A/N: Apologies for the delay. I ended up injuring my wrist and thumb earlier this month before I could finish this chapter. At least now, it's mostly manageable and I'm wearing a smaller brace that lets me type again.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Grand Mansion Foyer, Palais Garnier, Paris, Île-de-France, France
The Palais Garnier - it's a world famous opera house that was built during the times of Emperor Napoleon the 3rd and was built at his behest. Within the building was an area known as the Grand Mansion Foyer - a place that looked to be built with gold. With a grand staircase, glittering chandeliers, renaissance-era art painted along the high ceilings, and well-detailed statues from the same era as the paintings, it was a breathtaking sight to behold.
The four fighters who found themselves at this place barely had the opportunity to take in the view before their match began.
The five-minute timer had just gone off when Kung Lao - who was watching the match between his tag team partner Kai and his opponent, Manuela da Silva - noticed movement nearby. He didn't even have to turn his head to realize that Manuela's tag team partner - her older brother Enzo - was running towards the Shaolin monk to begin their part of the match.
Kung Lao stared at Enzo with the corner of his eye until he was just a few steps away. The monk smirked just before he let himself sink through the floor. This, of course, caught his opponent by surprise, and he barely got himself to stop in his tracks before he frantically began to search around.
"What the-" Enzo started to say - right before Kung Lao reappeared through the floor and delivered an uppercut underneath his opponent's chin. Enzo shouted out with pain as he flew upwards.
While both fighters were still in the air, Enzo somersaulted backwards and eyed Kung Lao. He then flew forward before he performed a rapid spin kick mid-air, his foot surrounded by a light red glow. He managed to kick Kung Lao in the torso and sent the monk back downward before he crashed onto his side.
Kung Lao just managed to roll onto his back as Enzo - who's black hair was styled both in a mohawk and long dreads that were pulled back in a ponytail, and who wore an open light blue vest, white pants, and a yellow sash around his waist - ran towards him. With a battle cry, Enzo attempted an ax kick, his heel aiming for his opponent's face. Noting this, Kung Lao once more teleported through the ground before he reappeared in a standing position just behind his opponent.
Kung Lao then took his bladed wide-brimmed hat off his head and waited until Enzo turned to face him - right before he tossed it forward. Of course, Kung Lao threw it in a way that barely missed Enzo whether he ducked right underneath it or not (just in case Enzo's reflexes weren't fast enough once he registered what was flying towards him - Kung Lao, of course, didn't actually want to cut off the young man's head). As expected, Enzo screamed as he ducked away from the hat. Like a boomerang, the hat soon turned back around and flew towards its owner, who caught it with his hand with ease once it was within reach.
"Are you trying to kill me?!" Enzo shouted with surprise as he straightened himself back up.
Kung Lao chuckled as he placed his hat back on his head. "Nah, I'm just trying to keep you on your toes. And honestly, I'm surprised your pants are still white after that."
"Very funny…" Enzo grumbled. He then gave Kung Lao a serious gaze as he got himself back in his Capeoira fighting stance. "I'm not done yet."
"Neither am I," Kung Lao replied as he got into his own stance. Within a split second, the two were running towards each other to continue their battle…
Meanwhile, Kai's leg was surrounded by flames as he crouched low for a sweep kick against his opponent Manuela - who's red hair was in thick dreads and pulled back in a ponytail (save for her thick bangs), and who wore a white one-strap crop top, white elbow-length gloves with gold bracelets around the wrists, yellow flare pants with white chevron designs on the bottom half of the two pant legs, and a red sash around her waist.
However, Manuela saw the sweep kick on time and jumped over it. As she did, Manuela flipped herself forward and closer to Kai - her feet surrounded by a yellow aura - before she performed a double cartwheel kick. The first kick hit Kai in the shoulder while the second hit the top of his head and knocked him face first to the floor. Despite feeling dizzy after the second hit, Kai still managed to get himself back up, albeit slowly.
"You need to hit harder than that, sis!" Enzo shouted from where he was having his match.
Manuela rolled her eyes without turning to where her brother was. "I should've partnered with cousin Laura," she grumbled underneath her breath.
By then, Kai was back on his feet. He got himself in a fighting stance, which indicated that he was ready. Manuela did the same briefly before the two closed the distance between them and proceeded with their battle. As they were both Capoeira fighters, it was like watching two fighters dance, at least for the moment. Both Kai and Manuela made attempts to deliver various maneuvers as they tried to overtake the other and get on offense.
It wasn't long before Manuela managed to land a kick on Kai's chest, which forced him to stumble back a couple of feet. This gave the young woman the opportunity to flip onto her hands and extend one leg above her head. With her other leg, she swiftly pointed it towards her opponent and shot out a yellow projectile from her foot.
