Match 22934 Aska vs. Shadow Yamoto

[JohnnyChany]

THE QUEEN OF FIGHTERS: A GANGLAND SIDE STORY PART 2

 

 

CONTINUED FROM ASKA VS. YUKIO

 

The best view in Roulette's arena was not from ringside. It was from the private box suspended above the cage, behind smoked glass and velvet curtains. From there, the fight below looked almost abstract, two women moving beneath white-hot lights, bodies flashing between the steel posts while thousands of gamblers screamed themselves hoarse over every punch. Roulette preferred it that way. The cage was for fighters. The box was for the people deciding why they fought.

She stood beside Matsu'o Tsurayaba, one hand resting lightly against the railing as she watched Aska and Yukio circle one another below. Her eyes moved constantl, not just following the fighters, but the betting boards, the crowd's reactions, the private boxes, the exchange of money changing hands in quantities too large to be carried in wallets.

"Not a bad opening, wouldn't you say?"

Matsu'o sat comfortably in a dark chair beside her, one leg crossed over the other. Smoke curled lazily from the cigarette between his fingers. He watched the cage with the look of a man studying merchandise before making an investment.

"Not bad at all."

His eyes followed Yukio as she slipped away from one of Aska's attacks.

"If this is merely the beginning, I would say your tournament should prove well worth our time."

Roulette smiled. "As you knew it would."

Matsu'o took another drag from his cigarette. "I had confidence in your instincts. I didn't say I had confidence in your judgment."

Roulette laughed. Before she could answer, the private door opened. Vice entered first. Juno Skinner followed behind her. Roulette immediately noticed the tension in the room. Vice looked as composed as ever, but there was a hard, predatory edge behind her eyes. Juno was less successful at looking composed. Dark red marks stood out against her throat where fingers had recently closed around it.

Roulette's smile thinned. "Miss Skinner. It's not often you make a personal appearance down here at the fights."

Juno touched the bruises absently. "We have a situation."

Roulette turned toward Vice. "What kind of situation?"

Vice's expression didn't change. "Ivan the Russian was causing problems in the art gallery."

Matsu'o raised an eyebrow.

Vice continued. "I dealt with him."

Matsu'o took a slow puff from his cigarette. "Do you intend to add him to the exhibit?"

Vice glanced toward him. "Making trophies out of defeated opponents is Rugal's hobby. I would just as soon leave them in the gutter to die."

Matsu'o chuckled quietly.

Roulette studied Vice for a moment. "Then he's alive."

"For the moment."

That answer seemed to amuse Matsu'o even more.

Below them, the audience erupted as Aska drove Yukio backward. Roulette barely looked.

"With Ma Gnucci recently removed from the board, I assume our Russian friend is connected to whoever replaced her."

"Most likely," Vice said.

Juno stepped closer to the glass. "There was a woman with him."

Roulette looked at her. "A woman?"

"Busty blonde. Russian, judging by the accent." Juno scanned the crowd below. "She was with him when they first entered my art house. There."

She pointed. Roulette's eyes traveled across the sea of spectators until she found Sofia. The blonde woman sat several rows from the cage, outwardly calm despite the chaos surrounding her. She wasn't shouting. She wasn't drinking. She wasn't even watching the fight with the same hunger as everyone around her. She was observing. Roulette's expression became more interested.

Vice followed Juno's finger and narrowed her eyes.  "I'll remove her."

"No,” Roulette interjected.

Vice looked at Roulette with a little indignance. 

Roulette held up a hand. "Not yet. She came here with him, and now she's sitting alone. Which makes her vulnerable and makes her useful."

Vice didn't look convinced. Roulette turned toward the window again.

"I don't believe Rugal would appreciate us starting an open war with the Soviet Syndicate before we've even learned how large their operation is."

"He started it." Vice glanced toward Juno. "He attacked her."

Juno's fingers brushed the bruises around her throat.

"She still has the marks."

Roulette looked sympathetically at Juno.

"Yes." Then she looked back at Vice. "And you finished it."

Vice's expression remained cold. 

Roulette smiled. "Which means the situation can still end here."

Vice folded her arms. "And if it doesn't?"

"Then we let them escalate." Roulette's eyes glittered. "On our terms."

For the first time, Vice looked genuinely curious.

