NT: Interlude: Mercenary Rumble II

While Michelle Chang, T. Hawk, and Kensou had spread out among the aboveground areas of the old Popsi Bottling Plant to fight their respective opponents, Daimon Goro and Nikaido Benimaru had gone down to the lower levels. Down here, there were old crates with labels from companies like Tokugawa Foods, who would have shipped things like containers of High Fructose Corn Syrup to the plant, or machines that helped run the plant with labels from places like Zilla Industries.

"It's fucking storage down here. Are we sure this is the place?" Questioned Nikaido on seeing all this.

"This is where we were told." Shrugged Goro.

"Yeah, by those Anjougumi Guys we interrogated, but come on. Does this place look like it's seen much action lately?" Queried Nikaido.

"Just keep moving. We might find them if we do." Intoned Goro.

"Bet you a Thousand Yen this is a wild goose chase." Offered Nikaido.

"Why would you go and bring money into this?" Asked Goro.

"'Cause what else am I gonna do, poke around in Boxes?" Questioned Nikaido sarcastically.

"You might try that door up ahead." Deadpanned Goro.

"Sure thing, but do you wanna bet or not?" Queried Nikaido.

"A thousand yen?" Asked Goro.

"Yeah." Nodded Nikaido.

"Make it two thousand." Smirked Goro.

"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! You're on!" Crowed Nikaido.

Goro just shook his head at his teammate's antics, motioning for Nikaido to try the door. Nikaido nodded and tried the handle. The door didn't budge, which caused Nikaido to frown. He turned back to Goro and shook his head.

"It's locked. Well, either that or rusted shut." He spoke up.

"Probably just locked. I doubt it's rusted when none of the machines are. Let me try." Insisted Goro.

"Be my guest." Chuckled Nikaido, stepping back and away from the doors.

Goro shrugged off his Geta, walking barefoot on the concrete floor, drawing power from the earth underneath. That was probably the only thing that saved him from getting seriously hurt when the doors were blown off their hinges by a sudden burst of whitish-blue Chi. His Gi jacket was burned to tatters off his shoulders, and Goro was sent flying into a pile of crates, smashing cannisters of Dinoco Generator Gasoline and Containers of Tokugawa Foods High Fructose Corn Syrup as he landed in a wet, sticky mess. Nikaido immediately leapt back into a ready stance as that happened, but he wasn't prepared for what he saw next.

It was an Anthropomorphic Tiger in a pair of black Chinese pants and a yellow vest with Hung Gar wristbands on both wrists. Nikaido hadn't ever seen anything quite like it, and he might've stared just a bit too long for comfort. The Tiger-Man growled at Nikaido as he turned to face him, and Nikaido bristled at that.

"The Hell are you supposed to be?" Questioned Nikaido.

"I am Gold Tiger of the Zodiac Group. I am a Zoanthrope." Rumbled the Tiger Man, Gold Tiger.

"The Hell's a Zoanthrope?" Queried Nikaido.

"Your doom." Intoned Gold Tiger.

"I don't think so." Huffed Nikaido, preparing to fight, when he felt a meaty palm place itself on his shoulder from behind. Nikaido looked over to see Goro, shirtless, singed, but alive and still clearly able to fight.

"No, I'll take this one. You need to head on past him. There should be one more here." Refuted Goro.

"Right. Guess I'll be moving on then." Agreed Nikaido.

"Don't die. You now owe me two thousand yen, after all." Smirked Goro at Nikaido, who let out a bark of laughter and made to rush past Gold Tiger.

"I don't think so!" Roared Gold Tiger, popping a set of claws and infusing them with Chi. As he made to carve into Nikaido's side with Chi-infused claws, however, Gold Tiger found his attack interrupted by Goro rippling Chi and Terrakinetic Power through his body before launching himself bodily at Gold Tiger in a forward roll. Goro bowled Gold Tiger over, and the pair went sprawling through another pile of metal and wooden crates, these ones empty, smashing them to flinders as they landed and cracking the concrete floor from the force of their landing.

Goro and Gold Tiger began to grapple for position, with Goro hoping to get enough leverage to break limbs and Gold Tiger trying to recover from his position on the ground, where he was clearly less skilled than standing up. Goro, as a Judoka, was pretty good with grappling, though, and he fought to stay in position. After a moment, Goro had an armbar locked in, only for Gold Tiger to pick him up bodily and slam him into the concrete floor, smashing it and revealing the dirt underneath. Goro let go of Gold Tiger's arm and rolled away from an angry stomp, getting back up to his feet in a stance.

