Fight Night, part 1

Quick Note: I made a change in a past chapter. I'll explain in the note after the chapter.

It had come. In what was one of the busiest nights in the West Side of Metro City, a wild crowd had flocked to the Surf Bar. Whether it was for drinks, live music, or to see some fights take place.

The line at the front was long to the point of some people standing near a parking lot and a Chinese restaurant on the other side. Bill Bull stood at the door to ensure anybody would get in. Cody walked to the door.

"Cody, are you sure about this?" Jessica said.

Jessica's protest about this was reasonable, and Cody knew it. However, there was money involved. Money that could be used to get himself, Jessica, and Kyle out of Metro City, or at the very least, a less dangerous neighborhood.

"Don't worry, Jess, I got this." The confidence in Cody's voice eased Jessica's concern. "Besides, I'm ready for whatever they throw at me."

Jessica's eyes shifted elsewhere and took a deep breath. She knew that Cody was a fighter. A good one, at that, but she had also seen him get beaten up as well. With a crowd like this, she knew how bloodthirsty some of these could be, but nonetheless, she wanted to support her boyfriend in this. If the money was good, then maybe it was worth it.

She and Cody walked up to the front door. She had heard about this place. It was in the Chinatown of Metro City, which was on the West Side of it. Many Chinese businesses, such as the Chinese restaurant she, Cody, and her dad ate at were present. But here, the multi-colored neon-lit lettering that read "BAR" on the doorway, along with the sign that had a picture of a woman in a red bikini, something told her that in an area like this, there would be a rowdy crowd with drunk people engaging in aggressive behavior towards female clientele, bar fights breaking out, and no one to do anything about it.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" A rather portly man named Bill Bull extended his large hand that corresponded with his rather large frame.

"I'm fighting tonight," Cody said.

"You're not on the list."

Cody sighed. "Maybe you should look harder. I was here last week. I'm sure on the list."

Then suddenly, two women walked out through the door.

"Bill, how many times do I have to tell you? He is on the list." An attractive woman with magenta hair had to point her finger to the exact list that he didn't see. Bill had to look closer. It was under a list for fighters on the card tonight.

"Oh, sorry about that, you are on the list. Come right in." Bill Bull signaled to lead the couple in.

Cody and Jessica complied with the request. What Jessica saw was something unexpected. For a long line outside the bar, the bar area was not as crowded. Sure, there were people there to get some drinks, but an older man, who appeared to the bartender for the night, just stood there reading the newspaper. There was music, but an empty stage.

"Thanks for stepping in," Cody said.

"It was nothing. The same thing happened last week, remember?" The pink-haired woman mentioned that this happened before. "Besides, Bill isn't all that bright. Me and Roxy had some words with him about the other night, too."

"Oh, I know what you mean, Poison."

Poison looked around and saw a blonde nearby. "Jessica? Is that you?"

Jessica took a closer look. "Kristina? Oh my god, I almost didn't recognize you." She then saw another familiar woman with fiery orange hair. "Roxanne? What are you two doing here?"

It was only now she had recognized these two women. The faces and the hair color were unmistakable, but the way they were dressed, complete with their leather caps and skimpy outfits, the two women had a different vibe than how she remembered them from their days in high school. Jessica had remembered that these two had a rough childhood, having grown up in an orphanage and in foster care. The two were inseparable enough that they lived in the same foster homes. They were there for one another for many years.

"You're about to see very soon," Poison said. "And please, call me 'Poison.'"

Jessica nodded, even though she remembered that it was the woman's nickname in high school, though she never understood why.

"Come on, we'll show you." Roxy then turned around as she and Poison led the couple to the door to the patio area.

Suddenly, it became apparent about the long line. Jessica looked all around. The place looked like a patio with lights on the columns. Men and women cheering and jeering for the fighters inside the cage at the center. If this area was the patio for the bar and grill, then there was enough space for tables to eat and drink at.

Not anymore, though.

If that wasn't enough, Jessica saw how rambunctious this crowd was. Some people climbed to yell into the cage. Some yelled at the fact that they lost money. And then you had what happened inside the cage. Blood was strewn all over the cage floor. One fighter rubbed the opponent's face against the aluminum fencing. Both men were bloodied and bruised. How were they still going?

