The sound of the howling wind blurred with thunder as a tropical thunderstorm made its way across the island.

Standing within the terrible storm, Nicole held her raincoat closed tightly with one hand, eyes squinting trying to see through the heavy rain, soaked to the bone and likely to catch pneumonia later with the rest of her crew.
 

She was the luckiest reporter in the world.
 

Earlier in the day while the rain was still light, she and her crew were making their way to tournament grounds after some of their equipment began malfunctioning in the rain, which they had blamed on the intern who was currently responsible for holding onto their spot in the rain...with no umbrella. It was by pure chance that on the way back Nicole had glanced out the window and saw a huge explosion. The crew reluctantly went to investigate at Nicole's insistence and right now they were eagerly filming and reporting on the event before them…
 

In the distance, a red-headed man in a black blazer stood against a cliff, rain and wind sending his hair flying everywhere, yet they could not cover the coldness in his eyes as he held an unstable looking ball of lightning in his left fist. Nicole recognized this man from the fighter's roster, Reno Tseng, a special invite contestant from Japan. His bio said he was a musician from a small independent band, but other than his dress, his demeanor was nothing as his bio said.
 

Facing him stood a bulky man wearing dark camouflaged pants, vest and beret. Something shiny caught her eye and Nicole realized with horror that it was a gun.
 

And behind the man with a beret was Tseng's band mate, Cana Verdandi, kneeling with her hands cuffed behind her…
 
 

Earlier that day…

"Did you take my serum?!" Reno demanded, slamming the bathroom door open furiously while Cana was busy blow drying her hair. In his left hand he held open the black box which had only one large syringe remaining.
 

"No...why?" Cana didn't bother to glance in his direction as she peered pensively into the mirror trying to adjust it just right.
 

"BECAUSE IT'S MISSING!" Reno shouted, shoving the box into her face, his own was absolutely frantic.
 

"Wait...wait...what?!" Cana stared incredulously at the open box.
 

"It was you, wasn't it?!" Reno was practically screaming now. "What does that bastard want with me now?!" The thought of losing a month of life was driving him to a frenzy, Bison had him on a strict leash in terms of this and if the man had suddenly decided to take away that month…
 

"C-calm down." Cana said, grabbing onto his shoulders.
 

"YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME AREN'T YOU?!" Reno screamed, his mind beginning to crack.
 

He didn't remember what happened next, only that he saw a bright white light and found himself sprawled against the door of the closet outside of the hotel's bathroom. He shook his head trying to clear the ringing sound and set everything in the world in its place.
 

"Heh...so that proves it…" Reno muttered, his voice strained with laughter as he glanced up into the menacing stare of his warden.
 

Yet for a split second he saw tears brimming in Cana's eyes as she dressed quickly and left their room.
 

He sat there in silence.
 
 

Rez picked up the phone in his hotel room, glaring at the little girl sitting blankly across from him.
 

"Go ahead." Rez muttered, standing up to stretch his legs and walk towards the windows where he noted the darkening clouds and the slight bending of the palm trees.
 

"You have a target," the voice on the other side said dryly, "Information will be transferred to this phone. We'd prefer them here alive, but if they resist then bring their corpses. Oh...and don't touch the girl inappropriately, we don't want you to taint the sample." The person on the side hung up and Rez stared at his handset incredulously.
 

What kind of person did they think he was?! Even he had his limits. He shuddered in disgust, glancing sidelong at the girl sitting blankly to his right. As the information was targeted into his handset, a big smile formed on Rez's face when he realized he had been mistaken.
 

"Rock stars, huh?" Rez chuckled as he donned his vest. "I'll show them a thing or two about partying." At the door he glanced over his shoulder at his companion, the lab boys would nag at him to bring her along, but she'd just get in the way. "Don't wait up." Closing the door, Rez's step was a little more chipper than usual as he hummed off key.
 
 

At the hotel's café Riq stared blankly at his toast. It wasn't just any toast however, for some reason this morning he felt he had to try something different from the standard fare of butter. And now with the dark clouds gathering overhead outside of the hotel's restaurant, Riq felt he had made a grave error in judgment this morning.
 

Five minutes passed and his waiter gave no indication that he was slightly perturbed by an aura of growing unease from the gentleman.
 

Why did I order the Hawaiian Toast? Riq wondered as he carefully inspected the alien sustenance. He tentatively picked up his fork and poked at the generous amount of what he had been told was called 'gouda cheese.' Beneath that thick layer of cheese was apparently a pineapple and finally positioning itself between the actual toast and the fruit was ham.
 

Riq could understand having ham on his toast, cheese as well, maybe even fruit like pineapple...But all three at once?! He quickly perished the thought from his mind when he realized his empty stomach containing a few sips of black coffee was about ready to just send up the digestive juices through his mouth, food be damned.
 

So, why did he order Hawaiian Toast?
 

Because she would have…
 

Well, at least he thought she would, looking at the 'breakfast' in front of him Riq wasn't so sure why anyone in their right mind would want to order such an offense against nature, cooking meat with fruit of all things.
 

"Here is your Hawaiian Toast, sir." Riq heard a waiter say from his side and he inadvertently glanced over and stared as a man with a large straw hat covering the majority of his face dug into the breakfast dish with gusto.
 

Riq almost lost his stomach right there as he watched the fork sink deeply beneath the cheese and into the toast as the man cut away into it revealing the layers of ham and pineapple smothered in cheese which he brought to, Riq would hope, his mouth. Riq found the scene before him both repulsing yet fascinating and he leaned on his table for a moment, sipping his coffee and admiring the way the man took on what he considered an impossible task.
 

"Is there something on my face?" his morning source of entertainment asked, head sharply glancing in his direction.
 

"What? Oh, no!" Riq said quickly and he gestured at the other man's breakfast. "You seem to be enjoying that."
 

"It seems alright," the man shrugged and he gestured at Riq's table. "Shouldn't you be starting on that?"
 

Riq swallowed hard to keep the bile from pouring out of his mouth. "No, I've suddenly changed my mind," he shook his head. He grabbed the plate and extended it to the other man. "You want it?"
 

The other man stared at the plate for a moment, well Riq thought he was staring at it because the damn hat was hiding his face.
 

"If I eat that...will you pay for my breakfast?"
 

Riq stared.
 

"Well, you see, I sorta lost some of my money a while back when this cop was chasing me and suddenly I got hungry and looked inside and…"
 

"Alright, alright." Riq leaned over to quickly dump the dish on the other man's table. "Whatever, just get it out of my sight."
 

"Thanks a lot!" the other man quickly went back to his 'food' and Riq's.
 

Now that his source of vomit was gone Riq's stomach demanded that it have pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. He complied, calling his waiter over and telling him that he would also be taking on the other man's bill as well.
 

He didn't know why he did that, offer to pay this man's breakfast. His stomach seemed to relax as he watched the last of his own Hawaiian Toast disappear and the other man asked for chilled coconut milk.
 

"Thanks," the other man leaned back and patted his abdominal. "I haven't had food that good in a while."
 

"You're homeless?" Riq asked as he cut into his pancake.
 

"Well, temporarily," the other man admitted, "My girlfriend kicked me out of the house for the tournament."
 

"That's an...interesting relationship." Riq noted after swallowing two portions of his pancake. "You look pretty clean for a person who's been out on the streets."
 

"I use the beach showers and clean my clothes at the laundromats," the man replied and motioned to a waiter, "Can I get some sausages packaged to go, please?"
 

"Of course, sir." the waiter smiled and left.
 

Riq decided to not make issue of that, instead he suddenly got the idea that perhaps because this man had been living on the streets he would have insight on the gossips going around the tournament that he wouldn't have.
 

"I've been hearing a lot of strange rumors lately, about this tournament, how about you?" Riq mentioned casually before he forked a few pieces of scrambled eggs. He made sure not to narrow his eyes as he watched the other man tense up briefly.
 

Jackpot.
 

"Well, considering what kind of tournament this is, strange would only be normal," the man chuckled a tad nervously. Before Riq could capitalize on that, the other man suddenly asked, "So, why did you order the Hawaiian Toast if you weren't going to at least take a bite?"
 