Nikaido watched all this from the doorway to the next room, then gave Goro a nod. Goro nodded back before moving to engage Gold Tiger once again. As Nikaido turned back to the door, he rushed through it with the sounds of combat starting up again behind him. What he found there was unexpected as all fuck. A Pretty Boy with long hair and a Katana and Wakizashi stood in the center of what had to have been a pretty large storage area. The Pretty Boy was wearing a black suit, which was at odds with the traditional swords the Guy also had.

"So you have made it past the others?" Asked the Pretty Boy.

"Seems like." Smirked Nikaido.

"Very well. I am the Jade Dragon. Leader of the Zodiac Group and current heir to the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū style of swordsmanship. Beyond me is a room where the girl, Yuki, is being kept by another person hired by our Employers. You will only get there if you defeat me, however." Introduced the Pretty Boy, Jade Dragon.

"Fine by me! Let's get this show on the road!" Demanded Nikaido, taking a stance.

Then, the Jade Dragon practically disappeared from Nikaido's view. One moment, he had been standing there, hand on the hilt of his Katana, the next he was gone. Nikaido's Chi sense warned him of a powerful Chi signature above him and coming down rapidly. It took everything Nikaido had to get out of the way, throwing himself bodily into a leaping, forward shoulder roll that just cleared the area as a plume of dust shot up from suddenly pulverized concrete flooring to reveal a sudden impact crater four feet in diameter and one foot deep into the foundation of the building.

Nikaido couldn't believe how fast this Guy was! He'd barely been able to get out of the way of that blow. If he hadn't been as well-trained as he was, he'd have been Sashimi just now! This guy was no joke. As the Jade Dragon stood up, sheathing his Katana once again, he turned toward Nikaido, a grin on his face.

"Good. You were able to dodge. You have no idea how many times I've been disappointed with that." Nodded Jade Dragon.

"You sound like you're having fun with this." Scowled Nikaido.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I have met very few combatants who can handle the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū. It's all so disappointing. You cannot improve as a Martial Artist by fighting only opponents that you outclass, after all. To see that you were able to dodge the Ryūtsuisen, though, is encouraging." Remarked Jade Dragon.

"You talk yourself up a lot. Guess you're not used to losing, huh? Too bad! I'm the Shooting Star, Benimaru Nikaido, and I'm the one who's gonna hand you your first loss!" Growled out Nikaido.

"We'll see. Try not to die on me too soon, though. That would be so disappointing." Intoned Jade Dragon.

As he said that, Nikaido channeled his Chi into a rush, collecting electrical energy in his fist as he moved forward, arcs of blue lightning blossoming as he aimed a Raijinken at the Smug Bastard's face. Once again, the Jade Dragon disappeared, but Nikaido was onto his technique now, flipping up in a Chi-Powered Backflip Kick, trailing electrical energy like a lightning bolt. He met the Jade Dragon in mid-air, his Super Inazuma Kick versus the Jade Dragon's Ryūtsuisen. In the end, they were both blown away by the power unleashed by the two Chi techniques blowing up in each other's faces at point-blank range.

Nikaido was fast enough that he managed to twist in mid-air to land in a crouch, only taking a minor cut to his calf from the Jade Dragon's blade, however, the Jade Dragon was faster. He rebounded off the far wall of the Large Storage Area, using that to add to his speed as he flashed out in a flurry of cuts all aimed at Nikaido's head. The only way that Nikaido was able to dodge was to fall flat on his ass, that's how fast the flurry came in, and he still wound up losing a couple inches off his hairstyle in the process. Snarling, he channeled electric power into his hand as Jade Dragon sailed over him and thrust a Raijinken out at the Smug Bastard from below. The electric attack smashed into Jade Dragon's leg, causing his muscles to spasm and his calf to develop electric burns.

Then the Jade Dragon was moving past Nikaido to crash into a pile of wooden pallets, smashing them all to flinders. Nikaido stood, wincing as his slashed leg sent pain traveling up his spine. As he watched the Jade Dragon stand, he noticed his opponent also had issues standing on the leg he'd hit with the Raijinken, though, so Nikaido considered them even. Actually, he'd give an extra point to himself for getting the Smug Bastard in the leg. It had to be hard to be so damn speedy with a burned leg, after all.

"You avoided the Ryūsōsen: Garami and even managed to counterattack. I'm impressed." Acknowledged the Jade Dragon.

"Don't patronize me, you smug bastard!" Growled out Nikaido.

"Very well, let's see how you deal with this, then." Mused the Jade Dragon.