But the one who had the upper hand was a bald man with a tattoo on his chest. The opponent then yelled "STOP!"

"Here is your winner, Handsome Bob!" The announcer said.

Jessica saw the man. "Handsome" was not the word to describe this man. He was then escorted by some guys wearing blue shirts.

"Cody."

Just when he heard his name, Cody turned around, with Jessica by his side, and saw Guy, along with Maki, Rena, and Carlos.

"You are here," Guy said.

"Yes, we are," Cody said, not wanting to leave Jessica out. "I see you brought Rena along."

Rena said, "I didn't want to miss this. I am here to support Guy and my sister."

"I am here, too." A woman's voice caught the attention of Cody and Jessica, both of whom turned around, while Guy and the others looked ahead and saw a short-haired blonde.

"Lucia?" Jessica said. "You're fighting tonight?"

Lucia nodded. "I quit the force yesterday. Don't ask why. I will explain later. Right now, I just want to make some money."

Maki stepped in. "Well it's good that you're here. You impressed me that one day."

"You impressed me with your skills, too," Lucia said.

Cody was still not sure what to think of this. Lucia had told him she quit the police force, and with good reason, but this was so sudden. However, he knew what this woman was capable of, so he had no doubts that she could show her ability in this world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is our next fight. On the corner to my right, this is Locksmith!"

The fighter was African-American, looked to be in decent shape and wore an orange Kangol bucket hat, an orange tank top, and track pants. Cody saw the man jumping, throwing a few practice punches to help prepare himself. However, what caught his attention was the man who climbed into a cage. A familiar face who was taller and more muscular, and dressed a little more dapper than one would expect, despite the sleeves being rolled back.

"Now, on the corner to my right, our very own…Callman!"

Callman, the bartender/bouncer whom Cody and the crew had dealt with that one night, was now stepping into the ring. The man towered over his opponent. Cody recalled he had taken on men bigger than him, but one could wonder if strength and power should be an advantage. Once the fight started, Locksmith appeared to be faster as he dodged his attacks, but the speed could only get one so far, because Callman rushed him with a tackle and then gave him a blow to the stomach and then grabbed him and delivered a few punches to the gut and then the face.

Locksmith fell to the ground and was barely able to get up.

"Here is your winner, Callman!"

Callman raised his arm in victory and left the cage like it was no big deal. It probably went with the territory of him sometimes bouncing for this place.

The announcer made the announcement for the next few fights. They were accepting volunteers as there was no set card. It was an open fight night, after all.

"I'm going in." Cody walked towards the cage, but Jessica grabbed his arm.

"Be careful, baby." Jessica stared into his eyes with so much concern.

"Relax, you don't have anything to worry about."

"I'm just…"

Cody grabbed Jessica by her shoulders and looked dead into her eyes. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

Lucia intervened and put her hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Come on, Jess, you know your man well. He's got this."

Jessica inhaled and exhaled, and then nodded her head. She knew what Cody was capable of, but she also had seen him get beaten up.

Guy also stepped in. "We'll keep an eye on her for you."

"Thanks, guys. It means a lot." Cody stepped into the cage.

The confidence that Cody exuded was enough for Jessica to be at ease, but still exhibited some skepticism. She was surprised that he barely managed to fight off six bikers, but he still could have been killed that night. With the rest of the group in her company, it seemed like Cody had all the support he could get.

The announcer spoke through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, our first volunteer impressed us last time with his fighting ability. Rumor has it that he recently beat down six bikers…"

Does everyone know about that? Jessica thought to herself. Lucia also showed a look of confusion when she heard that. Something told Jess that Lucia also knew about that.

"...this is the one and only, Cody Travers!"

Most of the crowd applauded for him, but some of the crowd booed for him. One person who stood out was an Afro-Caribbean man with blond dreadlocks, along with other men with him. There was also a tall and muscular man with a mohawk with them. There was something off about those men. Were they members of Mad Gear?

A man in military fatigues and an orange beret climbed into the cage. Near him were three other men in military garb, one of whom looked familiar. Except the familiar face looked to have more authority over the rest of them.

"His opponent, representing Mad Gear, SERGE!"