The question slightly startled Riq because he had almost forgotten about that, the image of the Hawaiian Toast suddenly popped into his head and Riq had to grip the edge of his table to steady himself.
 

"A guy like you wanting to try something new…" the other man said slyly and asked, "Is it because of a girl?"
 

For some reason a sudden wave of embarrassment flowed through him, a feeling he had forgotten and was unprepared for as he choked on a piece of bacon.
 

"Whoa, careful there," the other man quickly came to his side and punched a spot between Riq's ribs, causing him to gasp and the piece of bacon spewing out from his throat to his plate.
 

A concerned waiter came by as another arrived with the sausages packaged away neatly to go.
 

"I'm alright." Riq waved the concerned waiter off and stared blankly at his half eaten meal, suddenly he didn't feel so hungry anymore.
 

"Thanks for the breakfast," the other man waved and grabbed the food, "Maybe I'll see you around sometime." He left without waiting for Riq to say good-bye, quickly and deftly weaving through the breakfast crowd.
 

Is it because of a girl? his words echoed through his mind. Maybe...well, she did seem to like to try new things...but, there should be a limit!
 
 

"That looks icky." Victoria made a face when she saw the picture of the Hawaiian Toast on the hotel menu provided for her.

"It is...different." Meliza admitted, taking a sip of her tea as she read the morning paper. The two of them were sitting in Meliza's dining room, Meliza having invited Victoria over for breakfast this morning.
 

Victoria finally ordered the pancakes with eggs, sausages and bacon handing the menu back to room service. She took a moment to lean back, stretching out the tiredness from her body and looked around, noting the elegant yet modest interior. "Someone's missing."
 

Meliza grimaced at that and gave Victoria a wry smile, "He's busy making sure Karin Kanzuki is fully satisfied with her stay here. After what happened yesterday she found him useful and somehow roped him into helping to manage her stay. He said he'll be out of it by the end of the day, though."
 

"Ouch," Victoria winced in sympathy.
 

"So, care to explain to me what that was about last time?" Meliza teased.
 

"I-It's complicated," Victoria blushed, her hands reaching out for the napkin set in front of her and began to twist it. "I mean, what would happen if your boyfriend found you in the men's dressing room while he was picking out clothes?"
 

"Hmmm," Meliza pondered at the thought, "Maybe I should, he's been wearing some pretty plain clothes these days."
 

"Meliza!" Victoria gasped, then burst into a giggle which grew into a rich laugh quickly joined by Meliza.
 

"It's good to hear you laughing again," Meliza smiled.
 

"Have I been mopey that long?" Victoria asked.
 

"No, but it was enough to get me worried," Meliza chuckled and moved her napkin to the side as room service arrived and set their breakfast on the table, she thanked the man and gave him a tip. She turned to her friend and smiled again watching her wolf down her meal, "You're gonna have Jennifer Lopez's butt if you keep eating like that," she teased.
 

Victoria only growled in reply.
 

"You know...I wasn't really talking about Riq when I asked about what happened last time." Meliza commented after Victoria started scraping the last of the syrup from her plate, Victoria glanced at her questioningly.
      

"I was talking about another exotic man we met that day…"
 

"Oh...him." Victoria was silent for a moment, wondering whether or not to tell her friend of the trouble she had seen which led to her entering this tournament. She finished the last of her pancake and shrugged, "Just some weirdo Ricky Martin look-alike from back home."
 
 

The nerve of him! After all these years he still couldn't trust her! Cana was practically in tears as she forcefully pushes the front doors of the hotel open, startling the bell hop. She reached out quickly to stop the door before it shattered into a million pieces from her strength. She stopped for a moment to look at the sky and noted the darkening of the clouds above. Fit her mood just fine.
 

She walked briskly away from the hotel. Reno was still in the room staring blankly at the wall like a moron no doubt. Tears again began to brim in her eyes and despite her inner protests, her mind drifted back to several years ago…

"Product Reno Tseng has run away," a scientist reported clinically, "He had taken the opportunity to hijack one of our speedboats and raced off in a random direction, we estimate that considering his course he is heading for the islands of Japan."
 

"I thought I had ordered that he not be taught how to man any vehicles," Bison rumbled from his throne.
 

"He was not taught…"
 

"...Ah…"
 

"This is where Product Cana Verdandi comes in," the scientist continued in his detached tone, "In our tests it appears that her and Product Tseng have a mental link with each other. With her to direct, we may be able to recapture Product Tseng quickly."
 

"Don't bother," Bison rumbled, "Kill him."

Cana stopped for a moment to stare at the sea crashing against the beach, news had spread that the weather was expected to be severe and precautions were being taken to continue the tournament avoiding any possible harm to the spectators. Out here there were only a few people milling about including a man who was feeding his dog sausages from a take out bag from the hotel's café.
 

As she stood there she heard a familiar sound of skittering and glanced casually to the side and saw a young woman and her squirrel.
 

"Iwa-jie," Cana nodded, the young woman and her pet squirrel turned to look at her.
 

"I don't believe I know you." Iwa looked blankly at the other woman, tilting her head slightly in puzzlement in sync with her pet squirrel.
 

"We have the same...employer." Cana replied hesitantly when she saw Iwa's smile turn somewhat sardonic.
 

"I remember now...you're one of the Dolls," Iwa chuckled, "Are you progressing well in your mission?"
 

"There have been...complications."
 

Iwa said nothing and turned back to stare lazily at the ocean, seemingly in a trance captured by the tranquillity of the shifting waves.
 

It had been cloudy that day as well…

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Bison grunted, eyes narrowed as he stared right back at Cana who held him up against the wall with her right arm. To the side was the crisp corpse of the scientist who had been reporting on Reno, Cana's left hand still held a fabric of his coat and it incinerated instantly when her left arm was engulfed in flames.
 

"Let him go," Cana said softly, "and help him live."
 

"Why would I do that?" Bison grunted, "He's no use to me the way he is right now with no one to watch him, he'll die on his own sooner or later."
 

"I'll watch him," Cana replied, tightening her grip on his jacket and pushing him upwards. Normally she would not be able to do this so easily, but Bison was normally not this weak, "He still carries a risk...that others might know you're weakened now, they'll be bolder and come after you more aggressively. You...wouldn't want that now, would you?"
 

Bison was silent, staring intently into the Doll's eyes. He had never quite understood this one, she was a lot like his other dolls yet she had developed powers of her own that might have rivalled his old strength. He could order the other Dolls and soldiers to burst in right now to take her down, but...he needed her power. Reno Tseng was no small loss, but he had only been one, if he lost two…
 

"Alright," Bison grunted, "as long as you're there to keep an eye on him, he'll live." Cana lowered him gently to the floor and stepped back respectfully. From beneath his cloak Bison produced a black box which he handed to Cana, "This is his serum, he'll need a shot in about fifteen days, you have until then to find him. If you do not, investigate whomever he may have talked to. Dismissed."

"Why can't you remember? Cana thought miserably. They had been together for so long, seen so many things together...Cana just shook her head, all she could do was watch over him right now just as he had watched over her in the past.
 

"Cana!" a hyped voice called out and Cana blinked, glancing to her right to see her partner, Mika, running towards her in that pro wrestling fashion of hers. Cana wondered how the other woman managed to go around everywhere in that outfit.
 

"Mika!" Cana smiled and waved, she had to appear positive and kind, albeit quiet to others in order to attract little to no attention.
 

"I'm pumped for our coming match!" R. Mika shouted jubilantly, punching into the air for emphasis.
 

"Me too!" Cana said in feigned excitement, "Between the two of us no one stands a chance!"
 

"YAY!" the two cheered, jumping and crossing their right arms in the air.
 

Cana found herself smiling in spite of herself, the façade was quickly becoming a part of her for some reason. These past years...they were happy years, being allowed to live and experience life's joys and sorrows.
 

She was...happy.

"So, should we start working on a tag-team…" Mika's eyes had suddenly gone wide and Cana was about to ask the other woman what was going on when she felt something wet cover her face…
 

Her last thought before she fell unconscious was, "Chloroform…"
 
 

As Victoria and Natalie stepped into the area of the sand designated for the fight, the overcast sky darkened with the slightest rumble of thunder. During the couple of minutes of intermission between one fight and another - mainly for the audience to visit the nearby concession stands, Natalie looked up at the sky with dismay, just as a few drops of rain hit her face. "What the...? You've gotta be kidding me..." Of all the days she could have chosen to break her dark-colors-only trend.
 

