The Call of the Arena ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Three Days Later, Tokyo Bay, Japan Yoko and Jun gaped at the vastness of Tokyo Bay. Stretching from one side of the setting to the other, it was filled with all sorts of people. Tourists entering from new ships, taking pictures of their first time in Japan, merchants and traders, men carrying shipments of goods to be distributed to various Japanese companies that stretch out so far as to reach Hokkaido and Kyushu. Hard as it was to believe, Yoko had never been to Tokyo Bay before. She had been living in Japan for a few years now, but she had really seen relatively little of it. Jun, on the other hand, had been here dozens of times. And it was nothing to her. Both girls had duffel bags slung over their shoulders, and both held their tournament invites in hand “So this is Tokyo Bay, huh?” Yoko asked. Jun yawned discourteously. “…Sure is. Stinks of fish and sea water.” “Lighten up, Jun.” Yoko said chidingly. “I’ve never competed in a tournament before. I’m really excited about this.” “Yeah, well, let’s just see what other guys we have to work with. I hope this tournament brings us some heavy hitters.” Jun did just that, looking over at the crowds that were forming around their selected boat. It was a luxury vessel, far larger than what she expected. And the crowds were a little larger than she expected to. But quite a few of those people were just waving off their friends and family, the ones who were going to compete in the God of Fighting Grand Championships. She took that into account and just looked at the number of people in fighting gear. Around twenty something, and some probably weren’t dressed yet (this was a possibility since both Jun and Yoko were in their casual street clothes). Jun continued to search through the crowds of fighters to see who might look like a challenge, but then gasped with shock and excitement as she saw someone who she would have never expected to be there. “Oh my god…!” Jun said in a daze. Yoko noticed Jun’s stunned disposition. “What is it, Jun?” “Look!” She screamed, pointing at the fighter’s direction, “Look who it is!” Yoko looked over to whomever Jun was pointing at. Over at the pier, surrounded by screaming girls and nerdish young men, was a strident figure. He dressed in a pure black suit, donning a pair of shades and running a hand through his wavy black hair. Flashes of cameras were constantly going off, while people scrambled to him, handing him scraps of paper and a pen, obviously for autographs. When Yoko took a deeper look at him, she was astounded. “It can’t be!” Yoko said brightly “Ryoma Taneda?” Jun giggled excitedly. “It’s really him! I can’t believe it’s really him! He’s one of the greatest fighters in the world! I don’t believe that I’m really gonna fight in the same tournament as Ryoma Taneda! The real action star!” Yoko was a bit more cautious, however. “That’s strange…” “What’s strange?” Jun reciprocated “Ryoma Taneda is a really strong fighter. Action star or not, I know how powerful he is. Don’t you think it’s odd that virtual unknowns like us are competing in a tournament with one of the most famous Japanese fighters?” Jun thought about it. “Hmm. That’s true. You kinda have a point there, but you said you’re the daughter of Tsukasa Asagawa, right?” Yoko nodded “Yes.” “Well he was a legend in Sunset City, if I’m not mistaken. That’s probably how they know you. Plus, my dad’s got lots of connections and stuff. And I’ve been in a few junior Judo tournaments, nothing fancy. I suppose that’s how they got a hold of me.” That still wasn’t a satisfactory answer for Yoko, but, “…I guess so.” “C’mon, let’s see if we can get his autograph!” Jun grabbed Yoko by wrist, then pulled her over to the group of people that were currently surrounding Ryoma Taneda. The Asagawa-girl sighed and let the eager Jun pull her over, then looked around while she walked. Most of the fighters were male, pretty strong looking, pretty tough, but Yoko suspected that she could handle them. When her eyes crossed over to a neighbouring pier, they stopped. Yoko squinted at the person she saw standing there A woman. A Chinese woman. With long dark hair, amethyst eyes and… Yoko‘s heart skipped a beat. “… Li Ming…?” The girl vanished, slipping inside the boat from the other pier. Yoko froze with shock. Could it really have been Li Ming? After all this time? No. There was no way it could be. Yoko shook her head to try and stop thinking about her. That would do her no good, especially when she was about to compete in a tournament. Jun turned around, away from the Ryoma Taneda crowds when Yoko stopped walking. She was more than aware of that haunted, spacey look on her friend’s face. “Yoko?” Jun said the name with concern. “Everything okay?” It took her a moment to respond. “I-I… I’m fine…” Far above the crowds of fighters and fans of Ryoma Taneda, were the cabins of the ship (which had been dubbed ‘Grand Soma’ ). The master cabin, well decorated in a blunt, metallic Germanic design, contained the man behind all this. Reinhalt Schwarzluft. Seated in his ’throne’, the leader of the KAIGA Group sipped his glass of brandy, before lowering