As Nikaido prepared himself to move, however, the Jade Dragon launched himself forward, blade weaving a series of strikes like a net in front of him as he charged. A flash of insight warned Nikaido that if he didn't move, he would get cut up from nine different killing blows that would land almost simultaneously. With that in mind, Nikaido tried moving off to the right, away from the deadly rush. Unfortunately, the technique was so powerful that Nikaido still wound up taking shallower cuts to the side of his left arm and his left shoulder. Neither were fight enders by themselves, but they'd be a problem going forward. Something had to be done 'cause he was getting cut to shit here. He needed to take drastic action.

Reaching out with both hands, he winced at the pain in his wounded left shoulder and arm, but paid it no mind. Instead, grabbing at the Jade Dragon's Forearms and pulling him in close, too close for the Smug Bastard to cut him with his sword. He held him there with all the strength in his Chi-Enhanced Body before channeling ten thousand volts of electricity through his body, The Electro-Trigger was an Electrokinesis Technique he'd been working on. An evolution of the Benimaru Collider, he hadn't gotten the chance to use it against anyone in the Tournament. Judging from the way this Smug Bastard was jerking around in his grip, foaming at the mouth, and smoking, though, it was a fight ender.

As soon as Nikaido let go of the Jade Dragon, the latter slumped to the floor, unconscious, body smoking from Nikaido putting as much power into that as he dared. Nikaido followed afterward, falling to the floor, exhaustion and the multiple sword wounds from Chi-enhanced Kenjutsu Techniques catching up to him.

He'd just have to trust the others could handle saving Yuki without him. . .

XXXX

Daimon Goro was fighting hard. It seemed his opponent was too used to being able to make use of his potent striking abilities. He had a hard time fighting a grappler like Goro was, and that was something that Goro worked as much to his advantage as he could. Already, the Gold Tiger's left arm hung loose at his side, dislocated by a joint lock that Goro had managed to slap on during their last bout of grappling. At the same time, a knee strike from a clinch had caught the Gold Tiger flush in the ribs, and the Zoanthrope Warrior was clearly feeling the blow, his ribs bruised, possibly even cracked.

That wasn't to say that Goro had everything his own way, mind you. His right shoulder was burned from taking a second Chi Blast as he had attempted a shoulder tackle, and his back and chest were oozing blood from a pair of claw swipes that had been as sharp as blades thanks to the Chi Infusion the Gold Tiger had done for his claws, but he knew he could win. He just had to keep taking the fight to the ground or tying up Gold Tiger in the clinch, and he would slowly, but surely, whittle the Mercenary down.

"You are formidable." Offered Goro.

"You aren't too bad yourself." Nodded Gold Tiger.

"A shame you have not practiced your grappling as much as your striking. Then this would be a proper contest." Opined Goro.

"The sorts of Jobs we tend to be hired for don't often require us to have an expertise in grappling beyond a moderate level of skill." Shrugged Gold Tiger.

"Bad luck for you then." Intoned Goro.

"How so?" Questioned Gold Tiger.

"I'm the worst opponent you could have faced out of all of us. A Grappling Specialist." Informed Goro.

"All of you? There are others besides you and the annoying one?" Queried Gold Tiger.

"There are. Unless I miss my guess, they should have just finished with most of your companions." Affirmed Goro, feeling the pace of the fights upstairs with his Chi Sense.

"Damn." Swore Gold Tiger.

"I don't suppose you'd care to surrender? It would actually be in everyone's best interest." Asked Goro.

"What do you mean?" Questioned Gold Tiger.

"You realize you were hired to help end the world, yes?" Queried Goro in response.

"We were hired to make sure the Girl, Yuki, doesn't get recaptured." Frowned Gold Tiger.

"Yes. So that she could be used as a sacrifice to empower the Yamata-No-Orochi, who in turn will attempt to destroy the world." Informed Goro.

Goro could see the hesitation written on Gold Tiger's face as he wrestled with the orders he had been given versus what Goro was telling him now. However, as if to make his point for him, Goro felt a shudder of power ripple through the air as a roar was heard upstairs and outside, shaking the foundations of the Bottling Plant. He stayed standing, his mastery of Terrakinesis allowing him to do so, alongside his powerful build. With busted ribs, the Gold Tiger wasn't so lucky, toppling to the floor.

This would be his chance to finish it if he were so inclined, but Goro wasn't the sort of person to offer to allow his opponent to surrender only to attack them opportunistically while the offer was being considered. It wasn't his style, quite the opposite, really. That in mind, Goro moved to Gold Tiger's side and offered his hand to his opponent. Gold Tiger looked up at Goro for a long moment. Then he nodded once, and with a sigh, took Goro's offered hand.