Roulette walked toward the enormous roulette wheel mounted on the far wall of the private room. Smaller than the one hanging over the arena floor, it was still functional, its polished sections marked with the teams competing below. One space remained empty.

She tapped it with a fingernail. "I have room for one more team."

Vice looked at the wheel. Roulette turned back toward her.

"Bring the Russian to his friend. Make her an offer. The Soviet Syndicate can enter a team into the tournament."

Juno's expression brightened immediately. Vice looked skeptical.

"They attacked us."

"And now we give them the opportunity to fight us properly." Roulette spread her hands. "They can send their best three female fighters. If they survive the other teams and advance far enough, perhaps they even earn another crack at you."

Vice considered it. "And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, we learn what they have." Roulette gestured toward Sofia. "They're clearly interested in what we're doing here. Why not let them get a closer look?"

Juno smirked. "From inside the cage."

"Exactly."

Roulette returned to Matsu'o. "And of course, it broadens the selection available to our honored guests."

Matsu'o leaned forward slightly. For the first time since Vice and Juno had entered, his attention shifted fully away from the fight. He looked through the glass at Sofia. 

"We would certainly like to see what the Soviet Syndicate brings to the table,” he said.

Vice exhaled sharply through her nose.

"Fine. I'll return her battered friend and make the offer." She stopped and her eyes drifted downward toward Sofia. "But if she tries anything, anything at all, I'm ripping her apart."

Roulette's smile returned. "I would expect nothing less."

 

 

Vice left. The door closed behind her. Roulette turned toward Juno. Her eyes settled on the bruises around the younger woman's throat.

"That looks uncomfortable."

Juno gave her a dry look. "It was not the highlight of my evening."

"How terrible." She looked toward Matsu'o. "Would you mind if I borrowed one of your mystics?"

Matsu'o smiled faintly and gave a small nod. "Of course."

Down below, the cage belonged to Aska now. For nearly two minutes, she and Yukio had battered one another from one side of the enclosed ring to the other, trading kicks, punches, elbows, and anything else they could put into motion. Neither woman had managed to seize a lasting advantage. Every clean strike was answered by another. Yukio fought with the reckless confidence of someone who had spent too much of her life surrounded by dangerous people to be impressed by one more. Her movements were quick, athletic, and unpredictable, her dark hair whipping around her face as she darted in and out of Aska's range.

Aska was more disciplined. She held herself low, balanced, and deliberate, her eyes never leaving Yukio for long.  Yukio lunged, Aska met her with a sharp forearm block. Yukio immediately spun into a roundhouse kick. Aska ducked beneath it and came back with a kick of her own. Yukio caught the blow against her ribs with both arms, but the force still shoved her backward across the mat.

The crowd roared. Yukio smiled. Aska smiled back. Then both women attacked again. Aska reached beneath her vest and produced a kunai. A murmur moved through the audience. The kunai flashed. Yukio twisted aside from the first slash and caught Aska's wrist when the weapon came around again. The two women struggled for control of the blade, their arms locked together. Yukio drove her knee upward. Aska took the blow against her side and dropped the kunai. Aska stumbled backward.

Yukio didn't give Aska time to recover. She rushed forward, leapt into the air, and threw herself into a diving kick aimed directly at Aska's chest. Aska rolled. Yukio crashed into the mat. Both women were back on their feet almost immediately. For a moment, they stood at opposite ends of the cage, breathing heavily. 

Yukio came forward first. She threw a punch. Aska blocked it. A kick, Aska retreated. Yukio pressed harder. That was exactly what Aska wanted. She continued giving ground, letting Yukio believe she was gaining momentum. The former Yakuza fighter moved faster, throwing combinations with increasing aggression. Aska avoided each one by inches. Then Yukio stepped too close. Aska's expression changed. She spun.

The movement came so quickly that Yukio barely had time to recognize what was happening. Aska's body became a blur of rotating limbs, one kick striking Yukio across the ribs before another clipped her shoulder and a final spinning blow smashed into the side of her head. Yukio staggered sideways. The arena erupted.

With her vision temporarily blurred, Yukio tried to steady herself. Aska was already moving. She launched herself forward and wrapped both legs around Yukio's upper body. The sudden impact drove Yukio backward. Both women crashed to the mat. Aska used Yukio's body as a springboard. She pushed off her fallen opponent, flipped backward, and landed gracefully on her feet.

