Akuma said nothing as a new challenger revealed himself. Turning around, he saw Fabio behind him, already in a fighting stance, ready for battle. A new opponent had made himself known, so Akuma sized him up, only for a moment before coming to a swift conclusion. One he was not impressed by.
"You too, boy? You shall learn your place!" he declared, mirroring Fabio by reentering his own fighting stance.
"I've been watching you all this time." Fabio told angrily, grinding his teeth, determined to see this through. "So I've gotten to see a thing or two about how you fight."
"You think that will make a difference?" Akuma snarled. "All you have done is see how you will be defeated!"
"I started this day with the intention of passing on all I've learned. But now you've come to hurt my siblings. And I won't let you get away with that."
"Then you have learned nothing. Come!" he bellowed, roaring like a lion. "Show me this style you intend to submit the world to. Submit it before my fists!"
"You asked for it!" Fabio said. After seeing Laura and Remy in a fight with him, Fabio knew he couldn't take any chances or let him make the first move.
Fabio lunged at him, leading with a punch that he put all his strength behind, as if he intended to beat him in one mighty blow.
Unsurprisingly, Akuma dodged that punch. He followed with a punch of his own. A punch faster than Fabio's, and even worse, it was stronger too. It was harder than any punch Fabio had taken. It was the hardest thing he had ever been hit by, feeling more like a freight train than a fist. It rocked Fabio hard in the face, disorienting him, throwing him off balance, and worse. It was a punch so hard it seemed to shatter Fabio's worldview. Because it did.
His glasses cracked from the blow to his face and fell to the ground.
A murky wave washed over him now as the world turned hazy. Everything was muddled and blended together in color.
Whatever hope he had of putting up a fight was gone now. He had nothing to do now but to fall to his knees and try to search for them. But he couldn't leave himself unguarded.
Stumbling to his feet, Fabio put his hands up, hoping to at least see something-anything coming before it came.
But the only thing he saw ahead was a muddied, dark figure against the bright background of the town. It was like a black hole sucking in all light. It did not move towards him or even at all. But he could tell that it was watching him.
"Pick them up." Akuma's violent voice commanded from the dark shade.
"Huh?" Fabio let out, unsure of what to make of them. Trying to focus, all he could see was the haze and outline of a dark figure against the otherwise beautiful Brazilian hillside and houses. As if this one darkened image was tainting his home.
"You need them?" he asked. "Take them."
"I need them.." Fabio admitted before a pause "But you-"
"I will not take an easy victory no matter how unworthy the foe." he cut him off. He saw movement from him now, though it seemed to be the figure digging his into place. "Retrieve them so we may continue."
Uneasily, Fabio did not answer because he truly did not know what to say. He shuffled around but kept his eyes and whatever he could see onto Akuma. He did not move from his position like he said. In fact, he hardly moved at all. Yet Fabio still kept an eye on him, even as he lowered himself to kneel and paw at the street.
He could not see it, but he was always aware of Akuma watching him. He could just imagine the black pits that were his eyes, burning with blood lust watching him scour along the ground like a wounded animal.
Finally, in his outstretched right hand, Fabio felt the stem of one of his glasses. Inching closer, his fingers crawled along the ground as he felt the rest line up in his palm. Gripping it delicately, he felt it in his hand and pulled it towards himself. He then brought them up to his eyes, and slowly the world began to appear clear again. With a noticeable exception.
His left lens was cracked in two, missing half the piece. While on the right one, a scratch was formed and a crack ran through the otherwise still rounded piece.
He was now aware distinctly of Akuma's darkened presence back into view.
His glasses, though broken and a bit crooked, still fit and now sat firmly on his nose. Once again, he could clearly see his opponent before him.
"Are you ready? Were you ever truly ready?" Akuma asked. "That I will decide."
That question sent a chill through Fabio as he recalled doubts he had begun the day with. He remembered wondering if he was prepared to pass on his family fighting style, if he was worthy. If he was ready. Now he wondered if he was ready for this battle. But before he dwelled on those thoughts for too long, he shook his head. Forcing the thought out of his mind, he returned to Akuma with a newfound determination.
"I don't need your approval." Fabio said, defiantly rolling his shoulders and putting his fists up. "I have others for that. My father and grandfather, who taught me everything they know. My siblings and friends who support me."
Akuma growled at him.
"Do not waste your time on worthless words. If they were worth anything, I'd hear you speak." Akuma stomped his foot, indenting it into the ground. "Show me you are strong. Show me your fists."
So he did just that.
Like before, Fabio came at him with a punch. One that Akuma swatted away. Fabio's other fist surged forward, but Akuma blocked that one as well. He then swerved his leg up and brought it down onto Akuma's head, but Akuma crossed his arms above his head, blocking it. Fabio brought his leg back down as Akuma stomped forward, throwing a punch. Fabio evaded it and then lunged forward with an elbow that Akuma stopped as it came into the palm of his hand. With his free one, he punched down, striking Fabio and hitting him away.
He staggered back and corrected his glasses once more.
