THE Fatal Fury vs Samurai Showdown Epic

THE Fatal Fury vs Samurai Showdown Epic

Canto 12: Blue Stalker!

I

Fight 4, Round 1: Joe v Ukyo

GFD

So, here I am once more. The center of all of the attention, focus, jeers, and cheers. They are all watching me as I get set to battle. Man, I love this! I wonder what that guy, Ukyo, is thinking.

So, there is yet another worthy warrior before me. He seems more than a capable fighter. However, he is no match for the true master of the way of the warrior. Oh, I'm sure he'll put up a good fight and all, but he's too outclassed. He shall prove to be very amusing, but I'll cut him down to size.

"Round 1: Joe v Ukyo! Fight!"

"Hurricane Upper! Slash Kick! Tiger Kick!" exploded Joe catching Ukyo napping, who was not quite ready for their match. The Double Upper would have taken him down, but Joe had been working on his speed to such a level, that he not only connected his Slash Kick before Ukyo fell, but he was able to finish off with a multiple-hitting blazing Tiger Kick!

Joe laughed before he began to taunt his downed opponent.

"I'd heard that you were supposed to be great! Come on, don't tell me that you can't even put up a good fight! Woah!" Joe exclaimed as Ukyo threw out an apple, and began slicing in a seemingly savage manner. In fact, it was anything but. Ukyo was indeed a master warrior, and his swordsmanship was rivaled by few.

The fact that he had been knocked by his old rival, Haohmaru, had been a tremendous set-back for him, and had significantly deflated his ego. Early, he had sought a rematch with Haohmaru. They had even began a duel of novel proportions, had not Rimururu appeared. Maybe. They had just broken free from a lock, and both of their blades flew from their hands. She appeared, and they each rushed for their blades. Soon, the rest of them came, and the the woman of fire hair did...um, what was it that Mai did? Ukyo had no idea. He had never seen a woman dressed like her!

Now he looked at his current opposition, and saw how Joe was dressed. He wondered what had possessed the people of the twentieth century? Maybe he could stop by for a while to see the sights!

Ukyo leapt up into the air, and withdrew his blade. Although he hadn't counted on Joe to attempt a Tiger Kick, it made little difference to him. He swung back, and released his power at Joe, cinching him in a Swallow Swipe!

Joe yelled in agony as he fell to Earth. In a moment, the flames subsided, and Joe made for his feet. However, Ukyo met him. He grabbed Joe, and bashed his fist into Joe's face, sending him sliding through the dirt.

Again, Joe rose to his feet, though more sluggish than before. For a brief second, Ukyo glowed, and then rushed Joe. He seemed to connect, and then pass through Joe. Their backs were toward one another, and Ukyo was down on one knee, slightly looking over his shoulder. Joe stood motionless for a second, and then, by some unseen force, he seemed to be stabbed in hundreds of places all at once. Then, blood started to flow like water from him, and Joe fell to his face. Ukyo stood up, and sheathed his blade, lightly laughing to himself. He then stopped dead as he felt an explosion in power from behind him. He turned to see Joe standing, though with some difficulty.

"Don't get carried away, ass-hole! Joe's gona give ya a fight ya won't forget!"

"Most impressive. I just hit you with one of my power moves, yet you can still stand. You are indeed a worthy opponent! I will be glad to have fought and defeated some one with such power!"

"If that was your best, you're gone. I's hit by Kruaser's finishing move, and I'm still kicking butt! That was a pain, whatever it was, but I bet it'd hit like a girl if you didn't use that blade!"

Insulted, Ukyo made a second dash at Joe, determined to finish the job. Joe was ready. He began to power-up and a blue aura erupted from within, and Ukyo was shot skyward by two Blue Screw Uppers!

"Heh! It seems like you also hit like an old woman! That was effective, at best, but nothing else!"

"That's the set-up! Now, feel my New Screw Upper!" raged Joe as his assault was now Orange in color, each of the two carrying the power of three blues. Ukyo went down, and stayed down.

"Winner of Fight 4, Round One: Joe!"

"At this rate, I'll be able to finish by lunch!"

II

Fight 5, Round 1: Mary v Mizuki

Caffeine helped Ukyo to his feet, and they walked out of the arena together. After a short distance, he asked Ukyo what he knew about The Dark Power, Orochi, and the Sacred Clans. Alas, there was little Ukyo knew, and none of it was new for Caffeine. They then saw Bob and Cheng talking.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I'm wondering, do either of you know anything about Orochi!"

"Not much, mon. The only guy I know whose Orochi's Yamazaki. They're supposed to be a bunch of bad-ass psychos, at least from what I can tell."

