DREAM TOURNAMENT IV: ROUND ONE MATCHUPS
Well, they're FINALLY ready! Hopefully, it was worth the wait! This is
the list of matchups for round one. For details on voting, see the "How to
Vote" post or file. The following resources are available for DT4
installments:
1) posted as they come out in rec.games.video.arcade, rec.games.video.sony,
rec.games.video.nintendo, and rec.games.video.sega.
2) available via ftp at brawl.ecom.net, in the pub/dream-tournament/IV
directory.
All votes must be sent to: deuce@scsn.net
THE DEADLINE TO SEND IN A VOTE FOR ROUND 1 IS:
12:00AM EST SEPTEMBER 23RD! Any votes sent after that
will not be counted.
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"Morning, gentlemen," said Deuce as he walked into the observation booth. "Set to get this started?"
"As ready as we get," said Wraith.
"No kidding," remarked Jolly Green. "Everyone was complaining about Haohmaru's snoring. These guys can be a royal pain to get moving in the morning."
"Especially the DarkStalkers, I imagine," said Jeff.
Mike and Jason both looked at him curiously, until he continued, "Well... they are the NIGHT Warriors...." This was met by a flurry of erasers, pencils, and a stray paper airplane which Mike had been making.
When the onslaught of office supplies stopped, Jeff stood back up and grinned at his compatriots. "Tough crowd... anyhow, I'm off to the arena floor."
"Enjoy," said Wraith.
"Yeah," said Jason, yawning. "Time to get this show on the road finally. The Brutes are in position, the arena's packed to capacity, and the concession stands are stocked full." With that, he stood up and stretched, heading for the door.
Jeff followed behind him and glanced back at Mike. "Sure you don't want to get a little closer to the action?"
"Nah. I've got the monitors to catch the close-up stuff, and besides, I've got stuff to do," said Mike, indicating the papers and various terminal displays. "Go on... besides, I don't envy you...
you get to talk to the fighters right after they fight."
"I wonder if the safeties will protect me from body odor," said
Deuce, chuckling.
Jason grabbed his shoulder and tugged him in the direction of the door. "Well, you're going to find out... let's get going."
"I know, I know..."
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MATCH 1: CYRAX (MK3) vs. CHOI BOUNGE (KOF95)
--------------------------------------------
"Ahh, that hit the spot," said Choi Bounge as he hopped up onto the platform. He licked his lips and gave his stomach a good pat before putting on his clawed gloves. Cyrax stepped onto the platform in the opposite corner.
Choi snickered. "I hear you're one of those cyborgs. They say you have no soul." Cyrax made no sound or motion. "C'mon!" yelled Choi. "Don't tell me you're doing the Ahnold I'm-too-serious-to-talk routine. Oh boy, this is gonna be fun," he said sarcastically.
Cyrax's eyes flickered a moment and he got into the strangest combat stance Choi had ever seen. He was standing almost stiffly, one hand at his waist and the other at his chest, fingers curling and uncurling lazily.
Choi shrugged and took up his own stance, deciding to get one last remark in before the match began. "If you have no soul, I'll bet you can't dance!" He did some odd sidestepping motion and said, "I'll bet your choreography is too STIFF for even that move!"
Oddly enough, Cyrax seemed visibly affected by this, and his fingers began curling at about five times their original speed. Choi smiled. Maybe this fight would be interesting after all.
MATCH 2: SHANG TSUNG (MK3) vs. HAOHMARU (SS3)
---------------------------------------------
A lone figure sat atop the platform, awaiting his opponent. His legs
crossed in the lotus position, he held a sheathed blade across his lap. His
eyes were closed in his pious contemplations. For effect, a pair of stone
lanterns had been placed on either side of the contemplative figure. He had
been sitting there for several hours.
Shang-Tsung sprang gingerly from the ground to the platform, not
bothering with the stairs. He was exuberant, testing his new-found powers.
Shao Kahn had been generous. As he landed on the platform, he looked back
down at the ground to see the new DreamArena Chief of Security staring up
at him.
"I want you to know," Jolly Green began, "that I am fully aware of what happened last year. I also want you to know that I don't like having you back. If there's so much as a glitch in the SODA machines, you'll be confined to your room."
Shang suppressed the growl that sprang to his lips. He, and the other bosses had only tried to conquer the DreamArena, after all. It wasn't like they were going to destroy the world. Well, actually they were... but wasn't that what they were supposed to do? He watched as Jolly Green moved on, and
regarded his opponent, who suddenly sprang into action with a cry of...
"ENLIGHTENMENT!!!!" Haohmaru shouted at the top of his Legendary lungs. In a swift motion, he leapt to his feet, unsheathed his sword and made two quick, elegant slashes. The lanterns on either side of him slid, and fell from their bases, the cuts on their bases clean, and smooth. "SO, FOUL SORCERER! YOU ARE TO BE THE FIRST TO BE DEFEATED BY THE LEGENDARY HAOHMARU, WHO IS LEGENDARY EVEN WITHIN HIS OWN LIFETIME!!!"
"Oh, come now, Haohmaru," Shang remarked casually, "is that any way to speak to a former associate?" He smirked, catching a momentary change in the ronin's self-righteous face.
"HA! YOU DOUBTLESS BELIEVED I HAD JOINED YOU!!! IT WAS SIMPLY A DECEPTION! HEROES AS LEGENDARY AS I WOULD NEVER SERVE THE CAUSE OF EVIL! I SIMPLY PRETENDED TO, IN ORDER TO FERRET YOU, AND THE ENTIRE PLOT OUT!" Haohmaru boomed. Many members of the audience, at this point, put in their courtesy ear-plugs. The staff was ready for the boisterous Samurai this year. Deuce, on the other hand, had somehow failed to notice Haohmaru's entrance and suddenly was plagued with yet another headache.
Shang-Tsung smirked, "It's a pity you won't be staying long. I'd love to catch up on old times. Alas, according to these people, I have to kill you now."
Haohmaru laughed heartily. "HAHAHAHA! TRULY YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING SENSE OF HUMOR, FOUL SORCERER! BUT KNOW THAT I, THE LEGENDARY HAOHMARU AM FAR TOO GREAT TO ALLOW SUCH A FATE TO BEFALL ME! I, WHO SINGLEHANDEDLY DEFEATED AMAKUSA SHIRO TOKISADA AND RASHOUJIN MIZUKI!"
"Oh, shut UP already!" yelled Amakusa as he walked past the platform. The rest of the Shodowners rolled their eyes. They had a consensual theory that Haohmaru's hair had gotten so wild and out of control, because it had somehow consumed his brain.
Shang began to focus the flow of his mystical energies through his body. Once he was satisfied that he had reached some form of equilibrium, he faced the ronin. "Every legend comes to an end!"
Haohmaru pondered this for a moment, before chuckling. "SO DO EVIL SORCERERS! ATTEND TO YOUR EVIL GODS, FILTHY ONE! YOU SHALL BE JOINING THEM SOON!"
********
In the now infamous Peanut Gallery, the former-Shodowners shook their
heads (and their fists) at the attitude of the boisterous ronin.
"That EGO!" Sieger exclaimed. "Who in the WORLD allowed it to get so
large? Did no one discipline him when he was a boy?"
Gen-an nodded his agreement. "Indeed, as a parent, I know the value
of raising your children correctly." His children nodded briefly, as they
grabbed his glove, and sprinted for the exit.
All eyes rested on the seat near the platform where Kafuin Nicotine
was supposed to be sitting. His hat was there, but there was no sign of the
diminutive monk anywhere.
*UNDERNEATH* the hat, Nicotine sighed, relieved that this massive wok-shaped thing was as cavernous as it was.
MATCH 3: SONYA BLADE (MK3) vs. ANDY BOGARD (KOF95)
--------------------------------------------------
Sonya and Andy met in the center of the platform and shook hands,
introducing themselves. Both figured that, even though they were opponents,
there was no reason they couldn't be civil. Sonya had noticed Andy staring
at her rather oddly, though. This was nothing particularly new, as she was
a very attractive woman, and she'd had plenty of men staring at her before.
Andy's look wasn't quite the same, however. He was looking at her
with intense concentration etched on his face. Eventually this unnerved
her, so she asked, "Umm... what are you staring at me for?"
Andy's concentration was broken, and he snapped out of his little
trance with a start. "Huh? Oh, um, sorry. You just look REALLY familiar
for some reason...."
Sonya shrugged. "I don't know, sorry." Andy nodded, but continued
to stare, albeit in a slightly less blatant manner. Mai, who stood at
ringside, eyed Andy with an interesting mix of concern/suspicion. But she
didn't do anything, yet. She would wait to see what happened...
MATCH 4: STRYKER (MK3) vs. HON FU (RBFF)
----------------------------------------
Stryker and Hon Fu got off on the wrong foot right from the start.
"So you're a cop too, huh? You don't look like much. What kind of
uniform is that, anyway?" Stryker chided.
Hon Fu flipped open his badge, "Hon Fu. Homicide. Hong Kong Police.
And you are?"
"Kurtis Stryker, New York's finest." He smirked. "Hong Kong, huh? I
guess that explains why you're dressed like something out of a bad kung
fu movie."
Hon Fu scoffed, "You can get a lot more done when every bad guy in a
30 mile radius doesn't know you're coming, flatfoot."
"Yeah, well I LIKE to let 'em know I'm coming. When they're scared, they make mistakes, and then I can finish 'em off." For emphasis, he drew his gun and pointed it off to the side.
"You've GOT to be kidding me. You use a GUN? And are those GRENADES? What kind of cop ARE you? Real cops settle things with their fists, their feet, and their martial arts skills. Watch this!" With that, Hon began twirling his nunchucks, sending them spinning every which way in an amazing display of martial arts prowess (or at least, nunchuck twirling prowess). He continued this for several seconds until Mai walked by the platform on the way to her match, at which point his concentration shattered and the free end of the nunchucks planted itself squarely in his crotch.
Stryker was torn between wincing in sympathy and outright laughter as he waited for the hong kong kung fu practitioner to recover well enough to begin the match.
MATCH 5: MORRIGAN (NW) vs. SAGAT (SFA)
--------------------------------------
Sagat glared balefully at his opponent. The beautiful woman known as Morrigan was standing uncomfortably close to him, but he found this nothing more than irritating. She was an obstacle to be overcome, nothing more...nothing must stop him from getting to fight Ryu once more.
Morrigan smiled softly at Sagat. "Oh, but I mean it... you are quite handsome. And those muscles... you must be quite strong," she said in almost sibilant tones.
Sagat sneered. "Strong enough to defeat you, little girl."
This remark threw the succubus off her stride a moment, but she recovered quickly and responded, "Oh, I am far more than a little girl... if you like, perhaps I can show you." She moved a bit closer to him, her feet never touching the ground.
Up in the observation booth, Wraith and Jolly Green watched the goings on with some amusement. "Somehow, I don't think Morrigan will be able to tempt her way through this one," said Wraith.
Jolly Green nodded and laughed. "Amazing as it is... the man's got willpower, that's for sure."
Below, Morrigan was sidling up to Sagat again. She ran her fingers gently over his chest, while he was ignoring her to an incredible extent, his arms folded in front of him. Morrigan would not be so easily deterred. "This scar... you must have gotten it in a fight. In which you prevailed, I'm certain."
This turned out to be a very bad mistake. Sagat's look of disdain turned into one of outright rage, and he brought his arms up sharply, knocking away Morrigan's hands. "You dare to MOCK me?" he roared. "For that, woman, you will pay the ultimate price! Prepare to die!" He brought one leg up into his Muay Thai stance, and scowled at her.
Morrigan frowned, and glided back to her corner, her suggestive smile having faded into an evil grin. "You presume too much, mortal. Now you will pay the consequences for refusing me...." Her body was enveloped in a bluish glow for a moment, and she got into her own stance.
MATCH 6: BLUE MARY (RBFF) vs. SODOM (SFA)
-----------------------------------------
Blue Mary blinked as she climbed atop the fighting platform. A
figure before her stood hunched under a wide-brimmed straw hat, and a
peasant's cloak. "Sokaku!" she admonished, "You're not my opponent!