it from his lips and swirling it around. His face beamed a dark smirk, then turned his eyes to the glass porthole that showed him what was going on below. “Everything is going smoothly,” He said to himself “The tournament will be a success.” He turned his head around to look at the receptionist across the cabin. “Miss Keiko. The time has come for the ship to depart. Once all the fighters have assembled in the Grand Hall, address them all about this current situation.” Miss Keiko, Reinhalt’s private secretary, nodded. “I understand, sir.” The woman then left the room, out into one of the main corridors of the Grand Soma. Down on the main pier, the fighters were already entering the boat, one by one, entering through the three gateways that offered passage into the inside. Some said goodbye to their family and friends who wished them, well, others (Like Ryoma Taneda) had to plough his way through to get anywhere. Among those crowds were Yoko and Jun The two martial artists entered with the rest of the group, then spilled into the carpeted corridors of the Grand Soma. Eventually, all the fighters managed to get aboard. As both Jun and Yoko took the time to look around the fancy ship, an intercom came on, addressing all the fighters who had made into onto this ship for the 11.00 deadline. “Could all tournament fighters please follow the left wing corridor into the Grand Hall. There you will be debriefed about the rules and regulations for the God of Fighting Grand Championships.” “You heard her,” Jun said to Yoko. “Lets go.” Jun, Yoko, and the rest of the tournament fighters, did as they were requested and walked down the corridor, to the Grand Hall. It was large, vast, and very elegantly designed, with a particularly late Victorian design. Everything from the cushioned seats to overhanging chandeliers followed that motif. Soon, the entire group of fighters moved into the Grand Hall and took their seats from the many that had been laid out from them. Near the ceiling of that room was a balcony, and after fifteen minutes of waiting, someone emerged to address the tournament fighters. She stepped up, clipboard in hand, and spoke to the crowds below her. “Welcome all. Welcome to the God of Fighting Grand Championships. You have all been selected from the four corners of the world, to participate in this tournament. It will be held on an island just a few miles off the Japanese coast, called Kakuri You shall be staying there for the next four days, and I am sure you will enjoy the facilities that we have to offer you. But before you reach the island, I am requested to relay the rules and organization of this tournament.” Miss Keiko looked at her clipboard before continuing. “The rules that will be conducted in the ring are as such. No weapons. The intentional killing of your opponent is *strictly* forbidden. Any who dares to break that rule with be charged to the fullest extent of Japanese law. Once you enter the ring to fight, you cannot leave it until the victor is decided. Anyone who leaves the ring during a match will be disqualified. The matches will be observed via security cameras that have been placed around the island. If you are found breaking any of these rules, we will take immediate action.” “Tomorrow morning, at 9.00 sharp, all 32 participants will be placed in pairs in 16 individual arenas dotted around the coastline of the island. You will be handed a red crystal. You fight the person on your field and the winner will receive the crystal of the defeated. The winner will proceed to the next arena where you will fight your next opponent upon their arrival. Again, the defeated person of that fight will hand their two crystals to the winner. Once you have earned four crystals, it means that you have automatically gained entry into the quarter finals. Proceed to the checkpoint, hand the guard your four crystals, and you will fight in the quarter final match. Following that, the tournament’s semi finals will continue on the following day. Once the semi-finals are completed, the finals will be carried out on the day after that. The final match will be held inside the central residence of the island, the Stone Ruins, with tournament liaison, Mr. Reinhalt Schwarzluft as a spectator. The winner will be given a cash sum equal to 200,000 in their chosen currency, and will be given the title, ‘God of Fighting‘” “We reach Kakuri Isle in three hours. You may feel free to enjoy the facilities of the Grand Soma until we reach there. Once at the island, you may train or prepare yourself for the tournament in our twelve selected gyms before its starts. If you have any further questions, please speak to one of the staff members who will designate you to one of the tournament advisors. Fight hard, and may you have good luck.” Yoko blinked as Miss Keiko walked back into the room she had come from. That whole speech really took it to her. But there was no turning back now. The brunette turned to Jun, who was sitting next to her, to see what she thought. “Well?” Yoko enquired. Jun ran a hand through her ginger hair. “Bit confusing. I thought it’d be just a little arena kinda thing. Guess if we’re going to an island to settle this