By Dan

After Balrog dialed in Bison's Shadaloo ID code, he hung up, waiting for a response. With that thought, the boxer stepped to Crimson's fallen form, his hulking body casting a shadow upon the young Bushin fighter. Looking over his handiwork, Balrog chuckled.

"Heh... Poor kid didn't stand a chance...", he replied with a grin. Bending over at the waist to looks Crimson square in the face, Balrog laughed.

"I'm bringin' you to Bison, bucko...", Balrog informed Crimson, "...You *really* ain't gonna stand a chance when he gets hold of you..."

"YEAH? Well that's why he's not gonna get a hold of me!", Crimson informed a shocked Balrog, kicking him in his jaw.

*****

Guy finally reached the scene of the crime, as it was. Whatever had happened was much farther down than he had planned to travel, but nonetheless, reached his destination. It was inside a station, labeled 'Canal Street'. Hoisting himself up onto the platform and entering the small crowd of spectators, Guy watched quietly as he observed police trying to tame what basically was a man holding a lady hostage and at knifepoint. Taking the initiative, Guy asked a nearby person what it was all about.

"Dunno...", the guy responded. "...The lady bumped into him, and knocked some valuable possession of his onto the tracks while the train was pulling into the station."

"Have you ever seen this man before, sir?", Guy asked. He nodded.

"Yup. This guy's a troublemaker. I've seen the cops take him in more than once..."

"Alright.", Guy responded, watching the dramatic scene unfold. The cops didn't have their guns out yet, but one was getting closer as the man looked left to right.

"Stay the hell back, you cops! I ain't going back to the slammer again... I ain't gonna let you!", he said in wild-eyed anger.

"Look...", one cop began, trying to reason with him, "...If you let her go, we'll be able to discuss this situation reasonably..."

The man continued looking to his left and right, knowing that he needed to escape. Guy observed the man's features more closely. He looked familiar, to say the least...

"*Wait a minute...*", Guy thought, finally recognizing the face and name. "*...That's Axl! How did he get out...?*"

With that thought, the man known as Axl pushed the girl into the cops and took off running. The policeman sneaking up behind him tried to lunge and tackle him, but wound up crashing into the turnstile, which Axl hopped over in one fell swoop. Guy in a flash, took off after him, amidst the confusion and surprise of the policemen.

"WHOA!"

"What the h*ll...?"

"What was that red blur?"

*****

Crimson kicked Balrog hard in the ribs, trying his best to break *something* in the boxer's body. Balrog at the moment was still to stunned to register a comeback, therefore Crimson was getting in several good hits. An open-handed palm strike crossed up into his reverse breaker elbow thrust found it's place directly in Balrog's chest, knocking the wind out of him almost automatically.

The boxer staggered and hunched over at the waist, trying to catch his breath. He wasn't going to let some Bushin upstart show him how to fight...

"Alright, kiddo... Now you're gonna get a taste of the real deal!", Balrog said, straightening up. Then he looked around. Crimson was gone...

"*Where'd he get to...?*", Balrog wondered aloud. His answer was a shout from behind him and a kick to the back of his skull that almost practically knocked his eyes out his head. Balrog fell face-first onto the cold, hard ground and defensively rolled away from possibly being attacked again.

Getting up to one knee, the Shadaloo boxer spit on the floor as he observed Crimson's silhouette in the darkness of the alley.

"Well...?", Balrog snarled, "...What are you waiting for! Let's go, kid!"

"As you wish, chump...", Crimson retorted. Running at the boxer full-speed, Crimson prepared himself to make a move should Balrog try to counterattack, which he did. Balrog tried a shot at knocking Crimson off his feet with a ground punch aimed at the shins, but his execution was weak and unfocused, which the young Bushin fighter took advantage of.

Crimson jumped over the attack and performed his fist strike to the right shoulder blade of Balrog, who staggered forward clumsily again. But Crimson wasn't done yet. As Balrog made his attempt to turn around, Crimson used his forward dash to make up for the few feet that separated them and smacked the Shadaloo grand master in the chest with another Hadouryuken.

This time, however, Balrog recovered quicker and threw out a lightning-fast punch that Mike Tyson himself wouldn't be able to duplicate. Crimson caught part of the move neatly in his shoulder as he tried his best to snake by it, but was realistically in no danger, albeit a good deal of pain from the entire ordeal.

Balrog stepped forward into a flurry of jabs that seemed to come from several areas at once, but Crimson's Bushinryuu training had him dealing with the blows and giving each one back to the boxer, even if he was nowhere as strong as Balrog. However, Balrog was beginning to tire, and was throwing his attacks much more sloppily, not even caring to perhaps throw Crimson off his pattern with something out of the blue.

Crimson, however, was giving it his best shot. It was as if everything he learned was finally meaning something. Balrog was wearing down, and he was just getting started... Crimson used every special move in his arsenal with the exception of his Bushin Shou Hassouken, and that left the prizefighter Balrog in shambles.

Balrog growled, cursed, and tried every attack that he had, but either wasn't getting full extension on his move, or was completely missing Crimson, who was twisting and whirling away from each dashing punch and uppercut with flair and a master's precision. Finally, out of desperation, Balrog charged up whatever was left of his Shadaloo chi, and stepped back.