Kai noted this and flipped himself over the projectile before it connected. Manuela then rolled back and onto her feet just in time to block an incoming punch from Kai. She then blocked two more punches before he lifted a leg to kick her twice. The first was blocked and the other was parried, which nearly caused Kai to lose his balance. Manuela then tried to land a palm strike to her opponent's face, but Kai bent himself back and away from the attack. As he straightened himself again, he raised his hands to block an incoming kick from his opponent. From there, Kai found himself on defense and began to search for a way to get back on offense…
Nearby, Kung Lao landed a punch on Enzo's face with enough force to send him stumbling a few feet back. This gave Kung Lao enough space to fly towards Enzo and flip himself so that his feet were ahead of him. The monk then spun himself and landed three kicks to Enzo's torso. The last kick hurled his younger opponent back until he landed just near the bottom of the foyer's grand staircase.
Despite the pain in his body, Enzo forced himself to kip up onto his feet. He noticed Kung Lao coming towards him and, with a battle cry, he launched a fist forward and unleashed a light red projectile. To his dismay, Kung Lao shifted himself away from the projectile and it instead hit one of the nearby columns.
"Shit!" Enzo shouted with frustration. He then tried to cover the distance between himself and his opponent and attempted a forward kick once he was close… except not only did Kung Lao jump sideways and evade the kick, but he also was able to grab Enzo by the shoulders and forced him to come face to face.
From there, Kung Lao pulled Enzo just next to and past him before he slightly lifted up one bent leg and forced Enzo to bend back over it. Then, for Enzo, it was like he was being hit in the face a thousand times as Kung Lao unleashed a rapid series of punches. He then followed with one last punch before he grabbed Enzo and flipped him back and away from him. The Shaolin Monk then got into his fighting stance to see if Enzo would get up after that.
He didn't.
"Knockout detected," one of the drones soon announced.
That distracted Manuela as she turned her head to where the other fight was taking place. She soon saw her brother on the ground, much to her dismay. "Enzo!" she cried out.
Of course, that gave Kai the chance to move in close while she wasn't looking. As soon as he was within reach, Kai crouched low before he pushed himself off the ground and delivered an upward kick, his leg surrounded by flames. His foot smashed underneath Manuela's chin, and she cried out with pain as she flew up into the air.
While Manuela was still in the air, Kai flipped himself back onto his feet before he jumped back up so that she was at her level before he unleashed a flame projectile in her direction. Manuela attempted to block the projectile with her forearms, but there was too much force behind it. She soon flew away screaming until her back smashed hard against one of the foyer's columns. She then fell face first onto the ground. Thankfully, the drop was only a couple of feet down at that point.
Manuela tried to stand back up afterwards, but she eventually realized that the pain in her body was unbearable. After briefly gazing back up, she noted that both her opponent and his tag team partner were still standing. She knew right then and there that there was no way she would win this.
"I… I concede…" Manuela muttered as she hung her head in defeat.
"Concede announced. Kung Lao and Kai win the match."
The two warriors looked at each other after the announcement before they both gave one another a single nod in acknowledgement. They then turned their heads and walked over to where Manuela fell.
"Are you all right?" Kai asked his opponent.
Manuela sighed in defeat. "Yeeeah, I guess. I just won't hear the end of it from my brother, once he wakes up, or my cousins."
"Hey, I know what that's like," Kung Lao started. He recalled all the times - as a youngster training at the Wu shi Academy - being teased by other students about not keeping up with his practices as he should - especially if he lost to Liu Kang. "But try not to let it get to you."
"You may have lost today," Kai began to advise. "But not completely, believe it or not. Think about what you learned today and apply it to your training tomorrow. The more you learn and practice, the better you'll be. Remember, even the best masters experienced many defeats."
Manuela slowly nodded as Kai's words sunk in. "That's true. Thank you."
Buffalo Range, Montana, USA
"Welcome to the Buffalo Range of Montana, USA, Dan Hibiki and Blanka. Your opponents will arrive momentarily."
Almost as soon as they arrived, both Dan and Blanka covered their mouths and nose as a horrid stench assaulted their senses. "Who's idea was this to send us to fight somewhere so smelly?!" Dan shouted out.
Blanka coughed a couple of times before he answered. "And I thought skunks smelled awful!"
"Well, it could be worse…" Dan mentioned.
Blanka gave him a perplexed gaze. "How?!" he exclaimed.
Dan thought it over momentarily before he signed with defeat. "Honestly, I'm not sure how…"
It didn't take long before another portal opened and two more fighters stepped out - a team familiar to both Dan and Blanka.
"Welcome to the Buffalo Range of Montana, USA, Kilik and Maxi. You may start the match at any time."
"WHEW!" Maxi called out as he fanned his nose with his hand. "What is that crappy smell?! It smells like, eh…"
"...Crap?" Kilik finished for him.
"Ugh… yeah. Why in the world would they choose such a place for a match?"