Now it was Akuma who engaged him. Moving out of the way, Fabio dodged a strike from Akuma and in that opening, managed to land a hit to the side of his face. He followed up by digging his elbow into his chest striking Akuma once more. Enraged, Akuma chopped at Fabio, but he moved out of the way. Kicking at him, Fabio ducked under it. When he came up, his face collided with a follow up kick that knocked him back. He stumbled backwards and stopped himself right as Akuma threw a fist at him. Blocking that, Fabio followed it up with a strike at Akuma, but he blocked it as well. But Fabio was expecting that.
Instead of bounding off, Fabio grabbed the arm that blocked him and quickly pulled Akuma towards him before he could stop him. Even then, Fabio had to try with all his might to move him as the force that was Akuma was so powerful. But after one great tug that perhaps Akuma wasn't expecting, he managed to budge Akuma bringing him towards him and off balance.
Then Fabio swung himself over Akuma and onto his back. On top of him now, Akuma fell down to the ground with Fabio laying on top of him with his arm still in his grasp. He tugged on his arm some more, and he heard another grunt escape Akuma from below when he did.
Then he rolled off Akuma and prepared himself for an attack. Akuma lay there, face in the ground, not moving, but Fabio was not letting his guard down.
Akuma slammed his fist into the ground as if that was his new opponent. The strength of his punch shattered the stone and formed a small crater around himself, deeper than the one Fabio just put him in. Then he began to rise from it, looking like a ghost coming out of his grave.
"We call that the pullback hold." Fabio said confidently. "My sister is better at it than me. But my dad taught me it first. " he smirked
Then again, I don't have electricity to add to it." But he had strength and skill.
"Hmph." Akuma spat. "Is that so?" he rose from the ground. Bits of dust and gravel were upon his shoulders and hair. But with a shrug, he shook them off. Turning his head, he eyed Fabio with a terrible stare. One that made him buckle from the mere sight of.
Akuma was reassessing him again, just as he had done before. Only now, he came to a different conclusion.
"You are better than the others. I'll grant you that." Akuma managed a compliment. "So," he continued as he turned to him. "I will also grant you an ending deserving of you." he returned to his fighting stance.
"One deserving of Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu." Fabio replied, managing a smile that was as crooked as his glasses. "I suppose that's some endorsement."
"Do you think that makes you deserving of my fists? HEHA!" he clarified before unleashing a purple blast at Fabio. Bending down, he quickly jumped up, managing to clear it. He led with a kick, expecting Akuma to be rushing him from behind the blast. But he hadn't. There was still distance between the two of them, as Akuma had not moved. Almost as if Fabio's glasses were still off. Fabio brought his leg back, stopping the kick, and used it to land on the ground. Once he returned to the ground, then Akuma rushed him. Fabio got up quickly and threw a punch at the oncoming attack. It almost looked to him, like Akuma was charging head first into it.
But as his punch would have otherwise connected, Akuma vanished in front of him. To Fabio, it felt like he just punched the wind.
"Wha-" Fabio retracted his hand and looked around, but he saw nothing. There was no sign or trace of Akuma. It was like he was never even here at all. It was like fighting a ghost..or perhaps more fittingly, a demon. Something not of this world.
He seemed like a flash, here one second and gone the next.
Though he did not see him, Fabio heard his voice on the wind close by him.
"Ashura Senku." Akuma's voice gargled in his ear as a shadow fell on him. "That is this technique's name." Looking back over his shoulder, Fabio saw Akuma directly behind him, his fist reared back to strike. Fabio didn't have time to process how he got there. He had to do something. He turned back as fast as he could to try to block the attack, but Akuma had already swung.
His fist planted into Fabio's face. He was knocked off his feet, but before he could get any farther, Akuma grabbed him by the throat, holding him in the air and preventing momentum from taking him away. As Fabio writhed in his hand, struggling to breathe, Akuma struck with his free hand on an open palm in his gut. Now all the momentum Akuma had passed into Fabio was flung from his hand and back down the street.
Akuma watched Fabio go pleased with himself, successfully using the Goshoha. Fabio was thrown all the way down the street. It was only when he had collided with the fruit stand, shattering it completely, that he had finally stopped. The contents of it flew in the air, scattered across the ground, splattering everywhere. But most fell on him.
"Hmph. A fitting end for a fool." Akuma commented.
From the sidelines, the remaining two watched as another battle seemingly concluded.
"Big bro!" Sean cried out in horror. Beside him, Blanka's whimper grew into an angry snarl. Slamming his fists to the ground and bearing his teeth, he then stomped forward. "WA-where are you going?" Sean asked.
"I gotta help them! I can't stay here, useless like this!" he raged, shaking his arms.
"But that guy- you said he was bad news! That he was strong!"
"I did. And he is." Blanka admitted. "But I gotta help my friends! HEHA!" he roared as he rushed down the street towards Akuma, whose back was to him.
"You're right." Sean said as Blanka charged Akuma. His body still ached in pain from Remy. but starring up at Akuma something else burned inside of him.
"Hm?" Akuma let out as he peeked over his shoulder to see Blanka lunge at him.
Akuma quickly snapped his arm out, grabbing Blanka by the throat, raising him off the ground and holding him there. Blanka's roar was quickly silenced into a struggled squeak. Once again, Akuma studied the new opponent.
