By Canice Gustave
Training diligently against a nearby tree trunk, Dan fired a
solid roundhouse towards the bark, causing a few splinters to
spout from the wood. Ever since his match with Sakura, Dan
realised that he still had more to learn before he can confront
Sagat. His journey to Thailand as a result, had caused his feet
to harden, and his hair to become a lighter, chestnut brown. His
light red gi due to the sun, had been bleached to pink. It didn’t
seem to bother him, the only concern being to avenge his father’s
death.
More hand and feet techniques were shot at the tree, slowly
weakening it’s rough layer. Dan gradually increased the
power of his attacks before the rage within him subsided. Dan’s
potential was strong, but without Gouken’s training and
direction, his attacks were still slow and in some cases, awkward
looking.
Holding his arm upright, Dan curled his hand into a cup shape and
awaited the collection of chi that soon came. He hurled his arm
forward and threw a similar blast of energy to the one used on
Sakura. It had been strengthened slightly, but it still needed
work. He had no name for this attack, except for the name "Super
Gadoken" but he didn’t feel satisfied with its namesake.
"I’ll call it the Shinkuu Gadoken! Like the girl did!"
Dan blurted with excitement. He had no idea what "Shinkuu"
actually meant, but the name sounded cool enough, so he didn’t
mind. Stopping his assault to take a quick rest, Dan turned to a
sandbag he’d hung from a nearby branch and focused his chi
towards his now crossed arms.
"HISSOU BURAI KEN!!" Dan yelled as he went into his
raid of blows. He managed to give the technique some form, or so
he hoped. Starting off with a multitude of kicks, Dan brought
each kick slightly upward, until he reached the peak of his
attack, before he reversed the process. Dan continued with a low
kick, followed not long by a series of relatively slow, yet
strong punches. He finally ended his display with his technique
known as the Koryuken, his body again becoming engulfed in a
flash of white chi.
At some point, Dan was able to gain enough internal chi to make
him glow that colour, enabling him to feel no pain, as if he was
invincible. If he knew how to discharge it fully, then he would
surely have an advantage over his opponents. Especially Sagat.
The sandbag Dan had attacked exploded into a spray of sand and
leather as he ascended before landing gracefully. Looking at the
wreckage, Dan gave a smile, knowing that this was his strongest
attack. Ending his training session with one of his patented
taunts, Dan left the woodlands back onto the road, prepared for
the journey ahead. His discovery and enhancement of his
techniques had instilled confidence in him that he never felt
possible.
"Soon, you will crumble before my attacks Sagat!" he
burst aloud. For now, he’ll head for the nearest town and
rest before he can carry out his revenge.
***********
Don’t worry ‘bout me, I can handle ‘em…
The final words Charlie had heard from his deceased friend made
another debut along with images of the events they’d both
experienced. He’d never thought his friend would die, at
least not at his age, anyway. Guile was always one to be a hero,
but this time, his stubbornness cost him his life.
All because of Bison
His path to vengeance had been a good one. Two victories soon
followed after his first, each one difficult to overcome than the
previous. Though both warriors were as skilled as each other, the
one who caught the First Lt. Commander’s interest was a
young, martial artist who went by the name of Ryu. The warrior
had placed a fierce battle, but it was Charlie’s fighting
experience and strength that gave him the victory over the
Japanese fighter. Though he lost, Charlie noted how Ryu seemed to
only care about the "fight" as he called it, asking him
for a rematch if they ever crossed paths again. Not wanting to
refuse an offer from an honourable opponent, Charlie agreed and
left the battlefield, awaiting where and who his next challenge
will be.
Like his first opponent, he had no knowledge of his challenger,
only that her name was Chun Li. His minor knowledge of Chinese
told him that the name meant "spring" or something of
that concept but it didn’t help him in any way. There were
many styles that were born in the oriental areas, each one
deadlier than the other. Running through the possible techniques
Chun Li could possess, a slight hint of worry coursed through him
united with a sense of anticipation on how far he would have to
exert himself to succeed. Perhaps he really was in for a fight.
The backdrop consisted that of a train graveyard. The rusty,
heavy, metallic trains that were laid upon rails, leading to
nowhere wasn’t a place Charlie would’ve chose to fight,
but with the locations he’d already fought on, this region
simply belonged with the other areas that inhabited this
underground tournament. No crowd was here, and for that Charlie
was grateful as he wanted to conceal himself from Bison. Bison
did want him dead, after all.
"Is she gonna show or what?!" muttered a slightly
impatient Charlie. He gazed at his watch and saw the digits 14:15
flashing back at him. Contemplating whether to leave or not, he
was about to decide when a sensation of chi caught his attention.
Turning round, Charlie caught the gaze of a woman walking towards
him. A long raven coloured trenchcoat covered the length of her
frame, cloaking her slender build. Auburn locks graced her head,
with its extended bangs close to blocking her vision. The rest of
it was adorned in an upward hairstyle, and was braided and curled
into two, tight, cloth-wrapped buns in order to cease
interference in battle. She was young, and in fact, beautiful as
well as skilled. A part of Charlie wished he didn’t have to
fight her, but a mission was a mission.
"You Chun Li?" Charlie inquired.
"Yep!" Chun Li casually removed her long, black attire
revealing her blue lycra jumpsuit. The outfit clung to her body,
displaying a lean, yet athletic physique. She threw her garment
to the side and a slight, friendly smile crossed her lips.
You must be Charlie I assume"
The First Lt. Commander simply nodded. "No offence, but
shouldn’t we just skip the formalities and begin?"
Chun Li’s young demeanour soon became serious. "Fine,
prepare yourself!" and she went into her respective stance,
both fighters awaiting the onslaught that would soon come.