Mien glanced down at herself and grumbled a few choice words. She'd taken a page from Jin's wardrobe and sported an outfit of all white. Well, close, anyway. Hers was more of a cream color. He'd looked rather good in it the contrast from his usual black during his first fight. She, however, had the distinct feeling that the pale, form-fitting tank top adorned with laces and eyelets up the sides and front was a mistake. The matching lace-front pants and chaps didn't bother her, on account that the thicker fabric would afford a much less transparent quality when wet. Might get a bit clingy, though, but not nearly as bad as baggier stuff would be, Natalie thought, thankful for one thing, at least. Her boots she'd stepped out of and left at the edge of the ring, figuring that sand would get in them and make them a nuisance.
 

With a sigh, Natalie looked across at her opponent and gestured with a thumb toward the sky as rain started coming down in earnest. "Can you believe this??"
 

Victoria huffed and tossed damp blond locks away from her face, the strands darkening nearly to the same light brown as the rest of her hair when wet. Though her outfit was less... strange than Natalie's, it didn't offer any better protection. Since the day had started so warm, she'd left her jacket in her room, which would have covered the plain white tank top she wore with her lavender pants. Both women wore high ponytails, Victoria's falling a few inches past her shoulders, Natalie's reaching all the way to her thighs. She hadn't felt the need to wear her hair in a safer manner: Victoria didn't seem the type to go yanking on it.
 

The Hispanic beauty pulled her Escrima sticks from their case and tossed it the her partner, absently twirling the sticks as the judges began taking their seats again. "Why couldn't this happen to our partners?" she muttered.
 

It was just loud enough for the men to hear as they recovered on the sidelines. "Because the Hawaiian gods smile upon us!!!" Edmund Honda bellowed with a large grin, rewarded by twin female glares.
 

"Only you guys would think that in the face of weather like this..." Natalie grumbled while adjusting the off-white, leather armguards and gloves she'd chosen for the fight, but as the rain began to come down, cat-calls sounded from the crowd.
 

"WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!!!" some fool the federal agent didn't doubt was drunk yelled, only to be rewarded by a sarcastic, fake smile and a rude gesture.
 

"Why couldn't this fight be indoors?" Victoria asked her opponent as the referee raised his hand, about to give the signal to begin. Natalie could only shrug and roll her eyes before taking her stance, while at the same time Victoria settled into her own.
 

"BEGIN!"
 

Both women exchanged smiles tinged with a bit of chagrin, the taller switching her stance to defensive as the smaller, tanned femme went instantly on the offensive. Kali sticks made the first contact with Natalie's forearms as they blocked, and the agent was thankful for the meagre protection the armguards offered. Victoria moved quickly with a speed that would off-set slower opponents, but Natalie was plenty fast enough to dodge or block each hit. She's not using her legs, I wonder why- The thought was cut off abruptly as Victoria's right foot came up with a straight kick into Natalie's midsection before she could tighten her defense. It knocked the wind from the dark-haired fighter and pushed her back, but failed to make her lose her footing as she dug her heels into the wet sand. She found herself grinning while the Hispanic woman stood her ground, surprisingly not pressing forward.
 

"You're fast," Natalie stated. "I usually don't have to try too hard to keep up my defense..." Then again, she usually didn't try all that hard to begin with in a fight like this. The other woman grinned but said nothing, crossing her Escrima sticks before her at shoulder level. Rain now dripped from both fighters, and both were no doubt thankful for the thick protection offered by sports bras, lest their situation be any worse. The audience's cheers when no real action was going on were bad enough...
 

In almost a blur Natalie rushed forward, throwing several jabs and punches at varied angles, forcing Victoria to keep her Kali too busy defending to attack. Spinning, Natalie dropped low in a leg sweep that hit its target, but rather than lose balance, Victoria vaulted herself towards the side that had been hit. She rolled on the wet sand and was quickly back on her feet, yet her opponent was again in the midst of launching another series of quick attacks, this time ending in a flip kick that, though blocked, pushed the Puerto Rican back a couple of steps.
 

Once the paler woman landed, both remained where they were for a few seconds before Natalie spoke. "I saw your fight with that guy..." At Victoria's raised brow, she continued. "You weren't holding back then..."
 

A small smirk played on lips lightly painted with cinnamon-red, "What about you? I don't think I've ever seen you really fight before..."
 

A quick shake of her head tossed Natalie's wet bangs from her face as she scanned the crowd, then grinned. "Tell ya what, I'll stop holding back so much if you do the same, and we'll show all these guys what they really came to see..."
 

Victoria chuckled, "Deal."
 

Simultaneously, both charged forward again.
 
 

"Are you sure of this, Lord Bison?" a scientist inquired, "Allowing Umbrella to take these two specimens…"
 

"I don't pay you to question me." Bison rumbled.
 

"Of course…"
 

The scientist said nothing and turned away to do what he was actually paid for and Bison sat there in silence, looking over his strategy and fine-tuning it. Reno Tseng and Cana Verdandi were no longer soldiers of Shadowlaw and would no longer receive their support, they were far too maverick for Bison's tastes and the attack on one of his bases had cost him dearly...Umbrella offered no small sum for the two products and paid it all upfront just for the right to capture the two specimens.
 

Bison smiled, it was a good deal...like killing two birds with one stone…
 
 

"Miss Rinaldo," Raquel's voice emitted from the intercom on her desk, Meliza inwardly slapped her forehead as her secretary sounded significantly more nervous than normal, "A Mr. Ken Masters and company are here to see you…"
 

What now…? Meliza groaned as she leaned over her paperwork to press the button and said, "Let them in, Raquel." She could hear the sigh of relief through her office doors.
 

She stood up and adjusted her clothes quickly as Ken made his way into the room followed by Ryu and Sakura.
 

"Meliza, what the hell is going on?!" Ken said exasperatedly when he entered, "I heard one of our competitors was found dead in the ocean! We can't have a tournament without fighters!"
 

"I saw that on the news," Meliza said firmly, "It's a tragic thing and the police are doing their best to investigate…"
 

"You're kidding, right?" Ken's eyebrows shot up.
 

"I wish I weren't," Meliza sighed and waved towards the seats across from her, "Why don't you three sit down and maybe we can come up with something."
 

Ryu and Sakura sat quietly, while Ken took a moment to clench and unclench his fists before catching a stern look from Ryu and quietly sitting down himself.
 

"Raquel, please bring me a cup of tea and whatever our guests may like." Meliza directed her secretary on the intercom. Raquel only gave her a meek affirmative, causing Meliza to wonder if she suddenly sounded as tired as she felt. Despite the refreshing breakfast she had with Victoria this morning, Meliza suddenly felt like she had missed out on a few good hours of sleep...
 

"Whiskey, any brand, I don't care." Ken said dismissively.
 

"No," Ryu said firmly and met Ken's glare, "You're in no condition right now to drink alcohol. Ken and I will have tea as well."
 

"Strawberry milkshake for me!" Sakura said quickly and she seemed to sigh in relief when Ryu said nothing.
 

"Okay," Meliza said as she mentally steadied herself, "We have a crisis."
 

Ken's expression could not be uttered in mere words in front of ladies or children.
 

"I have reason to believe that some of our co-sponsors have malicious ulterior motives for this tournament…" Meliza said.
 

"Let's get the obvious out of the way," Ken said sharply, "Who are they and how are we going to get rid of them?"
 

"Umbrella for one," Meliza said calmly and thanked Raquel for the tea; she needed it.
 

"Good, let's take them out first." Ken said, looking noticeably more relaxed after taking his tea.
 

"Several people have already died trying to give us the hard evidence to prove this," Meliza scowled, "It won't be easy, we don't know how far Umbrella can reach or how deep their roots are. I have this entire floor checked twice a day and I still don't feel completely safe."
 

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Ken said exasperatedly, "Wait for more people to die?"
 