Cheng had a little more info for Caffeine. The part that caught Caffeine's interest was when he mentioned that he felt that this was one of the reasons for this tournament. IF any of their hosts got the power, along with their time-travel, they could prove invincible. It also seemed that Ryuji had had some awakenings, but had yet to fully awaken.

"Hmmn! Well, thank you for your time. I hope that...NO!" he screeched as they felt Orochi rush upon them.

"Mizuki! Why did you have to come here? It's..."

"What, Kyoshiro? Not safe! I know that. I'm a warrior, after all. You can't protect me like a little child! You know that. Don't worry, it's over," Mizuki said, effectively ending the conversation.

Mizuki turned, and headed for the arena. They both knew that there was strong reason for concern. Although Mizuki was freed from the control of the demon, her pet still roamed the realm. This is what held the key in allowing the demon to control Mizuki. Now that they were separated, she was free. But somewhere not far away, in this realm of time, it lurks, waiting patiently for its opportunity.

"You are late, Mizuki. Not only have you lost your once legendary power, you've-"

"Amakusa, shut up! Unless you want to fight me!"

"Perhaps our chance will come! Maybe we'll have something special!" and he finished with his tantalizing laugh.

"Try, and I'll cut you up!" Mizuki replied coldly. She looked around, then asked, "Where's my adversary? Where's Blue Mary?"

"She probably just got a little side-tracked. The feeling of time travel is kinda cool! I'll find her."

"I'll come too, Terry!"

"Andy, why do you want to go with Terry? It won't be that long. Besides you can spend the time with me, and you can make-up!"

"I'm sorry, Mai, really! But you heard what Charlotte said, according to Hisame! There will be a Blood Riot soon! I'm not sure why, but I just feel like I should go."

"Hey, Andy! It's called woman's intuition, not man's. Besides, Hisame's still a kid. He probably just wasn't sure what was happening."

"I can't explain it, Joe...it's just a strong feeling of darkness, like when we met Orochi."

As they try and decide what's what, let's drop in on Mary (no, you sickos; she's dressed)!

Hisame claims that Charlotte said in a trance that there would be a Blood Riot, soon. I wonder why she got it. Guess it'll have to remain one of them there unsolved mysteries. The only one here (that I know of) that's Orochi's Ryuji. I'm not sure what he wants. For some reason, he seems to look like he wants to kill Terry, yet I can't see a reason. He and Billy also seem to have some hatred between them. The three of us have been on the same team, yet I can't figure out Ryuji. Billy works for Geese, and must be exceptional, to be attacked by an Orochi, and live. From what I've heard, in a Blood Riot, there are few who can survive a direct beating from a member of the Blood-line.

That brings me to Iori, the first of the Blood-line to be, well you know how Iori is. If you don't, you don't want to know. Ask him, and he'll show you, by sending you to a fiery grave. He and Ryuji are both dark devils and are probably even more power-hungry than Geese, Krauser, and Big combined! They also don't have an array of lackeys serving them; if that can be considered a plus. Alone, those two have killed more than the others put together. If you add all of the kills from their lackeys, Ryuji's or Iori's would probably come dead close to matching.

I can't believe I teamed with such a madman. I'm glad he didn't kill me! I also heard that the two went head-on. As to what actually happened, I'm not sure. I just wish I didn't tell Terry to go on ahead without me! Terry single-handedly defeated Mars, the Roman god of war, yet he doubts that he has the power to defeat a power of the purest of darkness, which is what Orochi is, despite his claims to the contrary.

I still remember our first meeting, and heard of some of his troubles. At least he had a good excuse. I had raw fish, and got a bad case of food poisoning (a `bad case;' since when has being food poisoned NOT been a bad case?).

"Hey there, miss! What's eating you!"

If I hadn't nearly had my insides ripped outa me, I probably would have ripped his out. I love him, but sometimes I think he hangs around Joe too long.

"Unnnngh! Food...Poison!"

"Oh man! I bet that has to bite!"

At that point, I wanted to get outa bed and just grind him to a pulp. I shot right up in the bed, and shot back down when I saw how easy it was to see through the bleeding thing. If he noticed, he didn't say. That's when he started to behave.

"Hey, take it easy! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I guess I was acting a bit like a jerk. Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Terry Bogard."

I grabbed the covers, and looked up at him. It was him. What was he doing there to see me? Then, I noticed that he was rather bandaged up, and in a wheelchair!

"Don't worry! This is just some pains, nothing I can't handle. I don't even like this dumb chair, but Andy, my brother, thinks it'd be better."

He then went a bit into his family, life, and what he did. I don't really recall, mainly because I was surprised that both of the infamous Bogard brothers were here. I's also recalling some of the posters and like I'd seen of him. He seemed, well, different.