"Simple Beast!" he roared." I shall show you a true monster!" he declared. Rearing his fist back, he threw Blanka down to the ground. He bounced up from the ground, where Akuma snapped his leg out, kicking him down the street, disposing of yet another fighter.
Now he had subdued all challengers. Remy and Laura were defeated together. Fabio was discarded like them, and Blanka was disposed of like he was nothing.
If they were all he had, what else was there? Why would he stay?
"Are there none here worthy of my fists? Is that ALL!" Akuma raged, throwing his fists to the sky.
"Not yet." a shaky youthful voice let out beneath him. "There's still one more." Turning his head down, Akuma saw a young man standing before him. He was the smallest and youngest of all who had appeared before him today. Akuma could see he was already bruised and beaten from his previous fight, but he stood defiantly against him.
Sean.
Akuma dropped his arms from the sky and lowered his voice.
"Boy," Akuma began, growling dismissively as his arms rested by his side. "You were beaten before I arrived. You are not worthy of battle against my fist."
"Doesn't matter." Sean said, though he trembled at Akuma. His sister may have scarred him, Remy may have unnerved him, but that was nothing like how Akuma made him feel now. He was the stuff of nightmares come to life. One that attacked his family. "I'm here to fight for the Matsuda family."
"I've discarded of them already." Akuma stated. "You are nothing but a fool preparing to die." he paused. "Still, you want to join them and be defeated by a worthy fist. Is that it?" he said, readying himself for the smallest of battles, one that was beneath him. Sean readied himself in whatever way he could.
"Get away from him!" a man's voice cried out.
A cry was let out, and Akuma turned at the last moment to see a fruit stained foot spinning towards his head. It collided with his right cheek and knocked him away, an extra squish from the fruit juices dripping off it.
Sean turned to see the foot that struck Akuma. Following the leg up, he saw Fabio had returned to battle, his glasses cracked, his gi ripped and covered in fruit stains, but he was back in the fight.
Fabio landed on the ground, putting his back to Sean and himself between him and Akuma. Fabio followed that kick with two strikes to Akuma. Each one hit him in the chest.
"Bro!" Sean cried out as Fabio returned to battle.
"You return as well?!" Akuma said as his voice grew into an incredible rage.
Fabio followed up with an attempt to grab and grapple Akuma. Yet as soon as he took ahold of him, Akuma broke that hold, elbowed him in the chest, grabbed him, and threw him over his shoulder. His back was to Sean now as he saw Fabio land on the ground. Unable to see Sean, Akuma didn't see him charge from behind him and jump in the air.
Sean lunged up at Akuma, who, by the time he felt his approach, turned around only to receive a fist to his face. The fist did not move or budge his face; it only seemed to get absorbed by his cheek. Akuma did not even react to it.
"Wha-!" Sean let out shocked as he fell back to the ground, and his fist slid off Akuma's face.
His stone face did not crack from the blow, and Sean now felt smaller before him than he had ever before. Akuma's eyes rolled down to the young fighter beneath him.
"Brave of you, boy." Akuma relented. "Very well. If you are so eager to meet my fists. Then have at you!"
"Uh oh." Sean let out before diving out of the way of Akuma's punch.
Further down the street past the bridge, away from the battle, and laying on the ground were Laura and Remy. She let out a groan, feeling something heavy, and charred was on top of her. Looking down through her now wild, unkempt black locks that fell over her face, she saw Remy. He was battered, beaten, and lying atop her, his long, light hair intermeshing on the ground with her darker strands. Groaning from the pain but almost blushing from the intimate contact, needless to say, this was unexpected.
He let out a groan and rose on top of her. Just as had happened before when he rose up, his eyes locked onto the brown ones that were in front of his own. Only this time, hers were below his.
Remy stalled getting up as both of them gazed at the other, though Laura had nothing to say to him this time.
She did have a question, though. She was too dazed and star struck to ask just yet. She wouldn't say what she wanted, and Remy had nothing to say, so shaking himself free of her eyeline, he continued to pick himself up, grunting in pain as he did.
He faltered, grabbing side and falling down onto it and off of her. Laying out on his side on the ground, Laura took this time to sit up. Remy remained beside her, writhing on the ground.
"Come on," she urged. "I got you." Remy gave no protest this time as she held onto his arm and picked him up, so he was now sitting like her. He said nothing once they were leveled. "What?" she peered in closer to him. "No 'Thank you?' "
"No." he huffed. Laura almost looked hurt by his sudden rejection, and a glint in Remy's eyes made him regret how he said it.
"Well, I should thank you." she said. "What else should I say when you stepped in to save me? To take that hit for me?"
Remy was stilted in his answer.
"I suppose..." he began as if he wasn't sure of it himself "..for the same reason you stopped him from hitting me." he told in a softer voice than the previous one he used. One so low, it was like he wanted no one else to hear his admission. But now Laura understood.
She had stopped Akuma from exerting the finishing blow on him, coming to his aid and fighting alongside him. In return, he took the more devastating attack from Akuma to shield her from it, despite being in a weaker state.
"Alright, so I guess that makes us even now. Gotta say this is one hell of a date you got us on." she reminded him cheekily.