What're YOU doing here?"
The figure threw back the cloak and hat, revealing himself to be
Sodom. He bared his jitte as menacingly as he knew how, and gave the woman
before him the most evil look he could muster. "I am Sodom, of the Mad Gear
gang!" he shouted.
Mary eyed him casually. "Excuse me... WHAT gang?" she chirped. Her
cheeks were flushed, and she was having a hard time stopping herself from
laughing out loud. She looked briefly around the arena, and saw that every
single individual within earshot was laughing. (Presumably at Sodom) With
a shrug, she stopped containing it, and laughed out loud.
Sodom withered under all the laughter, but a fire of determination
lit in his eyes. He would make the name of Mad Gear feared throughout the
Multiverse!
MATCH 7: EIJI SHINJO (TSD2) vs. ORCHID (KI)
-------------------------------------------
Orchid sighed, and checked the time again. Her opponent, a swordsman from the recently discovered Battle Arena Toshinden 2 node, was late. She alternated between humming and tapping her foot, until a tourney administrator happened by. Jolly Green was the lucky guy.
"Hmm..." Jolly Green mused. "Eiji Shinjo. I don't know, really. He
SHOULD be here." He briefly scanned the immediate area. After all, the
DreamArena was a really BIG place. Sighing, he unclipped a small device
from his belt, and keyed into the Public Announcement system.
"**Eiji Shinjo, please report to platform number seven for your match.
If you fail to appear in fifteen minutes, you will forfeit the match.**"
A few moments later, a pair of Brutes escorted a Japanese youth,
bearing a sword, and a handful of papers to the platform. "Aw, come on!
Can't I just put a few more of these up?"
"'E was puttin' these things up all over..." one Brute said. "'Angin
'em on every wall, he was!" The brute handed Jolly Green a piece of paper.
Looking at it, Jolly Green struggled to suppress a laugh.
Featured prominently in the center of the page was a five-year old picture of Eiji's older brother Sho. Written in large, bold lettering across the top, the page read "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?" At the bottom, in smaller type, was Eiji's own name, and his room/phone number.
The Jovial one put his hand in front of his face, rubbing his eyes, and hoping nobody heard his chuckling. "Don't worry, Eiji. Your brother's here. He's fighting in one of the later matches. If this one ends quickly, you may get to see him fight."
Eiji's face brightened at the news, as he drew his blade, holding it at the ready. "Then this match WILL end quickly! I've searched for my brother for years! Nothing can stop me!"
Orchid sighed, rolling her eyes. "If your mind isn't on your opponent, this match'll end quickly all right... and you'll have the whole rest of the tournament to catch up on old times with your brother."
Seeing that these two were ready to go, and that he was no longer needed, Jolly Green ducked quickly back down the platform, and prepared to attend to other matters.
MATCH 8: KUNG LAO (MK3) vs. CHANG KOEHAN (KOF95)
------------------------------------------------
Kung Lao sized up his opponent, and sizing up was one thing his
opponent DEFINITELY did not need. Chang must have stood at least eight
feet tall, by Kung Lao's reckoning, and he was obviously quite strong, to
be able to toss an iron ball and chain around like a beachball.
He began stretching, to prepare himself for the fight, and figured
that his opponent's bulk must keep him from moving very fast at all, and
decided that he was going to make this a speed match, since it would give
the best odds of winning.
Chang, on the other hand, seemed preoccupied with eating some form
of food. He finished, patted his stomach and grinned at his opponent,
walking over to Kung Lao. "You're Kung Lao, right?" the big man asked.
The STENCH! Kung Lao almost reeled from the man's breath. What on
earth was he eating? He steadied himself and nodded, bowing. "I am. And
you are Chang Koehan, are you not?"
Chang let out a belch. "'Scuse me. Yup, that's me. Nice to meet
you and all that," he said, giving a sort of odd mockery of a bow.
Kung Lao took a subtle step back. "Umm, yes, nice to meet you. May
you fight well, and may the better man win."
Chang grinned and began tossing his iron ball to himself with one
hand. "Oh, don't worry... I will."
MATCH 9: SABREWULF (KI) vs. ELLIS (TSD2)
-----------------------------------------
Ellis strode up to the platform, skipping up the stairs, humming to
herself. Her various admirers in the stands began throwing flowers. She
picked some of these up, smiling cutely, and topped the platform.
Sabrewulf was standing in his corner, surrounded in his cloud of bats.
Jolly Green was there as well, and had just finished placing some device on
the beasts neck. "Ellis, hi! Just putting a Wolf/English translator on
him..."
Sabrewulf growled. "Get this stupid collar OFF of me!" emitted the
small box on his neck.
"Sorry, I can't," Jolly Green said. "We have laws in this neck of
the Multiverse. Just be thankful I don't have to put you on a leash!"
Seeing the killing glare in Sabrewulf's eye, the Jovial one made a hasty
departure.
The massive werewolf's eye fell then on his opponent. He growled a
rather complex sequence that was translated as, "You're not too bad
looking. Come over here and give me a kiss."
Ellis held her daggers at the ready. "Be careful what you ask for,
fuzzball! You just might get it!"
MATCH 10: SINDEL (MK3) vs. SASQUATCH (NW)
-----------------------------------------
Sindel wrinkled her nose at the sight of the large bundle of yellowish
white hair that lumbered up onto the platform. She turned to the nearest
administrator, who happened to be Deuce. "I am expected to fight this
walking hairball? I want a worthy opponent!"
Deuce sighed. He knew this was coming. He made a face and did his
duty like a good soldier. "You were seeded randomly, and you have to deal
with your matchups as they come. No special privileges," he stated flatly,
waving a pen in her direction. He quietly mumbled under his breath, "You're
hardly one to be making cracks about someone's hair anyhow."
Sindel growled softly and looked over at her opponent, who was busy
scratching his ears. He then stretched and yawned, the sight of which made
the Outworld queen take a step back. "By the darkness, you have the biggest
mouth I have ever seen in my many years!"
Sasquatch looked at her curiously, pondering the meaning of her words.
Of course, he took it the wrong way, and began crying piteously. Sindel
blinked. "What? Why are you crying??" she asked, shocked and irritated.
"Don't try any of those pity tactics on me, they won't work! I am evil
incarnate! I am above such petty--" she trailed off, looking at the poor
creature. She had to admit, he was a cute sort. "Aww," she said, "stop
that. Please?"
The abominable snowman glanced up at her, tears still running down
his furry face. She felt her grip on her sense of self slipping away, and
shook her head to clear it. "AGH! No, I will not fall victim to such
devious trickery! Prepare to die, monster!"
Sasquatch wiped his eyes and sighed, still sniffling. Deuce was at
ringside, behind his commentator's desk, and was trying so very desperately
not to laugh. The two mismatched combatants readied themselves for the
fight.
MATCH 11: KAFUIN GAIRA (SS3) vs. SARAH (VF2)
--------------------------------------------
Gaira was, as usual, seeming desperately afraid of being late for his
match. He ran up the stairs and onto the arena, causing the entire
platform to shake and Mike to wonder if there wasn't some way to reinforce
the things to take extra punishment.
Sarah Bryant, Gaira's opponent for this round, was already present,
and staring off into space with a slightly vacant look, and turned only
sluggishly to regard the large monk as he bellowed a cheerful greeting.
"Hello and good morning, worthy opponent!" Most of the audience was
relieved that Gaira apparently felt no need to attempt to match Haohmaru's
Legendary Volume(tm).
Sarah just nodded ever so slightly.
Gaira frowned slightly. "I _said_, Hello and good morning, worthy
opponent!"
Sarah now ignored him completely...or at least she didn't respond.
Her mind was clearly... elsewhere.
The massive shodowner regarded the young woman for a moment, with
surprisingly thoughtful look on his face. "Either this young woman is
incredibly rude," he mused to himself, "or something else is not right
here." He strode over to her and bent down to look her in the eyes.
"Aha!" He thought, "Her eyes are reflecting no light!" Not pausing to
consider the fact that this might be a result of the graphical
peculiarities of her node, he concluded alound, "She must be possessed!"
He grinned, "Fear not, little one! I shall rid you of the demons that
infest your soul...as soon as I have you safely subdued!"
Sarah, who was, in fact, not possessed (merely brainwashed - a
technique that wasn't around in Gaira's time), looked ever so slightly
annoyed at the condescending attitude, and took up her ready stance.
MATCH 12: KIBAGAMI GENJURO (SS3) vs. IORI YAGAMI (KOF95)
--------------------------------------------------------
Iori cracked his knuckles and eyed his opponent who was stepping up
to the platform. He appeared strong; he was muscular and broad shouldered,
and carried his katana with an easy grip.
Genjuro brought himself to his full height and bowed. "My name is
Kibagami Genjuro, and I wish you to know something before this fight is
begun."
Iori cocked one eyebrow. "What is that?"
"I am not here for personal glory, prize money or any form of
recognition," said Genjuro. "I am here to find my longtime enemy and kill
him, at any cost." He neglected to mention that he initially did not want
to come and literally had to be forced into attending.
Iori nodded. "I can appreciate that. I'm in a similar situation,
myself. A blood feud between my own family and a rival clan."
Genjuro blinked, a bit surprised at the common goal. "You seek to
better your skills so as to defeat your opponent, as I do?"
The red-haired man nodded, holding up his hand. Purple flames burst
from it, writhing like serpents around his fingers. "Indeed I am. I will
find him and kill him, for the sake of my clan and my own honor."
The samurai eyed his opponent with keen interest, both at his words
and at the odd flames he produced from nowhere. "I see. Very well, then,
I wish you well on your quest. But know that I will show no mercy in this
fight, though I hold no malice."
"Don't worry," said Iori simply. "I feel the exact same way." The
flames in his hand extinguished and he got into combat stance, waiting for
the referee to signal the beginning of the match.
Genjuro rested his weight on his back foot, closed his eyes, took a
deep breath, and steeled himself for battle, as he had done so often before.
He saw many of his own traits in this Iori fellow. This would indeed be a
battle to be remembered.
MATCH 13: ANAKARIS (NW) vs. CLARK (KOF95)
-----------------------------------------
Clark hopped up onto the platform and eyed his opponent. The
mummy stood in the opposite corner, making very few movements. Making no
movements, actually. There was just a sarcophagus. The soldier, on the
other hand, had just had a shot of triple espresso. So he was feeling...
something. Hyper, maybe.
He cracked his knuckles and spun his arm around to loosen up his
shoulders. "So, you're my first opponent, I guess."
The sarcophagus opened and Anakaris stepped out, nodding solemnly.
"Indeed, young one, I am. May you fight well, and with honor." Then the
mummy began his own bizarre stretching routine.
"You look a bit sluggish," remarked Clark. "But then, I can see that.
Getting out of bed in the morning is hard enough. Getting out of a coffin
must be hell! How do you do it if you don't drink coffee?"
Anakaris shrugged, a bit of dust settling from his ancient body. "I
manage," he said simply. Clark opened up a thermos and took another swig
of his espresso.
"Sure you don't want some?" offered the soldier. Anakaris declined,
deciding that this mortal was a little too fixated on his beverage of
choice. He shrugged and prepared himself for the fight.
MATCH 14: SOFIA (TSD2) vs. JON TALBAIN (NW)
-------------------------------------------
Sofia scanned the arena. The battles she'd fought in Toshinden hadn't
really been for spectators. The place was just so large. As she was taking
everything in, she noticed a rather 'proper' looking man joining her atop
the platform. With a little bow he introduced himself.
"I am Jon Talbain," he said. "According to the tournament staff, I am
to be your opponent. I do have to ask you, though, please go easy on me.
I'm not much of a fighter, you see."
Sofia hadn't become a private detective by believing everything she'd
been told. Likely this one wanted her to take pity on him, so he could
transform her mercy into an easy victory. Her face cold, and impassive,
she cracked her whip out inches from her face. "Bark like a dog!" she said
in heavily accented English.