"All right. I surrender. I have no clue what that just was, and you could be lying to me, but that doesn't matter. We clearly haven't been given need-to-know information by our Employer." Agreed Gold Tiger, as Goro helped the Zoanthrope to his feet.

Soon after, T. Hawk, Michelle Chang, and Sie Kensou came rushing down the stairs alongside the Paper Rabbit. On seeing both Goro and Gold Tiger conscious and not fighting, T. Hawk stepped forward, nodding at both combatants.

"You surrendered?" Asked T. Hawk.

"I did. Come on, let's go check on your companion and Jade Dragon." Affirmed Gold Tiger.

"Nikaido went ahead?" Questioned Michelle Chang.

"He did." Confirmed Goro.

"Why am I not surprised?" Queried Kensou.

"Does that happen often?" Asked the Paper Rabbit.

"More than we'd like." Nodded Goro.

As they entered the next room, however, they found both Jade Dragon and Nikaido unconscious on the floor. Both were fairly wounded. Paper Rabbit moved to begin Alchemically-Assisted First Aid, while directing the rest of the group toward where Yuki was being held, a small room down a short corridor that used to lead to the Janitorial Office. Instead, they found Yuki tied to a chair, with a Russian Dostovoi Pistol pointed at her by a Jumpy Thug.

"I'm warning you! Stay back or I'll blow her brains out!" Cautioned the Thug.

"Their last line of defense is some random thug off the street?" Questioned Kensou.

"Who are you calling random?" Queried the Thug.

"Did you receive any instructions?" Asked T. Hawk, pressing past things.

"Fuck my instructions! I just wanna get out of here in one piece!" Insisted the Thug.

"Fine, just put the gun down and we'll let you go." Offered Michelle Chang.

"It's a generous offer, more than I think we would be in similar circumstances." Remarked Gold Tiger.

"You'll just let me go?" Questioned the Thug.

"We're only here for Yuki. We don't want to spill any more blood than we have to." Offered Goro.

"Promise?" Queried the Thug.

"We promise." Affirmed T. Hawk.

"Just one thing. Leave the Gun." Informed Kensou.

"Why?" Asked the Thug.

"It could have a tracker in it. You wouldn't want your boss to know you ran, yeah?" Tried Michelle Chang.

"Man, this sucks. The weapon was half my payment." Sighed the Thug.

"You didn't fulfill your job anyway, so half payment and your life is better than nothing." Pressed Gold Tiger.

"You're going to want to take the offer before the others wake up. I can't speak for Jade Dragon, but Benimaru isn't likely to see an enemy not having surrendered and still standing and hold back from knocking your head off." Warned Goro.

"Right, I'm going." Nodded the Thug, putting the Dostovoi Pistol on the floor and heading out.

And with that, Yuki was saved. Goro made his way over to her to begin untying the ropes, while Michelle Chang checked her pulse. Apparently, the Half-Chinese, Half-Native American Woman had some first aid training. Either way, Goro was just glad that everything had worked out on this end and Yuki was safe.

Now, their allies in the Arena would just have to hold up their end of the fight, and the day would be saved. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next bit of the Interlude showing how Kensou, Goro, Nikaido, and so on handled Yuki's kidnapping. Thankfully, Chris wasn't exactly forthcoming with details that the Zodiac Group needed to know, so they could be talked around to surrendering, since their contract was somewhat fraudulent. They should all be glad that Nikaido wasn't conscious to handle that Thug with the Pistol at the end, though. He would have likely mouthed off and gotten Yuki shot, which would have been exactly what Chris and the Yamata-No-Orochi wanted.

Other nineties stuff this chapter includes mentions of T. Hawk from Street Fighter, Michelle Chang from Tekken, the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū and its various Techniques are from Rurouni Kenshin, Zoanthropes, and the Martial Arts they use are from Bloody Roar, Tokugawa Foods is a Subsidiary of the Tokugawa Group from Policenauts, the Anjougumi are from Ichi the Killer, Dinoco Gasoline is from various Pixar Movies and Shorts, Popsi is a brand of soda from Gunsmith Cats, the Dostovoi is a Pistol from Goldeneye for the Nintendo Sixty-Four, and Zilla Industries is from Shadow Warrior. Everything else is from King of Fighters.

At any rate, in the next chapter, we'll be back with Ulysses for the second part of the fight against the Yamata-No-Orochi-possessed Chris.

Stay tuned. . .