Remy turned his gaze away from her. As if he couldn't stomach the idea that he prevented someone else from doing what he intended to do himself. Or that he would put his neck out like that to protect another fighter.
Or admit the reason why he didn't is because he realized that despite his perceptions and misgivings. Not all fighters are alike.
But he attempted to voice that in a way only he could.
"He is different from other fighters." Remy admitted. "He is a demon. A force of nature. A scourge on this world."
But regardless of what he called him, it didn't deter Laura, who looked ahead. Looking down past the bridge, she saw that though they had left the battle, it was still raging. Three combatants fought against one, yet it seemed they had no chance of victory.
"We have to help them." she said, determined to do so whatever the cost. And Remy could believe that. He did not even correct her when she said 'We'.
She may have offered her brother up to defeat at his hands, but clearly they both could tell that Akuma, the Raging Demon was another matter entirely.
Even Remy could agree to that, though he wouldn't out loud.
"I-" Remy was cut off, stopping himself before anything else. Laura looked over to him, awaiting an answer. But his usual refusal and tired did not follow. "Fine." he admitted as if resigning himself to the cause. He got to his feet first and offered a hand to her to help her up. She was almost swooning by everything at once. His admittance to help, not only her siblings but her, and the eroding of his dismissal of everything else. Thankfully he still retained that 'Bad Boy' vibe.
Taking it without any hesitation, he pulled her up to her feet, and they stood together now.
"Don't forget, we're in this together now." she reminded him.
Both then looked over to see that Akuma had not moved from the spot they last saw him. Because none of them had the power to do so. There he was locked in a battle between three fighters at once. And he was winning.
Akuma kicked Sean away before blocking a blow from Fabio coming at him from his other side. Akuma kicked him away before jumping over a charging Blanka who ran under him. His back revealed to him, Akuma kicked him in the back, knocking him right into Fabio and sending them both further down the street.
He grimaced as he had defeated another wave of opponents. He stomped a foot, embedding it into the ground.
"Child's play." He raged. "Are there none here truly worthy of my fists!"
"They've been here all along!" a woman's energetic voice answered him.
"And they're not done yet!" a man's dry voice droned in unison.
Akuma turned to see that suddenly, Laura and Remy had returned to the battle, charging at him. Akuma snapped his head to see them falling down from the air above him.
Both swung down with their legs to kick him. Hunkering down, Akuma raised both his arms to block their blows onto his forearms. He snapped his arms forward, pushing the two sliding back across the ground and away from him.
Akuma let out a rough grunt before he eyed the two of them.
"Back for more? I have defeated you already. What else do you have to offer me?"
"Let's show you!" Laura shouted. Akuma wasted no time in rising to the challenge. He charged towards both of them. The two of them split up as Laura twisted her body away from the strike, dodging it. As Akuma recoiled his arm, she snapped back to grab ahold of him, putting him in a headlock. She squeezed tightly around his neck and held him as hard as she could. Had there still been a crowd, they would have been jealous. She could hardly contain him or keep him in her grip for long. She tightened her grip, and electricity ran through Akuma's body, encasing him in yellow sparks. Laura unleashed another shock as she held him there.
"There you go, sis!" Fabio called out to her as he kneeled on the ground. Then Laura let Akuma go and unleashed another electrified kick. A trail of lightning followed her leg connecting with him. Laura kicked him away and right towards Remy, where Akuma was knocked right into Remy's awaiting fist. Pressing his luck, Remy went in for another strike, but now Akuma evaded it. He dove under a kick from one side and then struck at Remy, who dodged it, easing out of the way. Suddenly, from behind Laura, reappeared and so did Fabio.
The two elder Matsuda's came at with punches.
Akuma blocked Fabio's and evaded Laura's. A kick added in from Remy made him slide away from the three and the constant blows that came from their combined effort.
They did it. They had managed to move him. But it took their numbers and all their strength.
And they had moved him to slide right into Sean. The youngest Matsuda leapt with a kick at him. Akuma grabbed the leg and, spinning around, hurled him away, throwing him into a wall. Blanka then jumped at Akuma from his side with a punch. Akuma eased back, evading the blow, and before Blanka could turn to him, Akuma punched him in the face knocking him back.
Growling and grunting, Blanka slammed his massive hands to the ground and roared like a wild animal trying to intimidate another predator. Akuma did not even flinch. Blanka bowed his head and tucked in his knees, curling into a ball. Then he rolled forward, shooting like a cannon at Akuma. Rolling into him, Blanka shot into Akuma. A few rolls managed to hit him but not move him, grinding into him.
Taking the rolling attack, Akuma retaliated. Swinging his arms in from each side, Akuma slammed them together, grabbing ahold of Blanka, stopping him mid-roll. Then he jutted his knee forward hitting Blanka directly in the face. As he fell back to the ground, Akuma reared his leg back and kicked him further down the street.
"Blanka!" Fabio cried out. But another voice did too. Sean's from behind Akuma. Everyone turned to see him running at Akuma from behind.
Sean leapt back into the fight this time with a punch at Akuma. Akuma dove under it, and coming up with a quick jab struck Sean in the face as he landed. He would have done so again had Fabio not leapt in, striking Akuma in the face with an elbow, saving his younger brother from another blow. Akuma held his ground now, even as Fabio engaged him and Laura and Remy closed in on him.