The man began to convulse suddenly. For an instant Sofia almost
thought she had hit him! But her skill with the whip was known throughout
her home node. The only way she could have hit him would have been if she
had MEANT to. Talbain collapsed to the floor, curling up in a fetal
position. Sofia looked on in shock as his entire body became covered with
fur, his hands became paws, complete with long, sharp claws. Moments later
he stood back up, and said, "ANYTHING for YOU babe!!! AWWOOOOOOO!!! AWOOO!
AWOOO! AWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Talbain eyed Sofia hungrily, and waited for
Kuroko to signal the beginning of the match.
MATCH 15: KAGEMARU (VF2) vs. KIM KAP HWAN (KOF95)
-------------------------------------------------
Kim Kaphwan, world Tae Kwon Do champion, strode up to the platform
with his son, Donfon, on his shoulders. He turned, and, showing a shining
smile and waved to the audience and cameras. Setting his son down, he
turned to the stack of iceblocks he'd had brought up onto the platform
and shattered them all with a well placed axe kick, to the thunderous
applause of the crowd (no one had been showing off for them in nearly ten
minutes, and, being mostly members of the TV generation, they were
getting restless). Then, as Don scurried off the stage, calling,
"Ganbatte tousan!" (Good luck Dad!), Kim turned to face his opponent. who
stood watching all this without a trace of any expression (or it might've
been the fact that he was wearing a cloth mask over most of his
face....nah).
Kagemaru was, in fact, smiling a little wistfully under his mask. "He
looks like a splendid boy." He commented, nodding at the retreating
DonFon. "May he never have to suffer as I have."
Kim idly wondered if some sort of personal tragedy was a job
requirement for becoming a ninja, then politely enquired, "Suffer? How so?
Is there some way I can help?"
"My father was killed by an evil crime syndicate, and my mother
abducted by the same organization. I, the tenth generation Kagemaru, will
take vengeance upon them. I need no assistance."
Kim nodded once, and cast a black look in the general direction of the
platform where Geese Howard was to have his match. Kim's ideals had
gotten him involved in one personal vendetta already. "Very well then."
He extended his hand. "I wish you the best of luck."
The two fighters shook hands, and returned to their corners to await
the start of the match.
MATCH 16: BILLY KANE (KOF95) vs. JACKY (VF2)
--------------------------------------------
Billy and Jacky faced each other across the platform. Figuring he
might at least make some gesture towards being friendly before he kicked
this bozo back to... well... whatever time period it was when they wore
overalls and little else, Jacky waved and said, "Hiya there!"
Billy regarded him as if he'd said something in a foreign language,
so Jacky tried again. "Yo! Whazzup?"
Billy frowned, trying to see if this guy was insulting him, but
really couldn't tell through his thick American accent. So, in the name of
a modicum of goodwill, he tried a friendly greeting. "G'day tya, mate."
Jacky frowned a little. He really couldn't understand this fellow
through the thick English accent. "Sheesh, he thought, you'd think if the
language was named after them, they could speak it clearly." He thought
to himself.
Billy frowned back, and decided to try another tack. He THOUGHT he
remembered some of the Japanese he'd heard Geese use... "Ah...Ohio
gosymus?"
Jacky frowned deeper. Boy this guy was REALLY talking nonsense now.
"I think it's time we spoke in language we can BOTH understand." He said
aloud, and dropped into his ready stance.
Mr. Howard's right hand man smirked. THIS he could understand. He
twirled his cane a couple of times, "I'm going to..." His accent
overwhelmed even Mike's discerning ear (and the rather sensitive
microphones) for a moment, "...you so bad!"
MATCH 17: VICTOR (NW) vs. BENIMARU (KOF95)
------------------------------------------
Benimaru gaped at the amalgamation of flesh that was Victor von Gerdenheim. He nearly shivered at the sight of his blue flesh. He DID shiver at the sight of his mangy yellow hair, and the two bulky bolts protruding from his neck. "You really should learn to take care of
yourself, you know. I can't say I've ever seen a BLUE complexion before,
but it can't be a good thing. And that hair! You need professional help!
It would take a horde of beauticians a month to help you!"
Victor waxed thoughtful for a moment before replying, "My father
always said it was how people looked on the inside that mattered."
Benimaru's nose wrinkled at the thoughts of what must be INSIDE the
Night Warrior. "I can't imagine that being much better! You look like
death warmed over!"
Victor just nodded. "I was until my Father found me." A bright flash
illuminated the bizzare pair, as Benimaru looked down to see Shutterbug, the
official Dream Tournament IV artist, taking some snapshots.
"You there!" Benimaru shrilled. "How dare you! Why, I haven't
combed my hair in the past fifteen minutes! And HIM..." he pointed at
Victor. "Well, can't you see he's the biggest fashion disaster since Duck
King?! Come back at the end of the match. You can take your picture then!"
He nodded, as the photographer turned, and walked off, before turning back
to Victor. "Don't worry, I'll beat you up real quick, and then give you a
makeover... to make up for the loss."
MATCH 18: RYUJI YAMAZAKI (RBFF) vs. ADON (SFA)
----------------------------------------------
Adon looked at his opponent, and was thoroughly unimpressed. He'd
seen pretty much everything here, so far. Vampires, Samurai, and even
other (obviously less-skilled) Muay Thai fighters. Ryuji Yamazaki just
stood coolly in the center of the ring, a smirk on his face. Nothing, from
the black boots on his feet, to the jeans and shirt he wore suggested any
real martial training. He was even standing there with one hand in his
pocket, like he was waiting for a bus.
Adon smiled evilly, as he extended his arm, and gave him the
'thumbs-down.' "I'm going to destroy you!" The large form of Yamazaki
finally turned to look at Adon.
"You think? I've cut up some tougher-looking bozos than you, workin'
for Mr. Howard." With that said, Yamazaki's attention drifted away from
Adon again.
Enraged, Adon started laughing. "So, what've you got in your pocket?
I sure hope it's not money for a cab-ride home, 'cause you're not going to
need it. I'm sending YOU home in an ambulance!"
Yamazaki's hand stopped fingering the small, unadorned gold ring
he'd found lying on the mat, and went back to the cool, comfortable hilt of
the knife he kept there for guys who gave him this kind of lip. "You want
to know what's in my pocket? You'll find out soon enough!"
MATCH 19: GALFORD (SS3) vs. JEFFRY (VF2)
----------------------------------------
With a leap and a bound, Galford, and his faithful canine sidekick, Poppy, mounted the fighting platform. Their opponent, Jeffry McWilde, stood at the opposite end, going through a few stretches. He looked up, and saw the American ninja, resplendant in his bright costume, strike a dashing pose. As fully half the female audience members swooned, Galford winced, suspecting Nakoruru would have a few choice words for him after the match. As he turned back to face his opponent, he noticed that Jeffry was laughing. Hard.
"Er...what's so funny?" Galford queried, clearly a bit puzzled by this.
"You... are...," Jeffry managed to choke out between guffaws.
Peering down at himself to make sure he hadn't inadvertantly put on his pink and purple costume this morning, Galford shook his head. "And... why is that?"
"Jus' look at ya. All yer posin' and struttin' about. I came 'ere
to fight... looks like ye came to pose for the ladies."
"Hey!" Galford retorted, blushing in spite of himself, "What happened
to being respectful of your opponent?"
"Ah, c'mon, I's just jokin' with ye. You did a g'd job las' time. Le's 'ave us a good match."
Galford grinned and nodded. "Thanks. Good luck to you. Ready Poppy?"
"WOOF!"
MATCH 20: KANO (MK3) vs. LORD RAPTOR (NW)
-----------------------------------------
Kano stared at his opponent in utter stupefaction. "What the hell are you? You one of Shao Kahn's cronies?"
Lord Raptor shook his head vehemently to disagree. This action dislodged it, unfortunately, and it rolled off to the corner of the ring, causing a slight delay in the conversation while his body searched for it. When Raptor had his head on straight again, he looked up. "No, boyo, I
don't have a manager just yet. Men Without Heads is lookin' around,
though." He leaned forward conspiratorially, "This Shao Kahn guy, is he
good publicity for a band? Does he know the ropes of touring?"
Kano was still mildly in shock. "T-touring?" he asked shakily, then
recovered his composure. "What the bloody hell are you talking about? You
aren't some hired assassin?"
The ghoul was faintly offended. "Assassin? No man, I seek to
enlighten the world with my music!"
Kano raised his single remaining eyebrow. "Oh? What sort of music
do you play?"
"Why..." said Raptor, obviously building up, "death metal, of course!"
The entirety of the crowd groaned. Raptor was undeterred by this, and
ventured onward. "But first, we're doing a cover of Oingo Boingo. Danny
Elfman is just a genius, wouldn't you say?"
"Umm... what song are you covering?" asked the mercenary.
"Does it MATTER?" asked Duck King from the peanut gallery. "They're
all about death!" The other members of the gallery nodded agreement.
"Dead Man's Party!" exuded Raptor. "You know... everybody's coming,
leave your body at the door? I would have left my body at the door, but
it would have made fighting a bit difficult, y'know."
Kano sighed, trying desperately not to get thoroughly annoyed at the
outspoken supernatural rocker. By the time the match was about to begin,
however, he was busily pondering ways to re-kill Raptor, and to do it in
as messy, gory, and graphic (not to mention cheesy) a way possible.
MATCH 21: SPINAL (KI) vs. NIGHTWOLF (MK3)
-----------------------------------------
Nightwolf stared in utter stupefaction at his strange opponent. "What
manner of monster are you?" he asked.
Spinal laughed, barely seeming to notice Nightwolf's presence.
The indian frowned. "Are you mocking me?"
Spinal just laughed.
This began to irritate the indian. "I fail to see what is so amusing
about the question. You are obviously not part of nature, and as such, you
must be destroyed."
Spinal finally seemed to take notice of his opponent. Though his face
was nothing more than a barren skull, frozen into a permanent rictus grin,
it seemed as though the shadow of a smile crossed his face for a split
second. His empty eye sockets flared a bright red, and he held his sword
aloft, raising it in Nightwolf's direction. With a dismissive gesture, he
slashed downward, to symbolize the elimination of his opponent. He was
more than prepared.
Nightwolf nodded to his opponent and steeled himself for battle.
MATCH 22: SOKAKU (RBFF) vs. LION (VF2)
--------------------------------------
Glancing at the monitors, Mike contemplated the next matchup. They
certainly were a mismatched pair... the young, hotshot rich kid against
the aging... smelly... probably impoverished if the frequency of his use of
deodorant was any indicator monk type... guy. (Not to be confused with THE
Guy) The truth of the matter was, that Mike had no idea WHAT to make of
this matchup...and, apparently, neither did the fighters, because they
both stood, eyeing each other confusedly, at opposite ends of the
platform. (Then again, Lion might've been keeping his distance to
avoid the smell.)
"Ah, so... you must be one of those... wandering monk guys, right?"
Lion asked.
"Yes."
"Oh. Thought so."
A long awkwaard silence followed.
Much of the pre-fight waiting was passed that way, punctuated only by
Lion's impatient foot tapping, and the occasional squawk from the crow
that had settled on Sokaku's hat. Finally, to Lion's immense relief,
the round 1 bell sounded, and he leapt to the ready. He was going to win
it all!
MATCH 23: CHON SHU (RBFF) vs. YURI SAKAZAKI (KOF95)
---------------------------------------------------
Yuri hopped up onto the platform, idly stuffing a little bit more of
the cotton candy she'd bought from a vendor into her mouth, utterly ignoring
the snide comments Mai made as she did so. Looking around for her opponent,
she noticed that one of the fans seemed to have made her way up here as
well. An oddly dressed little girl she was, too.
"Hey there girl," Yuri said brightly, "You shouldn't be up here. Come on, you can have the rest of my cotton candy, and I'll give you my autograph after the match, okay?" This whole celebrity thing was starting to go to her head, a fact which her father, Takuma, took this moment to point out.