"Probably for the nice view," Kilik guessed as he noticed the mountain range off in the distance.
"At least the buffalos are off in the distance," Dan mentioned aloud to the Keiseians. "So all the… crap… should be away from here, too."
"Here's hoping," said Blanka as he looked over the grass from where he stood.
It was Maxi who stepped in to begin the match. He took out one of his nunchucks and swiped it a few times in front of him in preparation. "All right, let's have some fun."
"You got it!" Dan called out as he briefly gave Maxi a thumbs up - while he charged some chi into his free hand at the same time. Within a split second, the man in pink thrusted his hand forward.
"Gadouken!" he shouted as a blue projectile emerged from his hands… only for it to pop like a bubble just a few feet away from his opponent.
Maxi blinked a couple of times after witnessing that before he looked at Dan and gave him a concerned gaze. "Eh… you okay? Do you need another minute?"
"Yeah, I'm good, I'm good," Dan replied as he frantically waved his hands in front of him. "I was just a tad bit hasty, that's all. I blame the environmental smell." He then quickly got into a fighting stance. His face became serious as he put his full focus into the upcoming match. "Okay, bring it on!"
Maxi simply paused for just another moment before he got himself in his own fighting stance. A smirk came over him before he spoke. "All right, Hibiki. Show me what you got."
With a battle cry, Dan quickly leapt forward with a knee jab, which Maxi jumped away from. However, Dan swiftly extended that same leg, and his foot slammed into Maxi's head. The man in pink followed with two more kicks to the face before the last one knocked Maxi back a few feet.
"Maaan," Maxi grumbled as he shook off the pain and took a second to get his hair back into place. "Are you trying to mess with my hair?"
"Can't help it," Dan began to taunt as he flexed his bicep. "There's something about someone's well-maintained hair that makes me want to punch them."
Maxi was about to glare at his opponent, but then he actually heard his own tag team partner chuckle. He immediately whirled around to face Kilik, who had a smirk on his face. As soon as he noticed Maxi glaring at him, Kilik immediately wiped the smirk away.
"Who's side are you on?!" the Keiseian called out.
Unfortunately for him, Dan took a chance to move in close enough to perform a jumping uppercut that connected under Maxi's chin and sent him hurling upwards.
"Koryuken!" Dan shouted as he spun himself mid-air before he landed gracefully on his two feet.
While still in the air, Maxi managed to catch himself by somersaulting forward and aimed a foot at Dan's head. Dan noticed this and yelled out with surprise as he dodged out of the way. That made Maxi have no choice but to land on the ground, but he didn't hesitate to turn around to face Dan almost as soon as he was on his feet again.
With fast speed, the Keiseian moved in closer towards the Saikyo fighter with a spin before he slammed the back of his fist into Dan's chest. As Dan gasped from the pain, Maxi crouched low before he delivered a sweep with his foot. He managed to trip Dan and - while the man in pink was still off the ground - perform an uppercut that hurled him upwards.
It was Dan's turn to catch himself as he somersaulted backwards. "Not so fast!" he yelled out just before he was on the ground once more. He then ran towards Maxi as he charged up some chi into his hands.
Then with a battle cry, Dan shot his hands forward and unleashed a barrage of punches, his hands glowing with a yellow aura with each punch. Maxi keeled over from the hits and gasped for breath, which gave Dan the chance to unleash one last punch to the sternum with enough force to shove Maxi away a few feet. The Keiseian soon crashed onto the dirt.
"Yahoo!" Dan cried out as he flexed his right bicep for the drone cameras he was looking at. "That, right there, is the power of -"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence as he heard footsteps behind him. Dan quickly turned around to face his opponent - only to see that he was too close to give him time to retaliate.
"Crap-!" Dan attempted to yell out
"Eat this!" Maxi shouted as he rapidly swung his nunchuck at Dan. To Dan's credit, he tried to block the weapon, but after the third attempt, he was smack in the face and lost his focus from there. After a couple of more hits, Maxi spun himself around and delivered an upward back kick that sent his pink-clad opponent up towards the air.
While Dan fell back down, Maxi took a moment to charge some chi into his fist. He then waited until Dan was within reach once more before he unleashed a back fist to his opponent's torso.
"YAAAAH!" Dan screamed as he flew across the field. It was a few yards before he hit the ground hard to where the settled dust sprouted upward. He rolled a few more yards before his body came to a complete stop.
He didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected," a drone soon announced.
Maxi frowned a little afterwards. "You know… I almost feel bad about that. Almost."
Nearby, Blanka stood up straight and stretched his arms out as he stared straight at Maxi. "Come on!" he shouted. "Let's see if you can defeat the likes of me!"
Maxi got himself in a fighting stance before he raised a hand and beckoned Blanka over. "All right. I'm game."
"Maxi, don't forget that I'm standing right behind you," Kilik reminded his old friend.