Leaping into an uppercut, Akuma struck Fabio, and as he fell back to the ground, becoming level with Akuma mid-air. Akuma snapped his foot down, striking the falling Fabio, sending him down the street and to his sister Laura, who tried in vain to catch him. Instead, both only ended up colliding with each other and falling to the ground and back down the street together.
"Guys!" Sean rushed over to his siblings. Akuma stood his ground and watched the display as he saw Sean instead of attacking him go to try and pick up his older siblings, putting an arm on each of them. But they were too big, and he wasn't strong enough to use one arm for each of them. So instead, he fumbled and fell over with them to the ground.
"Hmph." Akuma let out. "Pitiful."
"Monster!" Remy cursed him. Akuma's eyes rolled over to his side to see Remy, despite several losses against Akuma still standing against him.
"Mutt." Akuma replied in kind.
"You'll pay for what you have done today."
"Will I?" Akuma mocked. "And who shall make me? You!? Did you not come all the way to do the same thing?"
Now it was only Remy who stood before him. Both knew very well who the stronger and better fighter was. But still Remy charged him, in a futile attempt.
Remy went in for a kick, but Akuma, in a burst of speed that Remy could not counter, using Ashura Senku reached him first.
One fist bore into Remy's chest as if he was trying to take his heart out, but all he did was grab ahold of him. Then his other fist struck Remy in the face. Remy was knocked back, but still in Akuma's grip, he had nowhere to go. Akuma continued with his barrage of punches, savagely beating on Remy's face. Each blow sent him falling back closer to the ground until finally he lay across it. But more strikes from Akuma only made Remy sink further to the ground.
"Now I shall finish what I started," Akuma began. "And finish you!"
Akuma held in his grip and raised his other hand to strike him. Diving at him from behind, Blanka appeared. His mouth was wide open, bearing his teeth, and bit into his forearm.
"AH!" he shouted out as his fangs bore into his raised arm.
Akuma released Remy from his grip and snapped his fist up over his shoulder to strike Blanka. A few furious blows like he had given to Remy, and Blanka finally let go. Wrenching his arm free, Akuma grabbed Blanka and, hurling him over his shoulder, tossed him down the street towards the rising Matsuda's.
Then, with only Remy at his feet, he reared his leg back and kicked him forward, following Blanka as both tumbled down the street behind the other.
Akuma stood his ground now as he saw the Matsuda's rush to the two fallen fighters. Akuma side-eyed it with waning interest, but no less a killer instinct.
Sean had reached the two first, but he noticed he was closer to Remy than Blanka.
"Yeesh." he let out and sidestepped the Frenchman to reach his fellow Brazilians side. With Fabio with him, both of them ducked under Blanka's arm and lifted him up.
Laura quickly dove to Remy, grabbing ahold of his jacket, and got him to sitting up as Blanka got to his feet beside them. Remy's head bobbed limply as he was moved around by her.
"Don't worry about me." Remy groaned as he kept his eyes on Akuma.
"Oh, someone's got to. You've taken a beating worse than any of us." Sean commented, rather truthful and triumphantly.
"And yet he's still in this fight," Laura added, snapping at Sean before looking back to Remy with a sincere smile. "That's the mark of a strong fighter if I ever knew one." she admitted. "A guys like you has a lot of endurance." Fabio rolled his eyes. Sean looked like he was going to be sick. Keeping her hands on his jacket, she made sure to keep it open so she could see his muscular body.
"Don't remind me." he said bitterly, looking away.
"No time for talking yet." Fabio said as he patted Blanka on the shoulder but kept his eyes and shattered glasses ahead.
Following his lead, quickly the five reformed themselves into a line, standing side by side against one singular terrible foe who remained watching them from the other side of the plaza. They may have all looked like they had been through hell, but they were still ready to fight on.
It was at this moment that Sean had realized something as he looked to Akuma. That stance, that style of fighting. It was terribly familiar to him.
"This guy," Sean panted as he stood between his siblings. "I've-I've seen his moves before-some of them."
"What?!" Fabio let out. "You've fought him before?!"
"So you do know him!" Blanka exlaimed.
"Give us the scoop!" Laura insisted. "Or are you holding out on us?!"
"If he had, he wouldn't be here." Remy droned dismissively.
"Nononno." Sean shook his head. "He's like.. well-he fights like Ken Masters does only.." he trailed off.
"Crueler." Fabio said
"Meaner." Laura added
"Stronger." Remy clarified.
"Fiercer." Blanka grumbled.
"Exactly." Sean nodded.
As the small group huddled together, the one they stood off with now joined them.
"Hmph." Akuma let out, his voice echoing out to them as if they were in a barren cave and not the wide open world. "Was this not supposed to be a day of fighters?" his voice called out, mocking all who still dared to stand before him. "A celebration? What do you have to celebrate? All I see before me are failures."
"You brought all that here!" Laura cried. "You and your bad energy! You really aren't like any other fighters." she repeated Remy's words.
"I am above them all!" Akuma declared triumphantly. "The Path I walk is greater than all of you!"