"If we have to..." Ryu murmured before Meliza could retort, "Meliza is right, if we go in with fists swinging like you're feeling right now a lot more people may just die without knowing the true extent of their power...Who knows what could happen to this island if we disturb them now…"
 

Ken quieted at the unmentioned possibility, too terrible to imagine.
 
 

"WOOOO!! Throw her in the sand!!! MUD WRESTLE!!"
 

Even in the covered area designated for special guests to sit and view the fight, there were idiots. What a lousy day for it to rain... Jin thought as he scowled slightly at the dimwit teenager a couple of rows in front of him. Fei Long sat next to him, both able to enjoy the shelter the canopy offered to celebrities, sponsors and participants. Fei popped another peanut M&M into his mouth and spoke between chewing. "So, you think Nat'll win?"
 

"I'm not sure. Millán won her last match against that Veracruz guy, so she's not a pushover."
 

Another round of loud whistles sounded as Natalie hit the wet sand courtesy of a shoulder throw, only to get back up, now not only thoroughly soaked but well on her way to being filthy as well. Fei chuckled as Jin frowned. "Ya know, at least you can say that's your girl out there. Plus she's wearing a bra, so nothing major to worry about."
 

The Hong Kong native only chuckled at the small, half-hearted glare he received and extended his bag of candy to his friend. "Want some?"
    

"No thanks," Jin answered, watching the match again. Natalie was taking a few hits, on the receiving end of what he was unaware was called the Kali Drill. Though he was interested only in the fight, most other males in the crowd had other things on their mind. Which they could have kept to themselves, yet found some overwhelming need to voice.
 

"WOOOHOO!! NICE RACK!!"
 

Another scowl, then, "I changed my mind, I'll take some of those after all." Fei passed the bag to Jin, who picked out one of the M&M's and with the smallest flick of his thumb sent it rocketing into the back of the man's head.
 

"OW!! What the..." the guy muttered and rubbed his head, looking around. Fei chuckled and shook his head while Jin allowed a small smirk to show. The match wasn't over, but he still had half a bag left...
 
 

"WOOOHOO!! NICE RACK!!"
 

At that particular yell, during a moment where both fighters were settled into their stances, going over mental strategies, both women turned briefly to look at the audience incredulously. It could only be guessed who the comment was directed towards, since both were close to equal in that particular department, and less impressive than some. Like, say, Rainbow Mika, who might put a porn star to shame. Simultaneous scowls showed at the crowd in general before Natalie went on the offensive, dashing toward Victoria and launching into an aerial roundhouse, connecting with both Escrima instead of her opponent's face. Even so, Victoria was staggered by the harsh force of the blow, and the agent chose to pursue the rest of the attack, her right leg becoming a blur as kick after kick assaulted the smaller woman, some blocked but most connecting with their target. A fire-charged back kick to Millán's middle ended the onslaught briefly, completing Natalie's Fire Raid.
 

Rain fizzled against the energy that faded slowly from her legs as the dark haired woman gave her opponent a second to recover, but that was all. Almost a blur, Mien rushed Victoria again, right hand glowing in blue fire. A palm strike flew toward Victoria's chest, but the impact Natalie expected never came. In its place came the Kali Storm, where Victoria barely blocked Natalie's strike and struck her in the left cheek with both Escrima sticks while the taller girl was vulnerable. Natalie's eyes shut tight for only a split second as pain shot through her face, soon dulled by the blows to her stomach and chin, respectively. She hit the sand a second before Victoria, and much less gracefully. The referee began the count but Natalie stood directly after 'one' and wiped the blood from the side of her mouth while the crowd cheered.
 

"Not bad," she mused with a small half-grin as Millán resumed her stance, and then dashed forward toward Natalie to continue where she'd left off.
 
 

Riq was still somewhat in a thoughtful mood as he stood in one corner of a boxing ring, whether due to luck or good weather forecasting his fight was going to take place indoors.
 

It had been just his luck that he was fighting first now, as neither he nor Charlie really cared either way so they decided it by a method passed down through the generations of human civilization, perhaps the one true way people can decide such weighty matters.
 

Riq called heads, it was tails…
 

The crowd was getting hyped as they all took their seats around the ring, with the inner revelation this morning and the impending bad weather, Riq's composure was becoming a tad shaken. Taking a moment to adjust his sunglasses, Riq pulled a cigar out from his right khaki pants pocket and a Swiss army knife from his left. He deftly cut the tip away before clenching the Havana cigar between his lips. Putting away the knife, Riq pulled out a long match that brought out a flavor he so liked from his cigars; he scraped the edge of the match against the post next to him and lit the cigar. Waving the match's fire out, Riq leaned back against the post with his left hand in his pocket and relaxed.
 

Yeah...these things were worth getting arrested for…
 

One of his opponents, he heard his name was Luke, was busy getting warmed up doing jumping jacks, push ups and running in place. Riq was getting tired just from watching the man do that.
 

"You're looking a little too comfortable there." Charlie noted from behind him, cleaning his spectacles with a handkerchief.
 

"Everyone has their own way of loosening up before a fight," Riq replied, lazily puffing on his cigar and watching the ash grow, "You wouldn't happen to have a bottle of bourbon or scotch on you would you?"
 

"…"
 

"I knew it, pass it over."
 

"This match is about to begin…!" the referee suddenly announced.
 

"Never mind," Riq sighed and things were going so well, too.
 

"In one corner we have a student of the Kajukenbo school hailing from Puerto Rico, Enrique Pierantoni!"
 

The crowd cheered loudly with encouraging words such as, "Kill him!" "I don't know who you are, but kill him!" "BLOOD! I WANT BLOOD!" "I WANT YOUR BABIES!"
 

Riq only removed the cigar from his mouth to puff out a ring of smoke in reply.
 

"In the other corner, we have internationally acclaimed kickboxer who's sure to set your hearts on fire if the junk food hasn't already...Luke BLAZE!"
 

Followed by a loud roar of approval Luke leapt into the ring and raised both fists into the air amidst chants of, "KILL! KILL! KILL!" and "WHOO! I WANT YOUR BABY, TOO!"
 

Riq took the cigar out of his mouth and sighed forlornly, noting that there was still much to smoke. Tapping the ashes away outside the ring he tossed the unfinished cigar to Charlie, "Hold onto that for me, will ya?"
 

"ROUND ONE! FIGHT!"
 

At the sound of the gong, Riq found himself in a defensive position blocking against Luke's Thrust Kick. The kickboxer recovered quickly and attempted a Spin Kick to his open abdominals, yet Riq had been anticipating this from the motion of Luke's hips, dodging the kick deftly and crouching into a cat stance, from there he kicked Luke in the knees stunning him enough to allow Riq an opening for a pair of wheel kicks to the face.
 

Luke fell back but recovered quickly, ready to try and counter whatever his opponent would try to follow up with, yet he was stunned to find that his opponent had taken a defensive stance with his two arms held parallel up in front of him as if Luke were the aggressor.
 

He likes his defense, huh? Luke thought as he wiped the sweat from his brow and made a mental check of his body. I took damage, but it wasn't too bad, Luke watched his opponent carefully as he shifted his weight to his right foot and watched as his opponent sway slightly in anticipation to where his attack would have come from. He's good...Knowing this, Luke immediately shifted his weight from right to left coming in strong while bobbing his head from left to right. But you can't win with defense only!
 

Riq's eyes narrowed, straining to catch the movement of his opponent's muscles and trying to anticipate where the next attack would come from. This match belonged to him, with his devastating counters he would win this match. Where will the next attack come from? The left? The right? No, a straight! In anticipation of this Riq lunged forward in preparation for the Kenpo Storm blocking any straight punch attacks.
 

"…"
 

There was suppose to be a straight...where was the strai-
 

Riq found himself tasting the ground and a ringing sound in his ears, he hurried to his feet and he almost fell down again as his legs wobbled from under him. Pulling his arms up quickly, Riq blocked Luke's follow up assault. What had just happened? He had anticipated the straight perfectly yet now the top of his head was...wait, the top of his head?! Riq narrowed his eyes, this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought...while he had been so busy anticipating a straight attack in his lunch, Luke instead switched to an Overhead Chop to the head bypassing the defense his arms formed in front of him.
 