"YURI! Stop acting like some pop starlet and keep your mind on your match! Remember, you're here a representative of Kyokogenryu! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes daddy..." Yuri grumbled and stuck out her tongue at him as he walked clear of the area.
Jin Chon Shu, meanwhile, was positively STEAMING at having been mistaken not only for a fan, but for a FEMALE fan at that. "You, girl, have paid me the greatest offense possible! My name is Jin Chon Shu, but you may call me MASTER!"
Yuri blinked. "Wait a minute...wait a minute, are you or are you not Jin Chon Shu? If you're that Master guy, you're supposed to be over THERE fighting Amakusa."
"Silence, Woman!" Chon Shu exclaimed. "You may call me Jin Chon
Shu... why? 'Cause that's my name, fool! Now prepare to meet your maker!"
MATCH 24: SUB-ZERO (MK3) vs. HISAME SHIZUMARU (SS3)
---------------------------------------------------
Speaking as approximately the millionth contender who was dissatisfied with his first matchup, Sub-Zero was complaining. "I'm supposed to fight a KID? This is a joke, right?"
Shizumaru shrugged and sniffed. "I am afraid this is no joke, sir. I am sorry."
"You're SORRY?" said Sub-Zero. "What on earth do you intend to do?
Whack me with your little umbrella, there?"
"Why, yes," said the young boy. "That is exactly what I intend to do, as a matter of fact."
Sub-Zero laughed. "You must be joking. Where did you learn to fight, the Offended-Old-Lady School of Martial Arts? Why not use the sword on your back?"
Shizumaru shrugged. "Mock my style all you like. We will see who is standing when the match is over. I will make it as quick and painless as possible, I promise."
"Oh, it'll be quick and painless, kid," said the former member of the Lin Kuei. "At least, for me." He grinned, formed a ball of ice in his hand and tossed it to himself playfully.
Shizumaru got into stance and waited. "Fail to take the fight seriously, and you will lose," he said simply.
Sub-Zero tossed away the ball of ice, which froze a substantial portion of the ground where it hit. He got into position and smiled. "I'll do what it takes. Just don't be surprised when you're on the ground." The two fighters fell silent and awaited the beginning of the match.
MATCH 25: MONDO (TSD2) vs. HSIEN-KO (NW)
----------------------------------------
Mondo gazed levelly at the figure standing opposite him. He wasn't
entirely certain she was a PERSON, after all. Most of her looked human
enough... though a tad bit pale, but her arms ended in massive claws. He
twirled his Seiryu spear several times, in wide, WHOOSHing arcs, before
finally saluting his opponent, one finger upraised before his face.
"SHOUSHI!" he yelled.
"What?" Hsien-ko asked.
"SHOUSHI!" Mondo repeated.
"For crying out LOUD!" the ghost shouted, "Could you PLEASE speak ENGLISH?!"
Jolly Green, who happened to be walking by, waved, and got Hsien-ko's attention. "Actually, he can't... too many people thought the dubbed voices in Toshinden 1 sounded silly."
Hsien-ko nodded, and faced off against her opponent, determined to speak to her opponent in the universal language... intense, gut-wrenching violence.
MATCH 26: DUKE B. RAMBERT (TSD2) vs. GLACIUS (KI)
-------------------------------------------------
Duke wiped the sweat from his brow, as he finished climbing to the top
of the platform. After all, moving about for any extended period in full
plate armour was a workout, in and of itself! He noted that his opponent
had sought to dishonor him, by not appearing on time. He made a mental note
to end the fight quickly.
Spying a 256 ounce 'Thirst-Annihilator' sitting in one corner, he
immediately realized how thirsty he was. Obviously, one of the servants had
left it here for him. He immediately strode over to the corner, lifted the
cup, and took a sip, when there was a word of protest.
"OW!!! Hey, STOP that!" the cry came from nowhere.
Duke looked around, savoring the odd taste the liquid in his mouth
had. It must have been flat. There was no one here... but he was certain
he had heard a voice! With a shrug, he turned back to his drink, only to
realize it had developed a NASTY stare.
A pair of dark eyes glared back at him from the bottom of the massive
cup, and suddenly, of its own volition, the liquid flew from the cup,
arcing gracefully through the air, landing with a *GUSH* on the top of the
platform. The puddle began to swirl, as Glacius arose, now solid.
Duke felt the juices in his stomach begin to churn. He hadn't even
swallowed. Immediately he spat the mouthful of vile liquid out. It flew
across the ring, and rejoined it's owner (giving him back a portion of his
face). "Foul demon! You think to poison me before the match!" Duke
declared. "In the name of France, I shall destroy you!"
Glacius just growled, and wiped the remains of the nobleman's saliva
from his face. Where HE came from, this was the deadliest insult
imaginable. His opponent would PAY.
MATCH 27: TERRY BOGARD (KOF95) vs. LIU KANG (MK3)
-------------------------------------------------
Liu Kang made his way up to the platform and bowed to his opponent, a
blonde american in rather casual fighting attire, who was absently twirling
a baseball cap on his finger. "May you fight well..."
Terry nodded a little bit, and tried to remember what he'd seen of
this guy in the last tournament as he put on his cap. "Yeah...you too."
Apparently this guy was another one of those courteous fighters, sorta
like Kim. "Hmmm...hey...wait a minute..."
Kang looked up from his stretching, "Yes?"
"Weren't you the guy Kim was fighting last year when you both
spontaneously vanished? What was up with that, anyway? I never DID get a
chance to ask him...."
The shaolin monk coughed nervously. "Ah, yes. In fact I was. It was a
tremendous cosmic disturbance, set off by the forces involved in our battle.
I am amazed you did not feel it."
Muttering something about being too busy fighting a certain loud guy
with a katana, Terry shrugged. "Uh huh. Sure. Whatever. Look, that mystic
mumbo jumbo won't be enough to take ME down, so I suggest you get ready for
a good match. "
MATCH 28: SHUN DI (VF2) vs. JAX (MK3)
-------------------------------------
Shun Di staggered around the ring, warming up and preparing for his
fight. Either that or he was just totally pickled and couldn't stand up
straight if his life depended on it.
Jax approached the platform to modest applause, and looked curiously
at his opponent. Then he noticed the jug of sake sitting hanging from
Shun's waist. "You know," said Jax, "drinking is very unhealthy." He
flexed his metal arms and continued, "I keep myself completely clean, and
it gives me an edge in the fight."
Shun hiccuped violently, and looked shakily at the large black man.
"Oh, don't worry about me..." he said. "My drinking is going to be much
worse for your health than mine...." He fell over and passed out. Jax
looked around, somewhat dismayed, and wondered what on earth he was supposed
to do now.
"Don't worry," called Jacky from the peanut gallery. "He does this
all the time. He'll be up and about when the match starts!" Jax looked at
the Virtua Fighter in mild astonishment, then shrugged, turning back to his
prone opponent. He almost wished he could just fight Shang Tsung. He
wasn't nearly as confusing.
MATCH 29: TAKUMA SAKAZAKI (KOF95) vs. DAN HIBIKI (SFA)
------------------------------------------------------
Dan was awed with the sheer size, and scope of the DreamArena. The massive number of other warriors, and their fans. Of course he chuckled a bit to himself whenever he saw a Ryu-clone. Couldn't these fighters come up with anything new, instead of just stealing someone else's style? He was psyched, though. He was going to show the world the power of his techniques! He'd looked at the list of matchups, and done a lot of asking around about Takuma Sakazaki. Oddly, few people had anything to say to him. Most chortled a bit. He wondered if somebody had put a 'Kick-me' sign on his back. Again. But he continued undaunted, and managed to gather an adequate amount of information on Takuma, and his style.
Before heading out onto the platform, he looked over the lines Ken had written for him. Ken was, of course, a proven fighter, and had kindly offered to help the young warrior with his thoroughly uninspired dialog. Giving it a last minute memorization. It was certainly odd... but Ken was his friend, and probably knew what he was doing better than Dan.
Takuma gave Dan the once-over as he walked up the steps to the platform. There was something vaguely familiar about this boy, but he couldn't quite place it. Dan came up to the center of the ring, and Takuma did the same. They bowed to each other, but Takuma was still very distracted. Where HAD he seen this boy before?
"Hello!" Dan shouted, "My name is Dan Hibiki! You killed my father! Prepare to die!" The audience began chortling and snickering. He heard a few folks in the back began to howl with laughter.
Takuma cocked an eyebrow at the obviously 'confused' lad. "What? I did no such thing!" Dan scowled and whipped out his sheets of dialog, and began paging through them hurriedly.
"Oh, that's for SAGAT," he mumbled, as he hurriedly shuffled papers looking for his lines. With a sudden "AHA!" he looked Takuma dead in the eye and put on his fiercest glare. (Takuma withheld a chuckle out of politeness' sake.) "I am Dan Hibiki, the strongest fighter in the world!" (Much laughter and a smattering of applause) He continued, "I am the master of my own unique fighting style, known to none but myself!"
Takuma did not look impressed. "You are also a boastful one, boy. I have created my own school of martial arts, no less unique than yours, and you do not see me boasting." Ryo harrumphed from ringside, as Robert looked disdainfully at Dan.
Dan shrugged both the comment and the look off. "Just be ready for when I show you one of my patented moves, old man."
Takuma nodded, "I shall. You be certain to do the same."
MATCH 30: CHUN LI (SFA) vs. HATTORI HANZO (SS3)
-----------------------------------------------
Chun Li paced back and forth atop the fighting platform, wondering
when her opponent would make his appearance. She'd done a little research
on this fellow in the Interpol files, and come up with a report:
Name: Hattori, Hanzo
Date of Birth: Unknown
Age: Estimated to be in the low 30's.
Height: 177cm
Weight: 59 kg
Place of Birth: Iga, Japan
Known Family: Wife, Kaede (Deceased)
Son, Shinzo (Status unknown)
Son, Kanzo
Personality profile: None sumbitted.
[Note - The last two interviewees fell into catatonic depression while
attempting to evaluate. Advise caution.]
As Chun Li stood pondering, a sudden round of vigorous applause broke
out from a previously unnoticed section of the peanut gallery. Considering
the size of the group in question, Chun Li found this a little surprising
(the fact that they had remained unnoticed, not the applause), especially
since all they were doing was standing there in black, vaguely ninja-ish
costumes, and holding twigs. "That's funny," she mused, "I could've
sworn that was a hedge -- wait, that doesn't make any -- HEY! Those guys
are Ninjas!" She finished the thought out loud.
"Oh please," came a deep, despairing voice from behind her, "We ninja
get little enough respect without being associated with the likes of
THEM... not that you CARE of course... but here I am, a master of stealth
and teleportation, and YOU compare me to THEM."
Chun Li frowned a little, confused, "Hey, take it easy. Everyone
makes mistakes, it's part of life."
"Life? Don't talk to me about life. The life of a ninja is filled
with hardship, and..." Thankfully, the opening bell struck then.
MATCH 31: RUNGO IRON (TSD2) vs. KING (KOF95)
--------------------------------------------
King rolled her eyes as she sipped her pre-fight martini. Her
opponent was exercising his machismo, by swinging around a massive pillar
of iron he CALLED a club. With a sigh, she wondered why men needed to use
such large things to bludgeon people. "Rungo Iron? My name is King, and
it looks like I'll be your opponent this round."
Rungo didn't know quite what to make of the blonde in the tuxedo, as
he went through his pre-match stretches. He'd seen some WEIRD fighting
outfits in his own node, but never something that... formal. With a
friendly shrug, he nodded, and advanced to shake hands with her. "Don't
worry," he said, "I'll try not to hit you too hard."
King smirked at the miner's chauvinist attitude. "The same goes for me... and I'm not worried."
MATCH 32: PAI (VF2) vs. GAIA (TSD2)
-----------------------------------
Pai and Gaia stood together in the center of the fighting platform. Gaia casually rested his massive sword by his side, as he spoke with the female Virtua Fighter.
"You've got to give her some time!" Pai exclaimed. "I mean, from what you've told me, you beat up on her in your FIRST tournament..."
