girl's foot smashed into her spine.
Asuka flipped herself back onto her feet just in time for Lili to move in close once. The blonde tried to jab a couple of palm strikes at her, but Asuka shifted away from them each time. Lili then extended her leg out and crouched down for a low spin kick, which Asuka jumped over before her opponent's foot connected to her ankles. Lili swiftly straightened herself up after and went in for another palm strike, which forced the brunette to jump back.
"Hi-yah!" Lili screamed as she jumped forward to deliver an ax kick. Asuka quickly moved to evade the attack and used the moment to shift herself so that she was behind her opponent.
Just as Lili turned to face her, Asuka jumped in with an upward kick. Her foot connected below Lili's chin and caused her head to snap back. Lili started to lose her footing, which gave Asuka the chance to slam her fist right into the blonde's face. Lili shouted as she flew back a few feet before she crashed onto the grass on her side.
Asuka folded her arms in front of her as Lili sat back up after a brief struggle while in pain. Lili then turned her head to the brunette with pure disdain in her blue eyes.
"Give up?" Asuka asked casually - even though she already knew the answer to that question.
"Never," Lili growled.
"I gotta admit, you really know how to keep me on my toes," Asuka commented as she stretched her arms out in preparation. "But are you sure you still wanna fight me?"
Lili gritted her teeth with rage just as she returned to her feet. "I can't wait to crush you under my feet, Asuka Kazama! Beating you in this match is all that matters!"
Those words gave Asuka pause, but she didn't have time to fully comprehend them before Lili unleashed another battle cry and ran back towards her. Asuka got herself in a fighting stance in preparation.
It was at that moment that the five minute timer went off. On the sidelines Karin immediately turned to face Sakura and swifty posed in her fighting stance. "As agreed, our match now begins. Are you ready?"
Sakura responded with a smile before she got into her own stance. "Our rematch was a long-time coming. Good luck, Karin."
"You too, Sakura."
Neither girl hesitated to cover the space between them before their fists clashed into each other. It was Karin who managed to get on the offense first while Sakura was forced to get herself on defense.
"Two on two match initiated by both teams," one of the drones announced.
Sakura was able to block a couple of Karin's punches with her forearms, but it didn't take long for the Kanzuki heiress to break through her opponent's defense. With a yell, Karin unleashed two palm strikes to the stomach while both of her hands glowed in a yellow aura. As Sakura keeled over, Karin grabbed both of Sakura's shoulders, lept up so that she positioned herself into a handstand, then flipped her legs back downward before she aimed them at her opponent's torso. Sakura cried out as she was slammed back first onto the ground.
Once that was done, Karin rolled forward before she returned to her feet. As she turned around, Sakura had also rolled back away from her before she flipped up to stand once more.
Without hesitation, Sakura gathered some chi energy into her hands before she shot out a light blue projectile from her hand. "Hadouken!" she shouted as the projectile flew towards the heiress.
Karin expected this and simply jumped and flipped over the projectile. As she began to land back on her feet, her brown eyes widened with surprise as Sakura was suddenly upon her as she jumped and rotated her legs in a mid-air spin.
"Shunpukyaku!" Sakura shouted as her foot connected to Karin's face. Karin stumbled back before a second kick to the face hurled her sideways before she found herself on the grass once more.
Sakura swiftly got into her fighting stance as she waited for the heiress to get back up. Despite the pain that coursed through her, Karin managed to get on her feet within seconds. She then turned to face her long-time rival.
"You used your own projectile to distract me," Karin pointed out. "Not too bad if I say so myself."
"Thanks," Sakura answered with a proud smile. "And you've improved a lot since we last fought."
"Thank you," Karin replied. She then swiftly returned to her fighting stance. "Now then, shall we continue?"
"Of course."
Neither fighter hesitated to cover the space between them once more to proceed with their battle. Sakura threw an overhead punch as soon as she was close, which gave Karin the opportunity to duck underneath the attack before she delivered another palm strike. Her hands glowed yellow once more as she struck Sakura with a second palm strike with enough force to push her back. As Sakura staggered away, Karin crouched low before she slid forward feet first. She was able to hit her opponent's ankles and Sakura shouted with surprise as she crashed back onto the ground.
Karin kipped up before she posed her hands in front of her with her palms facing each other. She then began to charge her inner chi, which appeared as a large, yellow aura. From where she was, Sakura eyed her as she returned to her own feet.
As soon as she noticed that her opponent was ready to fight again, Karin slid forward and attacked with a few punches and palm strikes, all which Sakura blocked and parried. However, one overhead punch from Karin distracted Sakura and, as she went to block it, Karin used her free fist to unleash a powerful uppercut. Her fist made contact underneath Sakura's chin before the brunette was sent flying a few feet into the air.