business, it’d be more likely for all that fuss. Does change a few things though…” “Ho, ho, ho!” A voice bellowed from behind. “You needn’t worry my Japanese princesses!” Both Jun and Yoko turned around to look at the seat behind them as they heard a stout man calling to them. And stout he was. The man was tall, very tall, the girls actually had to look up to get a good look at his face. And he was muscular. His muscles bugled against the fabric of his black string vest. Aside from his large, intimidating presence of body, he seemed quite cheerful and jolly. “Who the heck are you, big guy?” Jun quipped. The solid giant pounded his chest with a single fist. “The name’s Steinler! A proud fighter from my motherland, Ireland! You lasses better watch yourselves! I’m a gentleman, but I’m going for that 200,000!” “You better watch out for me…” Jun said with an arrogant smile. “I’ve taken down guys just as large as you are Mr. Steinler.” Steinler just grinned. “Heh, heh, heh. We’ll see.” Yoko looked at both Jun and Steinler. Only a couple of words had been exchanged between them and it already seemed like she had a rival. With so many awesome fighters competing in this, it was going to be a tournament to remember. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kakuri Isle complex, Kakuri Isle, Pacific Ocean “Doh! Ja, doh, jah!” Yoko pummelled the black heavy bag with magnificently timed blow after magnificently timed blow Punches, roundhouses, elbow strikes, palm strikes, knee kicks, all centred at the spot she had set for herself on the heavy bag. She recoiled with a final punch, slipping her body back into a fighting stance, both arms up, one fist at her side, the other near her chin, body slightly tilted. The sweat from another of Yoko’s hard fought workouts dribbled down her soft face and pouting cheeks. Her breath was quick, her chest heaving upwards and downwards as she drew more and more oxygen into herself. It might have seemed strange to some, but she really did work hard. For such a gentle, kind girl, she was dedicated to her training. Maybe it was because of her missing her father. When Tsukasa died, she and her brother had to deal with many hardships. Perhaps uphold the style that her father had fought so hard to perfect was a way of keeping his spirit alive After all, martial arts was a big part of the Asagawa Family’s lifestyle. Yoko lowered her guard, then eased herself. She wiped the sweat from her face, and took a look around. The journey from the ship had been fairly brief, just a couple hours, really As soon as they landed, Jun and Yoko were guided to the room they would be staying in till the tournament was over with. After a slapping meal served up by the 23 chefs at hand on the island, Yoko decided to go to one of the gyms she was told about to train. She had invited Jun to come with her, but she waved Yoko off, saying, ‘I’m as ready as I’ll ever be’. In other words, she was desperate to catch up with Ryoma Taneda and snag his autograph. And, flirt with a couple guys while she was at it. So it was at this gym that Yoko had come to train. Surrounded by equipment and mats, Yoko was the only one here. Which was good, she liked to train alone. But that didn’t last long. The door across the room flew open, and a boy stepped through, perhaps only three or four years older than she was The boy strode over to one of the heavy bags near Yoko’s, and began laying into it, not sparing Yoko a glance. The Asagawa-girl watched him unashamedly. There was something unique about him. Not least his silver hair and gold eyes. His current garbs were clearly his battle attire, a pair of black leggings with golden Aztec-like prints, a open white trench coat with gold around the edges (beneath that trench coat was nothing but a black string vest), around his wrists were two black bracers, obviously weighted. On his feet were two Chinese-inspired moccasins, thin and polished, and around his neck was a thin golden chain. Yoko could not interpret what style used that form of dress. Nor what style that man’s strikes could possibly belong to. But what she was aware of was his strength. The boy was strong, very strong. Though his voice, spirit and demeanour were silent, his Chi burned with a rage so strong it transcended anything that Yoko had sensed before. He would be a tough opponent. “Hello,” Yoko tried her best not to sound nosy when she spoke to him. “My name’s Yoko. What’s yours?” The man continued to hammer away at the punching bag. He remained silent for a few more seconds, before lowering his fists and parting his lips. “I have no name,” He said. “But people call me Xiangau.” Yoko nodded “I see.” Xiangau went back to hitting the punching bag. Yoko did the same, but kept her eyes on Xiangau His strikes were swift, and thrown from the joint of the arm. Mostly palm strikes, and the occasional punch. Considering the smoothness with which he struck, Yoko assumed that his style had to have been very polished and time-tested. Which didn’t bode well for her. Older fighting styles tended to be far more powerful than newer variations. There were exceptions to this rule, like Jeet Kune Do, for example, but this tended to be the case for most situations. For the most part, Asagawa-style was new, developed in the 50’s by her grandfather, Sousuke Asagawa. He mixed the disciplines of Ju-jitsu, Shotokan Karate, and Wu Shu he had learned in his travels to create something very lethal The Asagawa style of combat arts. Whatever Xiangau’s art was, it was clearly ancient, and therefore more practiced. There were cracks in the Asagawa style, which her father had sought to fill, but had not accomplished just yet. With that in mind, Xiangau was already at an advantage against Yoko. And there was very little she could do about that ‘I have to come up with a strategy for beating him.’ Yoko thought privately. ‘If I end up facing him in the tournament, I’ll probably need…huh?’ Yoko’s train of thought was cut short. By a flash of a woman. A woman that had run passed the door the minute Yoko’s eyes crossed that area. Just like at the port. Was it… Li Ming? Again? Could it really be her? Before, she had dismissed the idea of Li Ming being at this tournament After all, the way she left before, why would she even be here? But no matter what the reason, Yoko had to know if it was really her. If it was Li Ming, there was absolutely no way she could allow the situation to rest. The black-haired girl nodded to Xiangau as a sort of ‘excuse me, but I have to go’. He didn’t seem to care much, all he offered in response was a grunt, but that was enough for Yoko. She dashed from the punching bag she was standing in front of and ran to the door leading out of the gym. This gym was one of the few that was built into the complex that fighters stayed in during their time here, so Yoko knew that the person was a competitor in the tournament. Yoko exited the gym into a furnished corridor, following that woman. She quickly strolled down the pathway of the corridor, so did Yoko. She turned a corner and exited through the left, so did Yoko. By the time Yoko went through that door, the chase had ended. She had been brought to one of the areas of the complex that really brought out the beauty of Kakuri Isle. By size it was quite a few miles wide, and held many natural jungle-like fauna that botanists would have greatly appreciated. This section of the complex was a reflection of the outside of Kakuri. It was a sort of oversized veranda filled with the rich and lush plants that were littering Kakuri Isle’s forests. It was filled with idle fireflies that lit the path for Yoko, and the gentle chirp of crickets, helped add to the charming nature of the setting. This veranda was also overhanging the sea, as the complex was at the edge of a cliff face hung above the small beach that the Grand Soma was resting against. Yoko looked up to the edge of the veranda, to the banister. The girl was waiting there, her back to railing and her hands holding onto it, her long hair (tied into thick braids) flashed around by the sternness of the eastern wind that was picking up. The girl spoke. “I just wanted to see your face again.” There was no denying it now. “Li Ming… it really is you…” “Why did you follow me here?” She replied. Yoko was thrown. Halfway between happiness and complete surprise, she was expecting Li Ming to join her in celebration. But she somehow seemed angry. And a little different… The Asagawa-girl blinked. “B-Because I wanted to know if it was really you. I-I wanted to see you.” “Yoko…” Li Ming lowered her gaze to the ground, trying hard to avoid eye contact. “Things aren’t as they were last year. Things have changed.” “What things?” Li Ming breathed in slowly. “I want you to go home.” “What are you talking about?” Yoko questioned. Soon new questions began to emerge. “After all this time, is that all you have to say to me?! Don’t you think I deserve an explanation about why you left like you did?! Everyone else was worried sick about you!” Li Ming still didn’t look at her. “They shouldn’t have been.” “Why not? They were your friends! They cared about you!” Yoko yelled. “They didn’t need to, because,” Li Ming breathed icily. “I have no friends.” Yoko didn’t take that lying down. “I’m your friend!” That put a dent in Li Ming’s hostility. The Chinese woman became silent again. It appeared that she hadn’t really thought about what she was going to say to Yoko, and truth be told, neither had Yoko herself. But then, Yoko was still in shock that this was Li Ming that she was actually talking to. Yoko searched the girl’s eyes. There was something about her that was different than it was from last year. It was like Li Ming was carrying some great weight, some horrible secret that was binding her. But, if that were true, what would it be? What knowledge would make her abandon her friends the way she did? Yoko was far more direct with her questions this time. “What did he say to you?” “Huh?” “Your Uncle,” Yoko said sternly. “He came to visit the Asagawa Training Hall the day before you left. What did he say to you? What did he tell you that was so bad it forced you to leave the group?” Li Ming’s eyes were equally stern. “You can’t get involved in this, Yoko.” “Why not? I just want to know-” “You can’t get involved!” That silenced the conversation once again. Yoko was shocked at the outburst. Li