"But..." Gaia tried to interject.
"... And then you show up out of nowhere, corner her on a tower, and say 'Ellis, *I* am your father?'... how did you EXPECT her to respond? Sheesh..." Pai rolled her eyes, and shot a glare at her 'father' Lau on the next platform. She sighed, and calmed down. "Look, you've got to give
her some time to adjust to the idea. I mean, I bet you weren't even there for her childhood."
"My work kept me away a lot," Gaia replied. After all, when he had worked for the Himitsu Kessha, it HAD demanded a lot of his time.
"Do you know how many times I've heard that?" Pai responded. "Jeez, you should watch some Oprah or something, before you go and pull a stunt like this. Look, I'll try to TALK to her, but only because my father put me through the same kind of thing."
Gaia nodded, and bowed deeply, and both fighters squared off, waiting for the beginning of the fight. Pai added, "Besides, it's not like you'll be able to talk when *I'M* finished with you..."
MATCH 33: BIRDIE (SFA) vs. LAU (VF2)
------------------------------------
Lau finished up his Tai Chi stretching regimen. Naturally, he practiced it every day in order to keep limber. Looking around he noted that he wasn't the oldest fighter in the tournament, but he was certainly up there. How often brash, and arrogant youths underestimated him. Upon hearing the sound of footfalls behind him, he spun, smiling widely to greet his opponent.
"Ahhh, greetings! Are you prepared to join in that chaotic, frenzied dance we call combat...?" Lau's voice trailed off as he SAW his opponent. Or rather, saw his opponent's chest. His head was a bit higher than he'd anticipated.
"Huh?" Birdie inquired. He absent-mindedly combed his mohawk while the small, old guy made long, weird noises.
"I asked you if you were prepared to engage in that age-old ritual of conflict which we know as the martial arts?" Lau's eyes squinted slightly, as he scanned his opponent's face. Birdie looked down at him, confusion in his eyes. With a shrug, the large bouncer began licking the massive chains attached to his arm.
Lau rolled his eyes. "I just want to know if you're ready to fight!"
Birdie's eyes widened in sudden understanding. He nodded. "I number one! Fight now!"
MATCH 34: CHON REI (RBFF) vs. HEIDERN (KOF95)
---------------------------------------------
Heidern eyed his 'opponent' as he sipped his cappucino. "So," he began out loud, "The enemy has once again stooped to recruiting children."
"Foolish mortal! I am Jin Chon Rei, and I have lived for 2200 long years!"
The green beret continued as if he had not heard. "The last time I can recall them doing such a thing was in the panama campaigns in '78. I was just a lieutenant then. The enemy general was so desperate for troops he was sending in whoever could hold a gun... old men... women... ten year old children..."
"Ten year old!? This body is a full, fit and MIGHTY fifteen years in
physical age!"
Finishing his coffee, Heidern flicked his hand through the air, and turned to face his enemy. "I showed no mercy then... no more mercy than they showed to my daughter... and I shall show no mercy now." His tone was icy.
Chon Rei borrowed a taunt from his brother's repertoire, yawning capaciously. "I'm cringing, jarhead. Now come on!"
MATCH 35: CHARLIE (SFA) vs. CHIEF THUNDER (KI)
----------------------------------------------
Thunder waved congenially to Charlie as he walked up to the fighting ring. "Hey, Guile!" he said. "I've heard all sorts of stories about you, and I have to say, it's a real honor to fight you."
Charlie blinked in confusion. "Guile? Guile's on leave, visiting his family."
The large mohawked indian would not be deterred. "Oh come on, Guile, I know it's you. I saw the videotapes of you fighting before. By the way, I never knew you wore glasses. And you got your hair cut!"
"I'm telling you, I'm not Guile!" Charlie practically shouted. "My name is CHARLIE, and Guile's a good friend of mine!"
Thunder looked remarkably disappointed. "Oh... well, you sure look like him." A few in the peanut gallery stated that he sure fought like him too. Charlie ignored this.
"Well, don't worry, big guy," said Charlie. "I'll be sure to give you a fight to remember." Thunder nodded, and brandished his axes. Now it was Charlie's turn to look upset. This very well might HURT.
MATCH 36: SIE KENSOU (KOF95) vs. DEMITRI MAXIMOV (NW)
-----------------------------------------------------
Sie Kensou stood, idly munching a riceball as he waited for this purported 'vampire' to show up. After not too terribly long, a somewhat bemused looking bat fluttered by, and seemed to morph into a tall aristocratic looking fellow in a blood red cloak (and attendant flaming aura;), wearing the exact same bemused expression as the bat had not too long ago.
A smattering of tentative applause emerged from the peanut gallery, along with such comments as "Wow, he really IS a vampire?" "Wait a minute, shouldn't he be going into Rotschrek if he's on fire like that?" and "Hey WOW! Protean _FOUR_!" Mike glanced idly in that direction and noted that the comments came from a rather pale group of young men and women, dressed all in black and generally looking like they WISHED they were vampires.
Kensou shook his head and took a step towards the Vampire, who bared his fangs in a smile. "Foolish mortal. You think to defeat me? Baro...Count Demitri Maximov, lord of the undead?" His expression still seemed a tiny bit puzzled.
Sie shrugged. "Spare me the schpiel. I've read Anne Rice, I've seen the RPG. If I pound on you long enough, you'll fall down just like anyone else. So quit posing so I can stomp on you and get this over with?" He gave a rather goofy grin, and faced off with the vampire.
MATCH 37: BISHAMON (NW) vs. GORO DAIMON (KOF95)
-----------------------------------------------
The ghostly Samurai floated across the platform, followed by his
accursed retinue of sword, armor and spirit-flames. As his equipment caught
up with him, he took a moment to regard his opponent. He was big. He
looked strong. His outfit was THOROUGLY uninspired, and he was going
through the most bizzare stretching regimen Bishamon had ever seen.
"What's he DOING?" the Samurai's accursed sword asked.
"I've got NO idea...," his accursed armor answered.
"Don't ask US...," the two accursed spirit flames answered.
"Ah, you're here!" Goro said. "I was just going over a new technique
I've been working on..." He absent-mindedly dropped the large sphere he'd
been hefting around, with an earth-shattering THUD.
"We shall see how your new technique avails you against the greatest
swordsm..." Bishamon left the sentence unfinished, looking about hurriedly
to make certain Haohmaru wasn't going to interrupt him like LAST year.
"Against the spirit of Bushido," he finished.
"Oh really? I'll have you know that my game's near perfect!" Goro
exclaimed proudly. This whole tournament will be over VERY quickly! I will
defeat you, with ten strikes!"
******
Down below, Goro's teammate Kyo was talking to Jolly Green. "Yeah, he's been like this ever since Chang brained him with that ball & chain of his a few months ago. He's carried that huge bowling ball with him everywhere, and insists that bowling and training are all there are to life."
"Umm, he DOES know this isn't a bowling tournament, doesn't he?" Jolly Green asked.
Kyo's eyes widened, as he desperately tried to signal the large Judo practitioner/professional bowler.
MATCH 38: EIJI KISARAGI (KOF95) vs. DONOVAN (NW)
------------------------------------------------
Donovan eyed the ninja warily. "Hmmm. Are you a demon?"
"No," said the ninja.
"Vampire?"
"No," repeated Eiji.
"Incubus?"
"Umm, no...."
"Fishman?"
"No."
"Ghost?"
"No!"
"Is there *anything* supernatural about you at all?" asked the demon hunter, sighing a bit.
"Well," said Eiji, "I do rather enjoy the X-Files."
Donovan nodded and held up his sword. "That will have to do."
MATCH 39: RALF (KOF95) vs. SMOKE (MK3)
--------------------------------------
Ralf tied his bandana over his thick black hair and cracked his knuckles. This was going to be the year, he was sure of it. Across the platform, Smoke was inert.
"Hey, come on, robot!" snapped Ralf. "If you don't fight, this is going to be too easy!" Then again, thought Ralf, maybe that wouldn't be so bad....
Smoke's eyes flared to life. "I am NOT a robot," he stated firmly. "I am a cyborg, and I have my free will, THANK you very much."
Ralf chuckled, "And a touch of sarcasm to go with it. Nice."
The cyborg continued, "Say what you will. Being a cyborg has its advantages. I am possessed of many powers and abilities which no human could ever hope to master."
Ralf gaped. "You have a coffee machine in there?"
Smoke fell flat on his metal face. "A *what*?" he asked incredulously as he got up.
"Hey, man, that's where true strength comes from, you know. None of that inner-spirit-focusing, meditating-mumbo-jumbo. I have seen the future of fighting, and it is CAFFEINE." Ralf was far too pleased with this subject, and was eyeing Smoke's armor now, wondering where to put the coffee cup and how to turn on the brewing cycle. "Works for me, let me tell you."
"You're weird," said Smoke. Those in the peanut gallery decided this was amusing, and started laughing.
"Nah, I'll show you what I mean... but I want you to show me how to get that coffeemaker running later. The coffee in the rec rooms here is too weak for my tastes," Ralf said with a grin.
Smoke shrugged, "Whatever you say..." and got into combat stance.
MATCH 40: MAI SHIRANUI (KOF95) vs. KAYIN (TSD2)
-----------------------------------------------
Mai sneaked one last glance over at Andy's platform. With a sigh,
she turned to her opponent. He was a tall man, strawberry blonde, and
rather handsome. She wasn't exactly pleased to see the rather large
broadsword which he weilded, but this was par for the course in the Dream Tournament.
He walked up to her and bowed formally. "Greetings, milady. I
understand I am to be your opponent. I am Kayin Amoh, of the Clan Amoh."
Mai huffed and turned to Deuce. "That's it, I'm not fighting him!"
Deuce blinked, shifting his gaze from the monitors to her. "Huh?"
Mai pointed, rather impolitely, at Kayin. "Didn't you hear him? He's Scottish! He's immortal! How am I supposed to chop off his head with a couple of fans?"
Kayin fell over on his side, then got up slowly. "Ah... milady..."
"Mai," she said testily.
"Mai... I assure you, I am no immortal. I am simply a fighter, like
anyone else here." He walked up to her carefully. "On my honor, I swear
that I will use no unfair techniques to my advantaaaa--" He trailed off as
he suddenly got a close look down her cleavage, and he turned away in
extreme embarassment.
Mai blinked. "What? What's wrong?"
Kayin was still beet red, and refused to turn to face her again. "Um,
ma'am, don't you think your *ahem* attire is a bit inappropriate for
combat?" he asked shakily.
"What, this thing? You like it? It's just something I threw on," she
said, smiling.
Jon Talbain gave a wolfwhistle (what else?). "I think you missed,
baby! Come to papa!" He was summarily abused by the other members of the
Peanut Gallery, and a muzzle was placed on him to keep him silent.
Kayin nodded, "Y-yes... I don't suppose I could convince you to
change your clothes before the fight, could I?"
Mai shook her head, "Don't worry... I'll make sure your mind is much
too occupied with the fight to worry about what I'm wearing." She gave him
a friendly smile, as he turned around, his eyes firmly locked on her face,
as opposed to anything else.
"Very well... may you fight well," he said, and nearly bowed again,
when he realized where that would lead his eyes. Instead, he saluted her
with his sword, blushing all the while, and returned to his corner, facing
away from Mai. He was trying desperately to return his face to its normal
color, and was failing spectacularly. Mai just smiled and began stretching,
which provoked many muffled yells from Talbain, and lots of whistles from
the crowd.
MATCH 41: DUCK KING (RBFF) vs. FELICIA (NW)
-------------------------------------------
Felicia bounded, catlike (go figure) up onto the platform all psyched
up for her match. She was going to tear this 'Duck King' fellow limb from
limb. She was going to have the time of her life. She was going to win
the whole tournament (unless that guy with the *EEEP* _dog_ got in her
way again). She was going to be famous. She was going to...utterly lose
her train of thought as Duck King made his grand entrance.
