Dan has been on the road now for a few months. He feels confident in his strength but hasn't perfected his attacks yet. All this foot travel has hardened his feet, weathered his hair, which is now long enough to pony tail, and his red gi has been sun bleached to almost pink. Crossing the border of Laos yesterday, he slows down for awhile and goes into a neighboring town to buy some provisions. Some sandbags, wooden poles and rope. This will be his final test before heading into Thailand to confront his nemesis. He goes into some remote woods to set up his purchased sparring equipment. Placing the wooden poles into the ground erect he ties the rope around them for some target practice. He places the multiple sandbags stacked on each other for more serious techniques. Focusing his strength inward he visualizes his enemy. That horrid face appears and scoffs him. Dan breaks into a rage and starts smacking the sandbags with a plethora of punches: overhands, backhands, lunges, jabs and fierce uppercuts. He then breaks into kicking attacks, beating senseless the wooden poles on each side of him. Forward and reverse roundhouses, straight kicks and shin strikes are thrust into the oak dummies. His strength was there but again, his lack of true direction and focus has made his attacks both a bit slow and awkward looking. He doesn't realize it, however, but his desire is anything but lacking. "Ga Do Ken!" He unleashes his fireball at the sandbags, each one thinning out the lining of the bags each attack. He moves over to the wooden poles again and unleashes his Ko Ryu Ken. Once in a while he gains enough internal ki to almost make him glow white. He finds that when this happens he doesn't feel any pain from the attack, as if invincible. Taunts also accompany each attack. This is his major weakness. Master taught him that such arrogance can only hinder one's potential. After his victory against Yun and Yang he tossed that rule out the window. He has almost created an armada of chohatsu (provoke/taunt) equal to his fighting techniques. This will prove him wrong in the upcoming fights. Feeling worn now, he concentrates his last reserves on the sandbags. He channels all his strength into this final confrontation. Sagat's profile is deep in Dan's psyche and burns at his heart. His eyes narrow and muscles tense. "HISSHOU BURAI KEN!" This time the technique would have some form, or so he hoped. Starting with an overhand strike, it falls into a double hitting high knee, extending into two low punches, high outside roundhouse, sweep kick, standing double fierce strike, and finished off with a two-hit Ko Ryu Ken. As he ascends his heart races with excitement. He descends gracefully and watches the sand and leather fly everywhere. He looks at this destruction and knows he has found his strongest attack. Extending his right arm he flexes it in a right angle and shakes it violently. Tears protrude from his eyes and breaks into forceful crying, "Yatta ze! Oyagi! (I did it, father!)"
Master Gouken diligently speaks to Ken and Ryu about their strengths using ki. Ryu is informed that his strength of ki lies in its exponential enhancement within nature, thus the "shinkuu" technique. Ken is more of a physical character. His real strength lies in the enhancement of ki through his fist. His technique remains of the "sho ryu" style, whereas all major attacks are based in the traditional uppercut motion. "Both of you disciples have exceded beyond my imaginations. The skills in your respective areas have surpassed even my knowledge when I was your age." Master proudly sits and speaks with what seems to be enthusiasm in his voice, "Yet you both still have vast difficulties to overcome. But I have my confidence in you." Ken and Ryu bow simultaneously, "We thank you, sensei." Master bows back.
Then, he felt it. A cold shiver shot down his spine. But this wasn't a normal shiver, but an extemely evil one. Ken and Ryu both notice Master's face change rapidly. Ryu speaks, "What is the matter, sensei?" But he doesn't speak. "Sensei!" Ken shouts out. A faint rumble is heard in the backwoods. Something is knocking down the treetops coming toward them. Accompanying this is a low grunt that resonates along the trees and rocks. Master slowly gets up and stares straight at Ken and Ryu, "It's time, my disciples" and turns around to greet his adversary. Out of the woods emerges his fallen brother. He glides from the trees on a blanket of air. His appearance was altered for the worse. His eyes were glowing red, his teeth glared with canines exposed. His gi was torn in many places due to the muscle mass. He lands in front of Master Gouken about 10 yards away. Master merely looks at him and replies, "You know what I must do brother." "STOP CALLING ME THAT! YOU ARE NOT RELATED TO ME!" Akuma shrieks out. "Ken, Ryu, stay out of this. I must do this alone." "Sensei...." Ken and Ryu reply. "To the fields above us, brother" he says with contempt and disappears. Master lowers his head, then turns to Ken and Ryu, "This is the battle for our dojo, my disciples. One of us will die this day," and disappears as well. "C'mon Ryu, we have to at least look on." "O.k." With that they run for the fields to look on....
