This night, however, the spirits of the unconscious played their parts...
It was a rough battle today against Guy. Dan was nowhere near as agile and fast as Guy was. He took a few choice shots to the face that made it hard to smile. "Ha Ha! At least I called him 'Grasshopper'. That pissed him off." Dan broke out in a humble laughter, only to be stopped short by the pain in his jaw. But was getting late and tomorrow was the big day. "Sagat will meet his match!" Settling down in his sleeping bag under a clear night sky he rapidly sank into slumber. The frogs and crickets gave off a rather harmonious rhythm. A warm breeze lathered his aching body with relief. Soon, the sky of stars became but a black blur. His mind began wandering into the recesses of his unconscious, stumbling into a warrior's greatest setback, fear. That vision of Sagat and his father surfaced again. He was still running in slow motion. Sagat had his father grasped by the face, holding him off the ground. Tears streamed from Dan's eyes as his hand couldn't reach far enough. Go was on the ground now, limp and as stagnate as he was after the fight. Sagat merely stood there, arms crossed, chuckling to himself. Dan tried his hardest to overcome the dark evil surroundings that seemed to forbid him to advance any further. Sagat, however, walked in a normal pace to Dan, staring deep into his very soul as he closed in. Dan could only try to suppress his visual anxiety, but still cried regardless. Sagat extended his right arm and attempted to scar Dan's chest again. There was no sound present but Dan swore that Sagat's voice was ringing in his head, like a telepathic message. Just as Sagat prepared to dig his claws into Dan's chest, a sudden overpowering flow of ki entered his body. It made his whole body feel as if it would explode. This is nothing he's ever felt before. The molasses physics of this dream seemed to be powerless now. He dodged Sagat's treetrunk hand and grabbed him from behind, somewhat of a headlock. Then, he released all of his ki in one big burst. Only a white aura was seen as the power eminated from it was frightening. Dan awoke suddenly, sweating and in a state of shock. Looking around, he saw the sun trying to stretch its arms from behind the mountains. "What was that move I did?" he asks himself, "I never saw anything like it. That could be my new attack, but how?" The sunlight now opened the darkness shade on all and time grew short. "Sagat," he spoke, "I will crush you today! Ikuzora!" Getting up with raw fervor he prepared to depart, only to notice that he, um, kinda soiled himself from the dream. "Whoops! He he." Quickly hiding in his sleeping bag again, he changed his boxers before heading off.
Ryu's dream was less horrific, but just as distressing. His mind was continually recalling lessons that Master Gouken taught them. All the wisdom that he passed down to him and Ken. Master was the only real family that Ryu knew. His parents....well, that was territory that even Ryu couldn't touch. Master taught him everything, how to fight, eat, live, and survive in humble and simple forest surroundings. From simple berries that grow for sustenance to creating a rough tent from the elements, Master instilled on a young Ryu. But probably the most influential lesson learned was the power of mercy.
"To have malicious intent is never the true way of the warrior. Fight if you must defend but never fight purely for the thrill. Life is a precious commodity and should not be wasted away on meaningless conflict. Fight to suppress but never oppress. This, Ryu, is the true way of Shotokan."
That was Master's most famous phrase, and it stuck with Ryu for a long time. Now that Master was gone, he felt very alone. Sure, he had Ken, but how much longer would he stay until he left for home? Ryu was and always will be a loner, so it wouldn't be too bad. But still, Master was no more. There was still much to learn, only now it will be more difficult on his own. Confidence, Ryu, confidence.
Ken was also having disturbing thoughts. He never felt this angry before. About....about Akuma and his killing of Master. Such hatred was not the first occurence to the young Masters. In his adolescent years, he experienced the same thing. After school one sunny afternoon, Ken's life was to be dramatically altered. He had been taking karate classes since he was 6 but never had to use his skills until today. He was in 10th grade and went to the best schools, received the best education, lived in the best neighborhood. He also was regarded as bit of a roughneck; rough a bit when others were horsing around with him. His energy and physical prowess was often feared upon by others. Such reckless excitement was "too good" for his preppy, social elite classmates and was sometimes the object of scorn. Even his father had spoken to him a few times about his lack of self control at times. He had his own friends however, especially a new friend, Eliza. She had just moved here and Ken, who was also regarded as a smooth talker to the ladies, was just making friendly talk to her. A couple of the hoods of the local area decided to make their appearance to here the best way they could. Ken saw this and came to her aid. Needless to say, even though they were years older than him, he kicked the crap out of the kids, utilizing his skill the best way he could. Unfortunately, he utilized it too good, and almost killed several of the kids. His father decided that he needed to go someplace where he could learn to control his aggressive behavior more. His old friend, Master Gouken, would gladly take him in for a few years and teach him to hone his skills more efficiently. "Thank you Ken. You saved me." kept ringing in his ears. Eliza's voice was so sweet, so elegant that he swore to her that he would find her the minute he got back. Angry, he took off for Japan to be taught in the best hands for the next couple of years. It turned out to be the best gift his father ever gave him.
..................................................Thanks, Dad.
Dan began to approach the crowds of people around whoever was fighting. Who it was really didn't matter. All he was searching for was Sagat. But for now, he could at least see who was competing. Squeezing and inching his way through the crowd, he managed to get through enough to see the competition. This fight was taking place along a waterfront. Temples lined the background with a river separating them from us. A fisherman stradled his boat along the shore, wiping the sweat from his brow as he watched the fight. The match was short lived, however. A one Sodom snuffed this woman in a purple outfit with a yellow scarf with extreme prejudice. "No way she should be fighting. She's too cute to do so," Dan says to himself, "Betcha' I could influence her." The crowd went silent for a while and Dan decided to head over to the waterfront for a refreshing drink. The next fight wasn't for about 15 minutes. Kneeling down, he placed his cupped hand into the water and scooped up a mouthful. Wasting no time, he slurped it down, repeating the process many times. This water was fresh and cool, slowly calming the thirst that begged within him. The humidity was evil today and browbeat any who dared to challenge it. He sat down, looking into the water and its rythmic ripples, thinking about his dream. What was that move he did....the one where all his ki blew up? It puzzled him. Regardless, this moment of still gave him much needed mental respite. A fine day, indeed.
A microphone feedback resounds into his ear. He focuses on the voice behind him. The announces speaks, "Attention ladies and gentlemen. The semifinals are now in progress. Hailing from New Delhi, India, a renowned master of yoga and teleportation. Dhalsim." His niche of crowd starts their chants. "And in this corner. The renowned Muay Thai kickboxing champion of Thailand...." Dan's eyes widen and focuses his attention, "He uses the Tiger as his spiritual mentor..." Now Dan springs up and looks to see if it is him, "Sagat!" The crowd breaks into a savage cheer. The 7 foot 2 inch man slowly approaches his ring side. Dan rushes over to see the man he so desperately searches for. The bald, eye-patched monster stands above all. "It's him!" Dan jumps over the crowd and in front of Dhalsim. Sagat look curiously for a second before he sees who it is. "You're mine, Sagat!" The tree-trunk of a man merely looked down at the figure wearing a pink gi. His shadow completely swallowed Dan's up, "You...fight me? What makes you think that you can topple me, you scrawny runt?" Dan wasn't even phased, even though Sagat's joint cracking was louder than most of the crowd, "Nice eye, Sagat. Would you like the other one to match?" "The fool who scarred me paid with his life." "That was my father, you murderer." "Then you shall join him." Both took their fighting positions. This was going to be an ugly match.
Who do you think is going to win? Sagat or Dan
Gettin' near the climax. Next chapter