With a satisfied smirk, Karin simply waited until her rival fell back to the ground - only for Sakura to flip back, stare directly at her, and charge up her own chi.
"What the-!" the heiress called out with shock.
"Hadouken!" Sakura yelled as she threw another projectile. This forced Karin to dodge out of the way before it hit her. This also gave Sakura the chance to land back on her feet without any interference from her opponent.
When that was over, Karin didn't stop her momentum and went straight to where her rival stood. She unleashed a battle cry as she threw a right hook towards Sakura's face. Once more, Sakura got herself on defense as Karin continued to attack with various punches and palm strikes. At the same time, Sakura could sense Karin's desperation to come out on top. It wasn't the first time this happened, nor would it be the last. She was certain of that.
Eventually, Sakura jumped back from a forward kick. Just as Karin pulled her leg away to recover, Sakura swiftly moved in as she clasped her fists together next to her left hit. She didn't give Karin the chance to steady herself before the brunette swung her arms upward. Her fists made contact with Karin with enough momentum to send the heiress up a few feet into the air.
As Karin fell back down to earth, Sakura lifted her leg, pivoted on the other, and delivered an overhead kick. Her foot smashed into Karin's shoulder, the impact forcing the blonde to cry out as she crashed face first onto the ground.
Sakura didn't miss how Karin's fists clenched with frustration on either side of her. The heiress raised her head to glare at her rival, who stood a few feet away and was waiting for her to be ready.
"Not this time, Kasugano!" Karin shouted. "This win is mine!"
Ah! Sakura thought to herself with a little amusement. Now there's the old Karin from our high school days.
Although she was in a lot of pain at that point, Karin's own resilience allowed her to withstand it for the most part. Even with some struggle, she returned to her feet - right before she let out battle cry and dashed at full speed towards her opponent.
With her hands surrounded by a glowing aura - one in pink and the other in blue - Sakura released a large and more powerful projectile that hit Karin squarely in the chest. As Karin lost her footing, Sakura ran forward to gain some speed before she jumped up and performed a quadruple shunpukyaku with quick succession. Just when Karin began to stagger, Sakura charged more chi into her right hand - which glowed a bright pink - before she delivered an uppercut that was devastating enough
When it was over, Sakura landed gracefully on her feet. A couple of seconds later, Karin crashed hard onto the grass. When the heiress didn't move right away, Sakura immediately ran to check on her - though she also prepared herself just in case a surprise attack was imminent.
"Karin?" Sakura asked with concern. "Are you okay? Can you still fight?"
She heard the heiress let out a soft moan in pain before the blonde fell into unconsciousness…
"Knockout detected," one of the drones soon called out.
Sakura took a deep breath after the announcement. "Hopefully she's not too mad that I added another win to our battle total."
Nearby, the battle between Asuka and Lili continued. At one point, Asuka managed to get past one of Lili's kicks and moved in close before she delivered a backhand across Lili's face. As Lili cried out and spun a little from the impact, Asuka turned halfway before she struck her elbow into Lili's side. The blonde was forced back a few feet after the hit.
Lili clenched her teeth with frustration as she turned her head back to Asuka, who ran back towards her to cover the space between them. Lili, however, was prepared and when her opponent was close enough, the rich girl jumped up to perform a double kick. Asuka had no choice but to jump back, which gave Lili the chance to perform a flip kick. The tip of her boot connected right underneath Asuka's chin and the brunette cried out in pain as she stumbled away.
The blonde landed gracefully on her feet before she dashed forward with a spin before she performed a double back kick. Both were blocked by Asuka's hands with the last kick being slightly pushed away. Lili then went in for a backhand attack, but Asuka blocked the hit once more.
From there, Lili made an attempt to deliver another roundhouse kick, but Asuka ducked underneath it. The brunette then slid towards her opponent, crouched down slightly, then flipped herself back. Like Lili before her, the tip of Asuka's shoe connected to the blonde's chin, which knocked her onto her back.
As Lili started to sit back up, Asuka moved to get behind her. She then grabbed Lili's arm, twisted it behind her, then locked her tightly in place with both of her hands.
"AAH!" Lili screamed out in pain. Immediately, she attempted to get out of Asuka's grip, but to no avail thus far.
That gave Asuka the chance to say what's been on her mind ever since their arrival on Mishima Island… and something she knew needed to be voiced after what Lili said about what mattered to her a few minutes ago.
"I'll be honest here," Asuka managed to whisper low enough so only Lili could hear. "You must have a good heart somewhere in that snooty I'm-better-than-you attitude."
"What in the world are you talking about?" Lili asked with annoyed bewilderment.