That sent shivers down everyone spine. It was clear the danger they were in was beyond any they had ever faced. The only one who realized that danger was the only one who wasn't like the others.
"Now you see what I meant?" Remy asked aloud, though none dared to answer.
"Maybe your right." Fabio said "And so is he." he nodded off to Akuma, his glasses sliding down his face, so he paused to pick whatever was left of them up. "But you won't give up, will you?" he asked, turning over his shoulder to Remy.
"To the likes of him?" he paused looking to Akuma, though he didn't need long to think of his answer. "Never."
"Well, neither will we." Fabio agreed, looking to his younger siblings. "What good would Matsuda Jiu-Jitsu be if we backed out now?" he asked. Laura and Sean seemed unsure of where he was going at first, but with that confirmation, an affirmative smile appeared on each of their faces.
"So we getting this guy?" Sean asked.
"Together." Laura slammed one of her fists together, leading to a spart.
"Rawr!" a animalistic roar of approval was let out as Blanka stepped forward. "What friend would I be if I ran away from someone who hurts them?" he said, and that brought a smile to their faces. They weren't as close to him as Dan or Sakura, but they were neighbors and friends none the less. "And what King of the jungle would I be if I let someone like him in?" he stomped his foot.
"Hmph. You fighters." he scoffed, though his words did not have the usual disdain he'd usually harbor for such people. Now there was an almost begrudging respect underlying his voice and words.
From across the plaza, Akuma, though he did not register any of them as threats, still noticed the change in demeanor among all of them.
"Is that it? Is that all it takes? A few meaningless words, and you are ready to face a demon?!" his voice lowered, and he spoke aloud to himself. "Your spirits may be stronger than your fists.." he took one great step forward and stomped into the ground. "Very Well! I shall break your spirits as I break you one by one!"
"Bring it on!" Fabio cried out.
"And you better look out now." Sean said, sounding the most confident out of all of them. "I recognize the way you fight."
"Do you now? So did he." Akuma pointed to Fabio. "What knowledge could you have gained that he did not?"
"Well, for one thing," Sean said, rolling his shoulders and loosening up though they still felt very sore from the beatings he'd taken so far. "you've got the same style like what Ken Masters has. The one he learned with Ryu."
It was now that a hint of revelation came over Akuma. A twitch in his face, the slight widening of his eyes before they shrunk back into his scowl.
"Heh." Akuma laughed scornfully, but sounded more like he was suffocating. "That Coward. Unworthy of his power. Unable to grasp what is true power. You say you recognize it? Well then, pup, show me you are more worthy than he is."
"You don't talk about Ken like that! Or my family!" Sean barked. "You wanted a fight? You got one." Sean said not feeling nervous or afraid anymore. Not with everyone fighting with him.
Then the five of them raced across the plaza towards him. Akuma leaping from his own position rushed to meet them. Their clash happened in the center of the ruined plaza.
Fabio reached him first. Leaping up, he came in with a kick that struck Akuma's face. Landing on his feet as Akuma staggered as Fabio followed up with two more punches. Akuma swatted one away and outright blocked the other. In retaliation, he punched Fabio in the face. Fabio was now open, unable to do anything to prevent an oncoming attack. But he was not the only one there. As Akuma bore down on Fabio once more from the sidelines, Sean launched his basketball at him. Akuma had just pushed Fabio away with his left arm and with his right effortlessly grabbed the futile attempt at the projectile. Clenching his fist, he squeezed, popping the ball in his hands.
"Your toys will not defeat me!" Akuma raged as he turned to him.
Having dealt with Fabio, Akuma stomped towards Sean, who was ready for a fight. Swinging his leg through the air to perform a Dragonlash kick, his foot landed on the ground, missing Akuma, who had sidestepped him. Standing over him, Akuma raised his fist to now strike Sean now, and there was no way he would miss. But right as he raised his fist to the sky, the zenith of his strike, Laura interjected just as suddenly as Sean had.
Laura wrapped around his arm and successfully used the move she had utilized earlier against Blanka. Though her moves were real this time and she was using it in a real fight. She fell to the ground, falling on Akuma's arm, and his body followed with it cracking the pavement. A shock followed with the rest of it.
"AGGHH!" Akuma cried. Then Akuma shot up from the ground with Laura still clinging to his arm. Bringing it down, he slammed her against the ground, embedding her deeper into it that when she did it to him. The blow was strong enough to make her loose her grip, and her arm was free again. Seething in rage, Akuma got to his knees as Laura remained in the ground beside him. As he got up, he saw all Fabio, Remy, and Blanka charging him. Grinding his teeth, Akuma reached out to grab Laura's ankle. Then, with all his might, he flung his arm, hurling her across the plaza.
Fabio stalled to try and catch her. Much to his surprise Remy came to a stop right beside him to try and do the same thing. But neither could reach her, so she collided with Blanka, and they both fell back into the street.
"Laura!" Fabio cried. Weirdly as he shouted her name, he heard someone else mutter it as well. Turning over he saw Remy beside him.
"Come on!" Remy snapped. Both of them engaged Akuma together.
Fabio came rushed his right while Remy his left. Remy jumped with a kick that Akuma evaded as he blocked a punch from Fabio.