"Thanks, pal!" Maxi called out right as Blanka began to run towards him.
Kilik huffed dryly at that. Not what I meant, but I'll take it, I guess.
Maxi was just getting into his fighting stance when Blanka suddenly jumped forward. In mid-air, he tucked himself into a ball before he somersaulted forward in rapid speed. Maxi's eyes widened with surprise over that. Though he made an attempt to get out of the way, Blanka still managed to practically slam his head into his torso with enough force to send the Keiseian hurling back until he crashed onto the ground right at Kilik's feet.
"Ow…" Maxi groaned as he practically saw stars in his vision.
Kilik reached a hand out to his friend. "Just tag me in already."
Maxi huffed with some annoyance before he finally relented and reached a hand out to tag Kilik in. "Oh fine. As long as you've got this."
"Yeah, I got this," Kilik said just before he ran towards Blanka. Maxi sat up from where he fell and began to watch the match.
As soon as Kilik swung his staff sideways, Blanka turned towards him and managed to grab hold of the weapon. Before Kilik could react, Blanka used all of his strength to swing Kilik in a half circle before he let go. Kilik - who still held on to his staff - let out a surprised shout as he flew a few feet across the field before he crashed on his side into the ground.
"Oh yeeeah Kilik!" Maxi called out sarcastically as he rested his face on his hand, his elbow propped by his bent knee. "You suuure as hell got this all right!"
The throw still didn't stop Kilik's momentum as he rolled back onto his feet and charged up some chi into his staff as Blanka ran back towards him. The Keiseian then attempted to shove his weapon forward as soon as his opponent was within reach, but Blanka managed to duck underneath before he was hit. The fanged beast then moved a few feet closer before he jumped and performed a backward handspring. He tried to kick both of his feet underneath his opponent's chin, but Kilik was able to jump back before that occurred.
From there, Kilik sprinted a couple of feet forward before he planted one end of his staff into the ground. He then used the weapon to balance himself as he jumped forward with both feet extended out in front of him. Noting this, Blanka moved to the side and rolled out of the way before he was attacked.
Kilik then performed a cartwheel kick, which Blanka evaded before he was forced to move away a couple of more times when Kilk attempted a few more kicks. He then swung his staff - and Blanka caught it with both hands. With the two of them holding the staff, they soon found themselves in a power struggle in an attempt to overtake the other.
As the two continued to struggle against each other, Blanka chose that moment to use his electric powers. He charged his hands - enough to hurt, but not enough to kill - before he unleashed his powers into the staff they both held in their hands.
He expected Kilik to be electrocuted right then and there. But to his surprise, Blanka noticed how even though the yellow shocks passed from his hands and into the staff, it never moved beyond that. As a matter of fact, it didn't take long for him to realize that the staff was absorbing the electricity.
Noting this, Blanka immediately let go and back away. Kilik moved away as well as the last remnants of the yellow bolts around the rod faded away.
"Y-your staff," Blanka started to say with some astonishment. "It has powers."
"More than most would ever comprehend," Kilik answered in a neutral tone.
With a small growl, Blanka performed a backward handspring halfway before he pushed himself upward and into the air. Blanka then tucked himself before he rapidly somersaulted in a high arc ball. He then angled himself downward and towards his opponent.
Kilik was prepared and managed to jump up and cartwheel over Blanka just as the latter reached him. From there, the both of them landed on their feet and swiftly turned to face each other. At the same time, the Keiseian also swung his staff sideways and smashed it into Blanka's face. As his opponent yelled out in pain, Kilik crouched low and, once more, used his staff to sweep Blanka off his feet. While in mid-air, Blanka was soon hit with two back kicks before Kilik spun himself and slammed his staff into the back of Blanka's head and forced him face first into the dirt. The momentum of the hit caused Blanka to bounce off the ground a couple of times before he came to a complete stop.
Blanka didn't move afterwards.
"Knockout detected. Kilik and Maxi win the match."
"All right!" Maxi cheered from the sidelines. "That's how it's done!"
Kilik wasn't really listening as he found himself staring down at his staff - the Kali-Yuga. It was one of the three sacred treasures of the Ling Sheng-Su Temple, where he grew up. A piece of the second - the Dvapara-Yuga - was placed around his neck while the other shards remained with his master, Edge Master, back in Keisei. The third - Krita-Yuga - was lost a few years ago. Only he, Edge Master, Xianghua, and Maxi knew the truth about the third treasure's fate - and its true form.
Feels like a long time ago since those days, Kilik thought to himself. I must continue my path of redemption.
Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas, USA
In the middle of a desert at an old roadside stop with graffitied Cadillac cars half buried face first into the ground, Reiko was in the midst of battle. He threw rapid punches at his opponent, Marcus - a man dressed in nothing more than light blue jeans torn at the knees and bandages wrapped both around his hands and his head with only his brown eyes showing. Marcus was able to block the first few punches before one managed to get past his defenses and land on his cheek. Reiko attacked with a few more punches before he spun around and delivered a palm strike to Marcus's chest with enough force to send him hurling back until he crashed into the dirt ground on his side.