Riq grunted as Luke let loose a volley of punches, weaving left and right waiting for an opening. Luke, thinking he had softened Riq up with repeated jabs and straights threw out a low kick to the shins. Riq had been watching Luke's hips carefully and immediately crouched low to parry away the low kick and returned with a pair of wheel kicks to the face starting with his right, his second wheel kick immediately transformed into a side kick which disappeared as Riq spun into a back kick to the torso with his right leg. With his opponent momentarily stunned Riq hopped into the air to deliver a devastating inner crescent kick into the Luke's face, completing the Stampede.
 

He landed on his feet gracefully, panting as the bruises on his arms pulsated. His punches are strong...Riq thought, taking the brief reprieve to move his arms a bit and wincing at the dull pain it returned. I can't let him recover! With that thought Riq immediately went on the offensive, running towards his staggering opponent.
 

Luke could only wonder in daze as he felt impact as Riq used a hammer strike against his jaw and felt the wind rush out of him from rapid hits to the gut and the jaw causing him to lurch forward. Moments later Luke found himself flying and staring at the ground again.
 

Wh-what the hell just happened? Luke wondered. Did he just throw me?! That cheap bastard! Luke smacked the daze out of his head and stood up quickly to glare at Riq who had managed to regain his composure and stood back defensively awaiting Luke's attack.

Wiping the blood from his brow, Luke yelled as he charged in again and stopped just inches in front of Riq, who was expecting a fierce barrage attacks which he would counter and gain momentum. Instead he found Luke's hands lash out and encircle him close, before Riq could realize what was happening he felt the wind knocked out of him as Luke drove a sharp knee up Riq's chest causing him to collapse onto the ground gasping for breath.
 

Luke slowly lifted his opponent from the ground, blood threatening to cloud his vision, he drew back his right fist and punched Riq once across the left cheek and gave him a backhand across the right cheek. He shoved Riq into the opposite ropes and raised his fists to the cheer of the crowds, he hoped his opponent's face was hurting as much as his was right now from those kicks.
 

Riq smiled in spite of himself however as he leaned against the ropes, he thought he had been done for when he had been on the ground earlier, unable to get his legs to stand up. As long as he was against the ropes he could try and gather some energy and make a comeback against this guy. Just a little...yeah, he could move his legs now, not too much but it would be enough for what he had in mind.
 

Luke managed to snap his mind out of the adrenaline just in time to turn towards a recovering Riq. What was he doing? He knew better than to get cocky at such a critical point in the match, he had to be careful here, his opponent didn't look like he could take much more so the next attack should take him out. Luke made sure to wear down his blocking arms throughout the match so those arms of his would not be able to absorb as much damage as they normally would. Burning in anticipation of victory Luke raised one leg and focused all his power into his legs, from where he stood he exploded forward into a Flying Fire Kick screaming at the top of his lungs honing in on a helpless Riq…
 

Riq smiled, expecting this as he stepped forward, arms held ahead of him and just as Luke's burning leg came within range he parried it to the side causing Luke's eyes to widen in surprise as Riq gathered in himself what reserve of energy he had left as he stepped forward...
 

He had only stepped forward three times, Luke would later see on the tape, but it felt so much more than that as his body was suddenly flailed by a torrent of hits against his head and torso. His torso had not failed on him, he was proud of his strong chest and abdomen, but it had been his head which had been knocked out from all the hits to the face throughout the match...it had been a good strategy. He winced as he sees the last hit, a powerful side kick to the torso that sent him bouncing off the ropes and onto the ground.
 

Riq panted heavily as he stood with his hands on his knees over his opponent's prone body.
 

"WINNER! ENRIQUE PIERANTONI!"
 

With this said, Riq turned to Charlie who only shrugged helplessly as he raised his cigar almost completely engulfed by the ashes now. Riq sighed at the tragedy, then shrugged slightly towards his fallen opponent, as he began to walk back to his corner he paused for a moment to frown at the downpour happening outside through one of the high windows before walking away with his hands behind his back.
 

"Looks like I had to simmer you down." Riq said nonchalantly as the medics rushed in to recover the fallen fighter.
 
 

Riq was only half paying attention to the next fight, instead sitting back on a seat provided to him taking a long deserved smoke with the bottle of scotch Charlie had allowed him to hold onto. As the fight wore on Charlie was slowly being backed into a corner by repeated pressure of Alex's Flash Chops.
 

An opening was finally made and Charlie saw that Alex was now going for a Power Bomb thinking he had Charlie on an absolute defensive. As Alex closed in with his massive arms Charlie ducked and flipped upward with a 'Somersault Shell' smashing into the other man's jaw. Alex hurriedly got to his feet and touched his jaw for signs of damage, eyes narrowing as he focused in on Charlie. Charlie only smiled slightly as he raised his fists in response.
 

"Hoo!" Alex shouted as he dashed forward with a elbow to the face, causing Charlie to stagger backward a bit, but as Alex was recovering his position Charlie pulled back his right arm and…
 

"SONIC BOOM!" Charlie shouted as he hooked the air and a spinning blade emerged on a straight path into Alex.
 

Alex grunted, taking the hit that drove him back as Charlie rushed in with a series of kicks and punches seeking to penetrate Alex's defenses now. In the midst of these attacks Alex hopped back slightly just as Charlie whiffed a hook. Crouching down low Alex immediately hopped into the air and crashed feet first into Charlie slamming the soldier into the ground.
 

In the end of the gruelling match Alex managed to come out on top when Charlie's Sonic Break was all blocked by Alex who had just enough stamina to withstand the attacks yet Charlie could not survive when Alex suddenly grabbed him performing two German suplexes in a row and finishing Charlie off with a huge Power Bomb.
 
 

Though they could have taken seats under the canopy to rest, both Honda and Sean decided to stay directly outside the fighting area, letting the rain pour over them with a refreshing coolness. Though visibly tense in anticipation of what would hopefully be his partner's victory -- even more so, considering the advantage the other team gained going into the final round -- the Shotokan fighter couldn't help but grin. Although the audience was being more than a little rude, he couldn't fault them.
 

"Are you watching the fight or your partner?" the deep and generally jovial voice of the sumo, and former opponent, rumbled from a few feet to his left.
 

Sean blinked and frowned, "The fight, of course."
 

Obviously, he wasn't a good liar as Honda chuckled. "Whatever you say. Do you think your partner will need your assistance?"
 

Sean grinned and shook his head, "Nah, she can handle this. I'll sit this one out. Yours might, though." He then realized it probably wasn't wise to encourage a sumo wrestler to team up against Victoria. He watched Victoria's attempt at a Fire Wheel kick end quickly in a Neo Blast, six consecutive fire-enforced punches connecting with the darker woman and sending her backwards a few feet to land in the sand. Sean winced a bit.
 

Edmund snorted with a smirk. "No, my partner will win."
 

The Brazilian's brow furrowed in a doubtful look, "What makes you so sure?"
 

Matter-of-factly, Honda replied while keeping his eyes on the combatants. "Because she is a healthy eater."
 

Sean raised a brow at the reply and was about to say something when a tiny blue thing landed beside him. He picked up the peanut M&M and blinked before dropping it again.
 
 

Victoria rose and slung some of the wet sand from her arms and weapons just as the two minute alarm buzzer sounded. She had to finish this now. As Natalie advanced on her, Victoria met her with the Kali Drill, blocking Natalie's first punch and striking once again with her Escrima sticks at Natalie's face and abdomen in a series of quick, strong hits. Her forearms now throbbed as they blocked a strike here or there. Unknown to Natalie, she was the recipient of two consecutive Kali Drills, taking most of a total of fifteen hard hits. Staggered by the moves, she failed to raise her defense against the fist that struck her under the chin, lifting her into the air. The powerful airborne side kick that came next sent her crashing into the ground with a small splatter of water and sand.
 

When Victoria landed, the referee began to count. He got as far as four before Natalie pushed herself up, to Victoria's surprise and the crowd's delight. Mien's face, ribcage and arms pulsed with pain, but she was nothing if not durable. With little over a minute left, Natalie smiled with a 'come here' gesture, but Victoria raised a brow and held her ground. With that last hit, if Natalie failed to successfully attack her, the judges would award her the victory in the case of a time-out.
 

