Gouki's First Coming

[Gouki]

In the darkness of the black void, Gouki seethed with blind rage. His mind was ablaze with fury and questions. Who had dared interrupt his training? Who had taken him from the island he dwelled in and brought him into this empty world? Who thought they could subdue him, the master of the fist, the unrivalled fighting force, the one who was called a demon so great was his power, and get away with it?

In other words, who wanted to die?

Omni's silhouette appeared. Gouki immediately rounded on him... Or was Omni rounding on him? The total lack of light made it hard for even for the master martial artist to judge the distance between him and the mysterious figure. The demon couldn't even see his own hands though he was sure he was holding them up in front of his eyes.

Omni spoke. Gouki fought to reply with a stream of blood-curdling death threats but found that his mouth had been bound shut.

Omni spoke some more. Gouki looked around to find a way to escape the black trap he'd fallen into but found that everywhere was darkness.

Omni continued his monologue. Gouki tried to punch him and his despicable grin but found that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't close the gap between them.

And so the demon raged in silence. Even when Omni waved over a rainbow coloured sphere of light, Gouki only gave the sample of omnilium the briefest of glances before turning his hateful gaze back towards his captor. Gouki was not one to be talked down to yet here was this shadow telling him to "listen carefully", telling him that he was "nothing" without omnilium, telling him that he "should not fear death". No living being had spoken to him in such a fearless manner and lived to tell the tale, which is why his blood boiled at Omni's condescendence. He swore then and there that he would kill him given the first opportunity.

Omni finished his speech and faded away, as did the darkness, leaving Gouki alone in a vast expanse of immaculate whiteness, his mouth finally unbound.

"Death is beneath me!" he roared, his body trembling with the intense anger he felt, "My fearsome fists will dispatch you to damnation! Fight me now!"

There came no reply, not even the echo of his words.

"Do not believe you can escape my wrath! I will find you and destroy you!"

Again, silence.

Then he heard a knock. Two knocks. Three knocks.

Gouki turned around, expecting to see Omni, but instead faced a sōzu, a water fountain made of wood, rocks and bamboo. From a boulder as tall as he was high ran a trickle of water that poured over its edge and landed on a bamboo stick that was propped up in the middle of its length by a piece of wood shaped like the letter Y. The bamboo stick had been cut and positioned so that its open end would catch the water falling from the boulder while its closed end rested against a smooth rock the size of a fist. As the bamboo filled with water and its weight distribution changed, it pivoted against the wooden support and tipped over, emptying its contents into the gravel that lay at the fountain's base before dropping back into in its initial position and 'knocking' the small rock. Fountains like these were typically found in Japanese gardens and served the same purpose as scarecrows; they were designed to scare away plant eating animals with their sharp, startling knocking.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Gouki sneered in contempt.

[Retane]

Retane had walked off after his last encounter with the vagabond named Harry but found himself coming back towards the fountain he had first found himself near when he had came too.

When he approached the fountain however, it was different, smaller even, and in front of it in the distance was another being. The Namek couldn't stop himself to be quiet fast enough. The figure turned and looked on at him, a scowl on his face. "So Omni sent a bitch to do his dirty work for him, eh?"

The Namek stopped and flexed his muscles f as he listened to the growl and anger of this stranger's voice. It was almost as if instincts kicked in and Retane let his upper lip curl, "I do not know who the hell this Omni person is..."

The Redhead was built and looked like a fighter, still the Namek wasn't intimidated. He did, however, want answers. And so far two people knew about this Omni person that he didn't. And this one, thought Omni had sent him against him. Retane tried to think of who Omni was and if he had been sent against the guy but could draw nothing.

Still the guy looked like he was itching for a fight, and Retane was not going to back down if he was attacked.

"Of course, you would say that! Well come then and try yourself anyways!"

Retane cocked his head, they still had quite a bit of distance between them, so the Namek wasn't worried to much. He folded his arms in arrogance in stead, and smirked, "After you."

The red head martial artist seemed to flex and let out an angry snarl. Retane answered with a silent stare, his arms still folded.