Carrying a massive Boombox on his shoulder, blasting the 'Duck Dance'
at maximum volume, utterly heedless of the fact that the speakers were mere
inches from his ears, Duck King breakdanced his way onto the platform.
He set the Box down, spun around in place, and stuck out his blue tongue
at the audience, his 'tune' still pumping out of the speakers.
Mike, standing by the sidelines, attempted to interevene on behalf of
people with taste in music. "Excuse me..." He said. Duck clearly
couldn't hear him. In fact, he could barely hear himself. "EXCUSE ME!"
Still nothing. "_*HEY*_ _*YOU*_!!!"
Duck finally turned, and gave the tournament organizer his attention,
limited in span though it might be.
"YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN THAT DOWN!" Wraith hastily attempted to
recall everything he'd ever heard Haohmaru babble about Legendary Volume
and how to achieve it since the metal/rap/neo/techno/alternative/grunge
stuff that was pouring out of the speakers was clearly overwhelming his
best efforts. The man with the mohawk just shrugged, indicating that he
couldn't hear a word of it.
Wraith gave up, scrambled onto the platform, and promptly fell over
from the earthshaking (literally) bass. He crawled over to the boombox, and
turned the volume nearly all the way down...and though the 'music' was
still clearly audible, it was no longer painful to people in the rear
rows of the stadium.
Duck immediately began to gripe, "Hey! Bogus, Dude! I gotta rock to my
tunes while I fight! Yer givin' me a disadvantage!"
Mike groaned, rubbing his temples and decided he'd be abducting some
of Jeff's asprin as soon as the matches were underway. He eyed the 'box for
a minute, then plugged a strange device from one of his pockets into the
headphone jack before handing Duck a pair of 'phones. He clicked off the
speakers, and turned the volume all the way, in the hopes of blasting
Duck into a little sanity.
"EXCELLENT!"
Mike sighed and stepped down.
Felicia, meanwhile, was peering out from under her paws, trying to see
if the noise really HAD stopped. Her opponent was cheerfully dancing away
as if it hadn't, but unless her ears had finally quit, it was quiet (or
at least, as quiet as you get in an arena filled with that many die hard
fans). That was when she spotted the duckling, tagging along at The
King's heels. She lowered herself into a crouch and her tail began to
twitch as she eyed her upcoming snack. It was just then that the bell
rang to signal the start of the match.
MATCH 42: NAKORURU (SS3) vs. SEKTOR (MK3)
-----------------------------------------
Nakoruru had not been pleased at her being forced to decide which
companion to take into the ring. But, fair was fair, and it was deemed that
having both Mamahaha AND Shikuruu in the fight together with her would tip
the scales unfairly in her direction. Ultimately, she chose Shikuruu for
this match. She had made her apologies to Mamahaha and was now in her
corner of the platform, waiting for the fight to begin.
Not, of course, that her opponent would really care. Sektor was a
soulless, emotionless cyborg, and he/it was standing motionless in his/its
corner. Nakoruru was unsure what to make of this red-and-black humanoid,
but it certainly was not of Nature's order.
"May you fight well," she said, bowing.
Sektor's "eyes" lit up a moment and he spoke in a cold, dead monotone.
"Target: Human female. Name: Nakoruru. Strength: 14. Constitution: 15."
This went on for a moment, with Sektor listing off all of Nakoruru's
so-called "stats." The listing drew much jeering from a group of black
leather-clad, pale-skinned spectators who were seated near the platform.
They obviously were hoping for Vampire(tm) stats, rather than AD&D. But it
didn't matter, they were here to see Demitri anyhow.
Nakoruru blinked at the cyborg's odd tirade, and felt distinctly
violated. "Excuse me?" she said, practically sputtering with disbelief at
her opponent's complete nonchalance. Sektor made no further indication of
acknowledging her existence. She sighed and drew her blade, giving Shikuruu
a nod as she got into battle stance.
MATCH 43: BOB WILSON (RBFF) vs. RYU (SFA)
-----------------------------------------
Bob was grumbling profusely as he took his place in his corner of the
platform. This was just great. Here he was, a first time contender,
and he was being paired off against Ryu in the first round! He sighed
and then shrugged, "Well, I'm going to give it my best shot," he thought
out loud.
"That's good," the youth in the white gi responded, startling Bob out
of his reverie. "I would not want to fight someone who's heart was not in
the battle."
Bob nodded a little bit. "Um...yeah. You're Ryu, right?"
Ryu, of course, nodded. "I am. I am looking forward to our battle."
Bob shrugged a bit, "My fatal Cooperia style will blow you away!" He
didn't sound overly convinced.
Ryu of course, didn't seem all that impressed. He did, however, smile
just the tiniest bit. "Let us see, shall we? At least that match should
prove to be a learning experience for us both, for I have not yet faced
someone of your particular school. Is it in any way similar to
Capoeira?"
Bob nodded a little. "Um... right. Let's just get this over with,
okay?"
Ryu nodded in return, and assumed his ready stance...then winced
visibly as a high pitched voice called from the edge of the platform,
"Ryu-sama! Matte! (Ryu, sir! Wait!)"
Ryu turned to face the source of the voice, which was teenage girl in
a traditional japanese school uniform... plus sneakers, leather fighting
gloves, and a headband rather similar to Ryu's own. She was scrambling
up onto the platform, pausing only to knock aside a brute using an
uppercut that looked rather familiar to Ryu (and most of the audience).
"Ryu-sama! May I have your autograph?"
Ryu looked abjectly baffled. "My autograph...miss?"
"Sakura!" she replied brightly, little stars in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Wraith had leapt up onto the platform, and placed a hand on
the young woman's shoulder. "Um... excuse me miss, but you're not allowed
up here."
Sakura's eyes welled up with tears, "But...Ryu-sama...."
"You can talk to him afterwards, okay?" Mike said in an effort to
console her as the young lady broke down into rivers of tears, crying
into the rather confused organizer's shoulder. "Um... there there... come
on now, I'll get you a cup of tea...," he said as he led the weeping girl
away, giving Ryu a distinct 'you owe me one' look as he departed.
MATCH 44: RYO SAKAZAKI (KOF95) vs. HUITZIL (NW)
-----------------------------------------------
Having memorized the match roster, the robot Huitzil was slightly confused as his opponent stepped onto the platform. "Error: opponent is Ken Masters, Street Fighter Alpha node. Opponent should be Ryo Sakazaki."
Ryo harrumphed. "Hey robot, I hate to burst your bubble, but I AM Ryo Sakazaki."
Huitzil shook his ovoid head. "Does not compute. Opponent looks like Ken Masters. Analysis of skill indicates that techniques are those of Ken Masters. Ergo, opponent is Ken Masters."
The Kyokugenryu student growled. "I'm so SICK of this! Everyone and his little kid sister thinks I'm supposed to be some ripoff of this Ken guy, and I'm not! I am a student of Kyokugenryu, the most powerful school of fighting in existence!"
Dan, down in the peanut gallery, commented, "Still LOOKS like every other Ryu clone out there... can't you think of anything original?"
"YOU stay out of this!" snapped Ryo. "Besides, you don't have any room to talk! At least I'm not trapped in Ryu's body with a different head...."
The point of this was entirely lost on Dan. Huitzil seemed to have shut down, more or less, evidently trying to calculate the factors involved in this massive paradox. His eyes lit up once more, and he announced, "CPU has processed why subject's techniques look identical to Ken Masters'
techniques. The answer: because he's an ignorant monkey who doesn't know better."
Everyone in the ENTIRE arena facefaulted. Not a creature was standing, but thankfully, the building itself was made of sturdier stuff than the people who were currently occupying it. As everyone finally made their way back to their feet/seats/whatever was appropriate, the bell rang.
MATCH 45: RIPTOR (KI) vs. KABAL (MK3)
-----------------------------------------
Kabal blinked at the huge lizard who lumbered up the steps to the platform. He had to wonder if this "Riptor" creature was a member of that weird reptilian species from Outworld. He'd never seen one of them quite this big, though. It didn't matter, they all could bleed, and they all could die, just like any man.
Riptor looked bored. Or rather, if one knew how to read his facial expressions, he looked bored, which he, in fact, was. He'd faced plenty of tougher opponents in his home node, with bizarre and interesting powers, and he'd always welcomed a good fight. This new foe did not appear to be anything special. A mask and two very odd blades, but nothing more to draw one's eye.
Kabal said, "Don't expect me to show any mercy."
Riptor let out a scream, which led a few in the Peanut Gallery to make a remark along the lines of, "Hey! You can see the seams in the suit!"
Kabal sighed. "Does that mean you can understand me or not?"
Riptor screamed again, this time shorter and softer.
Kabal muttered a few obscenities to himself. "Why did I have to get saddled up against some creature who can't even talk?"
Riptor shrugged in a very human manner. It ALMOST seemed like he was concurring with the sentiment, but in his case, that would have been an insult. Kabal decided to assume it was. It was always easier to fight opponents he disliked.
MATCH 46: CINDER (KI) vs. CHAOS (TSD2)
--------------------------------------
Cinder looked at the bosses matchups longingly. If only HE'D been
given the chance to show them what he was made of... I mean, he fit the
requirements, right? He was a criminal... he had super-fighting powers...
all he needed was some arch-rival who happened to be a hero, and of course
a syndicate of underlings. A rival, and underlings... oh, and a cool
hideout. Alright, so a rival, underlings and a cool hideout... and money.
Lots and lots of money. A rival, underlings, a cool hideout and money...
and...
His thought was interrupted suddenly as his opponent appeared. Chaos
skipped up the platform, and began doing cartwheels around the mat. Ciner
eyed him carefully. The lunatic Chaos began whooping loudly and skipping.
He certainly wasn't acting like a potential rival who happened to be a hero.
But, Cinder thought, if you don't ask you'll never know. "Excuse me... you
wouldn't happen to be a hero, would you?" he asked the crazy fighter.
Chaos suddenly rushed right up into Cinder's face, forcing him back
to the edge of the platform. He then crossed his arms over his chest, and
fell backward like a corpse. He sprang right back up, putting his thumbs
in his ears, and flapping his hands around, making weird noises before
finally replying, "DiD yOU sAy SoMEthInG???"
Cinder shook his head as he walked back to the center of the
platform. "Forget I mentioned it."
MATCH 47: RIKUO (NW) vs. KYO KUSANAGI (KOF95)
---------------------------------------------
Kyo punched his hand and called a small fire into existence. With a flick of his wrist, the fire disappeared. Even though he was sure he was capable of winning this match, and maybe even the whole tournament, he was still feeling a bit jumpy.
Rikuo walked (waddled would be a more appropriate term) up the steps to the platform, and gave Kyo an evil look. "Do not expect to be able to defeat me, for I am a true son of Atlantis!" he said with no lack of self-assuredness.
Kyo screwed his face up and looked closely at Rikuo. "You're a FISH," he said.
Rikuo seethed. "You will address me as Rikuo, land-dwelling worm!" he cried. Kyo grinned. His opponent was easy to taunt.
"How about I address you as 'dinner'?" Kyo shot back.
Rikuo began to turn a deep shade of crimson in fury. Kuroko came running up onto the platform. (tcka tcka tcka tcka skrrchh) "No, my fishy friend, we don't do that anymore. We've changed our style. Watch," he said, and began flashing so rapidly, it made his whole body look a bit lighter in color. "See? Now you try it."
The fishman did, but flashed many different colors, and Kuroko nodded.
"Not bad to start. But you need to just go with all-white, rather than
palette-swaps. Now, please do, carry on." (tcka tcka tcka tcka skrrchh) He
ran to the edge of the platform and hopped off, waiting for the signal from
the observation booth to start the match.
Kyo was sitting down with his legs folded and his head resting in his hand. "Are you finished, fishman?"
"Umm... yes," said Rikuo, gradually turning back to his original color pattern. "Now, where were we?"
"I was about to enjoy some seafood," said Kyo, as he brought himself back to his feet.
"We'll see about that, land-crawler," Rikuo said defiantly and got into his battle-stance.