Her shock was evident when Natalie's body blurred, suddenly directly to her right and spinning in a roundhouse aimed for Millán's lower back. Unable to dodge fast enough, the Puerto Rican stumbled forward. Instead of following immediately, Wynshire struck the wet ground with an open palm, sending a rippling, fiery wake of blue across the ground and engulfing her opponent as she turned to defend. Brown eyes widened as she felt her legs briefly go numb. What the...
 

From her still-crouching position, Natalie launched in another barely visible blur, meeting her target with two spinning kicks, one to the left side of the ribs, one to the right. Immediately this was followed by a higher kick of the same type to Victoria's left cheek, spinning her slender form. Two jabs to the kidneys sent a shock of pain through her lower back, and she tried once more to turn and block whatever would come next. Victoria did manage to turn in time to see it, but not to block it as Natalie threw both flame-covered hands forward and the tanned fighter was engulfed in a massive sphere of pulsating, blue fire. When the Neo Storm ended, Millán lay on the sand. The count was made; she managed to roll over, but could not rise in time.
 

"Winner: MIEN!" The announcement was met with cheers for her victory and calls of disappointed and disapproval. Now soaked enough that the sand was starting to wash off of her under the heavy rain, Natalie found she didn't really take much pride in the victory, though hard won. As Sean and the paramedics rushed the scene, Natalie knelt and pulled Victoria to stand. Even disoriented as she was, the shorter combatant didn't miss the strange tingles that ran up her arm where the agent grasped her hand. Her head started to clear as the sharp pain faded to a dull ache.
 

"Good fight," Natalie said with a small smile. "Good luck in the rest of your fights."
 

With her head shaking slightly to further clear her vision, Victoria could only offer a confused look at the difference she felt. "Yeah, same to you..."
 

The dark-haired fighter released her hand and turned, taking the strange tingling away as she walked slowly, waving off the medical team assigned to inspect her to meet up with her partner, nearly knocked over by a clap on the back from his strong hand. As she was ushered away by the medics and her own partner, Victoria couldn't help but chuckle softly. Surprisingly, she didn't feel all that disappointed at not winning.
 

"You did good," Sean offered with a small smile.
 

She suspected he was hiding his disappointment. "You don't have to say that... I lost."
 

He grinned, "Nah, you almost had her several times. It's still early, so it's no big deal."
 

One fine brow arched. "You seem awful happy for being on a team that just lost..."
 

"Well, considering how close that was to a women's mud wrestling match, it wasn't a total loss..."
 

He was immediately quieted to a series of small, pained complaints, courtesy of Victoria's right elbow.
 
 

"I thought you were in China," Locke said, bemused at the presence of the man crouching in front of him patting his dog.
 

"A lot of people did," the former vendor shrugged.
 

The two were under a store's tarp watching the rain, Locke had just managed to get away from Karin Kanzuki who probably had more 'requests.' That butler she had...well, he had Locke's sympathy. It was by chance that he was sharing the same tarp as the man next to him.
 

"Why are you here anyway?" Locke wondered aloud, "You're not enrolled in the tournament, unless you're going by a different name…"
 

"You mean Reno Tseng right?" the ex-vendor said as he stood up, "No, I'm not him...I always did like the name though...which is why I named my dog that."
 

"You ever meet him?"
 

"...Yeah…"
 

"That's...interesting." Locke said, a little shocked that the ex-vendor already met the other man, "So you-"
 

"No, I didn't help create him," the ex-vendor sighed, "You know how I am about multiple versions of myself, I had enough of that last time. But he did come from my genes...or so he says...wrote a letter to me, sent some pictures too…" The ex-vendor scowled.
 

"What happened?"
 

"My girlfriend thought he was my long lost twin brother and demanded that I make amends with him," the ex-vendor sighed, "When she found out he was entering this tournament she demanded I see him."
 

"Did you?"
 

"Yeah...guy's a prick," he admitted, then paused, "I always did wonder how I'd look with my hair dyed though…"
 

"Did he tell you anything? Anything important?" Locke pressed.
 

"Yeah...Bison's alive…" the ex-vendor said quietly, "And he's one of the sponsors of this tournament…"
 
 

Reno was still sitting in the room in the very same spot where Cana had slapped him into. Memories of years gone by flashed through his mind...the first time she found him he had been about ready to die, finishing a downhill street race with a car he had stolen earlier that day. They both learned things fast for beings that had been only alive for a few years; he never really understood why, probably because their minds were still young and open to whatever the world had to offer.
 

The second time she found him...he had been curled up in an alley ready for death to take him away and end his misery...but at that last moment he was afraid and cried out for help. She appeared...with that syringe.
 

The door suddenly slammed open and Reno looked up slowly towards a frightened and soaked R. Mika...wasn't she Cana's partner…?
 

"Cana's been kidnapped!" R. Mika gasped.
 
 

"The rain doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon," Locke noted clinically, "I'm going to make my way back to the hotel, you sure you don't want to come back with me? I could get you a room for the night."
 

"No, thanks," the ex-vendor shook his head, "Too many people would recognize me, I already put myself at risk earlier today when I had breakfast there."
 

"Alright," Locke nodded, "I'm going to leave a first class ticket at the airport for you tomorrow once I get back to the hotel, you can use that money I've just given you to make your way there."
 

"Thanks, I appreciate it; don't think I'll ever have the chance to pay you back though."
 

"Don't worry about it," Locke replied, "With the information you've just given me, this might be a bargain. You sure your girlfriend will take you back?"
 

"Yeah, I talked with her on the phone earlier today," the other man said, "She understands and doesn't want me getting involved any more than I already have. I did my part."
 

"Be careful...Kay," Locke murmured as he pulled the hood of his coat over his head and started jogging into the direction of the Makai.
 

"I'm not the one sticking around…" Kay Lee murmured.
 
 

There were clicking sounds, metal scraping on metal...it was a sound that stood out from the pattering of the raindrops and the rumble of thunder. The thunder comforted Cana, the clicking sounds terrified her. Slowly she opened her eyes and found herself looking at a heavyset man assembling and disassembling a large handgun. Judging by his clothing he looked like...a mercenary. She must have moved because he glanced up at her, Cana immediately tried to draw fire to her hands…
 

"Don't bother," the man replied, he had a slight accent...Russian or some other Eastern European country? Cana had trouble distinguishing, but the man seemed to hide it well generally, "Those shackles were made specifically to hold back your powers. So you're...completely helpless." Rez smiled cruelly as his hands blurred over his gun, piecing it together quickly and in an instant had it pointed straight at Cana's head, "Not that it'd do you any good anyway, but the white coats are offering me a bonus if I bring you in alive."
 

White coats? Why would the scientists at Shadowlaw kidnap to bring her back? They could easily have just sent a message for her to report back to headquarters. So that meant someone else...Umbrella. Cana said nothing, looking into his eyes she could already tell there was no point bargaining...and she didn't really want to know what she would have to offer this man in a bargain.
 

"You're not talking, a pity," the man said expansively, "My name is Sergei Rezlorn Romanov, my victims call me Rez. So you may call me Rez!" Rez laughed and slapped his knee as if he had made an incredibly funny joke, then he stopped abruptly, "Indeed it is a pity, for you see I have been cooped up for weeks with this little girl who says nothing. Nothing, nada, or zilch as you Americans say! It is frustrating!" Rez slammed his gun hand into a nearby crate filled with...Cana realized that they were in a warehouse with fireworks. Rez saw her glance and grinned, "Ah, yes, another reason why you wouldn't want to use your powers in here," Rez pulled out a fistful of fireworks and shook them in front of her, "A whole warehouse...one spark and...KA-BLOOEY!" Rez fell back laughing hard.
 

Cana stayed quiet, waiting for the opportunity to escape. Perhaps she could…
 

"Not even the least bit curious who sent me are you?" Rez sighed as he stood up and suddenly kicked a box of fireworks far into the distance, "Ah, you're no fun!" Suddenly he whirled on her, a wicked smile on his face, "Or maybe…"
 

The sound of thunder suddenly filled the warehouse as the large doors slammed open and in the center stood an incredibly pissed off Reno with fist engulfed in electricity.
 