The Namek knew he was most likely instigating a fight, but he also knew he had to get answers, and this one wasn't going to be much help, especially if he was going to accuse him of something he had no clue about.

[Gouki]

Despite outward appearances - the ugly frown that twisted his face into a grotesque mask of hate, the veins that throbbed under his tanned skin, the muscles that flexed in anticipation, the eyes that burned red and the teeth that gnashed as he curled his lips and clenched his jaws - Gouki was happy to see Retane. After the mysterious shadow that talked down to him and disappeared like a coward without a trace, the green challenger who stood his ground came as a welcome change. Gouki lived to fight and hoped against all hopes that the Namekian would be an opponent worth the trip.

The demon did not need to be told twice to attack: he calmly raised his hands in guard and shifted his weight into a side-on stance before slowly and deliberately closing the gap between himself and his foe, one step at a time. His approach was very gradual and eerily calm, entirely unlike his previously loud and brash demeanour. Where there once burned a fiery rage, there was now an icy chill, a cold desire to kill. The master martial artist had reigned in his emotions and cleared his mind for the duel at hand. The way he stared at Retane's solar plexus, one would imagine that he planned to strike at his opponent's heart, or that maybe he was actually afraid to look at his opponent in the eye. In truth, it was purely for technical reasons: focusing his sight on his opponent's chest allowed Gouki to keep Retane’s arms and legs in his peripheral view.

Retane silently observed Gouki coming closer and closer. When the red haired warrior had reduced the distance between by them by half, he finally unfolded his arms and assumed his fighting stance. It was at that precise moment, when the Namekian braced himself for battle that Gouki suddenly pounced forward and lashed out with a fierce right-handed punch. It landed on the Namekian's cross-armed block with the dull slap of leather on skin. The demon's sudden burst of speed had nearly, but not quite, caught Retane off-guard.

Gouki continued his attack. He followed up with a swift right shin kick to Retane's left thigh, but the Namekian's reflexes were sharp and he raised his left leg to catch the kick with his own shin. Gouki pulled his leg back and rotated his hips to throw a solid left hook, but it too was blocked by Retane's right arm, raised to protect his head. So the demon side-stepped to Retane's right and threw a second right-legged shin kick, this time aimed at the Namekian's mid-section. The green fighter took a step back and blocked with both arms held tight against his chest, in response to which Gouki cocked his right fist and threatened to throw a punch right in Retane's face.

However, it was a feint and as the alien raised his hands to catch the punch that never came, Gouki grabbed onto his forearms and pulled himself into his guard while thrusting his right knee forward. The blow struck true and the demon’s knee sank deep into Retane's gut, forcing a wheezed grunt out of his mouth. The Namekian's defence had been tight until then, but the force of the blow made him falter and Gouki was not one to hesitate in a fight, let alone show mercy.

"Goushoryuken!"

With the infamous cry came a fast and hard uppercut that connected with Retane's thorax and lifted him off of the ground in a brutal display of Gouki's martial prowess. As he punched his foe, the red fighter jumped, launching himself and Retane skywards, his fist driving the Namekian into a painful flight. Together they rose ten feet in the air before Gouki's ascent came to halt and the two fighters parted. While the demon landed nimbly on his feet, the Namekian fell onto his back ten feet away from his opponent with a dull thud. Gouki raised his hands, assumed his side-on stance and spat, “To stand in my way is to feed your soul to the jaws of death!”

[Gouki]

Retane groaned incomprehensibly and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. His vest was ragged where his chest had been punched and a dark bruise could be seen underneath, but one look at his eyes was enough for Gouki to understand that the Namekian was far from beaten.

No matter, he thought, I’ve barely warmed up.

Breathing in deeply, the martial artist slid his leading foot towards Retane and eased into a horse stance with his knees bent at nearly 90 degrees and his legs spread wide. He clasped his hands by his side, where they were hidden from the alien by his torso, then exhaled deeply as he felt a familiar wave of heat wash over him: Satsui No Hado, the surge of murderous intent.