That was all he went by. Jessica remembered the other men, but the main one had the man in the lighter green clothes and the man in the orange clothes with him, as if they were his main bodyguards. Cody's opponent, however, looked like he was ready to throw down.

Cody's fist collided with the palm of his opposite hand. Serge looked at him with a sinister smile. All Jessica could see was that her boyfriend's opponent was likely ex-military, so Cody might be outmatched and outclassed here.

Cody threw the first punch. Serge quickly blocked the attack. Cody tried throwing a few more punches, but Serge dodged and blocked all of them. This man was quite defensive. When Cody tried to throw another punch, Serge not only blocked but also countered by throwing him to the ground.

There was no doubt on Jessica's mind that Cody's opponent had some military training. Some of the attacks this guy gave Cody were different from what he was used to. Cody may have taken on martial artists as well, but someone using grappling techniques and palm strikes was something different.

Carlos went towards the chain-link fencing of the cage and yelled, "Come on, Cody! Get up!"

Jessica yelled, "Get up, baby! Come on!"

And just like that, Cody knelt on the ground and looked around. All he needed to do was be less predictable. Jessica noticed that some people in the crowd had thrown beer cans into the cage. Whether it was to litter their cans, to attack one of the fighters, or because they didn't like what they were seeing in the ring, all Jessica saw was Cody picking up one of the cans and ascending to his feet.

Cody tossed the can on his hand while Serge's back was to him.

"Hey!"

Serge turned around and quickly met with a flying aluminum can to his face. After Serge yelled from the impact of the can hitting his face, Cody rushed and gave him a flurry of punches. It was not long until Cody grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. While Serge's back faced him, Cody quickly jumped towards his back and delivered a stomp as Serge went to the ground.

Serge tried to ascend and then shook his head. "No more."

"That's it, he gave up!" the announcer said. "Here is your winner, Cody Travers!"

The military men came in to help Serge to his feet. What was odd about this was that the main one with the scar around his eye seemed more calm than one of the other military guys, who said something to the fallen Serge about how he will fight that night and make that guy pay. All the while a lot of people applauded Cody, including Jessica herself. Jessica didn't have much doubt, but she was afraid that he would be outclassed against a guy like that.

Cody approached Jessica.

"You were great, baby." Without any more words, she hugged and squeezed him hard.

"It was no sweat, Pretty Doll."

Jessica looked up at Cody once again and her face turned red at the remark. Just hearing him call her that meant a lot, especially since she was referred to as such when she would appear in her father's corner at CWA shows. It wasn't that long since he had retired from the ring, either.

"You did good out there," Carlos said.

"Very impressive, Cody," Guy said.

"Ah, it was nothing." Cody smiled while having his arm around Jessica.

The cage was open for another fight. The announcer said it was open to women in the house as well. It didn't matter if a fight was intergender as well.

"Well, looks like I should get in there," Maki said and turned towards Carlos with a smile. "Looks like you're going to clean my apartment soon."

Carlos smiled back at her. "You're on."

Lucia cut in. "Why don't I get in there?"

"Or we can fight each other," Maki retorted.

Cody cut in. "Nah, we don't want that."

"Not here," Guy also cut in. "Save that for the dojo."

Maki faced Lucia. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. We can spar soon if you want."

"Cool, I'd like that." Lucia then shook hands with Maki.

Guy observed his rival's behavior. She always felt like she had something to prove. Whether it's to a potential suitor like Carlos. Guy saw that their attraction was mutual, but also saw that she felt that Carlos may lose their bet. Also, with Lucia, it wouldn't be bad for those to face, but with a crowd like this, they would likely expect them to hurt each other in different ways.

Maki climbed into the cage and twirled her tonfas while throwing some attacks to help warm herself up. She came dressed in her red ninja outfit, along with her red and white Nike shoes. She took a deep breath and put her hands to her sides as she awaits her opponent. Cody walked up to the announcer and told him her name.

Guy stood there with Rena by his side. They both knew that Maki would be up for any challenge that would come her way. What kind of challenge could she face in this environment?

At the door of the cage, there walked two women in similar outfits with two other guys, one of whom had a similar color pattern in his attire to one woman. It appeared these guys were their boyfriends. Mary and Elissa faced their opponent and nodded their heads with cocky smirks.