While Marcus was on the ground, Reiko grabbed a few small shurikens from his utility pouch before he threw them rapidly at his fallen opponent. Marcus saw this in time and managed to roll out of the way quickly before any of the shurikens embedded into his skin. Marcus then rolled up onto his feet before he extended his arms out…
What Reiko didn't expect was for Marco's arms to literally detach themselves from his elbows and fly towards him at rapid speed. Reiko barely noticed how Marcus's arms seemed to be attached to some made of rubber before his fists smashed Reiko's face and knocked him away until his back hit one of the half-buried cars on the lot. Still, Reiko shook it off and ran back towards his opponent.
Meanwhile, Mavado - Reiko's tag team partner - jumped into the fray after the five-minute countdown ended and used his hookswords against his opponent - a boxer named Gregor who sported blonde hair styled into a short mohawk, a red tank top, blue fighting gloves with one large star on each one, a pair of white tennis shoes with socks, and shorts with an American flag pattern on it. With no weapon on him, Gregor was forced to duck and dodge from Mavado's weapon.
Eventually, Gregor found an opening after another swipe from Mavado's hookswords and slid closer to him. With his fist suddenly surrounded by blue flames, Gregor delivered three punches to Mavado's midsection before an uppercut sent the Red Dragon loyalist up towards the sky. In the process, Mavado dropped his weapons, and Gregor took the opportunity to kick them away and out of reach.
In mid-air, Mavado somersaulted back to regain himself. As he fell back down, he found his opponent waiting for him. Noting a nearby half-buried car, Mavado quickly shot out one of his grapple hooks from his wrist tech hidden underneath the only sleeve of his leather trench coat. He then quickly pulled himself forward until his feet planted against the car. From there, Mavado pushed himself off and flew towards Gregor before he clotheslined him and knocked him onto his back.
Not too far from them, Reiko was forced to back up as Marcus moved within arm's reach. From there, he lifted his leg and smashed his foot into Reiko's stomach, which forced him to stumble away a few feet. As Reiko attempted to recover, Marcus shifted closer and went in for a roundhouse kick.
Reiko swiftly ducked from the move before he swiftly moved in and rammed his shoulder into Marcus's stomach. Reiko's opponent gasped for breath as he nearly lost his footing.
The Outworld Enforcer then used that opportunity to move in for a flying kick that made Marcus stagger, though he still remained upright. Reiko got in close once more to land a few punches on Marcus's face and torso before he reached out to grab both of his shoulders. Marcus began to reach up to defect the grab, but he never had the chance as Reiko suddenly headbutted him in the face with full force. A crunching sound was heard - Marcus's nose likely broke in the process - just before he fell back into the dirt like a ragdoll.
It wasn't long before one of the two drones made the usual announcement; "Knockout detected."
Nearby, Mavado's fight against Gregor continued as the Red Dragon XO threw one of his grapplers into the ground and spun around his opponent to evade an ax kick. Mavado was able to get behind Gregor, who became mildly disoriented by the man's sudden disappearance, before he slammed his foot into his back.
Gregor shouted in pain as he staggered forward and placed his gloved hand over where he was hit. Despite that, he remained standing as he quickly turned to face Mavado. Both of them covered the space between them at the same time, but it was Gregor who immediately got the upperhand as he delivered a powerful uppercut that hurled Mavado back and upward.
Like before, however, Mavado somersaulted back before he landed safely. With a few extra feet of space between them, Mavado used this chance to throw down two grapple hooks - one from each wrist - and planted them firmly into the ground. He then pulled himself back before he released himself and flew fast with his feet forward.
Gregor attempted to get out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough before Mavado's feet smashed him right in the face. He then flew away until his back and head hit the side of one of the half-buried cars and left behind a slight dent. Like Marcus a few moments ago, he fell forward into the dirt ground like a ragdoll - and didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected. Reiko and Mavado win the match."
Mavado shook his head as he went to pick up one of his two hookswords. "That was an easy win," he said with a hint of disappointment.
Reiko nodded to him in agreement before he replied. "I expect better challenges after this round is over."
Fraserburgh Castle, Northumberland, United Kingdom
In the English countryside sat an old castle that overlooked a small town, a lake, and the distant mountains. As it was early morning in that part of the world compared to mid-afternoon back on Mishima Island, the sun was barely rising above the mountains and daylight shined through. Part of the castle contained a wide bridge on the third level big enough for a battle to take place.
A split second ago, the first of two tag teams arrived for their match; "Welcome to the Fraserburgh Castle in Northhumberland, United Kingdom, Sonya Blade and Cammy White." one of two drones informed. "Your opponents will arrive momentarily."
