DISCLAIMER: The Tekken series under the property of Bandai Namco and Tekken Project under Katsuhiro Harada. Action Taimanin, and the Taimanin Series belongs to Gremory Games and Lilith Soft.
Chapter 09: Pure White Light, part 2
Continuing from where the last chapter left off...
As the third battle for the qualifying rounds for the King of Iron Fist Tournament is imminent, Rin is about to enter into the arena. The Volt Taimanin makes a brief recollection of her meeting with Jun Kazama 21 years ago.
"(21 years ago, I met and befriended a wildlife protection agent named Jun Kazama, who came from Yakushima and moved into Tokyo. We became close friends, I was still a rookie Taimanin at the time. Unlike everyone else, she was a woman with a pure heart. She made good friends with mother nature, at one time, she had a fateful encounter with then-Mishima Zaibatsu leader Kazuya Mishima for illegal smuggling of animals. Strangely enough, Jun formed a connection with Kazuya, whose evil aura had caught my attention that I had to report to my superiors... Kazuya is a bearer of the Devil Gene.)"
"(When Kazuya disappeared, Jun returned to Yakushima, giving birth to a son: Jin. Jun and I grew apart from each other while I am taking my duty as a Taimanin seriously. I feel like I took our friendship for granted, but I wanted to make up for not being able to find Jun. And then when Jin is finally born, I was called by Jun to visit her in Yakushima. There, I finally saw the infant Jin for the first time. However, part of me sensed something sinister emanating from the child... it's the same ominous aura coming that from Kazuya Mishima. This means that he's also Kazuya's son!)"
"(One fateful day, when I returned to Yakushima, I found Jun's house completely destroyed. Jin also disappeared, I had no idea if he sought after his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima considering that he is Kazuya's son. Then, I was told that a creature calling itself the Ogre attacked the Kazama clan village in Yakushima. Thinking that Jun is among those who perished, even though my superiors insisted that Jun died, everything changed... And I fell into depression in the years have passed.)"
"(I could barely cope with my grief. The feeling that the person you've made friends with is gone is just too hard to bear. While I'm trying to fight through my despair, I was finally given a much needed sabbatical leave from Gosha. That's where I started my musha shugyo.)"
"(I began traveling abroad and then enrolled in a karate dojo in Brisbane, Australia. There, I began training the traditional art of karate based on the Kyokushin style for four years. And then, I also ran into Jin, now as a young adult. The Jin I knew is nothing like the sweet young boy I've first met, he has completely became cynical not because of Jun's death. But, I also learned that Heihachi betrayed him and I saw something in his left arm. The lightning tattoo, and the sensation is the same as I felt upon how Jun and I first encountered Kazuya. It turned out that the Devil Gene from Kazuya had passed into Jin. And that tattoo would turn out to be the mark of the Devil.)"
"(After completing my training, I returned to Gosha and resumed my responsibility as a Taimanin and became a teacher in the academy. Several months later, the Mishima Zaibatsu would declare war against the world, and this is what shook me the most, Jin took over the Zaibatsu and caused this strife. The only thing I can say to him is, "Jin... How could you do this?")"
"(With the sudden turn of events, Jin disappeared once again, his grandfather regained control of the Mishima Zaibatsu until Heihachi would once again go off the grid. And then, Kazuya would proceed to subjugate the entire world to his dog-eat-dog regime, leading to how the task force and Jin, now on the side of Lars Alexandersson's rebel army in the efforts to bring down Kazuya.)"
Match 03: Rin Uehara vs. Mystery Opponent [revealed to be Jun Kazama]
[BGM: Tekken Tag Tournament - Character Select (PS2 ver.)]
The next fight will be the Volt Taimanin, Rin Uehara against a mystery opponent.
Rin makes her entrance into the ring, as the announcer gives her an introduction.
"She's a substitute teacher in Gosha Academy and an elite Taimanin. She's fast as lightning thanks to her Lightning Art. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for RRRIINNN! UEHARRRAAAAAA!"
Rin has no clear idea who is she going to face in this fight. In fact, she doesn't even need to use her dual swords and decided to make good use of her karate. It also helps that she knows some of Jin Kazama's techniques, given that she also trained in the same karate dojo with him in Australia.
Meanwhile at the spectators' side, other task force members, Fuuma, Asagi, Murasaki, and even Rin's cousin Shikanosuke are cheering for Rin. Yet, they have no idea who her opponent would be.