"Hey, is anybody home? What's your name?"

"My, name? Oh! Er, call me Blue Mary," I'm glad he left it at that.

It was nearly seven moths before I saw him again. That's when I'd heard about his epic battle. I dropped by, and we've been seeing each other since.

Thud!

"The door's open, you can come in! I'll be out in a bit!"

Well, I wonder...the tournament! I forgot, my match is supposed to start soon. Way to go, Mary! This is going to be a wild ride to this match!

"I'm ready! Sorry, I got side-tracked! I forgot my match was about to start!"

"That's ok, babe! I'm sure they can wait a little longer. If they can give that bum, Haohmaru 30 minutes, they can give a looker like you 300!"

"Ryuji! What are you doing in my room! Get Out! You've no business here..."

"Oh, there is so little you know, Blue. Would you rather be called Blue, or Mary?"

"Mary. Wait! Just what the HELL do you want!"

"I thought you'd never ask. I could give you a long, dull, and boring speech as to what I want, but that'd just waste time. The answer's simple - you!"

"Me?! What do you want from me, Ryuji? Wasn't it enough that we teamed up! Well?"

"That's how it began, didn't it. Now, let's see about going further!" and with that, he smashed through the table she had positioned between him and her, and ran her against a wall by her neck.

Her eyes filled with fear, as the white in his eyes seemingly began to glow white, then slowly to a light shade of red.

"So, I bet you're wondering why I've taken a fancy to you, when there are already so many fine women of the Blood-line. All of them just can't measure up! Too caught up in this Orochi Awakening to have any serious fun!

Leona: she's still crying over the fact that she killed her own parents when she was a little girl. She should be proud. From what I've heard, that's the youngest for any to ever experience an awakening. Instead, the baby spends most of her time hiding in darkness, hoping to forget who she really is. I hate women who act like babies.

Then, there's Vice and Mature! Plain and simple, they're both worthless hoes! Don't get me wrong, hoes are some of the best kinds. They really know how to have a great time (probably comes from a lot of experience). Plus, ya can kill them, and no one gives a Damn! Just fry the bod, and go to the next!

As for Shermie, she'd probably come closest! With her lightning, and my power, we'd be unstoppable. Yashiro; I'd kick that wannabe's face in and leave him like a rag doll. Then, for fun, I'd kill him by cutting his throat open, and present him as a door-mat for her. The problem, she's way into this awakening junk. She'd spend more time on it, gathering up the members of the clan, and preparing for His coming. Boring! I'd never get her to loosen up! Nothing would happen there!"

Mary had been struggling the entire time, and had just managed to free her throat, and asked, "I still don't see...why me?!"

"Why not! Mai's too much like a hoe, and this Ling's little more than a kid. The young ones aren't any fun, for some unfortunate reason. As you had mentioned, and as I had thought, we had teamed together, but we didn't get any time to bond. Now, I think is a good time, gurk!" spat Ryuji as Mary kneed him in the gut, and ran for the door. She stopped at the horror before her. In front of her doorway was Ukyo, Cheng, Caffeine, and Bob, covered in blood! My God! This mad man’s killed these men! I have to...

"You see, that's what I love about you," said Ryuji as he grabbed her by the back of her hair, "you may be scared, but you won't let that stop you! Now, let's go back inside and finish up!" and he lifted her up, turned, and fell to his knees. Mary looked up, and saw Terry had just landed a kick to the base of Ryuji's spine. That would normally knock some one down, hard, but Ryuji was more than some one.

"Oh, what a shame. It seems I'll have to break my promise to the lady. I promised her I wouldn't kill you! Oh well!"

"Don't you dare underestimate me, you arrogant bastard! You may have Orochi, but I will beat you!"

"Oh, then I guess I'll share this part with you. Terry has defeated the Crime Lord Geese Howard, one-to-one. Later, he defeated a monster, Wolfgang Krauser. Just when it seems that he has reached his limit, he has another surprise; he beats a god! That is still nothing compared to the power of the Blood-line. You are neither of our line, nor that of the Guardian. You simply cannot defeat one of us, no matter how good you are. Don't worry, your death will be fast!"

"Wait! First, you must contend with us!" challenged Andy. Behind him was Joe, Mai, Kim, Hanzo, Kyoshiro, and others. Some were trying to figure out the state of Yamazaki's victims.

"FOOLS! Do you think you can stop me? I can take us all out and send us burning! How many of you are willing to go out in a blaze? Who's going to be the first idiot to challenge me?"