Cammy gazed "Huh, I know this place," she said aloud.
"Hmm," Sonya hummed as a thought came to her. "You know… in all my years and all my travels, I don't think I've ever given myself a moment to take in the view."
"It's quite a sight when you see it," Cammy informed her.
Another thought came to Sonya. This time, her voice was low enough so that the nearby drones didn't hear. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but… since you know this place, was it… something you told Jin about back when you two were…?"
Cammy's eyebrows furrowed at that. As much as she hated talking about her past with Jin, she figured this particular question didn't hurt to answer given the potential coincidence in question. "I… don't think I ever told him, but…" She pointed at a prominent white building within the nearby village. "That manor over there is our country's Intelligence Headquarters. My old Delta Red team and I used to have a lot of meetings there. Of course, everyone knows who I work for. If this isn't a coincidence, he… likely made the connection."
"...If he did make the connection and sent us here because of it… why do you think he did?"
If Cammy was going to answer, she didn't get a chance as another portal opened opposite of them… and two very familiar faces stepped out of it.
"Oh. Hell," Sonya growled. Noting their opponents, Cammy knew exactly why Sonya reacted the way she did…
One of the two drones soon made the expected announcement. "Welcome to the Fraserburgh Castle in Northhumberland, United Kingdom, Kano and Doctrine Dark. You may begin the match at any time."
Of course, not only did their opponents happen to be two of the three whose Interpol files were pulled by the Mishima Zaibatsu prior to the tournament, but Kano himself happened to be Sonya's long-time foe.
As the two men took in their surroundings, Sonya dropped her voice low enough so that only Cammy heard her. "What do you think? Coincidence? Or perhaps Kazama found out about my… history with Kano?"
"Hard to say," Cammy replied. "That would depend on whether or not Kano told him anything. And if he did, it only leaves the question of how far Jin has fallen. Mere coincidence, or would he actually let someone like Kano have a chance against a long-time rival that happens to be one of Jin's past allies?"
Sonya took a deep, even breath at that. "If we're lucky, maybe we will get answers to those questions when this war is all said and done."
It didn't take long for Kano to spot Sonya across the way - and she wasn't surprised when he gave her a grin that was full of both mischief and deceit. Even as he walked to the middle of the space they were in, his stare never waivered.
Sonya glared at him as her blood boiled with seething rage. As she began to meet him halfway, images of the past filled her mind; of betrayal, a sudden ambush, and many soldiers slain. The worst was the moment Kano himself slit the throat of her partner. Kano never failed to conjure up the nightmares in her mind every time she saw his face in person.
Ten feet away from him, Sonya stopped her walk and she didn't hide her fists that clenched at either side of her. Kano stopped as well. His smugness never left his face and he didn't take his eye off her as he puckered his lips before he kissed the air with a soft, 'Muah.' When she didn't react, he simply laughed.
"'Ello, baby," Kano greeted with wicked delight. "Did ya miss me?"
Sonya stared at him with all the disdain and hate she had for him. "Missed putting my fist in your face," she responded evenly.
On the sidelines, even Cammy could feel the animosity her tag team partner had towards him. At the same time, the British agent quickly figured out the reason why Sonya hated being called 'baby.'
"Ah, I see you're still mad as a cut snake," Kano mentioned.
"A lot of my guys got killed because of you," Sonya seethed through clenched teeth.
"Heh. But look how it brought us together."
"Had fatalities been allowed in this tournament," Sonya began to declare. "I'd snap your neck and finally end you for good."
The grin from Kano dropped at that moment. "Figured as much. 'Til then, I'll remain a thorn in your side. Have a go at it, Major."
"You first," Sonya dared him.
Kano gave her a side smirk - right before he stepped forward and lashed out a knife he swiftly pulled from the sheath behind his back. Sonya jumped back a couple of times from the fast side-to-side motion to evade the knife until she finally blocked him by grabbing his wrist. The sharp side of the knife ended up a few inches from her face. Kano then used his free hand to attempt a left hook, but Sonya grabbed for it with her own free hand before it connected.
Kano glared down at her. "Give it up, baby. Remember what I said last time we fought - I studied all your moves."
With a yell, Sonya suddenly shoved her head forward and hit the non-plated side of his head. Kano shouted out as he stumbled back a few feet and dropped his knife in the process. Sonya immediately grabbed the knife, threw it off the side of the bridge, and let it fall off to the side and into the courtyard below.
"I doubt you had time to 'study' while you were in San Quentin!" Sonya answered as she got herself in a fighting stance.
Kano shook off the pain, spat out some phlegm to the side, then turned his attention back to his opponent. "Didn't need to, love."