He could feel it radiating from his core to the extremities of his limbs, pulsing in his veins, intensifying with every breath he took. It permeated throughout his body, tingling his skin, begging to be unleashed unto the world. He accepted it. Embraced it. Reveled in it. Then focused it into the palms of his hands where it began to manifest as a red glowing light.

The alien quickly picked himself up from the ground and assumed a fighting stance, his eyes watching his opponent's every move. Now that he had felt the demon's strength, he was wearier, more careful. He’d let the demon overwhelm him once but he wouldn’t let him do it twice. He wouldn’t – no, couldn’t let him hit him like that again. Now it was his turn to--

"Gouhadouken!"

As he barked his technique’s name, Gouki thrust his open palms at Retane and from them erupted a scarlet ball of energy three feet wide. Firing it at quasi-point-blank range gave his opponent no room to evade; the concussive blast tore across the gap between them in a red streak of light and slammed hard into the Namekian’s upper body before dissipating as quickly as it had appeared. The green fighter’s eyes widened in alarm as he staggered under the sudden impact of the blow; it felt like he’d been rammed in the chest all over again.

Taking several steps back to keep from falling over, the Namekian’s look of surprise turned into a meaningful wince when he straightened himself and raised his guard. Gouki arose from his squat and resumed his relaxed side-on karate stance, an evil glint shining in his crimson eyes.

[Retane]

Pain.

He enjoyed it for a moment, though it really hurt. Any more attacks like that and he was done. His chest ached, but still, he could only let off a small grin.

" I's that the best you have? Where are the jaws", Retane had to snarl. "What is your name? And why are you here? Who is this Omni?" The Namekian questioned.

"Gouki", Was all he would offer as he flexed his muscles once against.

Retane could only sneer and charged forward He swung a fist, and it was blocked by a elbow. He swung a knee and it was blocked by a fist. The two rivals let out snarls towards each other as they began swinging faster and harder.. Retane couldn't handle it much more. He became impatient, kicked out and in almost and instant, sent a charged blast at his foe.. He sent another and another . In a slow rapid barrage he sent them in.

Clouds of dust and debris began to accumulate. Retane took the opportunity to charge then, and sent a flying punch.

It connected, and as he pushed himself and Gouki out the cloud he had created, both seemed to wear a smile on their faces. Retane found this amusing and decided to keep going.

He charged again, let out a swift kick, where Gouki blocked, , but the Nemekian maintained his momentum and tossed himself in a roll, his arm catching the neck and hooking it to 'Bull dog' his head into the ground. And it worked.

Retane rolled over to see the street fighter already back on his feet.

"I am sure you are about to kill me, but deep within I have a friend that wants to come out and play. I hope you don't mind if he joins."

Gouki seemed to pause for a moment, but didn't answer as he dodged blast after blast of energy. Retane was still there firing him off trying to put distance into themselves and tryingtrying to focus on the mark of his arm, and deep down he felt like he needed him....

Then Retane snapped, he was Namekian Proud! So he charged then and as the debris started to settle, she was there won Gouki, swinging hard with a low growl that got higher and higher with each attack.

His foe was contempt to swing viscous blows to defends, not really blocks, but both trying t test each others strength.

Neither weakened. Neither bowed. or feigned weakness. Again.. both showed the wicked sneer on their faces. Retane could only smile even harder as he slipped a punch through the street fighter's attacks.

"Thank you for helping remember how to fight. Now Remind me MORE!!!!!!!!" Retane could only charge and send energy blasts at his foe and charge again.

The Namekian had an adrenaline rush to show that he was truly a warrior of his kind and for some reason he wanted more.Still he had to be careful

[Gouki]

"If you insist on speaking," said Gouki, his voice rumbling like a raging thunderstorm, "Do so with your fists!"

