Chapter 80

Group Training the next day took place in Chin Gentsai's training hall adjacent to his apartment and the Ground Zero Arcade. I was eager to show my new teammates just what I could do, though obviously there was some tension between myself and Sie Kensou. The Guy had a major crush on Athena and seemed oblivious to the fact she didn't like him back like that. He also seemed to think I was attempting to seduce Athena or something similarly idiotic.

We started with forms, working on more Wing Chun, Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut, and Seven-Star Mantis, the things that Chin Gentsai taught, as well as the Eight Drunken Gods style of Drunken Boxing. As we went through forms with Chin studying our stances and whatnot, while shouting encouragement. All while that happened, Sie Kensou kept shooting me dirty looks when he thought I didn't notice.

"More rotation on the Crutch Kicks of the God Li Set! The power is all in the rotation of the body!" Called out Chin Gentsai.

"Sifu, why do we have to learn this? None of us are even old enough to drink!" Complained Athena.

"I learned this from my Sifu, the Illustrious Fu Wen-Chi who learned it from the Legendary Beggar So! Most martial artists would kill to learn these forms! Now, switch to the God Han, set!" Retorted Chin Gentsai as he cracked open a beer.

My nose wrinkled as he started to down the can. Guatemalica Beer wasn't exactly top-shelf, after all. The stuff was made in Guatemala for crying out loud. However, it seemed like it didn't bother Chin Gentsai at all. My guess was the man had drunk enough pisswater in his life to make anything drinkable. He seemed like the type, but I couldn't say I approved, even if that sort of drinking was conducive to his primary fighting style. There was a time and a place for getting smashed, after all.

Eventually, after running us through our forms, he allowed us to spar. Sie Kensou jumped at the chance to square off against me. If Chin Gentsai was aware that Kensou had a grudge against me for something that I hadn't even done except in his mind, though it didn't show. Chin Gentsai let the spar go on, telling us to head out to the mats like this was just a normal thing and not a grudge match that one of his students had built up in his head.

"I'm gonna show you not to mess with me!" Growled Kensou.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you don't want to do this." I warned.

"Shut up and fight already!" Snapped Kensou.

As if to punctuate his statement, Kensou rushed forward in a familiar movement as he tried to use the Senshippou against me, fist outstretched in a punching motion even as his front leg kicked out. Instead of letting him hit me with the Chi-powered punch-kick combo, however, I stomped the ground, rippling Chi through my body as I enacted the Kongoshin of the Ansatsuken. Kensou's Senshippou spent itself against the Diamond-Hard defense without even making a dent. He leaped backward, and I followed after him with a Senshippou of my own. Kensou parried the punch and sidestepped the kick as my own Chi-powered Combo failed to hit him, but I wasn't finished yet, switching gears to launch into the Hyakurenko, the series of Chi-powered punches appearing as a blur to any casual onlooker.

To his Credit, Kensou seemed to realize he was in for a beating, backflipping away in a Chi-powered leap to avoid being hit by the Hundred Chained Hooks of Master Gen. As he landed in a crouch, Kensou channeled Chi to the palm of his right hand, steadying it with his left as he prepared to fire off a Chi Blast. As he did so, I pulsed Chi through my body and out my legs, rushing forward and slipping aside from the Javelin of Chi that Kensou fired at me using the Senkugoshoha of the Ansatsuken. As I came out of my rush, I landed a solid punch to Kensou's face, sending him staggering backward.

Now was my chance, immediately, I immediately smashed two Chi-powered punches and a Chi-infused kick into Kensou, the Dragon Seeks Path Combo of the Great Kung Lao smashing Kensou to the ground. He skipped up almost immediately only to kip up into the two Chi-powered straight punches and the Chi-infused Uppercut of the Dragon Dance Combo of the Great Kung Lao. The force of my uppercut lifted Kensou off the ground enough to allow me to launch up at him with the Resenkyaku, leaping into the air after him and slamming multiple Chi-powered kicks into him before backflipping off him and landing on the floor in a crouch.

Kensou landed hard on his back, grunting in pain as the air was blasted out of his lungs. He skipped to his feet, growling at me as he did so and gathering his Chi in a massive surge a large ball of Chi forming in his hands that I knew I absolutely didn't want to get hit with. As he fired off his Chi Ball, I immediately drew upon my mana, incanting a few mystic words to cast the spell of Resilient Sphere around myself. The Chi Ball flew towards me as a shimmering globe of mystic force snapped into place around me and impacted the magical sphere in an attempt to blow me away.

There was a roar and a loud flash as a Chi attack with enough power behind it to blow away a Humvee impacted the resilient sphere. As that happened, the sprinklers that Chin Gentsai had installed in case of fire in his training hall went off, immediately soaking the sparring area. As the flash subsided, however, the training hall floor was scorched through down to the concrete below the mat and floorboards, but I was unharmed, my spell having taken the blow for me.

"I don't believe it! The Senki Hakkei's my strongest technique and it didn't even ruffle your hair!" Spat Kensou.

"If it makes you feel any better, you made me resort to magic." I offered.

"Fine! How about I just keep firing those off? You'll run out of magic eventually!" Scowled Kensou, beginning to gather more Chi.

"Kensou! That's enough!" Snapped Chin Gentsai butting in to put a stop to the spar.

"Sifu?" Blinked Kensou, ceasing his Chi Gathering.