With a battle cry, Sonya ran forward before she jumped to deliver a kick, but Kano reared back before her foot hit his chest. After she landed on her feet, Sonya jumped and attempted a roundhouse kick to Kano's face, but he moved back once more. But then she spun the opposite way with another roundhouse with her other leg. This time, her foot hit Kano square in the chest and shoved him back a few feet.
Kano recovered in time as Sonya closed the space between them and threw two punches at him, which he blocked with his forearms. She then went in for a forward kick that he parried away before he slammed a palm into her stomach. Sonya gasped for breath as she keeled over briefly.
The criminal was about to take a step forward, but Sonya recovered faster than he expected as she slid towards him and tried for another punch to his face. However, Kano ducked underneath the attack before he grabbed her around her waist, lifted her up, and slammed her back first onto the stoned ground.
From there, Kano unleashed a red laser from his cybernetic eye and aimed it at his opponent, but Sonya rolled out of the way before it hit her. She then rolled back on her feet and didn't hesitate to shoot out three pink ring-shaped projectiles from her tech device on her wrist. Kano promptly jumped over it before he tucked himself into a ball and flew rapidly towards her in a spinning motion. Despite this, Sonya ducked low to the ground, stretched her legs out in front of her, then pushed upward. She swiftly moved her legs in a motion like she was on a bicycle while flying in an upward, diagonal direction. Her feet soon caught Kano's mid-section and sent him back up before he fell and crashed into the ground. Sonya landed safely on her feet seconds later.
"You're becoming a little too predictable," Sonya pointed out as she straightened herself back up.
Kano rolled his eye as he spat out another wad of phlegm off to the side. "As if you're one to talk," he growled.
Meanwhile, the five minute timer went off, which drew Cammy away from the fight between Sonya and Kano. Predictably, Kano's tag team partner, Doctrine Dark, started to go straight after her in a sprint.
He used to work under Guile, Cammy reminded herself. And he lost his mind after a mission went completely FUBAR. She only knew the gist of the story - even Guile admitted as much. It was clear by the way he spoke of that time that it was one of his biggest regrets of his career.
In the back of her mind, Cammy wondered if the man was out for revenge.
As soon as Doctrine Dark was within reach, Cammy leapt forward, spun herself around, and attempted a backfist to her opponent's chest. However, Doctrine Dark parried her fist away before he used a free hand to deliver a fist to her face.
"Two on two battle initiated by Team Kano and Doctrine Dark," a drone called out.
Cammy managed to block the move, but she quickly found herself on defense while Doctrine Dark remained on offense. This only went on for a few seconds before Cammy grabbed her opponent's forearm and pushed him back with enough force to make him nearly lose his balance. That gave her enough space to spin around, deliver an upward back kick to his chest, and sent up towards the air.
"Cannon spike!" Cammy shouted as she somersaulted forward.
However, Doctrine Dark caught himself mid-air and, in the process, took out a pair of knives from his utility belt. He threw the knives forward, but Cammy turned around just in time to see them flying down towards her. The MI-6 agent quickly performed a few backward handsprings to evade the blades.
As soon as Cammy flipped back to a standing position, she was taken aback by the fact that Doctrine Dark was already upon her. Her head quickly snapped sideways as Doctrine Dark landed a punch to her face. From there, he landed a few more punches to her face and chest before he followed by jumping up, spinning himself, and performing a roundhouse kick. His boot smashed just below the collarbone, and Cammy flew back until she crashed onto her side into the stoned ground.
As Cammy struggled to stand up again, Doctrine Dark briefly turned his head to view the other fight that was going on between his tag team partner and his opponent's…
Nearby, Kano attempted a shin kick, but Sonya jumped over it before it connected. However, this left her open and gave Kano the opportunity to lift his foot up higher and kick Sonya's sternum. Sonya gasped in pain as she fell back onto the ground. Before she had the chance to recover, Kano grabbed her waist, lifted her up, and performed a power bomb with all of his strength. Sonya screamed as soon as she hit the ground harder than before.
"Ah, music to my ears," Kano mentioned as he grinned down at her. He then lifted his foot and pulled it back with the intention to kick her head. "Say goodnight."
Suddenly, before he could move, Sonya flipped herself into a handstand (while ignoring the pain in her body) and grabbed Kano's neck with both of her legs. Then, using all of her strength, she threw Kano overhead, and he flew a few feet before he crashed face first into the ground.
Sonya then flipped on her feet and moved towards where Kano had fallen. Before he was able to get up, she performed a cartwheel kick and smashed the small of his back with her feet. As he screamed out in pain, Sonya straightened herself up momentarily, bent down to where he fell, and gripped the back of his hair and pulled his head back with all of her strength. Kano shouted from the agony before Sonya bashed his face twice into the ground.
The second bash knocked Kano out cold.
"Goodnight," Sonya growled with some sarcasm. "Too bad this wasn't 'goodbye.'"
"Knockout detected," a drone declared.