So I'm facing two women? This'll be fun. Maki got in a stance. "Come on! Let's go!"

Outside, Jessica looked on. "So she's facing two women? That's not fair."

Carlos leaned in. "This shouldn't be too hard for her. You should see what she did the other night."

Meanwhile, Rena looked on in the cage. "Maki is facing two girls?"

Guy leaned towards her. "I have a feeling she'll be fine."

"Oh, I know she'll be fine, but I have a feeling they'll try something with her."

Rena knew what her younger sister was capable of. If her father trained Maki well when she was younger and passed along the mentorship to another master, then Maki shouldn't have much to worry about, but these two women had a vibe to them, like they may have something up their sleeves.

The bell rang. It was two-on-one. Maki put out her hand with a little "come on!" hand gesture.

These two think they could take me? Maki thought.

Mary and Elissa tried to attack, but Maki had evaded each attack. No matter how many punches and kicks Mary threw towards her, Maki blocked, parried, and countered. The same happened with Elissa, who was more aggressive. It was clear to Maki that the two women were well-trained in their disciplines. They did not give up on their attacks. In fact, Elissa managed to lay a hard punch to Maki's stomach.

"AAAAHHH!" Right after she yelled, she was met with a kick to the face by Mary.

After she fell to the ground, Maki touched her face until she felt that it was wet around her jawline. When her right hand separated from her face, she noticed it was red around her fingers. She looked up with a venomous glare. She got out her tonfas. Both ladies smiled and busted out a couple of knives.

Is that all you got? Maki thought. With the two women drawing knives like this, all Maki thought was that they had to resort to pulling out lethal weapons. No one said what kinds of rules there were, but in her case, things were about to get even more interesting.

Several people outside were yelling out, "Oh, come on! That's not fair!" while others yelled "Let's see some blood!" Jessica turned her head at the sight of a knife, while Rena watched with so much confidence.

Under her breath, she whispered something in Japanese. ["Come on, sister, don't let us down."]

Guy stood there with his blank and stoic expression, arms folded, but thought to himself, Those two will wish they never did that.

Maki ascended and jumped to the wall to hit Mary with a dropkick. She then rushed to Elissa, grabbed her, and slammed her to the ground with an Izuna drop.

Maki leaned over to her fallen opponents. "Did you really think you had a chance?" And then chuckled after that remark.

"Here is your winner, Maki Genryusai!" the announcer said.

Many of the spectators applauded. Some of the men whistled at her, others yelled out remarks in respect for her victory. By that point, Leon and Robert came in to help their ladies up, as well as pick up their knives that never got used, thankfully.

Right after Maki exited the cage, she approached the first person she saw among the group. It didn't matter if her sister, her would-be brother-in-law, along with some other friends, there was one person she approached.

"Well, Carlos, what did you think?" The smile on Maki's face spoke many volumes, along with asking him what he thought.

"Oh, you were great out there." The smile on Carlos's face was a mixture of his attraction towards Maki and how impressed he was out there with her performance.

Everyone else in the group was impressed by Maki out there, despite her opponents pulling out knives. Lucia went up to her.

"You and I better spar soon."

Maki pulled out her hand, and Lucia did the same. "You're on."

Both ladies smiled with an emotion of "You're on!"

Right after Maki's fight, a male fighter climbed into the cage. It was Handsome Bob again. It seemed like he didn't have enough. No one said that people could not fight multiple times in the night, even on other fight nights when there are organized cards. It was different when there were tournaments, though.

But what caught the attention of everyone in the fight arena was the opponent. The crowd had spread apart, paving the way for a large man being pulled in chains by Jony and Atlas, while also being guided by Damnd, along with his entourage of Bred and the others. Looks of shock and concern were on the faces of everyone, including Cody, Jessica, Carlos, Maki, and Lucia. Guy, no matter stoic he can be, felt a sudden touch of shock at the sight of this man. He was not only being pulled with shackles, but also had a muzzle over his mouth area. It was like this man was an escaped mental patient. Maybe he was kept locked somewhere when he wasn't fighting. He could probably be held somewhere like an asylum. He was known as Bratken.

