Chapter 74

Raiden charged and as he did, I leaped up over him. His running tackle missed me by inches and he dove head-first into a table, smashing the solid mahogany in half with his face as he did so. I landed behind him and blurred into a Senshippou as he stood back up, the Chi-powered rush saw me practically glide across the floor to smash into him with a Chi-enhanced front kick and straight punch combo.

To his credit, Raiden took the hits like a champ, flinching and rocking back, but not being knocked down. Instead, he breathed in and I could sense the rancid, poisonous, Chi welling up in his throat before he spat it out. Immediately, I launched myself upward and away from the poisonous cloud with the Resenkyaku, Chi-enhanced jumping kicks carrying me clear of the cloud which sizzled into the wood and tile floor, scorching a layer off it. I latched onto a ceiling light with my legs and immediately was forced to block a leaping headbutt by crossing my arms in front of me as I hung upside-down from the light fixture via my legs.

The headbutt rocked me back but didn't do more than lightly bruise my arms. Unfortunately, as Raiden fell, he smashed another table. I smirked as I watched him pick himself up from a self-inflicted tumble once more, and then I heard a creaking noise from above me. I let go of the light fixture with my legs just as the entire fixture was ripped out of the ceiling, flipping myself around to land on my feet.

Raiden, standing up, growled deep in his throat and took a running start at me. I braced myself as he leaped for me, attempting to shoulder block me off my feet in some odd, Chi-enhanced, Pro-wrestling maneuver. Instead of taking the human missile head-on, I pivoted and lashed out with a kick that smashed into Raiden from the side. The momentum of my kick and the momentum of his Chi-powered shoulder block combined to send Raiden smashing through the marble counter that the Hostess had ducked behind earlier. Fortunately, she'd escaped to the kitchen when the trash talk began.

Somehow, I wasn't certain how Raiden managed to shake off plowing head-first through two and a half inches of solid marble and the steel frame beneath at Chi-enhanced speeds. That was more than the thickness of a World War Two-Era tank's armor. Either this guy was just that tough or he had a specialized Chi technique boosting his durability specifically beyond what you'd get from a generic enhancement. Probably a bit of both, if I had to guess.

"Hardhead." I muttered.

"Raiden is known for his durability around these parts. Perhaps you might want to consider getting serious for a moment?" Called out Chin Gentsai from a yet-unsmashed table, still drinking from his gourd.

"I don't see you getting up to handle things!" I grumbled.

"Perks of seniority! When you get to be my age, you get to let the youngsters go first." Grinned Chin Gentsai.

"Fine." I groused.

As Raiden stood up from the wreck of steel and marble that used to be a restaurant counter, I decided that I would hit him with a Denjin Hadouken. I started to draw on the Chikara no Hadou to power the technique up to the maximum extent I could, only for Chin Gentsai to finally step in. He launched himself at Raiden in a leaping, spinning, corkscrew motion even as the Masked Wrestler seemed to be charging up for an attack of his own. The corkscrew drilled into Raiden and knocked him out of whatever grasp he had on his technique. Raiden's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

I just barely had enough time to release my hold on the Chikara no Hadou harmlessly before my technique reached the point of no return and would have had to be discharged. Chin Gentsai flipped himself upright and glared over at me. He looked furious, but also appraising.

"You know, when I said stop playing around, I didn't realize you would go straight to murder." He huffed.

"That wouldn't have killed someone that tough." I pointed out.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. You obviously didn't know the man well enough to judge. You just jumped straight to a move that'd blow up an armored car just in case. I get the sense you're used to dealing with folks that are a little less comfortable in the daylight, eh?" Frowned Chin Gentsai.

"How'd you guess?" I blinked.

"I've known my share of Hunters, Kid. Back in the Old Country, I was acquainted with Master Kau and his students, as well as being passing acquaintances with Master Bo Rai Cho of the Shaolin Order of Light and Master Genkai of the Reihado-Ken. I know how Hunters act when up against unexpected threats." Smirked Chin Gentsai.

"Oh yeah?" I questioned, more out of a lack of any real response than anything else.

"Yeah. I also happen to be acquainted with Master Tung Fu Rue and knew Master Goutetsu of the Ansatsuken. The former never mentioned taking on a student who went hunting the stuff that goes bump in the night and the latter is long dead, and so is his main student. I know you didn't learn how to use the Chikara no Hadou from Akuma, because he teaches a very different art." Pressed Chin Gentsai.