"You are a coward, Yamazaki. You are using this as an excuse. When we fight, you know I'll turn you to hamburger. That's why you're doing this. You are afraid of me!"

"You dare to insult me?! But if that's what you think, I wouldn't want you to think that. I want to kill you without you holding back! But don't worry, Terry! We'll settle this soon!" and he concluded by attempting to intimidate Terry by throwing his dagger at him. Terry didn't flinch. It wasn't needed, though, for he could feel the fear around him.

"Don't waste your breath, Haohmaru! I want my warm-up to be ready. Next fight, you die!"

"...Are you ok, Mary?"

"NO! That crazy, mad, jerk just tried...and then he...and...Terry! I was really scarred, especially after seeing what he did to those four. Are they ok?"

"Unfortunately, there is no definite way to tell. They don't seem to be breathing, nor can we detect heartbeats. It will take some time!"

"Are you sure you want to go on with your fight, Mary?"

After a few minutes, Mary told Mai that she would. It'd take more than that psycho to stop her. Yet deep down, she wondered: what will happen when the Riot does occur? Will they be able to survive?

"So, what kept you Mary? I have been waiting, and I dislike having to wait for that length of time."

"Well, some things got out of hand. I'm here now, and ready to fight! Are you ready?"

Without waiting, Mizuki sent a dark portal at Mary, sucking her into the void. In a few moments, she was dropped from the sky, and onto her face. As she got up, she was met by a series of slaps. Mizuki went for her blade, and took a swipe at Mary. The blade grazed across Mary's arm, causing her to flinch shortly after impact.

"You are good girl, but give up while you can still stand!"

"You are nuin but a bitch! You are nothing without your weapon. Why don't you ditch it, and we'll settle this, woman to woman?"

"Only an arrogant fool gives up her advantage. I made that mistake once, and was possessed by a demon. I won't make that mistake again!" Mizuki then released a spell in an attempt to turn Mary into a swine, but Mary shot over it, flipped over her larger foe, pulled back, and caused Mizuki's leg to snap, though not permanently.

"Owww! You'll pay for that!" but as she tried to attack Mary, Mary leapt over her. As she turned around, Mary knocked her back, dizzying her. Mary grabbed her, and yelled out "Mary Spin" as she spun her foe around, and threw her to the ground. Mizuki slowly rose to her full height, but was met by a series of attacks from Mary in all directions, and was finished with Mary spinning Mizuki into the air.

"I think you had said something about giving up earlier."

Now, was the time! Without any warning, and without anyone able to stop it, it came. In an explosion of power, the Demon took back Mizuki. The raw power had sent Mary crashing to the ground with a gut-turning thud. For a moment, they looked at her. As she rose, Mizuki singled her beast, and it rushed head-on into Mary, flooring her, and eliminating Mary from the tournament.

Mizuki laughed maniacally as her pet came back to her. She took out her blade, and declared that this would be the first sacrifice of her return.

Terry threw his bag at her. Joe, Kim, Andy, Bear, Ryo, and King came in, holding off the large monster while Terry and Mai got Mary to safety.

"Winner of Fight 5, Round One: Mizuki!"

Mizuki laughed maniacally at the warriors as they stood before her, each willing to give their life to protect only one soul, a soul that could do nothing to help them. Her beast howled like a rabid monster, and each of the men and women before it had fear at the front of their minds, wondering what to do if the beast did attack. It was the size of a large ape, yet had the looks of a demon from the hottest pits. Mizuki laughed as her pet came near her, she raised her hands, and they were gone in a flash of power.

"Ah man! And I thought some wolves, a bird, and a monkey were bad! But that was, well, unbelievable!" said Joe, more in an attempt to break the eerie silence that had settled in on the group.

"Is, Mary, is she..?" trailed Mai, not sure if she wanted an answer.

Terry was looking her over, looking for any sign to say that his love was still alive. He couldn't hear a heartbeat, and she didn't seem to be breathing. He looked up, a look of despair on his face. Mai turned to Andy, with a look of regret on her face, and Andy held her, trying his best to comfort her. Ryo held King's hands, knowing that she too was in pain, although she didn't want to show it.

Wondering what was going on, Cham-Cham, Tam-Tam, Nakoruru, and Rimururu gathered around. They then quickly formed a small circle, and began to debate something. Tam-Tam then approached Terry, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"If you and your friends will stand back and give us some room, and a lot of time, I think we can save her!" Terry looked at the masked man before him; everything having gone blank. Kim lightly tugged at his arm, and they all stepped back.