The mysterious competitor decided to keep their identity secret, so the announcer did not bother to introduce them anyway.
But as soon as the mystery opponent enters the ring facing the Volt Taimanin, Rin apparently recognized her appearance.
"Holy Christ!", Rin anxiously exclaimed as her eyes gazed on a woman with long black hair with a very familiar white headband, in a white, collared, button-up dress with flowing sleeves that have a bow at the elbow of each. "It is you..."
"It's been a while since we last saw each other, Rin.", the woman spoke, revealing to be none other than, out of all people, Jun Kazama.
"Jun... were you alive this entire time?", Rin was at loss for words, having seen her long lost friend for years.
As the top of the arena has a lot of drones capturing the action in the ring, one of Fuuma's drones manages to catch Jun's face.
"Fuuma, what's going on?", Shikanosuke asked as Fuuma analyzed from his tablet of the woman Rin is facing.
After Fuuma manages to finish the analysis, the analysis actually confirms that it matches the description of Jun Kazama.
"Miss Asagi, Miss Murasaki. You guys aren't going to believe this... Jun Kazama is actually alive."
"That's impossible!", even Murasaki couldn't believe it. "I thought she's been missing in action in all these years..."
"The drones are also reading strong spiritual energy coming from her.", Fuuma also analyzed that there's more to Jun than meets the eye. However, little the task force know that Jun can feel their presence even while fighting Rin in the mat.
"Ready... FIGHT!", the announcer shouted as the battle begins as Jun and Rin clash at the same time.
The two women exchange blows, Rin manages to gain control of the fight during the first 30 seconds.
Elsewhere in G Corporation's New Millenium Tower, as Kazuya observes the qualifying rounds in the Asia-Pacific region, where the current bout is now on the Volt Taimanin against her mystery opponent.
Kazuya was quick to catch who Rin's opponent is, especially with the white headband.
"Unbelievable... How is that woman still alive?", spoke Kazuya. He recognizes her as the same woman who he considers as mysterious and fearless. "And to think that she's fighting that Taimanin, who happens to have the power to channel lightning from her body."
Back in the fight, even without using her blades, Rin proved to be a capable fighter, thanks to her Uehara-style "Raiden-ken" Kyokushin karate, not to mention having borrowed moves from Jin.
"You've gone quite stronger since we last fought, Rin. For some reason, you and Jin share the same skill and technique."
"Save it, Jun. Let your heart speak for this fight.", Rin replied as she manages to push her opponent back. "I know why you've returned back into the surface after all these years..."
"That's right, Rin... I have to save Kazuya-san and Jin, to stop this conflict once and for all."
"I'd rather give that up if I were you. Sooner or later, Jin will have to fight his way to Kazuya.", Rin answered cynically, knowing that Kazuya already went off the deep end since killing Heihachi, and there's no point of redeeming the man. "Not to mention, Jin has to answer to everything he has done for himself, even if he has to throw away his own life to do so."
"Rin, don't say that!", Jun retorted. "Just because of Heihachi's actions what made Kazuya-san evil, I know there is still good inside him. I don't care how far he [Kazuya] has gone, there is still hope he can finally let that hatred go."
That said, Jun manages to counterattack, fighting with her own conviction to prove if someone as evil as Kazuya can be redeemed, even if Rin tries to prove her otherwise.
"I don't want both Kazuya and Jin to kill each other!", yelled Jun as she manages to launch Rin into the air using a Double Lift Kick before she executes a string of combo strikes. "There has to be a way to end the cycle of hatred that has long plagued the Mishima bloodline!"
"And yet, your son failed to do that, and he instead started a war to awaken an ancient beast that is supposedly the progenitor of the Devil Gene.", Rin retorted after managing to stand up. "Kazuya has the entire world under his thumb, there's no way you can reach him while you keep believing in that futile attempt to stop him. If you want to prove me wrong, come at me at your worst!"
Rin wasted no time pulling any punches as she pulls an electric-charged laser blade.
"Lightning Art: Raigekiko-ken!", throwing the charged blade like a javelin at her opponent, Rin's electrified blade hits Jun, causing it to split into 6 strokes of lightning.
Electrical currents began flowing around Jun's body, being electrocuted momentarily until she emanates a yellowish aura that somehow heals her wounds. But, Jun refuses to go down so easily as she continued to exchange blows with her long-time friend.
From the audience side, the rest of the task force members witness Rin giving her all against Jun.