"What are you driving at?" I queried.

"I'd very much like to know where you learned those moves along with what else you might know. That's what I'm driving at." Intoned Chin Gentsai.

"That's a long story." I pointed out.

"I'm an old man without a regular day job. I have the time." Stated Chin Gentsai.

"All right, but I'm going to need food and a drink if I'm going to tell this story. This place is wrecked and I'd rather not be here when the cops arrive to deal with Raiden." I acceded.

"I know a place we can go." Nodded Chin Gentsai.

"Not until you pay for the damages! Look at what your fighting's done to my restaurant!" Snapped an elderly voice from nearby.

I turned to see an old Chinese man in a chef's apron pointing a cleaver menacingly at me. The Cute Hostess from earlier was standing nearby, looking worriedly around at the property damage. The tables might have been Raiden's fault, but the counter and light fixture were mine. I wound up writing the old man a check for a quarter of a million dollars and had to stay near him while he checked with his bank to see if it would clear. That took a couple of hours, and it was noon before the Old Man was finally satisfied and Chin Gentsai and I made our way to a little hole-in-the-wall place called Fletcher's Hole.

Fletcher's Hole, it turned out, was a dive bar owned by a guy named Grady Fletcher who used to live in a place up on the East Coast called Cabot Cove and moved out of town halfway across the country after one too many brushes with the law, all misunderstandings, of course. I didn't really care too much about that, since it meant the guy was likely to look the other way when I ordered a Penn Pavel's with my Burger.

I was only allowed to take a single bite of my burger and one sip of beer before Chin Gentsai demanded I tell him what I knew and how I knew it. I did him one better, pulling the various instructional books from the Great Kung Lao, Master Gen, Master Tung Fu Rue, and the Ansatsuken from my expanded pockets to serve as an accompaniment to me telling him that I was pretty much self-taught. Of course, also mentioning I was a Champion of Raiden went a long way toward selling that. The Thunder God was known for choosing Martial Prodigies as Champions, after all. Only the best got invites to the Mortal Kombat Tournament.

By the time I was done with the bits of the story that I was willing to let Chin Gentsai in on, another hour had passed. The Old Man frowned thoughtfully and chewed on his mustache while I finished my burger and beer. By the time I was finished, he still hadn't said anything and I was getting worried about his silence.

"Look. I'm gonna go grab a cigarette. Are you good with that or do you want to come with to keep an eye on me?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Those things will kill you, you know." Frowned Chin Gentsai.

"Not me. Magic, remember?" I smirked.

"You have magic that heals?" Questioned Chin Gentsai.

"I can brew a healing potion as well as the next guy." I shrugged.

"Very well. Give me a few minutes to digest. It's not every day one meets a self-taught prodigy that even the Thunder God took notice of." Nodded Chin Gentsai.

I took that as permission and headed outside to light up a Red Apple Cigarette. The Zippo flicked on and I inhaled the sweet, sweet, nicotine, filling my lungs before breathing out through my nose. As I did that, I noticed a man watching me from across the street. He was dark-skinned, lanky, and wearing a pair of purple and red athletic shorts and a Mongkol Headband that signified him as a Muay Thai Fighter. He was watching me and sipping some sort of supplement drink.

Frowning, I inhaled my cigarette, smoking it down to a butt before stubbing it out and preparing for another fight. As I exhaled the last of the smoke and started to walk forward, however, Chin Gentsai emerged from the Bar and put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him and when I turned back, the Muay Thai Fighter was gone. Apparently, he hadn't cared for potential two-on-one odds. Shrugging, I headed back inside with Chin Gentsai and we sat back down.

"All right. I believe your story." Opened Chin Gentsai.

"Fantastic. Can I pay and go now?" I queried.

"Just hold on a minute. From what you've told me, apart from a short stretch of time over a year ago, you've never had a proper teacher to show you how to do things the right way. Books and manuals are fine to start with, but even if you hone that sort of martial training through experience like you have, you're still getting an incomplete picture." Frowned Chin Gentsai.

"So what, you're gonna train me?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Don't knock it till you try it, Kid. I've trained plenty of great fighters in my day." Intoned Chin Gentsai.

"Such as?" I pressed.

"Such as Fei Long for one." Answered Chin Gentsai.

"The World Warrior Tournament Semi-finalist?" I questioned.

"Most people know him from his movies, but yes. I taught him the Wing Chun he incorporated into his own style to form the modern Hitenryu." Grinned Chin Gentsai.