"Ah, so the dashing prince finally appears!" Rez shouted jubilantly over the sound of the growing hurricane outside, Rez's expression then turned sinister as he licked his lips, "About time I'd say, I was getting so bored…"
 

"Shut up," was all Reno said as he started running towards Rez, one hand still engulfed in lightning. As he rapidly advanced on the mercenary Reno swung his arm overhead, bringing an arc of lightning crashing into the other man.
 

Rez only smiled as Reno drew in, lifting one hand and pointing his finger at the musician, "Bang," was all he said and a bolt of dark crimson energy flew from that finger knocking Reno and his attack away.
 

Reno scrambled hurriedly to his feet, glaring at Rez.
 

Cana knew it was pointless but she tried struggling against her chains anyway, panic filled her heart when she saw Reno knocked down. Rez glanced over his shoulder at her, "Oh, so now you make some noise…" he grinned, "I'd like for you to make some more noise…" With that he turned his attention back towards Reno...who was gone, "Eh? Where he go?"
 

A swirl of electricity suddenly descended from above Rez's head as a foot smashed into the side of his face, stunning him, but not enough to knock him down. Rez shook his head to try and shake away the dizziness but it was too late as Reno connected with a hook, followed by a front snap kick finished with an uppercut of electricity sending Rez flying through the air into a pile of boxes. Rez shook his head again, scrambling to his feet as fireworks crunched beneath his boots and he raised his fists in defense.
 

The follow up never came.
 

Instead Reno had quickly gone to Cana's side, trying to break the chains from her. A smile formed on Rez's face as he slowly advanced towards the pair relishing in Reno's growing frustration when he realized that he could not break the chain with his strength or his powers. Suddenly Reno whirled in Rez's direction.
 

"Give me the key!" Reno shouted.
 

Laughing, Rez pulled the key out from under his shirt, it was attached to a string around Rez's neck. He smirked, "Come and get it."
 

Reno swore as clawed hands engulf in electricity began to slash across the air.
 

"Reno, no!" Cana said quickly.
 

Reno paused, the lightning he held showed him what Cana meant. Boxes and boxes of fireworks, if a bolt were to touch one…
 

"BORING!" Rez shouted, then laughed, "Let me show you how this fight is going to go!" Reaching back, Reza gained gathered dark crimson energy into his right hand which he threw among the fireworks, "Have a drink!"
 

"Damnit!" Reno swore as he threw Cana onto his shoulders and made a mad dash towards the exit. As he ran towards the exit it suddenly dawned on him that maybe he really should have kept the 'Instant Step' as one of his moves.
 

He didn't turn to look behind him to see Rez's 'Molotov Cocktail' hit the fireworks, he already knew it had hit when he heard the first explosion and the subsequent explosions thereafter which he felt pounding against his back were enough of an incentive to run as fast as he could out into the tropical storm. With a final leap, he rolled out along the ground clutching Cana close to him, protecting her with his body…
 

But somewhere along the way he had to let go, releasing her as he continued to roll and let out a cry of pain as he crashed against a large boulder.
 

"It's a good thing you were cloned after a man known for his speed," Rez smirked as he emerged from the burning warehouse casually brushing the lingering flames off his shoulders, "It's too bad he wasn't made of stronger stuff, yes?" Unfortunately he was near where Reno had released Cana, grabbing her he pulled her, unkindly, next to him.
 

Reno only spat to the side as he slowly got up, noting in disgust that it had been blood he spat out. He hoped it wasn't his ribs.
 

"That's the spirit…" Rez smiled, wiping away a trail of blood from his mouth from the combination that Reno had given him earlier, "Show me some more of that and I might let you live just a little longer…"
 

Reno's eyes narrowed as he straightened himself, drawing electricity into his left fist.
 

"It seems we have guests," Rez smirked, glancing to the side where several people with a camera were filming them despite the storm.
 

Again Reno started running towards Rez, his left fist trailing along his side ready to execute 'Scythe.' Rez only smirked as he pulled his fist back, gathering his dark chi before charging forward in a headlong collision with Reno where lightning clashed against dark crimson chi.
 

As the two tore through each other like wolves in the storm Cana could only struggle helplessly against her shackles, she even called over to the news people, but they were too busy filming the fight before them. She watched in growing frustration every time Reno took a blow from Rez, at one point Reno was about to execute 'Discharge' but Rez backtracked, crouching down and grabbing a pile of wet sand which he threw at Reno's face causing him to fall back.
 

"Everyone's so focused on the main event," a voice said from behind her, Cana's head whipped to the side and was surprised to find the okonomiyaki vendor behind her...she didn't even feel his presence! The vendor only held his index finger up as a sign for her to be quiet, though it was hard to tell since his hat was covering most of his face.
 

Cana stayed quiet, her heart beating fast watching Reno and Rez exchange energy powered blows after energy powered blows. Lightning was constantly clashing with dark crimson chi mixed in the loud pattering of the storm and the thunder.
 

"Damn, what the hell is this lock?" the vendor grumbled.
 

"The key's around his neck," Cana whispered.
 

"...Crap."
 

In the distance, Reno and Rez stood on opposite sides both with their hands on their knees and panting from the massive expenditure of their powers. Rez had a huge grin on his face while Reno's visage was grim and murderous.
 

"I'm starting to get bored," Rez taunted as he stood up and motioned at Reno, "Why don't you give me your strongest attack."
 

Reno said nothing as he straightened up, trying to summon enough strength in himself to end all of this. Rez only whistled appreciatively as a large bolt of lightning suddenly struck Reno, immersing him. However, when Reno emerged Rez was there, dark crimson fist ready to punch Reno's face in, Reno had anticipated this and Rez grunted as he felt lightning cut into him as Reno instantly somersaulted his foot trailing with electricity that dug deep into Rez's body.
 

Rez worked to put a hit in, yet Reno's attacks were coming out almost instantaneously cutting through Rez's charged motions as multiple scars of electricity streaked through the air cutting deep the mercenary. A hook across the face, followed by a front snap kick finished with an uppercut Reno sent the other man flying into the air and as he did so Reno began to collect the electricity from the 'Howl of Thunder' into his right hand until it all condensed into a shining sphere of light no one could look into directly.
 

With the ball of lightning in clawed hand, Reno began running rapidly towards where he estimated Rez would land, he planned to tear through the other man's body just as he was about to stand up, finishing this duel. As Reno ran his he dragged the ball of lightning across the ground with him and intermixed with the rain, wind and thunder was the sound of a thousand birds chirping.
 

"Finally, got it!" the vendor mumbled and Cana heard a rapid pair of clicks and she found herself free of her shackles. Cana blinked, when did he get the keys?
 

Yet as Reno reached Rez he saw that the mercenary was smiling and Reno realized in shock that Rez had anticipated this. Reno found himself not connecting with the mercenary but shattering a large boulder into a thousand pieces, Reno grunted as a few shards cut into him.
 

"Ooh, that was scary," Rez grinned as he bounced a ball of dark crimson energy in his hand, "But this is going to be the last game," Suddenly Rez gripped the ball hard into his hand as powerful energy was concentrated into it and he hurled it up into the air.
 

The two stood there, motionless.
 

"Life's a gamble, eh?" Rez grinned.
 

Time seemed to have just stopped for Cana, but it didn't stop long enough as a pillar of dark chi suddenly engulfed Reno, contorting his body into various figures of pain and agony before it stopped and he fell forward onto the ground…
 

"RENO!" Cana screamed.
 
 

Venom was sitting at the Makai's café, slightly pensive and incredibly bored out of his mind. Even after all that property damage he had done to Bison the man still hadn't sent any assassins his way! He grunted and took a sip of his tea as he read the paper.
 

It was then that he felt it!
 

Why were the waiters and customers staring at him? Oh, in his moment of excitement he had abruptly stood up and unknowingly disturbed the patrons of this restaurant. Silly him. Venom merely waved at everyone at a sign that all was well.
 

Yes, all was very well. He had felt it, a very powerful and very murderous chi. Who could it have been? Akuma? It didn't matter, he had to find the bearer of this chi.
 
 

"Reno!" Cana cried, shaking his prone form, "Reno, wake up! Wake up!"
 

"Cana…?" Reno groaned, "Wh-what the hell hit me?"
 