Retane obliged and dashed towards with a wild haymaker that landed on the back of the demon's gloved hand, raised to defend his jaw. Though he grunted under the weight of the blow, Gouki held strong. The second punch that came was aimed at his ribs but missed as Gouki deftly sidestepped out of the way. The Namekian continued his attack with a mighty roundhouse kick that came hard and fast at his foe’s head. Gouki intercepted it with his forearms, though not without difficulty; the self-proclaimed master of the fist clenched his jaws tight as the fierce blow sent him skidding several feet away. Retane followed closely behind, refusing to let up.

With a hiss, the Namekian threw a series of left jabs and right crosses, alternating his aim between Gouki’s face and his stomach. Each punch whistled and snapped from the speed they were thrown at, keeping Gouki under intense pressure. He parried the first few blows, using his open palms to deflect and push them aside, but the hail of powerful strikes came too fast for Gouki to keep up, forcing him to huddle up and tighten his guard to keep his opponent from hitting anything other than his arms.

Retane continued pounding relentlessly on the gloved hands that covered his foe’s face and the forearms and elbows that protected his chest and stomach. He whaled on them like there was no tomorrow, clearly aiming to break through with brute force. Gouki tried several times to step out of Retane’s range but the alien consistently stepped forward, thwarting any attempts to escape. Yet despite the onslaught, Gouki’s experienced eyes never wavered from his enemy and soon enough he got the Namekian’s timing down.

The martial artist suddenly turned the tide of the battle by ducking an anticipated high punch and lunging forwards with an elbow extended, driving its bony point into Retane’s solar plexus. The Namekian stopped dead in his tracks, paralysed by the sudden jolt of excruciating pain that shot through his chest, his breath trapped in his throat.

"Your foolishness would be entertaining if it weren't so tiresome,” Gouki spat as he thrust his opposite arm into a swift elbow uppercut that smacked Retane dead on the chin. The Namekian reeled from the jarring blow, giving Gouki the space to chamber a side kick that landed flush in his gut. Unlike his opponent, Gouki picked his shots and landed them with deadly precision; where Retane chose punches in bunches, Gouki took a far more technical and efficient approach to fighting. The force of the blow left Retane doubled over and staring at the ground, entirely oblivious to the incoming axe kick coming down from above. Gouki’s heel crashed against Retane’s nape in a ruthless strike fit to break a man’s neck, sending the alien face first into the ground.

Gouki’s intimate knowledge of ki and lifelong training in martial arts gave him the ability to sense a person’s life force and as he rested his gaze upon the Namekian’s back, he knew his foe wasn’t dead. He stepped away and slowly circled around the green man, expecting him to rise and resume the fight.

[Retane]

"My Name... Is Retane.... No one can rtruly kill me. Not even you. I Can only become stronger and my limit of strength is beyond your conrtol. Kill me and find out."

THe Namek stood there and spoke for a few seconds before his returned to normal. He knew he had blacked out but knew everything he had said, but still he had to fight. THe Namek swung and swung again. He kicked and sent a harder kick. He backed away but only had a few moments to try annd catch his breathe before they were at it again.

SUmmon me!

"I CANT!" Retane shouted out in the air where only his foe could here. No one else was around and Retane could only grab at his head in anger.

""My... Name... Is Retane...." He dug deep in breaths. "I Am.... a Namek...."

"I Need Help....." THe Namekian smalled his Palm to the ground and a mist began to appear. It didn't matter much, but soon as Gouki started to begein to close in again, he slowed wwhen the mist started to form.

Retane could only look up after a hand was placed acrossed his hand." ENroshia brought me to you, And I will be here to helpyou throughout it all, but If you ever wait this long to call me again... We might have issues."

Arith went then, and started to attack the Fighter, They traded blow for blow just as Retane had dont, but Arith was faster and meaner. Arith'a intent was to kill. And it took a single blow to break Arith's assualt and he was nothing but mist.

"SUmmon me again!"

And again Arith was summoned this times weilding blades, abnd he only nicked his foe once before he was again smoke.

Retane stood thenand laughed."My Name is Retane... ANd I need you to kill me..."

GOuki looked at him weirdly for a moment and blinked,

"KIll me and show me what Death is!"Retane opened his chest up.