Ming had changed so much. Before, she was such a caring person, even if a little moody. Now she was so hostile and quiet. What was this secret Li Ming was harbouring? Why did it make her change so much? Yoko felt tears stinging her eyes. To think, she could taking beating after beating from hardcore martial artists, but the one thing that could make her cry, would be this Being yelled at by Li Ming. But after all, they were supposed to be friends… Yoko pasted a fake smile on her lips. “I-I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll leave you alone now.” The young woman turned her back and left. Through the door, back into the confines of the complex. Li Ming on the other hand, turned around so that she faced the balustrade She lowered her head, and a tear slipped down her own eye. It had been nearly a year since she and Yoko had last seen each other, and yet… After all this time… “Why do I still…?” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ West Beach, Kakuri Isle, Pacific Ocean Miss Keiko sighed. Even the chillingly beautiful moonlight splashing off the waves of the sea could cool her down. She really wasn’t the type to get flustered, but the delivery that should have been sent here two days ago was just arriving now. Miss Keiko took the pen from behind her ear, and wrote a few notes down on her schedule. While she did this, the small ship pulled up against the shore of Kakuri Isle’s west beach opened up. The iron door broke open, then crashed into the sand of the beach. Seconds later, a group of burly men came through it, carrying a large box between the three of them. With the box in their hands, they walked towards Miss Keiko and the KAIGA Group lackeys that were standing behind her. Once they reached the woman, they slowly placed the box down into the sand in front of her Miss Keiko finished jotting down her notes, then looked up at the deliverers. Though they were dressed in typical KAIGA Group uniform, from the way Miss Keiko was looking at them you would have thought they were the enemy. “You took your sweet time,” She said, frustrated. “The tournament starts tomorrow. Just eight hours from now. Do you realize what would have happened if the Stone Egg had not been delivered here by that time?” “Uh… no…” One of the couriers replied absently. Miss Keiko sighed at the brain-dead hired muscle. “Mr. Schwarzluft would have had your heads on his wall. And probably mine too. In future, when we ask for your services we expect you to be on time.” Another of the couriers piped up. “Look lady, we got that thing here, didn’t we? Who cares if we’re a little late As long as we did what was asked, what more do you need?” “Assurance,” Miss Keiko said. “Your lateness has displeased both me and Mr. Schwarzluft. But I think we’ll just dock it out of your salary to even our score.” “What!?” One of the three large deliverers bellowed, glaring hatefully at Miss Keiko. He scowled at her, as if a threat to say ‘I better get the money in full’ but when he observed that cool retorting look in the secretary’s eyes, he knew that she was serious. In his fury, he grabbed the woman by the collar, hoisting her up into the air. Some of the them behind her shuffled to attack, but Miss Keiko put them at ease with a staying hand. “We want our money! In full!” The brute yelled. Miss Keiko frowned at him. “And what exactly will you do, if you don’t get it in full?” There was little he could do to answer that. But their was a lot that Miss Keiko could do to answer the question for him. The young woman dropped her clipboard to the sand of the ground. The grunt was about to question that, till he felt the woman’s elbow rammed into his gut. He gasped, mouth and eyes both wide, and involuntarily released Miss Keiko’s collar. Her heels clicked with the sand, but her attack wasn’t finished. She grabbed the taller man by the arm, swung her body around, and pulled downwards. The winded thug wheezed for breath and was drawn over Miss Keiko’s smaller form. He was swung around in a 180-degree motion, and crashed into the sand in front of the woman. All who were around, including the people working for Miss Keiko, gasped at the feat they had just seen. But the young woman, cool and collected as she was, ignored this, just as she ignored the pained groans of the downed grunt. She kneeled to the ground, picked up her clipboard, then turned to address the other deliverers. “Is there anything else?” She said, adjusting her glasses. “Or would you rather leave while you still have some money to enjoy.” The two other guys nodded violently, and grabbed their co-worker. Miss Keiko ignored them and looked over at the boys behind her. “Okay. We need the Stone Egg moved to in the inside of the Kakuri Isle complex. We shall move it to the Stone Ruins when the time for the final round has come.” Those men nodded, then went for the box that contained the Stone Egg. While they lifted it up to their shoulders and began marching toward the trail leading up to the complex, Miss Keiko remained there, and walked down the long stretch of the beach. The God of Fighting Grand Championships were finally beginning.
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