Kyo grinned at him, and began rattling off some dish names. "Hmm...blackened salmon? Broiled snapper?" Rikuo began to turn red again, and Kuroko shook his head, sighing.
MATCH 48: JOE HIGASHI (KOF95) vs. WOLF (VF2)
--------------------------------------------
Joe bounded up the platform, arms outspread above his head, shouting. He dashed around the perimeter of the ring, enjoying his time in the spotlight. "Yeah! I'm finally back in my element!!! Back in a ring! Nobody can defeat me here!!!"
"Are you sure about that?" came a voice from the center of the ring.
Joe turned to face his opponent. "Hey, don't I know you?!" He scrutinized the large figure closely. "Hey, aren't you a pro-wrestler? 'Dog' or something like that, right?"
The large figure nodded. "Wolf... dogs are house-pets. I saw you fight once... you're not bad! It's a pity you won't make it past the first round." He looked down at Joe's chosen attire. "It'll give you a chance to put some CLOTHING on."
"Oh, YOU'RE one to make jokes?" Joe replied. "Everyone KNOWS Professional Wrestling is all fake! I mean, nobody can actually TAKE that kind of abuse! Even *I* haven't ever beaten anybody up THAT badly!"
Wolf began cracking his knuckles. "Fake? Prepare for an education, little man! Don't worry... I won't do any PERMANENT damage."
MATCH 49: SHEEVA (MK3) vs. KEN (SFA)
------------------------------------
Ken leapt up to the platform amidst a thunderous applause. He grinned, running his fingers through his long blonde hair, and giving the crowd a big 'thumbs up.' He was alive, and full of energy. He ran around the ring a few times, and even posed for Shutterbug, wearing a brand new pair of sunglasses. Suddenly the platform started to shake. He began looking around, trying to find a member of the tournament staff, until he realized exactly WHAT was causing the trembling... his opponent.
Sheeva reached the top of the platform, and looked down on the pitiful mortal she was about to flay the skin from. An American youth in a red gi. Obviously those who held this tournament underestimated her skill. In a show of contempt she ripped the fashionable eye-coverings from his face, and crushed them in one of her four hands.
Ken growled, "Those were five-hundred dollar sunglasses, asshole!" He was suddenly struck by an immense bout of deja vu. With a shrug, he took up his stance, centered his ki, and began to psych himself up for a fight that would be worth five-hundred dollars.
******
Down in the peanut gallery, a disgruntled "HEY!" was heard. Heads turned, to see Johnny Cage pointing down at Ken, his mouth in a wonderful position for fly-catching. "That's MY line!" He dug out his cellular phone, and began punching buttons. "Think you can get away with that? As soon as my crack legal team's finished with those Tobias and Boon guys for not putting me in MK3, they're gonna eat you alive!"
Ken was, naturally, not scared.
MATCH 50: GUY (SFA) vs. TACHIBANA UKYO (SS3)
--------------------------------------------
All the spotlights in the Dreamarena focused in on one place, as Ukyo,
champion of the last Tournament made his way into the arena. He limped
along humbly, using his sword, 'The Drying Pole' as a support. The hearts
of women across the arena leapt into their throats, and they got all
starry-eyed. Ukyo had that kind of effect on women.
After Ukyo's struggle to crest the summit of the fighting platform, he
encountered his opponent. Guy stood, his back to the stairwell, looking
off into the distance. At some unspoken cue, he spun on his heel, and faced
the Samurai. "....." he said.
Ukyo's eyes widened, taken aback at the rudeness, impropriety, vulgar
obscenity and outright VOLUME of this upstart. With a killing look in his
eye, he reprimanded him, saying, "....."
Guy smirked, cracking his knuckles. He bowed mockingly before Ukyo,
and growled, "....."
Ukyo smiled confidently, replying, "....." and emphasized his point
by snapping the Drying Pole just free of its sheath. Bowing, he turned his
back to the ninja, and prepared himself for the fight.
******
Up in the Peanut Gallery, Gen-an was shocked, clamping his hands
tightly over his children's ears. "I don't BELIEVE it! I thought this was
a family affair! How can that orange-clad delinquent get away with using
language like that!!!" He curled a hand into a fist, and shook it at Guy,
before quickly slapping it back over his son's impressionable young ear.
The other former Shodowners watched Gen-an nervously. Now that he
was a parent, he was finally getting scary.
MATCH 51: FRANCO BASH (RBFF) vs. FO FAI (TSD2)
----------------------------------------------
"Fe fi fo fum, I smell the blood of a little old Chinese man," said
Franco with a chuckle.
The wizened sorceror grumbled at his opponent. "That's FO FAI, you
impudent whelp!" He was amazed at how often he'd heard something like that.
"You should respect your elders! And at the very least, think up something
ORIGINAL if you're going to insult me."
Franco's mouth broke into a grin. "Ever heard the phrase, 'If it
ain't broke, don't fix it?' I'd say it fits well."
Fo sneered, clicking his claws together. "Well, after I'm through
with you, you're going to be a lot more than broken. And we'll see if your
body cast fits just as well!" He gave an odd little high-pitched laugh and
prepared himself for the fight.
MATCH 52: JAGO (KI) vs. TRACY (TSD2)
------------------------------------
Tracy glared at the 'monk' across from her, and hastily whipped out a pad and pen. She furiously scribbled on the pad, and then thrust it into his face. Jago looked down at it, and his eyes opened in shock when he realized it was a ticket for carrying a concealed, and deadly weapon. He
opened his mouth to protest, but didn't get a word out before Tracy interrupted.
"You realize that if you say something, you will be obstructing a police officer. You have two choices: To be placed under arrest and go to the detention center, or to resist arrest, and be shot with my stun gun, causing 36 fractures, and spending the rest of your life in the police hospital!" Tracy admonished. "I won't shoot if you do what I say," she added a second later.
A blonde man in a police uniform sitting in the stands yelled out, "Oh, really?" She shot him an evil glare.
Jago resolved that he would have to knock the policewoman out quickly, or he'd be in REAL trouble.
MATCH 53: SENRYO KYOSHIRO (SS3) vs. ROBERT GARCIA (KOF95)
---------------------------------------------------------
"Oh, neat!" said Robert enthusiastically. "I didn't know we had CLOWNS here! Cool!"
Kyoshiro was not impressed. "CLOWN? You dare to call me a CLOWN? For that insult, I shall do you the honor of removing your entrails from your body and bathing in your blood!" He twirled his naginata around, to emphasize the point.
Robert frowned. "So I guess this means you won't make some balloon animals for me?" he asked in all seriousness. Kyoshiro growled and took up his stance.
MATCH 54: ROSE (SFA) vs. RIMURURU (SS3)
---------------------------------------
Rose sighed quietly as she saw the young girl climbing the stairs to the platform. She looked entirely too young to be a fighter - girls her age should be laughing and playing, not engaged in fights to the death. It was tragic, really. Well, she'd try not to hurt her too badly.
As Rimururu finished making her way up onto the platform, Rose greeted her kindly. "Hello there, little one. It seems we're to be opponents today."
The young Ainu nodded, her expression serious as she fought down the excitement that threatened to bubble up inside her. Her very first match of the tournament! "Yes ma'am," she responded, smiling in spite of herself, "I hope I do well! I want oneechan to be proud of me!"
Rose returned a gentle smile. "I'm sure she's already very proud of you, since you've qualified to be in this tourname...." She trailed off as she noticed that this girl was armed. This could be more dangerous than she'd thought.
"Is something wrong? I don't want to fight you if you're not feeling well... it wouldn't be fair!"
Smiling wanly, Rose shook her head, "I'm fine, dear," she said aloud as she thought, Her sense of 'fair' could stand a little improvement. Still, her heart is in the right place.
A slight chill drifted over the platform as a strange, floating...crystal drifted up behind Rimururu. The girl smiled a bit as it did so, then turned and bowed to Rose, her expression once again serious. "May you fight well."
Shivering slightly, Rose wrapped her shawl a little tighter about her shoulders. "And you as well, little one."
MATCH 55: FULGORE (KI) vs. ASAMIYA ATHENA (KOF95)
-------------------------------------------------
Athena strode out to the platform, beaming at the audience. The Psycho Soldier theme played over the PA, much to the chagrin of some and the delight of others. She was excited. Her first matchup in Dream Tournament IV, and her fans who knew her only by her singing would now get
to know her by her fighting.
"You know," remarked Deuce to Kensou, who was at ringside, "I think I liked this music better as an instrumental."
Sie Kensou just shrugged, "Well... maybe it was an off day. She's normally much better than this."
"I'll take your word for it."
She had looked at the matchup roster earlier... Fulgore. Not a familiar name, but still, how bad could he be? As she reached the top step leading to the platform, she stopped looking around at the audience, and looked at her opponent.
"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Sie was, of course, IMMEDIATELY on the platform to help her. "It's a PREDATOR! Where's Ahnold when you need him?"
Fulgore made no reply, of course, not having the programming to make conversation and lacking the speech capacity to talk, even if he had. He just sat there in the corner, looking menacing. He was good at that.
Sie patted Athena gently on the shoulder. "Now, don't worry... you've tackled tougher opponents than this. I believe in you." He gave her a warm smile, which she completely failed to notice.
"Yeah, but... he's got those big knives on his wrists! When's the last time I fought someone using BLADES?"
Sigh. "Umm... last time you fought Eiji?"
A look of comprehension ever-so-slowly crawled across her features. "Oh... yeah, I guess so... but does he ever use those things? He only takes them out after the fight, and I never see them during..."
"Trust me. And don't worry! You can take him. I'd stick with kicks though... punching him might hurt you worse than him," said Sie, and kissed her hand. Fortunately for him, she was still rather fixated on her robotic adversary, or else she might have given him a playful shove that would have left him somewhere in the upper decks.
"Okay... I'll give it my best shot...," she said.
Kensou patted her on the back, "That's my girl." He hopped down to the peanut gallery to watch and cheer her on. He couldn't believe it! He had actually been affectionate to her and she HADN'T given him hell about it. Maybe there was a chance yet...
Athena, meanwhile, had the nagging feeling that she had missed something. Fulgore just glared. Then again, with his featureless face and only two big, angry-looking red sensors for eyes, he was ALWAYS glaring.
MATCH 56: CHIN GENTSAI (KOF95) vs. KUBIKIRI BASARA (SS3)
--------------------------------------------------------
Basara was pacing energetically around his corner of the ring. Well, not just energetically. Frantically suited better. Every muscle in his body was tensed, ready to fight, and every sound was like pins on stretched nerves. He glanced over at his opponent, the old man.
Chin was passed out. Athena Asamiya jumped up onto the platform and began nudging him. When this failed, she began kicking him. Basara shook. Eventually, the old man began to stir again. He sat up slowly, and wobbled a bit. "Wha--? Athena? What are *you* doing out here? This is my match. Umm, isn't it?" He looked around a bit, then finally noticed the quivering man across the ring.
"Hey, you look tense..." said Chin to Basara, as Athena shook her head and hopped off the platform, muttering something to Sie Kensou about their master needing to get his priorities straight.
Basara tilted his head, staring quizzically at Chin for a moment, then burst into maniacal laughter. "You have no IDEA!" he shouted.
"Well, here," said Chin, proffering his sake jug, "Have a swig. It'll mellow you out." Basara shook.
The undead man tilted his head the other way, then burst into laughter once more, crossing his arms in front of his stomach and gripping his odd triple-bladed weapon tightly. The fight would soon begin...
MATCH 57: AKIRA (VF2) vs. T.J. COMBO (KI)
-----------------------------------------
T.J. flexed. He was big, he was BAD, he was a boxer! He was the biggest thing since Heavy D! He was the baddest thing since Bison... or was that Balrog... he could never remember. Oh well. His opponent, a puny little chinese guy (or maybe he was Japanese...or maybe he was....oh well, T.J. neither knew nor cared.) in one of those 'martial arts' outfits, stood across from him... no, wait! He was moving closer... or was he? Damn, the guy who installed the cybernetic arms SWORE it wouldn't have any big icky side effects...