"Miss Rin is not pulling any punches, even if her opponent happens to know Kazama-style tradicional martial arts.", spoke Fuuma.
"That's because Miss Rin trained vigorously day and night.", Asagi spoke her observation of Rin's fight against Jun. "Combining her Lightning Art with her Kyokushin style makes her a very formidable opponent."
"Denki.", Electricity began coursing around Rin.
"(This sensation is like the last time we spar each other...)", Jun spoke to herself, having remembered the last time having sparred with Rin. "(It is like no other than back in those days. It just shows that Rin has grown stronger and trained to push her body to their absolute limits. However, Rin is very smart as a fighter, she knows how to lure her enemies into her trap without even realizing it.)"
Likewise, Rin is having her thoughts. "(Jun's finesse hasn't changed, yet she has empowered himself with a new level of spiritual energy that I haven't heard or seen of before. So this is what the Kazama-style is: "softness triumphs over hardness".)"
The two women continue to clash. Jun missed a Double Lift Kick when Rin side-steps from her. Allowing the Volt Taimanin to send Jun flying with the Electric Thrusting Uppercut, followed by an Electric Wind Hook Fist, as Rin delivers a string of combos at Jun by pulling out her lightning blades, she follows up with her Lightning Art: Denkou Sekka, Jun was still afloat, allowing Rin to deliver the combo ender.
"Uehara Style: Tensho Gouraisen!", Rin hits her opponent with a right hook to the solar plexus, followed by a backhand chop, then an front arcing wheel kick with her left leg that sends Jun bouncing from the floor and launched into the air. As Rin prepares to end her combo with hard spinning kick with her right leg as she shouts, "Issen!", sending Jun flying right towards the ring wall.
Jun manages to hang on and stand up with her own two feet, even if the brunt from Rin's attacks did a number on her. Jun wasn't slouching either as she managed to get past through the electrical tendrils she equipped on the back of her neck, and proceeds to push Rin as she assumes her Genjitsu stance and imbuing her left hand with spiritual energy, hits Rin with a palm strike.
"I'm sorry, Rin. But I must win.", says Jun as she crumples Rin with a heavy blow. Somehow, Rin was writhing in pain that her eyes closed, within moments everything seemingly became clear white with colorful fractals like glass shards surrounding her. Jun appears from this white void approaching Rin, touching the target's chest and creating a massive aura blast seemingly meant to "purify" her opponent. "Nothing personal.", she spoke.
Rin drops with one knee, barely standing. The electricity in her body are slowly dwindling.
Just as Rin was already about to collapse, she smiles and mutters, "Got you!"
Jun shook her head as she soon realized that she fell into her trap. As she noticed the accessory that kept Rin's ponytail on fell on the floor. That accessory acts as her power limiter, once it's detached and Rin's ponytail gets undone, this allows Rin to unleash her Lightning Art to full power.
Rin launches Jun with an Electric Wind Hook Fist, followed by an Electric Thrusting Uppercut. As soon as Rin launches Jun up in the air, she focuses all the electricity on her body at full power. Meanwhile, in the spectators' bench, while watching his cousin battle, Shikanosuke realizes that Rin is about to use a forbidden Lightning Art.
"Rin, don't do it!", Shikanosuke yelled.
"What's wrong, Shikanosuke?", Fuuma asked.
"Rin's about to use that forbidden Lightning Art!"
"Forbidden?!", Fuuma exclaimed before turning his attention to Asagi and Murasaki. "Miss Asagi, do forbidden ninja arts ever exist?"
"Yes, forbidden ninja arts do exist. And what Shikanosuke-kun is talking about is the forbidden Lightning Art: Kyodaibanrai."
Asagi explains the nature of the Lightning Art: Kyodaibanrai: by gathering lightning into the user's body at full power to their hands, by raising their hands up into the sky, and slamming them on the ground. Upon doing so, a giant geyser of electricity will surround them, electrocuting any enemy unfortunate enough to be near it. This is even followed by jagged pillars of light charged with electricity skewering anyone to be near it.
Within moments, Rin charges her arms with pure concentrated electrical energy imbued with Taima Particles. As soon Jun's body is about to hit the mat, Rin slams her arms into the floor, unleashing a spiraling, giant geyser of electricity.
"Lightning Art: Kyodaibanrai!"
Multiple electric pillars began popping out of the floor to deal extra damage. The crowd are literally going wild seeing this kind of finish. However, due to the multiple flashes caused by the attack, few averted their gaze from the ring as the flashes can induce seizures.