As Fabio came at him, Akuma grabbed him and fell backwards to the ground. As he fell to his back, he shot his foot up, kicking Fabio and sending him flying in the air, down the street, and over Akuma's head. He rose back up as Fabio fell to the ground behind him, and Remy was the only one before him.
Akuma was ready to swat Remy away like the fly he was. But before he could strike, he was grabbed from behind with hands wrapping around his neck. Fabio grabbed him from behind, putting him in a headlock. Then rolling him with his body turned him over and threw him to the ground.
Remy raised a foot to stomp onto Akuma's head, but he rolled out of the way.
Akuma shot up with an uppercut torching Fabio in purple flames. Then he leapt in the air to follow him with a kick, circling the air, each one hitting Fabio consecutively before finally he fell to the ground.
Akuma landed on top of him. He stomped a foot onto Fabio's head, imbedding it into the ground. Before he could do it again, Remy jumped to the air, kicking at him. Akuma eased out of the way as Remy's kick flew past him.
"Do you think I forgot about you!" Akuma roared, grabbing Remy's back and then reversing his course, flung him back down the street.
As he had discarded of Remy, the other side, Sean appeared leading with a lower kick. Akuma eased back as Sean passed before him just like Remy had. Then, jutting a knee up, Akuma impaled Sean onto it, driving it into his gut. Then bringing his arms together, Akuma slammed them both onto Sean's back. He was knocked into the ground and bound back up as Akuma kicked him away, sending him further down the street.
A groan was heard at his feet, and he saw Fabio struggling to get up. Snarling, Akuma picked him up, unleashing on him point blank Zanku Hadoken. Hit instantly by it, Fabio was forced back yet again back down the street to join his brother. When he landed on the ground, his vision was no longer blocked, and Akuma saw Laura and Blanka running at him. Blanka ran like a wild animal on his hands and feet while Laura looked more like a graceful athlete. But when he locked onto them, both of them stopped short together.
Blanka slammed his arms to the ground as Laura threw her arms forward; both shot bolts of electricity at him. They hit Akuma dead on, one in each side of his chest.
The blast stalled him as he was zapped into place, and even more so, it singed at the gi covering his torso.
Seething in rage as he was being electrocuted, eventually the lightning ceased and Akuma was free again. His gi was singed and flared around his shoulders. He tensed up, his shoulder and chest muscles bursting through the tears already made in his clothes. Then with his hands, he reached up and tore himself free of it, exposing his torso and the rippling of his muscles beneath it.
The deepening look of bloodlust formed in his angry face as he looked to Laura and Blanka. Without hesitation, he surged forward towards them.
In a devastating punch, his fist collided with Laura's face, knocking her to the ground. From beside her, Blanka raised his fists and slammed them down onto Akuma. He snapped his arms up to brace them against the wild man's massive arms. Crashing down, they landed on him as his arms held out.
Then Akuma shot his own arms up, knocking Blanka's away. He plunged his fist into Blanka's large jaw, knocking him to the ground.
Akuma grabbed Laura and, with one arm, flung her across the plaza so that she landed inside of the tram that rested there. The glass window shattered, and the metal box rambled as Laura was flung through it.
"Hey!" a thin voice cried. Akuma turned right as Sean slid across the ground to him. Crouching low and rearing his fist back. Then Sean shot up right as he was beneath Akuma, his fist shooting up as he did it connected with Akuma's chin. Rocking into it and forcing it up as Sean jumped up from the ground.
Grinning Sean looked up to his fist connecting with Akuma's. Turning over mid-air he swung himself around and, with his other fist punched Akuma in the chin again.
Landing two hits in a row, Sean looked up confidently at his fist in Akuma's chin. But then over his fist and Akuma's chin he saw two terrible red eyes glaring at him. Even as he rose higher, he saw Akuma's chin coming back down, pushing against the blow and moving Sean's own fist down with it.
Quickly, Sean disengaged as Akuma remained on the ground, and Sean fell back to it. Despite that, Akuma did not attack him, but instead rubbed his chin.
"I know that move." he grumbled. "Shoryuken."
"See," Sean panted. "Told you, I know how you fight."
"So you did, pup." Akuma said rearing his bear arm back. "So now you will see mine."
"Oh, just wait until I get two fists in there." he said thinking his next move would be the double fisted Dragon Smash. But Akuma had other plans.
"You will not get the chance!" Akuma roared, and as soon as his words had been spoken, he surged towards Sean.
Before Sean could blink, Akuma had cleared the short distance between them. His fist reared back was level with the much smaller Sean. Then unleashing it. Akuma swung it forward, uppercutting Sean.
Sean put up his arm to block, but Akuma's fist overtook his arm and his fist connecting with his face. Soaring high into the air, Sean came back to the ground, landing far away from Akuma and with Blanka and Fabio.
And in the aftermath of that attack, no one else appeared.
A stray gust wind passed by Akuma almost like it was trying to escape him as well. It was now, he noticed for the first time that he alone was standing in the plaza. Blanka was sprawled out on the ground to his left. To his right, Sean crawled towards Fabio on the ground to help him.