"You're a Chosen One," Asuka began to explain with some frustration. "A God saw within your heart and chose you to help defend the universe. There may be a lot of us, but trust me when I say that not many are given the task we've been given."
"...I do not see how this pertains to our rematch!"
"Because instead of thinking about how the universe is being affected, all you can think about is yourself and your petty need to win a match against me. I've been a Chosen One from the very beginning, Lili. It's a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. It's not just the commoners who are affected by what we're fighting against. Are you not worried about what could possibly happen and how it could affect those you care about? Like your father?"
Upon hearing that last sentence, Lili let out a scream as she used all of her strength to shove Asuka back, which forced the brunette to let her go. As her opponent regained her footing, Lili swiftly got up, turned around, and used all of her strength to slap Asuka across the face. Asuka cried out with both shock and pain as she flew back a couple of feet before she crashed onto her side. Immediately after, she covered the cheek that was hit.
"How dare you assume I'm not worried about my father!" Lili shouted with anger. "Especially after your own cousin took over his oil fields months back!"
Asuka gritted her teeth momentarily as she shook off the pain from the slap - both the physical and the mental one. However, she gave Lili a little credit - that physical slap had the potential to knock even the biggest opponent out cold.
At the same time, Asuka started to realize that their fight, to Lili, was more than just about their rematch. Lili was clearly angry over Jin's actions - and taking it out on her was perhaps the closest the blonde could get to unleashing that anger for the moment.
"First of all, let me be clear - to you and everyone hearing this through the drones - that I have nothing to do with my cousin's actions!" Asuka called out bitterly as she got herself back in a fighting stance. "We share blood and a last name. That's it! Lili, despite your attempt at throwing me off, however, I hope you understand what's at stake! And no matter what the outcome of our match is, you'll at least think about what I said!"
Lili gritted her teeth as she raised her fists up. "It's about time I shut you up and win this fight once and for all!"
Asuka shook her head with disappointment over Lili's response. Is there any hope for her at all?
Lili let out a battle cry as she slid towards her opponent. Asuka simply waited until Lili was close enough before the rich girl went in for a spinning back kick. She followed through with an attempted kick to the face. Asuka was able to move back from the first attack before she ducked underneath the second.
The last move left Lili open and Asuka immediately took advantage of it. She clutched Lili around the waist with her arms before she jumped up into a cartwheel motion. She felt Lili attempt to struggle out of her grip, but Asuka was able to get a good grip on her just long enough. Before she landed on her feet, Asuka let out a yell as she threw Lili across the field.
Lili's screams could be heard afterwards - at least until she crashed into the closest tree in the park. Asuka winced at the sight as it looked like the impact would hurt. Still, Lili slid downward and, despite slumping against the tree like a ragdoll, ended up in a sitting position.
Afterwards, Asuka watched as one of the drones hovered towards Lili to check on her as she hadn't moved in the last few seconds.
"Knockout detected. Kasugano Sakura and Kazama Asuka win the match!"
"All right!" Sakura shouted as she jumped up with excitement. "Onward to Round Four we go!"
However, despite their win, Asuka didn't feel like celebrating. She had a feeling that the tense rivalry between her and Lili was far from over.
G-Corp Headquarters, Nepal
When the Shikoken Tournament ended for the day, Bruce Irvin went into his quarters and began the process of going through each fight as part of a task Kazuya gave him days ago. The nice thing about this job being done after the tournament ended for the day was that Bruce could simply fast forward through the matches to find what he needed.
There was a noticeable difference in time between the last two rounds and Round Three. As previous tag teams were either eliminated from or forfeited for whatever reason, this gave way to reduce the time the tournament ran each day. Before, it went from eleven in the morning to seven at night. With both Round Three starting and with the matches expecting to last longer due to more resilient fighters still remaining, the run time changed from noon to four in the afternoon. On this first day, the run time ran just under four hours due to the scheduled tag teams finishing early.
In other words, it made Bruce's job go faster.
Once more, as it was the first day of Round Three, Bruce wasn't expecting to find what he was looking for. That was until one particular fight came up time stamped just after two o'clock Japan time. It was one fighter's distinctive feature that caught Bruce's attention…
A red blindfold tied over the fighter's eyes.
Immediately, Bruce got to work. He first confirmed that the warrior was indeed a sword user. He then put the video in slow motion in order to take the clearest and best picture he could get of the swordsman's face. Then finally, the G-Corp XO logged in two names (since he wasn't sure which of the two names belonged to the one with the blindfold even after going through the whole match) and attached it to the newly created folder; Ermac and Takahashi Kenshi.
Once the task was done, a smirk came over Bruce's face. "Let's find out more about you and see if you really are one of The Four."