"All right. What do I have to do?" I queried.

"I run a small school out of my home in Chinatown. Be there tomorrow at three in the afternoon. Don't be late, it sets a bad precedent." Intoned Chin Gentsai.

"Fine. I'll be there. You can show me the benefits of your training that I can't get on my own." I mused.

And with that, Chin Gentsai left the booth we were seated in to do who knows what. Probably drink some more or visit a Mahjong Parlor. Maybe both at once, he seemed like the type. It was only when Grady Fletcher showed up with the check that I realized the Old Man had left me to pay the bill, which included his pair of J Darby shots. With a chuckle, I paid the tab and shook my head. Maybe the Old Man had a few tricks he could teach me after all.

At the very least, pulling a fast one like that spoke well for his ability in deception. . .

XXXX

Hwa Jai had made his way to a pay phone to report in. After Raiden had been taken out of Old Man Jiang's Restaurant in handcuffs, he'd gotten curious about the fighter who'd taken him out. After all, it wasn't just anyone who could knock out Raiden like that. The Big Wrestler was just too hard-headed for most. A few well-placed bribes later and he'd heard about a dark-haired, scruffy-looking, Kid who'd accompanied Old Man Jiang to the bank and then left with Chin Gentsai. Fifteen minutes later, Hwa Jai had made his way over to Fletcher's Hole and spotted a Kid who fit the description out front having a smoke.

Ordinarily, Hwa Jai would've challenged the Kid then and there. Even if he'd beaten Raiden, Hwa Jai was a level above that. No, it was what he'd sensed from the Kid when he'd stared him down that'd given him pause. He'd felt the sort of Chi that Kid put out before in the form of his and Raiden's bosses. When Chin Gentsai'd shown up to back the Kid up, that'd torn it for Hwa Jai.

This had to go up the chain of command. Hwa Jai was only supposed to find out what'd gone wrong with Raiden. The Big Wrestler wasn't the most unreliable of the guys that Billy Kane had working for the Howard Connection on retainer, that'd go to Jack Turner, who'd just as soon punch a new face than try to talk things through. Raiden was damned close. Of course, Hwa Jai felt he was more reliable than either of them, but that was neither here nor there. He certainly couldn't handle this New Player on his own, at any rate.

That was why he was now at a pay phone in an S-Mart Parking Lot, calling his direct superior. Billy would know how to handle a new player like this and even if he didn't, then the Emperor would. Hwa Jai couldn't imagine Geese Howard just letting someone like that waltz into his City without anyone stopping in to explain how things worked around here. Hwa Jai put in his quarters and the phone rang three times before Billy picked up.

"Go." Answered the British-accented voice of Hwa Jai's Boss, the Head of Security for the Howard Connection, Billy Kane.

"Yeah, it's Hwa Jai. I just thought you might like to know, I've tracked down the one who caused Raiden to get arrested." Began Hwa Jai.

"And?" Demanded Billy.

"And we have a problem. He's strong, Billy. As strong as you at least, maybe even as strong as Big or Krauser." Frowned Hwa Jai. As he said that, however, another, more coldly calculating voice cut in from what seemed to be a conference call.

"Tell me everything." Commanded the Voice of Geese Howard, CEO of the Howard Connection and Emperor of Southtown's Criminal Underworld.

And Hwa Jai hastened to obey. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the rest of the initial introduction of Ulysses to South Town. He gets in a scrap with Raiden, gets an offer of training from Chin Gentsai, and gets on the Radar of Geese Howard and the Howard Connection, all within the first twelve hours of arriving in South Town. It's been a busy day for him so far and the day isn't over yet.

Other nineties stuff in this chapter includes mentions of the Great Kung Lao, Bo Rai Cho, and the Shaolin Order of Light from Mortal Kombat, the Ansatsuken, Fei Long, Gen, and Goutetsu from Street Fighter, Genkai from Yuyu Hakusho, Master Kau of Mister Vampire, Penn Pavel's Ale from That Seventies Show, J Darby Whiskey from Malcolm in the Middle, Grady Fletcher and Cabot Cove from Murder She Wrote, S-Mart from Army of Darkness, and Red Apple Cigarettes from the Works of Quentin Tarantino. Everything Else was from King of Fighters.

At any rate, the next chapter will be Ulysses' first day of training under Chin Gentsai.

Stay tuned. . .