A sudden flicker of movement caught Akuma's attention. He turned his head up as a shadow moved. He saw that Remy was still active, but he was not trying to pursue him. He was far beyond him, running along the rim of the plaza. Akuma had half the mind to call him a coward, for he was trying to flee. That was until he saw Remy run into the tram where Laura was.
The inside of the tram was dark and hollow, but allowed crisp breezes of wind to pass through it's open windows. It truly did feel like he was inside of a cave. Rummaging through the seats, Remy flung himself to the back, where Laura was lying over many crashed and overturned seats.
Remy began to knock some of the overturned ones away, effectively getting them off of her. After a few strikes they were out of the way.
"You're here?" she questioned. "Wasn't expecting that?" she said with a light smile despite the losing end of the battle they were on.
"My turn to get you up now." Remy said. Without the grace or care Laura had given him, he picked her up by her hands and yanked her to her feet.
A sudden shriek from her showed she wasn't expecting that and that he was perhaps a bit too rough in doing it.
"You could use some pointers on how to treat a lady, you know?" she scolded him as she shook her hands and arms, loosening them up for the fight to continue. Almost bashfully, he hid his eyes behind his bangs.
"I'm not used to helping others.." he admitted, sadly bowing his head. Laura remembered now that he had said something about his sister. Something that made it sound like something bad happened to her and that his father may have had something to do with it. That and his seething hatred of fighters made her look at him with a soft pity in her eyes. One that was clear despite the dark, empty tram they found themselves in.
Finding himself being watched closely and intimately by those brown eyes again, Remy flicked his hair, eager to get them away from them.
"We better go." he stated.
"Hm mh." Laura nodded.
Both of them bounded out of the front of the tram through the broken window Laura was flung through. Landing back in the plaza
They saw Akuma standing neutrally in the middle of it. Sean, Fabio, and Blanka were scattered around him. All on the ground, and none of them moving.
"Let's help them first." Laura said as she bolted to her brothers and Remy went to Blanka. Eyeing both of them, Akuma did not re-enter his fighting stance. He merely watched as the two moved around him, each of his eyes trailing behind the other as they went for their defeated comrades.
"Hey! What's this?!" Laura let out as she got to her knees, kneeling between her two brothers. "This is no way for someone who practices the family fighting style to go out! Come on! Get up!" she said, putting an arm around each of them. Having much better luck at it than Sean had before, Laura hoisted both of them to their feet.
"AH! You're too rough, sis!" Sean nagged.
"And you're too touchy." she said letting go of both as they got to their feet but then proceeded to pinch, poke and prod at her younger brother. He tried swatting her away, but even that he couldn't do, both because she was too fast and he was too tired.
"Enough of that." Fabio snapped, bringing them both back to attention as he looked to Akuma. "We're not done yet."
"Coulda fooled me." Remy droned as he and Blanka joined them.
"Hmm." Fabio studied him, still finding it odd the series of events that brought them together. "I don't think you deserve it, but for what it's worth..." he began "Thanks for fighting with my family." Beside him, Laura swooned, and Sean balked. Blanka gnawed at his busted lip.
In reply, Remy merely flicked his hair.
"It's worth nothing in the end." he said, dismissively, sounding like his regular defeatist self once again. He was the first to focus back onto Akuma, and everyone else followed suit.
Each one of them was ready for the battle to continue, though looking at them, they looked more like a ragtag group of bums than fighters. Clothes torn, with scratches, bruises, and spilled blood between them. But together they were sure they could keep up this fight.
One, however, was not so sure of that.
Across the plaza, Akuma looked at the rabble before him. The stalwart Fabio, young Sean, energetic Laura, Feral Blanka, and disappointing Remy. All five of them took their stand together, and it was against him. Yet they could not defeat him, alone or together.
"You're not done, you say?" Akuma questioned. "For all of you to face me..." he paused. "Even combined, you cannot give me the battle I crave. So, I will look elsewhere for it." he said as he eased out of his stiff stance. He still stood standoffishly before them, but not for long. He turned his back to them and began walking off retracing his steps and going back the way he came.
It left the many opponents he left behind stunned. Who would concede a fight in the thick of battle?
"Wait! Where are you going?" Fabio yelled out to him. Akuma paused, though he did not turn his head to face them.
"I will not waste words on the likes of you! You're no more worthy of my words than you are my fists! So I will search out one who is." he declared, lowering his voice into a grumble.
He had nothing else to say and he would say nothing else. He would not waste words, fists or even thoughts on them. No one tried to call out to him to stop him this time. Despite that they all said they were willing to fight on. Instead, they watched off as he headed down the street, towards the edge of town.
"So...that's it?" Laura asked.
"We- we won?" Sean panted.
"Does it look like we won?" Fabio asked "Sure doesn't feel like it."
"Even if we did survive, I wouldn't call that a victory." Remy criticized.
"In the jungle, it's kill or be killed." Blanka gnarled "And we'd all be dead." he said sizing the retreating Akuma up like some great predator.
But to Akuma, the gap between them was so large it was like they were not even there.
Everyone watched Akuma as he continued on walking into the setting sun before vanishing in the light. Blinded by the light none of them could see him, and he disappeared completely.