"I don't know what possessed you to try that, but you've already activated my sprinklers now you want to fire off another of those blasts? One hundred laps around the block, now!" Commanded Chin Gentsai.

"Sorry, Sifu!" Bowed Kensou deeply.

Then he was gone, out the door and outside, presumably to start running the laps he'd been ordered to run. Moments later, the sprinklers cut out as Athena turned the water off manually. Chin Gentsai, meanwhile, took a long pull from another beer, this one being a Canoga, which was at least better than the Guatemalica he'd been drinking earlier. Seriously, that stuff was on par with Cerveza Chango for bad, Latin American, Beer.

"I don't know what got into Kensou, but I assure you he isn't normally like this." Apologized Chin Gentsai.

"I think I know what got into him." I frowned, looking over at Athena.

The Purple-Haired Idol flinched at my look but couldn't deny her unwillingness to be direct with Kensou about not wanting to date him had caused this whole thing. Kensou's crush on her was turning out to be bad for the team dynamics and that had to be fixed. Sooner, rather than later. Athena must have understood that too, because her shoulders slumped as she realized what she had to do.

"Fine. I'll go talk to him." Sighed Athena.

"You do that. In the meantime, I'm gonna head out and grab a smoke." I nodded

I threw on my coat and headed for the stairs, Athena following after. We exited the building with me stopping as soon as I hit the street while Athena kept going, jogging down the street after the running Kensou. I wished her luck because this couldn't continue if we were going to have any chance at stopping The Yamata-No-Orochi's resurrection at the upcoming King of Fighters Tournament. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a battered packet of Red Apple Cigarettes, lighting up with a Zippo I'd claimed from a dusted Vampire back in Sunnydale and taking a drag.

As I did so, I had the oddest feeling that I was being watched. Looking across the street, I spotted a Man with two-toned, blonde and black hair, wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and black fingerless gloves. My downloaded information told me exactly who that was. Yamazaki Ryuji, the Heretic, leader of the Yamazaki-Gumi Yakuza Group. As I spotted him, he flashed me a positively feral grin and tossed off a jaunty wave before dragging his thumb across his neck in a cutting-throat gesture and giving me a thumbs down.

Then he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off like he hadn't just threatened me. I scowled as I stubbed out my cigarette before heading back inside. I refused to fall for his psycho mind games. After all, psychological warfare always favored the actual psychopaths. Best to deal with whatever he had planned as it came instead of fucking myself up trying to figure out what his next move was. I'd sleep better and be able to focus more effectively that way.

As it would turn out, the Yamazaki-Gumi's next move would occur a few days later, as I was taking a rare day for myself out in South Town. I was just about to enter the XL Coffeeshop near what looked to be a second location of the Pao Pao Cafe when they made their move. I hadn't brought anyone with me and the Yamazaki-Gumi hadn't just come with Ryuji, but also with a bit of extra muscle in the form of a couple of Ex-Foot Clan Shinobi equipped with high-powered weaponry. Unfortunately, as I looked around the street, it seemed like the inhabitants were making to find a vantage point to watch where they wouldn't get caught up in the fighting. Apparently, the people of South Town were well-used to such things.

"Heh. Funny seeing you here, Brat!" Grinned Ryuji.

"You brought Ex-Foot Shinobi? You thought they would help here? Clearly, you don't know a damn thing about me. I was at the Hudson Block and beat the Shredder personally. Some cast-offs from his organization aren't going to slow me down." I warned.

The Foot Shinobi shifted at that, clearly unaware of just who they'd been called in to deal with. Ryuji, however, just shrugged nonchalantly. He had an air of supreme unconcernedness about him as I said that, though that could just be more mind games.

"So? They oughtta be easy pickings for you then. I dunno what you're bitching about." He sneered.

"You really want to do this here? With bystanders around who might catch a stray bullet? I can't imagine Geese Howard being all right with that sort of collateral damage." I pointed out,

That turned out to be the wrong thing to say to Ryuji, though. His face bent into a scowl as his eyes lit up in anger. Apparently, he didn't like being compared to Geese unfavorably. He proved that when he spoke up next.

"Fuck what Geese wants! I ain't his errand boy, I'm Yamazaki Ryuji and now I'm gonna have to beat some respect into you!" He spat.

Then as if on cue, the Ex-Foot Shinobi opened fire and the battle began in earnest. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so we're moving forward with the KOF Plot. Sie Kensou's crush on Athena is leading to a dysfunctional team dynamic right now that needs to be fixed before the tournament starts or it will be easily exploited by the minions of Orochi to break up the team. Meanwhile, the thing with Geese sticking Yamazaki Ryuji on Ulysses has come to a head.

Other nineties stuff this chapter includes mentions of Guatemalica Beer from King of the Hill, Cerveza Chango from From Dusk Till Dawn, Canoga Beer from Roseanne, Red Apple Cigarettes from the works of Quentin Tarantino, Resilient Sphere from second edition Dungeons and Dragons, the techniques of the Great Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat, the techniques of the Ansatsuken and Master Gen are both from Street Fighter, the Foot Clan, Shredder, and the Hudson Block from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sunnydale from Buffy, the Ground Zero Arcade from Robocop, and Master Fu Wen-Chi from Drunken Master Two. Everything else is from King of Fighters.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the fight with Ryuji.

Stay tuned. . .