Running as fast as they could, Ken and Ryu hurdle rocks seamlessly and dodge trees like a bird. They make it to the plateau above them. A grassy plain is spread out over hundreds of yards of space. Above them, dark and sinister-looking clouds are gathering. Thunder rumbles around them. The wind picks up and the grass flutters frantically. Ahead of them Master and Akuma both stand at ready. Their glares focused on each other and mind set. Ryu's heart beat like crazy. This can't be happening he thinks to himself. Ken on the other hand was already into the match, mentally. He was quietly chanting Master's name. This was going to be the worst day of their life. "Please brother. I cannot lead this life. Your blind ambition and relentless pursue of power has overcome you", Master Gouken implies. "SHUT UP! YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER!" Akuma's face inflames, "Messatsu Go Hado!" A huge purple fireball screams toward Gouken. He hovers to its side and continues his rationalization, "It shouldn't be like this, brother. You only hasten your demise." "SHUT UP GOUKEN!" As he says this he charges in at Gouken. The lighting and thunder above make their presence known. Master deflects all of Akuma's shots but doesn't retaliate, "It wasn't your fault that mother died while giving birth to you. It was Buddha's decree." That was Akuma's soft spot. "THAT'S IT GOUKEN! I WILL CRUSH YOUR BODY INTO NOTHING! SHINDE NO ANATA (your death)" Akuma rips off his gi top and takes the horse stance. Above him the symbol of messatsu forms from nothing, surrounded by a dark purple aura, "PREPARE TO FACE THE POWER YOU HAD FORSAKEN!" Gouken gently takes his gi tip off and almost mimics the same stance, only his extended hand doesn't close and an aura of whiteish blue forms around him. "Messatsu Go Hado!" Akuma launches another attack. Gouken blocks it and moves in on his brother. Akuma jumps into encounter him also. Each on delivers powerful blows to the other; each one is blocked with precision. The attacks sounded almost louder than the thunder around them. Ken and Ryu's eyes are wide with amazement. They never saw Master move so fast before. Both fighters possessed incredible muscle build. Even at Master's age he kept up with Akuma. Face to face neither one could penetrate the other's defense. Akuma jumps back and into the air, "Ten ma Go Zankuu!" He barrages Master with a flurry of fireballs. Master teleports past them and counters, "Shin Ryu Ken!" Gouken revolves up, connecting with Akuma for multiple hits. Akuma wastes no time and charges in again. He comes in with a Zankuu Kyaku but is deflected. He finishes with a drop kick that catches Gouken in the chest. As Akuma touches down he unleases the triple shot fireball, "Shakunetsu ha do ken" Gouken stumbles back, only to be trounced on by Akuma again. They continue to parry each others' attacks, neither giving up. Gouken finally Alpha counter's a shot and delivers a reverse roundhouse. Akuma is thrown backward in the air as Gouken combos, "Shinkuu Ha Do Ken!" Akuma's body gets the blunt of the shot as he is thrown backward toward the floor. Gouken remains where he is to regain his thoughts. Ken and Ryu each are paralyzed to what is going on. Akuma charges in and is received with a punch to the face, followed by a forward kick to the abdomen and finished off with a Sho Ryu Ken. Akuma stumbles back up. He stares at Gouken who merely stands there waiting. "THAT'S IT GOUKEN! I WILL SHOW YOU THE TRUE POWER OF SHOTOKAN NO ONI MESSATSU!" Lastly, the lighting begins striking random plots of earth around them and the thunder becomes ear piercing. "WITNESS THE POWER OF SHIN GOUKI!"