Sonya took a deep breath as she straightened herself up after her win. "There. Now if only -"
But the Special Forces Major didn't get to finish her sentence as Doctrine Dark approached from behind. Quickly, he grabbed her and spun her around so that they were face to face. Before Sonya had time to reach, Doctrine Dark grabbed the back of her head in a vice-like grip before he shoved her head downward and smashed her face into his knee. He let her go as soon as Sonya bounced back up, and her body arched back before she crashed back first just a couple of feet from Kano.
She didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected," a drone announced.
By then, Cammy was back up on her feet, but it was too late to help. "Sonya!" Cammy called out as soon as her tag team partner was knocked out cold. She tried to go after her opponent soon after, but Doctrine Dark quickly jumped over her and managed to get behind the soldier before she got within arm's reach.
Before Cammy had the chance to turn around, she noticed movement on either side of her face. And before she had the chance to comprehend something pressing against the front of neck, she was yanked back with such force that she nearly fell onto her back as she screamed out with surprise. However, her opponent had a good grip on her and he was able to force her onto her knees.
Cammy managed to take in a breath right before oxygen was promptly cut off from her. Something thin was wrapped around her neck and she took a quick second to assess the object.
It was a wire. And it was wrapped around her twice. Bloody hell! Cammy shouted in her mind as she attempted to free herself from the hold.
"Stay still," Doctrine Dark murmured near her ear. "The darkness will come sooner that way."
Cammy's eyes widened with terror at those words. She couldn't tell if he really was trying to put her to sleep or actually kill her. She wasn't about to sit there and find out the hard way!
Cammy made an attempt to ram her elbow into her opponent's thigh, but Doctrine Dark was quick to move back before he promptly kneed her in the back between her shoulder blades. The hit forced her completely onto her stomach. The movement did afford her a moment of air before it was quickly cut off again.
Cammy frantically slid her hands around against the ground in a vain attempt to find some kind of leverage to free herself. Dammit! She screamed in her head. I am not going to die like this!
Just as darkness started to edge along the corner of her eyes, Cammy was able to reach her hand back towards Doctrine Dark. He tried to move away from her again, but she was quicker as she managed to grab for his face mask and promptly pulled it right off of him. It was left barely dangling off his face.
A loud gasp was heard as Doctrine Dark promptly jumped off of her and Cammy just barely heard him struggle to breathe as she gasped for her own breath. The MI-6 soldier managed to remove the wire from her neck and tossed it far away before she got back on her feet, albeit with some struggle and a pair of shaky legs. By the time she turned to face her opponent again, he had already secured his mask back on his face.
"BITCH!" Doctrine Dark screamed at the top of his lungs once he finally got air back in his damaged lungs. "I was only trying to knock you out cold! You nearly killed me!"
"Don't give me that bullshit!" Cammy shouted as she rubbed the soreness around her neck… which she also noted some blood on her fingers when she briefly looked at them. "Normally I'd feel sorry for you, but this was well deserved in this case!"
With a manic scream, Doctrine Dark slid towards her. Cammy quickly noticed a pair of knives that poked out from mechanics around his wrists, which gave her a chance to duck and dodge out of the way easily with each attempted slash.
Was he always this mad? Cammy thought to herself. Why would Jin hire him?
It wasn't long before Cammy found an opening. She quickly spun herself before she performed a side kick hard enough to knock Doctrine Dark's knife off the mechanic on his left wrist. She then crouched low just as he lashed with his remaining knife, which then left him wide open. From there, Cammy pushed herself off with her hands and jumped with her feet pointing up before she spun herself like a corkscrew. She had expected her feet to smash underneath her opponent's chin and send him upward along with her.
But instead, Doctrine Dark swiftly slid back and evaded her feet before he was hit.
No! Cammy shouted in her head as she knew that she was left vulnerable.
While Cammy was still spinning upwards, Doctrine Dark shot out a wire with a grapple hook on one end. The weapon managed to hook itself around Cammy's arm before he abruptly pulled her towards him. Cammy screamed from the sudden tug at her arm as she was pulled from the air and twisted so that she was right-side up once more.
Soon enough, Cammy found herself face-to-face with Doctrine Dark - who had a crazed look in his eyes. Before Cammy had the chance to attempt to get out of his hold, the mercenary pressed a button on his wrist tech - the one connected to the wire he was using - and sent out a few electric jolts. It wasn't enough to kill Cammy, but it was enough to make her scream and wither in pain…
And just enough to render her unconscious.
It wasn't long before Cammy's head rolled off to the left side and slightly back on her shoulder. Once he was satisfied, Doctrine Dark released her from his hold and let her drop to the ground like a ragdoll. From there, one of the drones that were monitoring the match hovered over Cammy to check up on her condition.
Soon, the drone made its announcement; "Knockout detected. Kano and Doctrine Dark win the match."