The four made a formation around Mary. Rimururu released a small bit of snow from her crystal onto the fallen Mary, while Nakoruru spread it like a fine lotion. They then stood back, went to their knees, and seemed to pray. Tam-Tam and Cham-Cham began to do a strange dance, and chant in a language that no one else could understand. At the peak of the performance, spirits seemed to appear, and surround her. They then seemed to fade into her, and then exploded outward.

"It is done, Terry. Now, get her to bed," commanded Cham-Cham with authority. Dumb-founded, he obeyed.

After Terry got her to her room, they all left him to be alone with her, and for everyone to gather their thoughts.

Shortly after, Mary began to cough. Terry rushed to her side, and waited. She blinked her eyes open, and after a few more tries, she reached for him, and they hugged, glad to still be together.

"Yah ha hah! You see! If Mary had stayed with me, she wouldn't have nearly died. I'd seen the beast around, and knew what it meant. I let it come, just to show you what I already know, Terry: you can't protect your prize. That is why she will soon be mine!"

Before going, he took a sharp piece of the shattered table, and threw it with deadly accuracy at Terry. It landed just inches from his foot. They both knew that if he wanted it, it would have gone in. He laughed in insanity, letting them share their thoughts.

"Ooooh! I hate that sick jerk! He actually has the nerve to call me a prize! All of those blasted Orochis are crazy!"

Terry just looked at her, greatful that she was still alive, and filled with thoughts of the recent events.

III

Fight 6, Round 1: Kazuki v Rick

"So, what brings a big power-house like you here?"

"The same as you, I believe. I came here by a time warp."

"No, not that! I mean what is your reason for competing here?"

"That is my business alone. Don't think that if you tell me yours, that'll mean I'll tell you mine. I don't know, and I really don't care! We are here for a fight, so let's do it!"

Sociable, aren't you, Kazuki mumbled under his breath.

"Kazuki v Rick, Fight!"

With the speed and power of a freight train, Rick rammed his fist into Kazuki's midsection, disarming him and sending him flat on his back. Rick ran in to deliver more punishment to his downed adversary, but was knocked by Kazuki as his torso exploded, frying Rick. When he got up, and saw it, Rick felt like he was going to puke. Kazuki rolled away, and looked for his weapon.

Damn! he thought, seeing that it was on the other side of his foe. He knew he had to chance it, and made a mad dash for it. He rolled past Rick, who was surprisingly still down. He was now at his weapon, and Rick was still dazed. He yanked it out of the ground, and slightly stumbled back, into the waiting arms of Rick. Rick forced it out of his staggering foe's hands, spun him around, and planted him into the ground.

This ain't good. I'm not as good without my weapon, and this guy's a total power-house. I can't fight him toe-to-toe, not without getting my guts knocked out of me. Unfortunately, he seems to be doing a good job of it! Think, Kazuki, think! If Sogetsu and I can come up with that plan to outwit the rest of our clan, then I should be able to think up something to defeat this muscle-bound bafoon. I got it, or rather, he'll get it. He dropped down to his knees, feinting that he was near defeat. Rick began to power up for the finish, but was dropped by a cheap-shot from Kazuki, who followed up by lifting Rick above his head, and finishing up with an agonizing explosion. He rolled, and picked up his weapon.

"Time to fry, guy!" he exclaimed as Rick turned around, and glared at him.

With much difficulty, he avoided the first few flames. The next few were all on target, and while he was able to block the first, the rest of them were too much. Kazuki drew his weapon back, ready to finish off his still smoldering opponent.

Rick rolled out of the way, and in a burst of power, smacked Kazuki into one of the arena walls. He then fell flat on his face, subdued by the pain of the flames.

"DKO! Draw Game! Both Rick and Kazuki are eliminated from the tournament!"

Sogetsu, Rimururu, and Hisame helped Kazuki out of the arena. Ling, Joe, and Hon-fu helped Rick out.

"Hm, this is becoming most interesting. The Dark Power is starting to come into the scene. A small Blood Riot has occurred, as Charlotte's vision had implied. Poor Kyoshiro. He was so worried about Mizuki! Now, the Demon has taken control of her once more. Now, there are three of these demons. Our work will be more than I'd prefer," and Kurko turned, and went to check on the status of Caffeine.

"This is worse than I feared. Terry has made exceptional progress, and he can handle Yamazaki...as he is. But if he should awaken; I just don't know if he can handle it. It'll take more than he, Andy, and Joe have. I'm too old for that kind of a fight! It could possibly kill me before I could teach them what may be needed to get the job done. I hope that now that Terry knows Ryuji's agenda, it can help to motivate him. If not, Ryuji may prove to be the least of our troubles," ends Jubei Yamada, taking out his pipe, and thinking about the dark roads that lay ahead for all of them.

©1999

11
FFvSS
13