Gouken steps back, trying to anticipate his brother's next move. Akuma stomps the ground with the force of a truck. Even Ken and Ryu feel ground vibrations. A dark purple cloud envelopes Akuma and constantly evaporates off him like mist. His eyes glow bright red and his appearance looks more and more like a demon. He runs in at Gouken and swings punches with blinding speed. Gouken can barely keep up with his parry's. He rolls backwards to get space. Akuma jumps up in mid air. Gouken follows him. Akuma unleases an air fireball that is deflected but unleashes one from his other hand right afterward. Gouken didn't see this coming and was hit. He dropped to the ground and Akuma followed with a flying knee drop. He smashed into Gouken's chest with extreme prejudice. Gouken brushes it off best he can and grabs Akuma by the neck and flips him over his head, but lands with accuracy. Gouki charges in with a Tatsumaki Zankuu Kyaku. The speed of the hits is almost too great for Master, who finds himself weaking considerably. After the last deflect, he delivers a Sho Ryu Ken to Akuma's awaiting chin. Akuma is knocked back but felt nothing; he stomps the ground again. Master tosses Shinkuu Ha Do Ken but Akuma unleases the deadliest uppercut technique Messatsu can deliver, the Messatsu Go Sho Ryu. He timed it so his temporary invincibility from the ki gathering allowed him to pass through the attack and pummel Master with five painful shots. Ken and Ryu could only watch in horror as their sensei was brutally thrown to the floor, the ki burning him where the fist connected. Stumbling to his knees, he grits his teeth, "Please reconsider, brother. This won't make you succeed." "Oh, but I have," Akuma says as he prepares for the ultimate attack. Gouken's eyes lit up and knew what was about to happen. Akuma's ki gathered into his abdomen, his right leg lifted and the left leg grounded. His arms into upward right angles. "Please, brother. I beg of you to stop this." "SHUT UP!" Akuma hovered efforlessly toward him and grabbed him by the shoulders. They stared into each others' eyes, one pair showed pity, the other contempt. What happened in a second seemed like an eternity. Ryu read the last words Master spoke as Akuma grabbed him, 'I forgive you, brother.' As soon as he said that a white cloud covered them. Ryu and Ken could only see this white cloud but could hear each and every hit that was inflicted onto Gouken; fifteen individual shots like knife stabbings into the most vital parts of a man's upper body. It was followed by the most sorrowful scream, like that of eternal suffering. After that, the cloud disappeared. Gouken lay on the floor motionless while his victor stood above him, the symbol of 'ten' materialized on his back and burned like an inferno. He then speaks in glory, "Onushi ja yaku busokuja! (You are not my opponent!). "MASTERRRRRRRRRRRR!" Ryu shouted as he and Ken both ran toward them. Their fists were up in rage and were prepared to die the same. Akuma merely bent down, took the huge beaded necklace off of his fallen brother's twisted and contorted neck, and with his index finger, burned into it with his ki the symbol 'ten'. He put in on himself and revelled in his glory. "You will pay, Akuma!" Ken says as he was prepared to fight. Akuma shrugged him off and looked at Ryu. He stared into Ryu's eyes, his very soul, as if reading his thoughts. He then gives a faint smile and speaks, "You are next Ryu. Train hard and well for you are the next in line." With that said he disappears. Ryu and Ken can only sit there and comfort their Master's dead body. The storm above still roars, but now rain begins. They ignore it, allowing the rain to land where it pleased. They continue holding the body of Gouken and feeling completely helpless. Ken starts to cry yet Ryu doesn't. He is not sure how but Ken's emotions speak for his as well. Now alone, they have a harder obstacle to overcome than Akuma, the consumption of revenge.
Man, is that dramatic or what? Comments
Next chapter, my good man. And hurry