Bratken came from The Netherlands. Not a lot was known about him, except that he was brutal when it came to fighting. He rarely spoke, but grunted and growled. It was enough to instill fear into the hearts of other people.

Once the fight started, Bratken threw a hard punch to his opponent's face, sending him flying to the other side of the cage. Bruised and bloodied on his face, Handsome Bob slowly ascended, until he met the sole of Bratken's boot in his gut causing him to drop once more.

It was clear who won this fight. Many people were shocked at what this monster of a man did, other people cheered for this monster because it seemed he had fought in this arena before.

Meanwhile, Cody had a smile of temptation. He turned to Jessica.

"Hey, babe, what do you think if I made some more money tonight?"

Jessica looked at the gigantic man being pulled away. "I hope you don't mean…"

"No, I don't want to fight him." Though he thought maybe one day he may want to step in the ring with him. "If that one guy fought again, then maybe I could."

Jessica knew what her man wanted to do. He wanted to make more money to find a safer environment for them, as well as Kyle. She knew Kyle was the only family Cody had, if she didn't consider herself and her father family enough. With his father not in the picture and his mother possibly in jail, it all made sense to her.

"Okay." She nodded. "Go for it."

"That's my girl." Cody hugged her.

While some people cleaned up the blood from the floor of the cage, two women walked into the cage. One was a blonde woman in a red karate gi named Kyra. The other was a dark-haired woman with a mini-skirt and bra top named Angel.

Other fights went on as the fight had progressed.

Guy had battled another military guy named Freddie, who was accompanied by Rolento, Holly Wood, El Gado, and Serge, and bested him, no matter how much Freddie tried to use his military combat skills against him. Guy was impressed by his skill, however.

Lucia fought a blonde woman named May. Oddly enough, Cody recognized her from the strip club a few nights prior where she went by Charlotte. Of course, many strippers don't use their real names. May gave Lucia quite a run with her speed and agility. Lucia was fast, too, and also used her kenpo and self-defense as she learned at the police academy. Lucia won the fight.

Carlos fought a portly man named Elick, who had a portable generator and used the two picks as his weapons. Carlos came out the victor.

Carlos approached Maki right after the fight. "I won. Looks like I'm taking you out soon."

Maki smiled and her eyes shifted away and then back to Carlos. "You just got lucky. Anyway, I would love to go with you somewhere."

Carlos smirked. "Sounds good. What do you think of Fujiyama Geisha? Have you been there?"

"No, I haven't. Is it good?"

"Actually, it is. We'll talk about this later."

"It's a date."

Carlos was satisfied when he heard that. He had wanted to get to know this young woman since the first time he saw her. After beating up those guys from almost assaulting that woman to sparring together at Guy's dojo, the attraction was on both sides. Now he just needed to set a date, in both meanings of that word.

Just then, Cody climbed into the cage. It has been a wild night so far. He was ready for another challenge to come his way. Who was it?

Two men with curly afros walked towards the cage. They stood at nearly eight feet tall with lots of muscle packed like these two lived in a gym or did a lot of strength-training in other ways. These two looked so much alike that they were brothers. In fact, they were the Andore brothers, Hugo and Gunter.

"What the hell?" Jessica's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of these two men.

Even Maki, Lucia, and Carlos were shocked at the sight of these two. If Bratken was scary enough, their friend was about to fight these two gigantic men at the same time.

Cody's eyes widened at the sight of these two. What was he getting himself into?

TO BE CONTINUED.

Author's note: I am back! This chapter has been a struggle, but I am not done with this portion as I have more to continue on with this chapter. There were other things in my life that interfered with my progress.

I went back and changed May's name in a previous chapter for her to have a stripper name. Strippers don't usually use their real names, but it's still the same character.

Also, the names of Kyra and Angel were more references to "Pit-Fighter." Kyra was supposed to be in the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive, for those outside the US) version, but was cut. Angel was one of the opponents in that game. It seems I made this an unofficial crossover to that game.

I also thought about doing more fight scenes, but I wanted to keep the story going.

There were some references to "Mighty Final Fight." One, the character of Serge, who was an exclusive character to that game and also replaced Axl and Slash. The restaurant called "Fujiyama Geisha" was seen in one stage.

The next one will continue soon. Stay tuned.