Akira bowed before his opponent. "I have heard many tales about you. You are the one they call 'Balrog' are you not? Or was it Bison? They never did quite make it clear to me..."
T.J. gritted his teeth. Always! He was always living under the shadow of those guys! Or... that guy... or... darnit, but he couldn't remember what his opponent had just said. "Um... yeah. Thanks." It'd obviously been high praise, whatever it was, cuz he was the best, the baddest thing since Heavy B! Er...D! Er...whatever.
MATCH 58: M. BISON (SFA) vs. SHO SHINJO (TSD2)
---------------------------------------------
Bison eyed the warrior across from him, amused. "A sword? How quaint. It will not avail you against my Psycho Power!" Bison's eyes glowed blue, and his aura flared for effect.
Sho rolled his eyes. ANOTHER boss character too busy with pointless displays of power. "Is that the extent of your Psycho Power? Fireworks?"
Bison chuckled. "My Psycho Power is capable of anything!"
"Really?" Sho remarked. "Then why didn't you win last year?" Bison didn't really have an answer to that, save to stare darkly at the swordsman. Sho shrugged, and saluted Bison, saying, "May you find happiness in the next life." Both fighters squared off, ready to go.
MATCH 59: URANUS (TSD2) vs. OMEGA RUGAL (KOF95)
-----------------------------------------------
Uranus glided in from the support beams and rafters on the ceiling,
catching the currents of air that existed, even inside this mammoth
building, and sailed gently to a light landing on the mat. A figure sat in
a lounge chair in one corner.
"Welcome," Rugal said graciously. "You look like a fine specimen.
Do you mind?" He snapped his fingers, and his secretary climbed up onto
the ring and began measuring Uranus' limbs.
Uranus shoved the secretary aside with one of her wings. "What is
the meaning of this?!"
"That wasn't terribly polite," Rugal admonished. "I was just having
you sized up for your cybernetic implants." He stood, and flexed, tearing
off the smoking jacket, and revealing his artificial implants. "It's never
as pretty when the implants are fitted to a corpse. Oh well... I guess it
can't be helped."
Uranus fired a shot above Rugal's right shoulder with her bow. "I
fear that you will not be implanting anything. Though I shall make a point
of PLANTING you... in a box."
MATCH 60: MOTARO (MK3) vs. SAISYU KUSANAGI (KOF95)
--------------------------------------------------
Saisyu looked up at his centaurlike opponent, then glanced around.
"I'm expected to fight THIS thing??"
Motaro looked back, grinning. "Oh come on, we're both sub-bosses
here. Fight honorably and fight well, and maybe you'll win. Maybe."
Saisyu folded his arms. "Maybe I should've stayed in bed."
Motaro shrugged and began clenching and unclenching his fists, his
long metallic tail swaying about. "I heard about you. Maybe you should
have stayed dead."
Saisyu grumbled, getting into his stance. "Well, big guy, if you
fight as well as you tell jokes, this will be one short matchup."
Motaro grinned again. "Indeed it will."
MATCH 61: PYRON (NW) vs. AKUMA (SFA)
------------------------------------
Akuma leveled his penatrating gaze on the fiery alien, Pyron. This
one thought to stand against him? He began to plot out his strategy.
Perhaps first a fireball barrage, followed by a hurricane kick, with a
dragon punch as a finale? Or perhaps an aerial fireball, switching to the
hurricane kick once he landed... yes, that would be better.
He glared over at his extraterrestrial opponent, who, in his
arrogance hadn't even begun to beg for mercy yet! He flexed into his
starting stance, grunting, and causing his aura to flame up, a fiery red.
He would put this alien's lights out, and then send it back into the dark
where it belonged.
Pyron leveled his penetrating gaze at the fire-aura enshrouded human.
This one thought to stand against him? Pyron began to plot out his
strategy. Perhaps first a fireball barrage, followed by a fire-top, with a
fire-ring as the finale? Or perhaps an aerial fireball, switching to the
fire-top as he landed... yes, that would be better.
He glared down at his earthling opponent, who, in his arrogance hadn't
even begun to beg for mercy yet! His flames burned higher, and hotter. He
would smash this fighter into the street!
MATCH 62: GEESE HOWARD (RBFF) vs. DURAL (VF2)
---------------------------------------------
Geese Howard stepped up onto the platform to a chorus of boos (and a
surprising number of cheers) from the audience. He faced his opponent,
the bluish, metallic robot-thing Dural, and frowned. "Why do I always get
stuck with these third rate rejects? Last year I get the decaying mummy
man, and this year it's something that looks like the T1000 without the
special effects!" He folded his arms and assumed an icy expression as he
scanned his surroundings. Dural, of course, not having been programmed to
take offense, didn't.
"You! Yes, you...you're in charge around here, right kid?" The crime
boss addressed Wraith, who gave him a 'who? me?' look. "Yes you, kid.
C'mere." Wraith had suddenly begun to wonder if going to the arena floor
to take a break was such a good idea after all.
Muttering something about putting up with this 'kid' stuff and
resisting the urge to call Geese a 'fossil' (That would be Primal Rage,
after all...darn...there's that bad extinction joke we avoided earlier),
Mike stepped up onto the platform. "What is it?"
"I was told I was going to be in some sort of 'boss match', seeing as how I'm clearly the strongest fighter in all of Southtown..." He snapped his fingers in front of Wraith's nose. "So get on it. Get this third rate block of metal out of here and get me a real opponent."
Mike put on his very best implacable expression, "I'm sorry sir," he struggled for a moment and managed NOT to say 'you'll have to hold'. "We aren't permitted to alter matchups once they have been assigned. In addition, had sir cared to do his research, sir would have discovered that Dural IS in fact the boss of the Virtua Fighter 2 node. So, in spite of being a bit dull to watch, it is a most skilled opponent. Please have a pleasant combat, and we hope you'll enjoy your stay here at the 4th Dream Tournament." It was all he could do to keep from bursting out into helpless laughter as he walked slowly away from the platform, leaving a very put out Geese with a little bit of steam emerging from his ears.
"I am NOT a BORING CHARACTER!"
MATCH 63: SHAO KAHN (MK3) vs. EYEDOL (KI)
-----------------------------------------
Shao Kahn looked at the two-headed ogre-like creature before him.
"So, you are to be my opponent this round, are you?" Eyedol grunted and
waved his huge club around.
The Outworld emperor scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Don't tell
me. You can't talk, can you?"
Eyedol grunted and roared, stomping one hooved foot on the floor to
emphasize his point. This point, unfortunately, was utterly lost on the
Outworlder. Jolly Green had wanted to put a translation device on Eyedol,
but the Killer Instinct boss would have none of it. And considering how
he tended to punctuate his unintelligible sentences with wild swings of his
huge club, Jason had thought better of the idea.
Unfortunately, this left Shao Kahn in the lurch as far as being able
to understand his opponent. He shrugged and sighed, and decided he would
give the two-headed troll a lesson in how to swing blunt, heavy objects.
MATCH 64: MINAZUKI ZANKURO (SS3) vs. MASTER (TSD2)
--------------------------------------------------
Deuce sat at ringside, preparing to announce the next matchup. "This
one should definitely be interesting," he said to himself, and glanced
around at the massive crowd. Today was definitely a red-letter day for the
fighting world.
Suddenly, he noticed a flicker of movement behind him and glanced
around to check on it, figuring it to just be one of the fighters wishing to
ask him something. As it turns out, it was, but not quite like he had been
expecting.
"Hello," came a deep voice which he didn't recognize. The speaker was
a tall, skinny man, dressed in a black cloak. And this wasn't just any
black cloak. It was so black that it was nearly invisible. "Bad for the
eyes" didn't even BEGIN to describe it. Light just seemed to give this
fellow a miss.
Except, it seemed, for his head and his hands. His skin was pale, and
his hair was wildly styled, yet short, and a bright reddish color. Small
round glasses adorned his face, and he looked down at the sitting tournament
organizer. "I wish to fight," he said simply.
"Umm," began Deuce. He shuffled through his matchup roster. "You
don't look familiar. What's your name and nodal origin?"
"Vermillion, from Toshinden 2," came the reply.
A few moments of futile paperchasing followed. "Vermillion? Hmm, you
weren't on the Toshinden 2 pickup list. I'm afraid you're a little late for
signing up now. Maybe you can get in on the melee, how--" Deuce trailed off
at the sight of a rather deadly looking pistol pointed between his eyes.
"I said I wish to fight," Vermillion said, cocking back the hammer on
the pistol. "And I wish to fight *him*." He pointed at the large figure
of Zankuro.
Deuce swallowed hard and nodded. "Yup, that's good enough credentials
for me. Let me just tell the other organizers...." He picked up the
communicator and pressed a few buttons.
"Hey, Jason? We need to make a slight change in the roster. Umm,
now would be best. It seems we have a latecomer from the Toshinden 2 node.
Yeah, his name's Vermillion. I *know* he's late, but I REALLY THINK we
should cut him a break. A gun. Yes, I *KNOW* the safeties are on, I had
a testrun of them earlier with Genjuro, remember? I don't CARE, I don't
want to push my luck. We can reseed Master."
Deuce glanced up at Vermillion, an uneasy smile on his face. "Don't
worry, I'm getting it straightened out." He turned back to the communicator
and began responding to more unheard words. "Listen, I'll put Master in
a later fight. I'll take responsibility. Yes. Okay, bye." Click.
"All right, Mr. Vermillion, you're in... I'll make the announcement."
Vermillion nodded, and Deuce turned on the PA. "Ladies and gentlemen, it
seems we have to make a slight change in the matchups. This one still
promises to be an interesting fight!"
MATCH 64: MINAZUKI ZANKURO (SS3) vs. VERMILLION (TSD2)
------------------------------------------------------
Vermillion turned away and stalked over to the ring, stepping up onto
the platform. Master glanced at him, shrugged and floated off, back to the
locker rooms. Vermillion paid him no mind, and simply grinned at the huge
man with the HUGE sword in front of him.
MATCH 65: MASTER (TSD2) vs. AMAKUSA SHIRO TOKISADA (SS3)
--------------------------------------------------------
Master floated out of the warm-up area, and onto the ring to await his
opponent. Amakusa was not one to keep his opponent waiting, however, as he
plummeted to the mat from the cavernous roof of the DreamArena. He made
quite a show of waving his sphere around, never actually touching it, before
even glancing at his opponent.
Amakusa dropped the 'evil & creepy' act, stood up straight, and turned
to find the nearest administrator. Todd, a member of the Brute squad
notified Jolly Green that there was some kind of problem, and he promptly
showed up. "Alright, Amakusa... what's wrong THIS time? We let you do the
big intro, so this BETTER be good."
Amakusa pointed right at Master as if he wasn't there. "You expect me
to fight THAT? I may no longer be a boss, but I will not resort to fighting
children. Well, except that Shizumaru brat... but I most certainly will not
resort to fighting little girls! Take her away, and bring me an opponent
WORTHY of me."
Master growled inwardly. It wasn't HIS fault he hadn't hit puberty
yet. Jolly Green noticed him clenching and unclenching his fists, and
quickly spoke up. "Umm... Amakusa? This is Master. _HE'S_ the BOSS of
the Toshinden 2 node. We figured that since you were a boss in the last
tournament, you wouldn't mind fighting one in THIS one."
Master silently added, "At least I don't wear makeup."
Amakusa growled, and resumed his fighting stance. "Alright whelp!
Prepare to fall victim to the sorcery of Amakusa!"
Master chuckled, in his sadly high-pitched voice. "You may want to
take notes, Amakusa. I have a few powers of my own."
The necessary posturing aside, the two combatants growled, eagerly
awaiting the start of the battle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, there they are! We hope you enjoy reading them... it hasn't always
been easy writing them, but it's been fun!
Jeff "Deuce" Nussbaum Mike "Wraith" Pureka "Jolly Green" Jason Wright
deuce@scsn.net mpureka@wesleyan.edu jasondw@hargray.com
(
geocities.com/soho/lofts) (
geocities.com/soho)