Crimson stood in the alleyway five feet away, staring down Balrog, who's left eye was shut due to the kick Crimson did that sent him to the floor. With a snort like a bull, Balrog let out a desperation roar. But Crimson simply stood there as if he had all the time in the world....

"*Time it.... time it....*", Crimson thought. Suddenly, Balrog burst forward into his final attack, the Gigaton Blow, but Crimson merely stood there.

"*GOT IT!!!*", Crimson thought triumphantly. Balrog flew toward him in the super move, closing the five foot gap between them in less than five seconds, but Crimson waved his way sideways, _just_ missing the gloved right hand of Balrog.

With that hand missing him and the shocked look on Balrog's face as he tried to stop himself, Crimson reached behind his back.... Stopping Balrog's forward movement by grabbing the boxer by the shoulder with his right hand... Whirling Balrog around to face him, Crimson charged up his chi in his left and called out the name of his super combo all in one motion...

"BUSHIN... HADOUKUZUSHII.!!!!!!!!"

...A crimson-red fireball erupted from the open palm of the Bushin student's hand and crashed into Balrog's jaw with tremendous force, sending the boxer upwards as the move propelled him off his feet ever-so-slightly. But Crimson wasn't done yet... He had only done a level *two* super move, so he figured he'd have enough energy left to truly finish Balrog off...

...With the few seconds Balrog was lifted into the air, Crimson charged up his chi level once more. Crouching down, Crimson launched himself in the air and followed up on his initial super attack with none other than his Goushou Hassouken... It was only four hits, but it was more than enough to knockout the boxer...

First hit, rising punch, second hit crosses up-into the elbow thrust, third hit, smashing fist... The last hit, the aerial back flip, was what Crimson truly loved about the super combo, because that was when you'd know you had defeated the opponent, for the last attack always caught the adversary right across the jaw... Crimson let out an enthusiastic "YEAH!!!"

when he heard the solid impact of his Air Jordan sneaker collide with Balrog's chin, spilling the boxer's blood upinto the night air as the young Ninja landed on his feet softly and watched as Balrog crashed right back down onto the garbage cans, abused already tonight from bodies knocking against them several times beforehand.

Crimson bent over at the waist catching his breath, all the while staring hard at Balrog, who hadn't moved a muscle yet. A slight smile was beginning to form on his face as the Bushin student stepped over to Balrog slowly. As he walked toward the unconscious boxer, a phone began ringing.

Crimson could scarcely hear it amongst the noise from the other side of the hotel and his heart beating in his eardrums, but knew that it was in Balrog's possession. Nudging the boxer over onto his back, Crimson reached in Balrog's back pocket and retrieved a shiny silver case, it's contents being the phone, which rung again as Crimson flipped the lid off the case and let it clatter down onto the alley concrete.

Opening the phone's lid now, Crimson looked for a way to answer the phone. Seeing a green "ON" symbol, he pressed that and put the cellular to his ear.

"Balrog! What is it that you want that has me away from my negotiations!?!", Bison snarled into the receiver. Crimson set his ear away from the phone.

"*BISON!*", his mind shouted. Crimson nodded, looking at the phone. Should he answer back? Crimson didn't need to think about it any further. Trying his best to imitate Balrog, he answered Bison's angered tone.

"I... uh, didn't mean to bother you, Sir...", Crimson began, "...But I had ran into that Crimson punk again, and I got him..."

"You do, eh?", Bison said, now interested.

"Yup. I got him. He tried to interfere with the phony deal, just like you thought he would...", Crimson replied in Balrog's gravely voice, "...And now, I've got him by the hotel at 34th Street and Broadway in the alley. He ain't goin' nowhere soon..."

"Good work, Balrog...", Bison answered. "...You have fared well tonight. Meet Vega at the Port Authority Terminal at 42nd Street, and you two can rendezvous there. Bring Crimson along with you. I believe the brat will be of no problem to you, correct?"

"You got it, Sir. Balrog out...", Crimson replied, now getting the hang of Balrog's tone of voice. Bison hung up on his side of the line, meaning that the transmission was most assuredly over... for the time being. Crimson looked over at Balrog, who groaned in pain but still made no movements as to waking up from his comatose state.

"*Meet Vega at 42nd Street... That gives me an idea...*", Crimson thought with a smile. He had a plan, granted, but he wasn't going to be foolish enough to carry Balrog and risk a hernia in the process. So he'd have to rely on his speed to execute this race against time plot...

"No time to lose... Gotta go find him...", Crimson muttered. But before he leaves, the young Bushin takes several trash receptacles and turns them over, looking for something to hide Balrog with. Sure enough, a large (but smelly) blanket comes out a silver trash bin. Holding his nose, Crimson tossed the stench-laden cloth over Balrog's massive frame, and then for the hell of it, dumps the garbage can's contents on him as well.

"It'll hide him better... He's trash, that's trash... No one'll be the wiser...", Crimson reasoned. Stacking the bins in front of Balrog just in case, Crimson looked up and down the alley for anyone or anything peculiar. When he was satisfied, Crimson made his move.

Running as fast as his legs could take him, Crimson leapt up onto the nearest fire escape and made his way to his destination above Brooklyn's rooftops. His time was short, but he knew if he covered enough ground, he'd find who he knew could help in a situation like this...Guy.