"It'll be okay," Cana whispered, "Everything will be okay, we're going to head back to Japan you see, where all of our friends are. No more Shadowlaw, no more Umbrella. We'll live in a new place and change our names…"
 

"Cana...I can't feel my legs." Reno whispered.
 

"Nothing a good doctor can't fix!" Cana said, her voice growing desperate, "You'll see, you're going to go race on Mount Akina, just like you've always wanted."
 

"Cana, I'm so sorry," Reno murmured, "I'm so sorry I didn't trust you. I didn't know. I didn't remember...Cana, I…"
 

There was a loud bang.
 

"YOU MONSTER!" Cana screeched, lunging at Rez.
 

"That's a lot coming from you!" Rez spat, smacking her aside with the hand that held the gun, "At least I actually came from a womb!" In her rage, Cana was not fighting sensibly, leaving many openings as she clawed at Rez with flames, "That's right, fight as much as you'd like, he's never coming back!" Rez laughed, "He gave me a good fight, I did him a favor by putting him out of his misery. A lot more than the white coats would have!"
 

As Cana was about to lunge forward once more, Rez suddenly dashed forward hitting her in the face with a fist engulfed in his dark chi. He followed through with two hits to the face, one to her torso and again to her face, he kicked her in the torso causing her to bend over before he grabbed her once more to power bomb her to the floor. Cana cried out at the rushing feeling of coldness engulfing her.
 

"Cold, eh?" Rez grinned and he began to advance on her, "Well, it's been fun but-"
 

"Hi!" a strange man with a large Chinese straw hat suddenly appeared in front of him, he was holding up a string with a key on its end, "I think this is yours."
 

Rez only bared his teeth at the man, "And when did you get that?"
 

"Oh, while you were getting up from the ground, nice anticipation by the way," the vendor said nonchalantly, "I wasn't a big fan of how it ended, though."
 

Rez lashed out quickly with his fist, which the vendor only barely dodged. Rez still connected with the hat and it fell away to reveal long hair tied back into a ponytail flowing out from the top. Rez only smirked, "I thought so."
 

"Well, it was bound to come off anyway," Kay Lee shrugged as he smoothed out his hair, "Have you recovered yet over there?"
 

"Yes." Cana replied and Rez suddenly felt a sense of burning he had never felt before and realized that Cana had crashed into him from the air covered in flames.
 

Rez realized that Kay had been buying her time so that she would recover and recollect herself. He looked around frantically for Kay in anticipation of a double team. When he spotted him, Kay was standing a bit in the distance apparently not going to get involved in this fight. When Kay saw that Rez was looking at him, he smiled and waved.
 

Rez irked when he felt Cana hit him in the solar plexus and a wave of those painful flames as he was pulled down into the ground smothered in flames. It was at that moment he had a good look into Cana's eyes. They were no longer burning wildly as before, but her entire eyes appeared engulfed in a massive steady flame patiently burning him away little by little. Tseng had already taken a good portion out of him already, in his current form he couldn't take on Verdandi on his own; he might actually be...killed.
 

Rez only grinned at the thought, so be it, he was sure the boys in the lab would find a way to piece him together and when they do…
 

As Cana raised her clawed fist above her head aiming for the kill, Rez looked her straight in the eyes expectantly.
 

It never came.
 

Cana leapt up as as large curved blade swept inches from Rez's nose. It was the blade of a guillotine...However mid-way through the swipe Kay Lee stood there holding the guillotine.
 

"Little girls shouldn't play with knives," Kay chided.
 

Éléonore pointed at Kay and suddenly he was flying crashing down into the wet sand.
 

"Ugh, psychic, why did she have to be a psychic?" Kay groaned as he stood up, before he could go after the duo, Éléonore suddenly grabbed Rez and threw her black cloak over the both of them.
 

All that remained was Kay, Cana and...the news crew.
 

"Come on," Kay urged the young woman who cradled Reno's head in her lap, "Let's go before anyone else comes." It was giving him the chills seeing a dead face that was his.
 

As the two left in the background, Kay heard a woman shriek, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE TAPE GOT RUINED?!"

The storm had finally stopped and they had finally stopped running. Kay peered around carefully for signs of people before he motioned for Cana to come out who still clutched the prone form of Reno tightly. She would not let him help her nor was she willing to leave his body behind. Kay didn't say anything. At least she seemed strong enough to carry his body around like that.
 

"Thank you for your help," Cana said softly, "You should go."
 

"What do you mean?"
 

"Reno and I won't be going with you…"
 

"Of course you have to come with me and you can't keep carrying him around like that, it'll catch bad attention," Kay argued, "I have some friends, they can get us out of here, away from this crazy place."
 

Cana only shook her head, "There's no place for me...not without Reno."
 

Kay stood silent for a moment; tears brimmed in his eyes before he nodded, "Alright...have it your way." Before anything else could be said, he disappeared in a blur, yet Cana could see him running away as quickly as possibly granting them their moment of privacy.
 

Carefully laying Reno's body on the ground she made sure to make him appear as tidy as possible. Evaporating away the wetness and brushing away the remaining sands. She even reached in to pull the bullet out from his heart, cleaning away the blood. As the sun began to set, Cana smiled at how peaceful Reno looked. Without saying a word she pulled him up close to her hugging him tightly as flames began to envelope her which extended to him. Quickly the flames flared up for an instant.
 

And they were there no more…

Later that night…

Sitting at the edge of the harbor, Victoria's legs dangled along the side as she peered across the tranquil waves and the moon which was reflected. The weather had finally cleared leaving behind a sort of refreshing atmosphere. Needing time to think had led her there, eyes set on the waves, as the night's humidity curled the ends of her otherwise straight hair.
 

She turned to the sound of soft footsteps behind her on the pier.
 

"Don't run away now," Riq said, "Neither of us is really in any condition to be doing that." A small smile formed on his lips but went away almost as soon as it had appeared.
 

Victoria looked at his face and laughed, "What happened to your face?!" she exclaimed.
 

"You should have seen the other guy" He said, steadying his gaze on the waves.
 

"I did!" She laughed, not missing the small smirk on Riq's lips even though he had tried well to hide it.
 

After a brief moment of silent, Riq spoke up. "Good fight today."
 

Victoria turned. "Thanks...you were there?"
 

"Only briefly"
 

"Oh."
 

Victoria looked back at the waves, fully expecting Enrique to say some half-hearted goodnight and go back the way he'd come. She blinked and looked back at him in surprise when he instead took a seat to her right. She heard his quiet sigh and saw him wince slightly, likely due to the minor injuries from the fight earlier. She could only offer a small half-smile of sympathy, watching as he pulled something from under his light jacket. A flask appeared in his hand and soon was opened and raised to his lips as he took a brief swig. Victoria was about to look back at the ocean when the same flask was extended to her. One fine brow arched at Riq, who shrugged and offered, "It's not the fruity stuff you like, but it's not bad."
 

Victoria's lips curved in a smirk as she took the flask, sipped and grimaced at the harsh burn of straight scotch, and then quickly handed it back to him. She didn't care for the flavor at all, but the small buzz might be welcomed. Besides, it was nice of him to offer. "I don't see how you stand that stuff on a regular basis..."
 

To that, he chuckled, and conversation lulled to companionable silence. They sat for a time, each lost in his or her own thoughts while the sea undulated beneath the clearing night sky.
 
 

"Hello, sir, welcome to first class," the stewardess smiled, "May I get you anything?"
 

"Just a glass of water, please," Kay smiled and looked away when the stewardess left to take the order of the other passengers. In his heart there was a mixture of both relief and regret, he regretted he could not see the events of this tournament to the end but he felt relieved that he didn't have to go through the trials and tribulations any longer.
 

Seeing a dead man with his face had given him the absolute willies, but that was almost nothing to what he had seen after he left Cana. As he was running away something made him glance back to where he had left them…
 

A translucent fox made of fire had engulfed the two and as their bodies turned to ash he saw what appeared to be a wolf made up of electricity appear from Reno's corpse. That was all he had seen before they were gone. Kay only shook his head, it wasn't his concern any more and he hoped he would never cross paths with those two again.
 

Looking out the window at the quickly disappearing islands of Hawaii, Kay whispered, "Good-bye...and good luck."