Once the dust settles, the ring gets badly damaged. Jun and Rin end up lying on the ground. If both fighters can't stand, the match will end in a draw.
"They're both down!", said Murasaki. "If neither of them can stand up, then it's a double K.O."
"Rin, get up!", Shikanosuke yelled. "Don't lose the fight!"
"(This is insane... Was Miss Rin trying to lure Jun Kazama into a trap?)", Fuuma thought to himself, as he knows Rin is the type of person to catch someone off guard, especially towards her students while doing field training.
The referee went inside the ring to check on the two combatants, just as he was about to declare a double K.O., Rin's hands began to twich and slowly stand up with one knee first, before the official helps her to stand on her two feet.
"Unbelievable! Rin Uehara scores a victory in a shocking fashion!", the announcer said. "She's going to advance in the second round of the qualifying matches!"
While Rin is still able to walk, but the use of Kyodaibanrai consumed so much Taima Particles in her body that she loses so much stamina. Using a forbidden ninja art puts a strain on the user's body, hence it's only used as a last resort.
Jun wakes up, realizing that she lost the fight to Rin. The Volt Taimanin helps her stand up onto her own two feet.
"Rin..."
As soon as Jun stood up in her two feet, Rin suddenly hugs her. "Welcome back, my friend." The normally strict substitute teacher and the famed Volt Taimanin who is also a strong-willed and stubborn individual, had finally showed signs of emotion after seeing her long lost friend.
Rin helps Jun get out of the ring, but somehow stumbled due to exhausting herself. On the way out, Shiranui and Shizuru helped the tired Rin into the locker room.
Back in the New Millenium Tower, Kazuya apparently recognizes Rin's face from before.
"That Taimanin proved to be a formidable opponent even for her. I've seen her face before. If I remember correctly, she is Jun's only friend...", Kazuya said. Even though the Taimanins will be posing a threat to his goals, Kazuya doesn't want to waste his time dealing with them. If anything, if one of them were able to make it to the top, then so be it.
While Jin is training for his upcoming match, Lee appears and shows something to Jin through his phone.
"What is it?", asked Jin.
"You're not going to believe this. It seems that Rin Uehara-", Lee replied before Jin continued even further after the mere mention of Rin.
"Rin? What about her?"
"Wait, you know that woman in Gosha?"
"My mother and Rin were close friends."
Lee shows Jin a video of the recent match of the Volt Taimanin fighting a mystery opponent. But what caught Jin off guard is that Rin's opponent has a very familiar-looking white headband, the one person that only Jin recognizes.
"It can't be..."
To be continued...
Qualifying Rounds Match card:
Match 1: Kuma (W) vs. Murasaki (L)
Match 2: Lee (L) vs. Fuuma (W)
Match 3: Rin (W) vs. Jun (L)
Match 4: Asagi vs. Dragunov
Match 5: Jin vs. Saika
Match 6: Reina vs. Shizuru
Match 7: Hwoarang vs. Kirara
Match 8: Su vs. Feng
Match 9: Yoshimitsu vs. Rinko
Match 10: Asuka [Kazama] vs. Maika
Author's Note:
- Rin's Rage Art is called Lightning Art: Kyodaibanrai. "Kyodai" means "giant", "Banrai" means "heavy thunder". This is taken from the Japanese translation of the Pokemon move, G-Max Volt Crash, albeit written in katakana (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"キョダイバンライ/span/font). Here, it's written in kanji (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"巨大万雷/span/font).
* The Kyodaibanrai is based on super moves from the following fighting games: Geese Howard's Raging Storm from the SNK fighting games and Akuma's Kongou Kokuretsuzan from Street Fighter III: Third Strike. - Rin's version of Jin's Savage Sword ends with a high knee strike instead of a left thrust kick. However, Rin also has blue spark version that ends with two additional hits: that being Jun's Getsuun and the ending of Jin's Kazama Style Turning Leg Strike from T7. This version is called Uehara Style: Tensho Gouraisen (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"上原流：転掌轟雷閃/span/font, lit., "Turning Palm Thunder Flash"), this is meant to symbolize Rin's connection to both Jun and Jin.
- Rin's ZEN,1,2,1+2 is a combination of the first hit of Spine Cracker, EWHF, and ETU. This is the same move Jin uses in the sixth phase of his final battle against Kazuya.