The crowd cheered the display. Yukio groaned as she forced herself onto one knee. Aska gave her no opportunity to recover. She planted her feet and the air around her began to twist. A violent current of energy spiraled around her body. Yukio looked up just as Aska thrust both hands forward. The tornado of energy tore across the cage. Yukio tried to brace herself, but it was too late. The attack struck her squarely and hurled her backward. She slammed into the mat. The crowd exploded. Yukio didn't move.

Above the cage, Roulette threw one arm into the air. "Your first winner… ASKA!"

The audience answered with a deafening roar. Aska raised her arms triumphantly. Not everyone was celebrating. A chorus of curses erupted from the gamblers who had placed their money on Yukio. Across the arena, the electronic betting boards flickered. Yukio’s odds vanished. Her name disappeared from the display.

On the opposite side of the cage, Karai watched with the faintest hint of satisfaction. Lotus Blossom folded her arms beside her.

"She fought well,” Lotus Blossom stated.

Karai's eyes remained on Aska. "She's fought the Turtles in a tournament before. Mutants. Robots. Men twice her size. I knew she wouldn't be intimidated by whatever Roulette put in front of her."

Lotus Blossom glanced toward the opposing team.

"One down." She raised an eyebrow. "Let's see if your little protégé can take out two."

Across the arena, the mood among Hibana's team was considerably less celebratory. Yukio was being helped away from the cage. Hibana watched her go with a serious expression.

"Not an ideal beginning." She stepped forward. "Perhaps I should..."

Shadow Yamoto moved past her. “I’ll go.”

Hibana turned. Yamoto's face was calm, but her eyes were focused.

"I've fought through worse than this." She looked toward Aska. “And that girl had better hope she's got more than one trick hidden under that costume. I've seen what she can do now."

Hibana studied her. "You sound confident."

"I once entered a tournament run by the Eternal Champion and fought cavemen, cybernetic kickboxers, vampires, and alchemists,” Yamoto replied. "Compared to that, this place feels normal."

 

 

Almost. As Yamoto approached the entrance, movement on the opposite side of the ring caught her attention. The Hand mystics had entered the cage. The red-robed figures surrounded Aska without a word. The crowd quieted. Aska's victorious expression faded slightly as she looked from one silent figure to another.

Karai immediately tensed. Her satisfaction disappeared.

Lotus Blossom noticed. "Something wrong?"

Karai didn't answer immediately. The mystics raised their hands. White light gathered around their fingers. Aska took an involuntary step backward. The mystics stepped with her. Their hands hovered over her bruises and cuts without touching them. The white energy intensified.

Shadow Yamoto stopped at the cage entrance. Something about the scene bothered her. She couldn't have said exactly what.

The mystics remained perfectly expressionless as their energy flowed over Aska. Bruises faded and cuts sealed. The swelling around Aska’s jaw disappeared. Within seconds, there was almost no evidence that she had just endured a brutal fight. The mystics lowered their hands. Aska flexed her shoulders and stared down at herself. She looked refreshed.

Karai watched from outside the cage. Her eyes followed the red-robed figures as they withdrew.

"The Hand doesn't do anything without a reason," she murmured.

Back in the cage, Shadow Yamoyo was focused on the woman waiting for her. Aska rolled her shoulders. The damage from her first fight was gone.

Above them, Roulette stepped forward with her microphone. 

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Roulette gestured toward Aska. "As promised, our first victor has been restored! Fresh, healed, and ready to continue to help her team’s climb through the Queen of Fighters Tournament!"

The betting boards began shifting again. Roulette turned dramatically toward the opposite side.

"But can she do it twice?"

A spotlight fell across Shadow Yamoto and she stepped forward.

"Or will the woman stepping into the cage now, the former Black Orchid Corporation assassin, bring Aska's winning streak to a very abrupt end? Place your bets!”

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Aska
Read more about Aska at Wikipedia
Official Site: Konami Links: Wikipedia

Shadow Yamoto
Read more about Shadow Yamoto at Wikipedia
Official Site: Sega Links: Wikipedia

[leroypowell3]

I say Shadow Yamoto.

[Venom 2009]

Good match.

I would like for Aska to win again.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Venom 2009
5.00 - Boratz

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
10.00 Total Combined Score
10.00 / 2 = 5.00 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Aska: 2
Shadow Yamoto: 3