[Gouki]

Knock.

In stark contrast to the violence of the battle, the Japanese fountain continued to gurgle peacefully. Its sōzu kept a slow but steady rhythm, the bamboo shaft rising and falling as consistently as the water that fell from the rock.

Knock.

Retane panted heavily, his chest bare and shoulders heaving with each breath. Gouki clenched and relaxed his fists, his stern face set in stone as he stared into Retane’s eyes. He approached to deliver the final blow and a thought crossed his mind.

In this day and age, martial arts have lost their meaning. Students and teachers alike hold themselves back instead of unleashing their full potential. They do this in the name of safety, mindful of accidents and injuries. They set themselves limits while boasting their ‘discipline’ and ‘self-control’. In truth, they fear their own strength… Pathetic!

True self-control is the ability to push oneself beyond one’s limits at will. True discipline is to be utterly dedicated to this goal and never waver from its path. A true warrior strives to achieve greatness, no matter the cost. The way of the fist is not for those who fear death, never mind cuts and bruises!

Martial arts are not sports! They are not games! They are not to be practiced in vain! They were made to help men unleash their potential, but now they have been tamed, diluted and stripped of everything that made them what they are. Now practitioners mindlessly go through the steps of a kata without understanding its true purpose. They can’t imagine that their punches and kicks were designed to kill. They only think of the 'fitness’ and 'health benefits'.

Today’s martial arts breed fearful and ignorant weaklings.

“You, however,” muttered Gouki in a dead voice, “Are different. And for that, I’ll happily grant your wish.”

The red fighter swiftly raised a clenched fist and thrust it knuckle first into Retane’s sternum, driving it several inches deep into his green skin. The Namekian’s chest caved in under the tremendous force and his heart beat came to a sudden halt. Falling backwards in the eerie silence, Retane died before his body hit the ground.

Knock.

[Gouki]

Moments passed as Gouki slowly eased up and drew back his fist. He looked up and away from his foe and remained standing there for a while longer, still as a statue.

The martial artist's vacant gaze gave the false impression that he was lost in thought - he was thinking, yes, but he wasn't lost. He was perfectly aware of himself and his surroundings, but was replaying the fight in his mind, analysing all the blows thrown, blocked and landed. The strength of the punches and kicks, the sound of their impact, the effectiveness of either fighter's technique, the bruises and grazes they left on his body and the excitement the encounter procured; all of these things were lessons learned worth studying.

He then replayed the fight again only this time imagining different outcomes - what if he had thrown a punch a moment sooner or later? What if he had thrown a kick instead? What if he hadn't blocked a blow? Or if he had intentionally let a hit land in order to better counter-attack? What if his foe had anticipated his next move? When then? How would he have reacted? How else could he have ensured victory? Did he deserve to win?

And all of these thoughts led to the ultimate question: could Gouki become stronger?

"Of course I can," he spat, as though answering aloud validated the statement as self-evident. But the vast expanse of emptiness around him made his words sound dull and mute.

Then from within, he felt a familiar burning sensation rise to the forefront of his mind: anger.

Anger for the mysterious force that brought him here.

Anger for his dead opponent who brought him no answers.

Anger at himself for harboring doubts as to his progress, even though that moment only lasted for a split second.

Anger for his brother Gouken, who spared his life the one time he won what was supposed to be a fight to the death.

Anger for the watering down of modern martial arts, which he blamed on the weakness of human nature - something else he felt anger for.

And so more time passed with Gouki standing as still as ever, his clenched fists shaking violently, losing himself in his maddening thoughts until finally, with a deep and heavy sigh, he closed his eyes.

Forget about the past, focus on the future. There are more battles to come... More lives to end.

But where? Where do I go?

He opened his mind in an attempt to sense what lied in the blank distance... But found nothing. More like, he couldn't sense anything. His ability to sense a person's chi, or life force, was not responding.

I don't feel... complete. Something changed me... "Omni"?

Gouki frowned, turned on his heel and stormed away from the fountain, unaware of what lied ahead but determined to find a way out.